We enable the stereo mixer in sound recording devices in Windows. Enable the stereo mixer in audio recording devices in Windows Why the stereo mixer in Windows 10 does not work

Trick to enable Windows 7 volume control UI on Windows 10.

Microsoft has made it its mission to make Windows 10 more modern, and as part of this strategy, the smallest parts of the operating system have been given a visual makeover.

The volume control UI, which can be accessed by simply clicking the volume icon in the system tray, is one of those features that gets such modern touches.

Windows 10 comes with a modern UI for the volume controller right from the start, and recent OS feature updates have brought more improvements in this regard. Clicking the volume icon in the tray opens a small pop-up window with acrylic, one of the visual effects that are part of the Fluent Design language.

Fluent Design represents Microsoft's attempt to completely overhaul the Windows 10 interface and includes several other improvements, such as the reveal effect, which may also extend to the volume control interface at some point in the future.

However, for now, modern acrylic UI is all we get. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean everyone is a big fan of the interface. In fact, I've seen many people argue that the Windows 7 volume mixer was much better, although it's quite difficult to speak for others as to why exactly the older design is preferable to its modern brother, which is just as simple and serves the same purpose.

Leaving this aside, few Windows 10 users know that it is actually possible to get back to the Windows 7 volume mixer interface with a simple registry hack. It's important to know that Microsoft may block this trick at some point in the future, leaving users with no option other than to stick with the modern volume controller UI.

The first thing you need to do to enable the old interface is to make sure you are logged in with an administrator account. You cannot make changes to the registry with a standard account. Also, create a backup if you are afraid that something might go wrong and system stability might be affected.

Launch Registry Editor by pressing Win + R and typing regedit. Browse to or paste the following path into the address bar:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\MTCUVC

If the location does not exist, you must create it manually. To do this, open the following location in Registry Editor:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion

Right-click the CurrentVersion folder and select New > Partition. Call up the new MTCUVC key and save it. In the right pane, make sure the existing (or newly created) MTCUVC key is selected and right-click to create a new 32-bit DWORD value called EnableMtcUvc. Enter a value of 0 to enable the old speaker interface.

There is no need to reboot the system or kill the explorer.exe process because the changes are applied immediately after the value is changed. Just click on the volume icon in the system tray to see the old interface in action.

To return to the previous configuration, there is no need to delete the newly created key. All you have to do is change the value from 0 to 1 and the modern interface will automatically be restored, again without having to reboot the system or kill the explorer process.

I've tested this trick and it continues to work in preview builds of Windows 10 Redstone 5, although it goes without saying that Microsoft may kill it before this update is available to all users. Redstone 5 is expected to launch in the fall, giving Microsoft plenty of time to change its mind and make this hack obsolete to force users to stick with the modern UI.

When, at the dawn of the evolution of Windows systems, it became possible to install special sound devices on computers, called sound cards, the developers introduced into the system one of the fundamental elements of sound control in the form of a kind of mixing console, on which it is still possible to regulate not only the overall output level of the sound signal , but also adjust the volume of system notifications (if they are enabled) or any individual active application that is currently accessing the capabilities of the sound system. Next, we will briefly look at some issues related to how to open the volume mixer in Windows 10 and what actions can be taken if problems are observed with it (the tray icon disappears, the mixer does not open or does not work, etc.). And first, let's focus on the simplest option for accessing the operating system component described below.

How to open the mixer using the standard method?

Apparently, there is no need to say that even after the first installation of the operating system itself and if there is a correctly installed sound card with working drivers on the computer or laptop, the sound icon in the form of a speaker can be seen in the system area on the “Taskbar” (in the system tray, to the left of the clock and tongue). Calling the context menu on the icon itself via RMB provides access to several settings items, including the Windows 10 volume mixer.

Please immediately pay attention to the fact that initially, in the absence of running active programs that use the computer’s sound system, the mixer itself will only control the general level and volume of system notification sounds. If another application is launched in parallel, the user starts listening to music or watching a movie on the Internet using a browser, a separate fader will appear in the mixer to change the sound level of the content played through the browser.

What to do if Windows 10 Volume Mixer won't open?

Now let's dwell a little on possible problems. Most often they are associated with the disappearance of the sound level adjustment icon from the system tray. Situations when the Windows 10 volume mixer does not work at all (the sound is not adjusted or the applet does not start) are usually caused by incorrect operation of the sound card drivers, but we will not consider them now. We think the icon just disappeared.

The first thing you need to do is go to the settings, select the personalization section and go to the “Taskbar” settings item.

On the right side of the window there is a line to turn on and off system icons displayed on the panel, among which you need to find the volume and activate the display of the icon by moving the slider to the right.

Manipulating screen settings

You can also assume that the icon seems to be active, but it is still not in the tray, as a result of which the Windows 10 volume mixer is inaccessible. Very often, this problem can be related to screen settings.

In order to fix the problem, you need to use RMB on the “Desktop” to go to the screen settings item, set the scale of text and application elements to 125%, close the settings window, enter the same section again, set the initial value for the scale to 100%, exit settings and completely reboot your computer or laptop.

Windows 10 Volume Mixer Not Working: System Registry Actions

Finally, let's see what can be done if the above suggested methods do not work. You can return the icon, and at the same time resume access to the Windows 10 volume mixer, through the registry (regedit), using two methods for this.

In the first case, in the HKCU branch you need to find the TrayNotify section, as shown above, and delete the IconStream and PastIconStream keys on the right side of the window. If any of them are not there, no big deal.

In the second case, in the same branch you need to go to the Desktop section, and in the right window create two string parameters, one of which will be named WaitToKillAppTimeout, and the second - HungAppTimeout. Double-click to change each of the keys and set both to 20000.

Note: When using both of the methods just described, a system reboot will be required after all operations are completed. If you have any doubts about applying these settings, first make a backup copy of the registry using the export function in the file menu.

Stereo mixer- This is one of the sound recording devices in the computer operating system environment. But this is not a physical device, like a microphone, musical instruments or other equipment connected through a line input. This is a software development that allows you to mix audio sources played within the operating system and received from a microphone or line-in equipment.

Why is such software development needed? And how to work with it in a Windows environment?

1. Why do you need a stereo mixer?

So, a stereo mixer allows you to mix system sounds and sounds coming from a microphone. Thanks to this, we can record audio casts, screencasts, and conduct live broadcasts with both system sound and what we say into the microphone. We can record a video of the game with its voice acting and our comments. We can make a video lesson with pleasant background music from our playlist. And we can film it on YouTube video discussing something else YouTube-video, film or TV-transmissions. And play the latter in a browser or player, and not make your own voiceover over the original video sequence, so as not to get a strike.

Almost all more or less functional programs for capturing monitor screens and streaming provide the ability to select a sound recording source:

System sound only
Only microphone
System sound + microphone.

Even modern Skype when choosing the function of showing your desktop to your interlocutor, it offers us to launch this function with or without system sounds turned on. But, alas, not all even functional programs allow you to fine-tune the volume levels of different sources. How, for example, does this allow you to do .

System sound can, if not completely drown out the sound from a weak microphone, then at least clearly contrast against the background of our quieter speech. Of course, you can strengthen the microphone in the system settings, but even with +20 dB devices (especially budget ones) may hiss, wheeze, hum or produce other distortions. Whereas the stereo mixer will output system sound in the background for recording or streaming at a volume level that we will adjust using the usual volume slider in the Windows tray. We make a couple of test recordings “One-two, one-two, check the equipment” with different system sound volumes. And we will be able to choose the optimal ratio of the signal from the microphone and the system voice acting.

A stereo mixer can be used for transcription - deciphering video and audio recordings. Thanks to the stereo mixer, the video or audio files played by the player will be perceived by human speech recognition programs as a signal from a microphone. And such programs will convert into text everything that is said by those involved in video or audio sources.

2. How to turn on the stereo mixer

To enable the stereo mixer, call the context menu on the system volume icon. We choose.

Now call the context menu on the stereo mixer icon (if it is inactive by default) . Click "Turn on".

That's it - now mixed sound from the microphone and Windows applications will be broadcast. Open programs for capturing video from the screen, recording or streaming restart. We update the broadcast launch pages in the browser window. And we can start testing and adjusting the system volume.

If we need to transcribe video or audio recordings, it is better to turn off the microphone during this process. To prevent speech recognition programs from "heard" it as a source of unnecessary sounds. This could be the creaks of a computer chair, the clatter of a keyboard, the communication of other people in the room, etc.

3. What to do if you don’t have a stereo mixer

What if the stereo mixer is not among the Windows recording devices?

3.1. Display all audio devices

In the system settings of sound receiving devices - where we enabled the stereo mixer above - the latter may simply not be displayed. To check this, call the context menu in an empty area of ​​the settings window and check the box for displaying disabled devices. Then we turn on the stereo mixer.

3.2. Installing the audio driver

The audio driver is responsible for implementing the stereo mixer in Windows. When installing a system, basic drivers are usually automatically installed into it, providing simple functionality such as the presence of sound as a fact. But more advanced audio configuration capabilities - fine adjustment of audio system parameters, application of filters and presets, implementation of the same stereo mixer - all this is provided by a full-fledged audio driver from the audio card manufacturer. Therefore, if there is no stereo mixer even among the disconnected devices, you must install/reinstall audio driver. But its installer must be taken from the official website of the laptop, PC motherboard or directly from the audio card, if it is discrete.

We go to the website of the device manufacturer. We look for the specifications page of our device, go to the software supply section. Select the audio driver, select the Windows version, download the installer.

Run the file Setup.exe. Once the installation is complete, restart the computer. And we try to activate the stereo mixer, as shown above.

As an alternative, you can use the optical disc with drivers that comes with laptops, motherboards or discrete audio cards. Of course, if they were not purchased on the secondary market without a delivery kit.

3.3. Universal solution from Realtek

If it doesn't work out install/reinstall audio driver or for some reason its presence in the system still does not implement the stereo mixer, you can resort to using the universal utility from the company Realtek– manufacturer of most of the audio cards included in the motherboards of computer devices.

On the website Realtek at:

We can download a certain utility.

This is not an audio driver, the utility does not replace a specific driver for a specific audio device from Realtek, it is just something of a sound settings manager and may be able to implement a stereo mixer.

So, you needed to capture audio, be it from a game or video, but the program does not record audio. The whole reason is stereo mixer. It is disabled or there are some problems with it. Let's try to make the stereo mixer work!

The first method is very simple, we just turn on the stereo mixer:

1. Right-click on the volume icon and click on "Recording Devices".
2. A window will open "Sound" with open tab "Record", and the device we need is not there "Stereo mixer".
3. Now right-click on an empty area of ​​this window and check the box "Show disabled devices". Just in case and "Show disconnected devices". Now we will see the desired device, just right click on it and select "Turn on".

But what to do if the disconnected devices do not have a stereo mixer? Then let's try the second method: installing the necessary drivers.

• For Realtek You can download it from here (be sure to download it specifically for your version and bitness of Windows).
• For SigmaTel download.
• For audio devices Nvidia no problems observed, but just in case it’s easy to google "NVIDIA Virtual Audio Device", most importantly, download from the official website.
• If Creative, then the device can simply be called "What U Hear", and in sound SoundMax stereo mixer is called Stereomix.

Reinstalling drivers doesn't help?

Then you can use a virtual sound card Virtual Audio Cable, easy to Google too. After installing this program, a virtual stereo mixer will appear, make it the default and use it 😉

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