Thread: Configure sound (speakers) in Windows Vista SP1

One of the new features of Service Pack 1 Windows Vista is that it has changed the configuration of sound, making it more complete by adding a few interesting options.

In the tutorial Set the sound in Windows Vista: Speakers saw the process of configuring them in Windows Vista.

Let's see how to do this in Windows Vista SP1 and the new features it brings.

To do this go to Home go to Start and Control Panel.

Control Panel Hardware and you have the option sound. We click on this option and move to next window.

In the configuration of hardware and sound have sound, and the options shown below should have the option to choose who is to manage audio devices.

Once we click on this option shows the configuration of audio devices. This window has three tabs:

REPRODUCTION
RECORD
SOUNDS

In this tutorial we will focus on the option play.

The first difference is found in this window, the Windows Vista SP1 includes options Headsets Digital Output Device (SPDIF).

We will focus on the Speakers option, which is the most common.

We see that at the bottom of this window are three buttons. Let's see what we can do in each:

Setting:

This button access to the proper configuration of our sound system, through a series of windows. These windows are:

In this first window, choose the type of sound we have. As can be seen, compared to the previous configuration of Windows Vista sound Mono option disappears and adds 7.1 surround option. In this case we chose the 5.1 surround option and picamos Next.

In this window to configure the speakers to use for surround sound.

In this window you configure those speakers who have a full sound spectrum. This is used in those games of 5.1 or 7.1 speakers to indicate that any of them do not have a full spectrum, ie they have a limited frequency range with the rest of the speakers.

As you can see, all these windows, we can test our speakers as they sound.

Once finished, click Next

and shows the last of these windows, which to our press Save configuration.


Properties:

In this section there are also important changes that we will see below.

We click on the Properties button and shows the Properties window, where we can see four tabs:

- General:

In this we see first tab icon options for the sound device properties, and information on the connectors of the sound card, which in this case it works (in the previous configurator often leaving a warning Not available.

This information can be useful when connecting correctly our speakers, as we indicated in jack is connected to each channel.

- Levels:

From this window, we assign the sound level (volume) of our speakers. This, as many know, can be done with the icon we have in the Taskbar or via a multimedia keyboard, but we also have a window button access to Balance. However, clicking it shows the configuration of balance, from which we can assign a separate volume for each channel. The ratio of this configuration is maintained when varying the volume of the system.

- Improvements:



This is a tab of interest, replacing the previous Custom (the functions of the latter have gone to other settings).

Within this window we see three options:

- Fill speakers .- This can be quite interesting to some. If you see the item in the that will sound systems HD 5.1 music files are played only in front, leaving the rest in silence. Well, what this does is create a simulated surround sound from stereo sound to all speakers.

- Correction of room .- This option balances the characteristics of the speakers with respect to the room where we are. For proper configuration is necessary to have a microphone connected (as best as good) as this configuration is done automatically, depending on a number of parameters that detect sound through the microphone.


- EQ loudness .- This option uses the characteristics of human hearing to reduce the effects of volume differences that occur in our auditory system in certain circumstances.

- Advanced Options:

Finally, in this tab to configure the sample rate and bit depth in the sound when it is running in shared mode.
We were also offered two other options to choose from:

- Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device
- Give priority to applications exclusively

If we see the drop we can choose the speed and depth shown in bits of sound, we see that we have a very broad list of stocks to choose from. These values will depend on the opportunities that allow our sound card, ranging from the most basic (8-bit, 8000Hz) at the highest that our card we can (in this case, 24 bits, 192000Hz).

In this tab we are also a Restore Defaults button, which if necessary we can turn our sound settings to the values loaded.

My advice is to try different options until you find the sound quality you want, always bearing in mind that a very high percentage of that quality will give us more than the setting itself, the quality of the speakers we are using (see the tutorial and especially not always very clear that 5.1 speakers are the best option, as some good 2.1 speakers can give us better performance (except perhaps in situations where really need a surround sound) that you use as demos, such as music (and there are really good 2.1 systems).

Well, the remaining options we see are:

Record, which will be in an upcoming tutorial.

Sounds, that is managed in the same manner as in the previous configuration.

In this tab, configure the sound system events such as Start, Shut Down Windows, open programs, etc..
Once our configuration we click the Apply button to apply these settings, and then we click on the OK button to accept the settings and exit this window.

The Apply button is activated; we will have it when we make a change, so we can implement these as separate if desired. The OK button is always on to break the window using this configuration.

As we can see, we also have a Cancel button, which can leave this window without saving any configuration changes. This button is enabled at all times and may cancel changes and exit the configuration window when you want.

These sounds we can choose from a wide range (which shows in the dropdown), but we can also use any sound you have recorded while it is a sound in WAV format, and may even be a sound recorded by ourselves .

Once a configuration we can record a name to use when you want.