Fresh pc build. 2nd topic.
Realtek 888 onboard surround audio. Realtek HD audio mixer playback sliders work fine. Recording sliders do not show up at all. Only master Rec volume slider shows and works.

Accessing audio volume thru the windows ausio mixer, the rec. audio sliders show but are non adjustable except for Master Rec volume.

Tried re-loading Realtek drivers with no success.

Most likely related is my Hauppage wintv go card does not see ANY audio sliders in the audio config so it cannot assign a slider to control volume within the tv tuner software. (wintv 2000). The only thing showing in audio config in wintv2000 is CAPTURE and WINTV WAVE neither of which are valid audio slider channels within windows. I removed all hauppage drivers and re-installed drivers and apps 2x with same results. On my old PC going into audio config within wintv2000 ALL windows audio sliders appeared as options. TV audio out from the tv card feeds into the rear Realtek blue audio Line in jack so I need to assign LINE IN in wintv2000 so it can control tv volume...but none of the slider channels is showing. I also need the windows rec. sliders to work so I can set record volume for the tv. Right now I have to adjust master rec volume which affects everything.

Any ideas on how to get record sliders to show in Realtek HD mixer or work in windows audio mixer? Once this is fixed I have a feeling the tv tuner audio setup will work fine as well.

I've seen several topics online re: no rec. sliders in Realtek... but no solutions so far.

I've got an e-mail in to Realtek and Biostar...but who knows how long a response will take...if ever.

All suggestions welcome and appreciated.
Thanks, Dave

Use the software off the MBoard CD. There are tons of different Realtek sound chips. I have a board with a similiar chip and the driver is different than the one listed for your on the Biostar site. Below is the driver listed on the Biostar site. Might be only the bard driver. The CD should have the complete driver set.

http://www.biostar.com.tw/app/en-us...

Brand new PC build. I installed all drivers from the mobo CD. There is only one audio Driver on the CD for Realtek HD audio. I DL the driver off their site with same result.

Also tried Microsoft Realtek driver in w2kpro (but its obviously 7 years old) but that didnt work at all.

I've seen several posts with this same issue of no recording sliders...and so far no one has found an answer.

Appreciate the suggestion tho.

Anyone else?

As I stated I have a Realtek ALC880 HD sound chip on my MBoard. The driver file version is different than the one posted on your MBoard website. Realtek have no drivers on thier site. Each MBoard manufacture can choose which features to use on any chip, sound or otherwise. My MBoard CD installs a Realtek folder under program files. I have a tray icon that gives me access to a large toolbar with 5 catagories of utilities. The one called mixer has playback and record settings with a ton of volume and other controls. That is more than just the basic sound driver. Your MBoard may not have come with that utility.

Interestingly enough there are three MBKB updates included on my CD that are labeled 3rd party but whem I look at the properties they are HD audio files from MSoft.

Thanks OTH...

There is only 1 set of Realtek drivers on my mobo CD. The drivers from the biostar site give the same result.

The Realtek 888 HD mixer has the controls you mention for playback recording eq special effects...etc... but the rec. sliders are missing and only rec master (stereo mixer) volume is adjustable. Windows rec sliders are there but frozen (not active). Only stereo mixer (master rec) volume works in windows.

I installed a mad dog predator 5.1 dsp audio card I had laying around. It works and all sliders are there and function. The Hauppauge tv card also sees the input channels now and assigns volume... but rec line input audio is quite low and when u raise it to near max it helps only a little but ends up picking up noise through the circuit like a little whistle or squeal.
Max line in volume on that slider is overloading the mixer and it shouldn't need to go that high. Cheap audio card.

It's a temporary patch until I get a response from Biostar or Realtek. I might try calling them next week.

If anyone else has found a fix for the Realtek 888 onboard audio Record sliders issue...please jump in....

I have four volume level controls. One each for CD volume, Mic volume, Line volume, Stereo Mix. All four have a left/ right balance slider and Everything adjusts. There are two files on my MBoard CD that are digitally signed by MSoft. These are the names. The sp1 file is installed in my Realtek folder. I also have the same four in the Windows volume settings and they also work. The advanced settings in the Windows volume are inactive.

kb888111xpsp1.exe
kb888111xpsp2.exe

Dave440

Look at your MB CD again. Look under drivers for a 3rd party folder.

There are only 2 driver sets in the Realtek audio folder. 1 for WDM drivers and 1 says Vista. There are no other drivers for audio. All others are for usb2 LAN, K8 CPU cool n quiet.

I just got this reply from Realtek and I'm astounded. I think I may call them because the e-mail reply sounds unbelievable. Here it is....
---------
Hi,

Your audio system is mixer recording type . You can not adjust volume gain control for each item . Please try to contact your TV tuner card manufacturer to check this compatible problem . We follow Microsoft HD Audio Device Definition .

Best Regards
PC-Tech
---------
Mixer recording type? What is that? Who ever heard of an audio mixer with 7 outputs and multiple inputs where the inputs cannot be individually adjusted???!! My 4 year old ASUS and ECS boards using AC97 audio have full mixer functions and this new high tech HD audio their boasting about can't do this? I built a new system for MORE performance and functionality NOT less??? Otherwise I would've continued to use my old system and saved 5 big ones. I shouldn't have to buy an aftermarket sound card to get full functions that should be there already.

Anyway...thanks for your help. I'm going to see what Biostar says and probably call Realtek also.

Hey Guys!

This seems to be a perennial problem and I agree with DAVE440 100%! Look through the email transcripts with PC-Tech. This is ridiculous!
Hello!

Recently i purchased an Asus motherboard which is having onboard audio Realtek® ALC883 6-channel High Definition Audio CODEC. Now, the Volume Controller of LINE IN of a 2-speaker profile is faded out, and does not allow any PCI devices that are attached to the motherboard to use it's volume controls. This seems to me as a technical glitch!
Can you please provide me a reference or an updated driver which could resolve this issue. All of my remote control devices are inoperative due to this issue.

Thanks in advance for your help!


Regards,
-----

Hi,

Would you please tell me your problem with detail ?

Best Regards
PC-Tech

-----
Hello,

At first I would like to thank you for responding to my request.
The problem that I am facing is described as below:

Operating environment
---
OS: Windows XP SP2
Mainboard: Asus P5BMX/WifiAP with Realtek® ALC883 6-channel High Definition Audio CODEC onboard (driver version R1.72)
PCI device: TV Tuner card having Phillips chipset with Intervideo WinDVR2 software

Issue description
-------------------------
1) Started the WinDVR2 program
2) Went to the Setup of WinDVR2
3) In the sound device setting, found the "Realtek HD Audio Input" (to be noted that there is no option as "Realtek HD Audio Output") and selected it
4) HOWEVER, for the Line Input dropdown (next to sound device selection drop down as in step 3 above), found no values! (where the possible values should have been like "Mic" and/ or "Line In")

Due to this step 4 above, I am neither being able to mute nor control the line input volume with the remote control of the TV Tuner card.
Also, I have witnessed that the line input volume control is in the LINE OUTPUT of the Realtek one-stop volume controller, under the Mixer tab. Maybe this is the reason why the TV Tuner card driver is not being able to control the Line In volume and mute function.

I would be very glad if you could resolve this issue for me.

Thanks,
-----

Hi,

We need your audio device information .
Please try to dump your audio informatio with attached file .
1. Please try to rename attached file from RtHDDump.zi_ to RtHDDump.zip .
2. Extract RtHDDump.exe from RtHDDump.zip .
3. Run RtHDDump.exe .
4. It will generate RtHDDump.txt file in the same location with RtHDDump.exe file .
5. Send the RtHDDump.txt file to pctech@realtek.com.tw .

Best Regards
PC-Tech

-----

Hello,

I have attached the dump herewith.

Thanks,
-----

Hi,

I'm sorry . The WinDVR2 has compatible problem . We found it did not support Multi-Steam "Mute Mixer" recording type . Please try to contact WinDVR2 manufacturer to check this compatible problem . Thanks,

Best Regards
PC-Tech

-----

Hello,

This is surely not a WinDVR "defect" as this pair of TV Tuner card and WinDVR2 worked perfectly fine on a different mainboard (810E) with AC97 audio codec. ALSO, in NO TV Tuner software compatibility statement across any brands does any vendor state the type/nature/brand of audio codec support. Only OS compatibility is that's all that they mention, and, WinDVR2 has mentioned that it supports Windows XP.

Please let me know a way to disable this multi-streaming facility from the Realtek HD Audio codec driver utility itself so that the WinDVR2 may start detecting the recording object and the line input streams thus enabling my remote control to function.


Thanks,
-----

Hi,

The WinDVR did not recognize the "Mute Mixer" recording architecture . This is different from AC'97 Audio system . Please try to check it with WinDVR vender . The WinDVR is not also compatible with Microsoft HD Audio driver .

Best Regards
PC-Tech

-----

Hi,

I understand that it might be a glitch in the WinDVR2 software. But, there should be a way to meet this problem from the HD driver perspective.
What if i make the front-panel audio configured as AC97 and plug in the TV Tuner audio jack in there. Will in that case the WinDVR software detect the AC97 audio driver if I choose the frontpanel audio from the sound device setting of WinDVR? Will this expose the line input streams of front-panel AC97?
Please let me know the exact steps in that line (if i plug in at the AC97 front-panel port) to resolve this issue.

Thanks,

-----

Hi,

The AC'97 Audio front-panel audio configured was AC'97 Audio front-panel setting . It is not AC'97 Audio driver / device . Your audio system was HD Audio system . It will not change to AC'97 System . The AC'97 Audio device is different from HD Audio device .

Best Regards
PC-Tech

-----

Hi,

Can you suggest me a TV Tuner software which supports my TV Tuner card (which is a Philips 7130 chipset with WDM driver installed) and will work with WDM of HDA.


Thanks,
-----

Hi,

I'm sorry . We do not support this suggestion . You can try to check compatibility problem with TV Tuner software vender .

Best Regards
PC-Tech

ANYBODY PLEASE HELP!

Hey bhaskardotbasu,

You got what i got from Realtek. DOUBLTALK! Basically "we don't support the very basics a PC should be able to do...like have a mixer that isn't crippled and has fully active recording and playback sliders and supports tv cards adequately."

"Sorry...but we do follow microsofts HD audio protocals...blah blah"

If that's the case...maybe we shud be shoutin at microsoft instead of Realtek? :p

At least Realtek responded. I never heard back from Biostar and there is no phone support for either of them.

Well....here's a follow up.

The tv/audio situation is semi-patched up. It will never be fully patched until mobo mfrs get enough complaints that they stop using Realtek...then maybe Realtek will fix their crippled mixers.

Looking around for sub $50 cards I came across 3 or 4 immediately that had enough jacks, priced from $15 to 30+. Only problem was they looked familiar. Closer look and they were all based on the EXACT same C-media card as the junky mad dog card I tried (above posts). 2 of the clones were at Newegg under different names and a 3rd was a $19 compusa branded card. - Sneaky Re-branding of junk!

I don't remember if the card I ended up with is based on C-media or realtek... but the mixer isn't as crippled and sounds halfway decent.

I ended up with a Diamond Extreme sound 7.1 24 bit card from Office depot for $30. Lots of jacks. Works well enough. No buzz on tv audio. All sliders work EXCEPT Master Rec.Stereo LR Mixer sliders.(yep this mixer is partially crippled too). Master rec sliders are disabled at 50%. They need to be around 75%.

If you crank sub-sliders for wav, line in etc....all the way up...audio in audacity shows -12db max. Not terrible but I prefer 0 or better for better signal to noise ratio during playback.

For audio productions with audacity or similar software you need to go into the amplifier effect in POST production and have it auto correct for proper audio output level and save. AN extra step we shouldnt have to do....but that's how it is.

TV recorded audio is a bit lower than it should be but you can raise the volume on the playback device or pc...and NO BUZZ!

Speaking of volume....the tv remote does work with this Diamond sound card...BUT...because of the locked out rec sliders does NOT work the same as an AC97 setup. It's of course...another work-around.

With AC97 you can record with the tv volume set to zero and it will still record normal audio levels. You can also listen to a CD, MP3 winamp etc without interfering with your recording. Not with this next generation card.

I believe it has to do with the disabled Master stereo rec sliders. There are a few ways to set it up to rec. tv audio.

1. Rec tv audio from Stereo mixer (but then u have to disable ALL PC sounds or you'll have bleeps blips and blings on your tv recording unless u disable PC sounds in Control Panel.)

2. Rec audio from Line in only. By using method 2 and setting the remote to control Stereo mixer volume you can raise and lower volume during tv recording without affecting the recording. Since you're controlling Master system volume tho with the tv volume you can't listen to music at the same time. It's either Music or TV.

It works...just not like the old tech. Why are new things worse sometimes??

There is NO perfect solution here.... but for $30 this is workable at the moment. I just hate to have to come up with more $ and work-arounds for what is supposed to be a PC upgrade with MORE functionality than my 4 year old PCs....NOT less!

One step forward....and 15 steps back...I guess....

Guess we're at their mercy.

P.S. (Wonder how much lead exposure I got installing my made in China Biostar mobo? LOL!!)

oh yeah....one more tip: For an add on sound card....disable onboard audio first in device manager to avoid driver conflicts. Right click on my computer. Go to Hardware, Device Mgr then look for the Sound, game controller tree and expand it. Look for HD audio controller and right click for properties then at the bottom where it says device usage...use the drop down and click DISABLE - do not use. Then go to add/remove programs and uninstall the Realtek mixer. Shut down, then install your new sound card...reboot and install the software and drivers.

DON'T Disable your legacy audio. JUST the one that says HD audio controller. That's Realtek. If its not in the Sound, game controller tree it might be in system devices.

Best of luck!
Dave