2 Sound Cards at the Same Time | Can I Run?
Many PC users might have had the question pop into their heads, Can I use 2 sound cards at the same time? Well, the answer is yes, you can. You can easily switch between sound cards through the Control Panel.
Can I Use 2 Sound Cards at the Same Time
Before going further into the topic, we need to first understand what a sound card is & what it does, and then how you can use it.
What is a Sound Card?
A soundcard is one of the physical components of your computer’s hardware that converts digital code into sound. Most of the motherboards nowadays are equipped with built-in sound cards. But if you want you can purchase & install third-party sound cards to enhance your sound quality.
How To Use 2 Sound Cards at the Same Time
First, you need to go to the start menu & bring up the control panel. From there you can find the sound settings if you categorize the icons as large or small icons. Now make sure you have the speakers set as default for this menu.
Then you have to go to the recording tab & right-click in the empty space. There you will find the option that shows disabled devices, click on it. Now you have a new option in the recording tab called Stereo Mixer. If you right-click that you will find the option to enable that.
Now double-click to bring up the options for the stereo mixer. Now go to the listen tab & click “listen to this device”. Set the default device to whatever you want to hear from your system sound out of.
Go to the advanced tab & uncheck allow applications to take exclusive control of this device. Now no other application can make changes to these settings. The levels tab allows you to make the system sound good on your device.
Now that you have done everything right, you should be able to hear from your headphones, as well as your speakers. That’s all there is to do here. Apart from this, there is numerous third-party software that allows you to have multiple sound cards working at the same time & even troubleshoot any problems nicely.
How Do I Switch Between Audio Outputs Quickly?
To change the Playback device, choose it from the list by left-clicking the Audio Switch icon in the system tray. That’s it; there’s no need to confirm or click OK. Hold Ctrl and left-click the Audio Switch icon to change recording devices.
Conclusion
This isn’t 2000 anymore, modern computers are quite capable enough to handle any of your audio needs. But you need to make sure all your settings are perfect to not create any conflict between audio cards. You have to understand all the settings properly to do it right.
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