Modartt user forum - Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (grahamD) — Thu, 03 Aug 2023 11:17:57 +0000

marcos daniel wrote:

If the sound interface has ASIO drivers, it should work. I recommend you to use the native ASIO drivers from the manufacturer.
In my experience, ASIO4ALL does not allow to use more than one application at the same time. In the past, I used to play through the laptop's internal sound chip, and under Windows it was not possible to use Pianoteq along with any other app. In Linux it was possible though.
Hope it helps,
Marcos

Thanks for that suggestion which I’ll follow up on. I’m currently engaged in trying to reorganise things using my (somewhat ancient) hardware. I remembered that my slightly older iPad has a headphone socket and is also up to date with the latest IOS software. I’m still working out the options this might give me

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (marcos daniel) — Sat, 29 Jul 2023 00:24:20 +0000

If the sound interface has ASIO drivers, it should work. I recommend you to use the native ASIO drivers from the manufacturer.
In my experience, ASIO4ALL does not allow to use more than one application at the same time. In the past, I used to play through the laptop's internal sound chip, and under Windows it was not possible to use Pianoteq along with any other app. In Linux it was possible though.
Hope it helps,
Marcos

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (grahamD) — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 20:02:27 +0000

marcos daniel wrote:

Hi, do you use an ASIO sound card?

Hi Marcos
Thanks for responding. Yes, I use and asio soundcard I downloaded from asioforall.
Regards Graham

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (marcos daniel) — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 13:25:39 +0000

Hi, do you use an ASIO sound card?

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (grahamD) — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 12:27:31 +0000

Hi all. I'm new here. I have an very similar query. I have a laptop running windows 10 pretty much dedicated to Pianoteq only. I have recently started an online piano jazz course and am wondering if there is some way I can use the same laptop to listen to the piano via Pianoteq while at the same time listening to my jazz lessons. I have a small mixer, but can't figure out a way I might use it to listen to both music sources without having to use a separate laptop. I would be very grateful for advice on this.

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (Qexl) — Tue, 25 Jul 2023 02:58:16 +0000

Windows buries the audio settings (also calls it 'sound' in places) - a bit of a dog's breakfast.

Try this to find the Win settings (otherwise, just lowering stuff is less optimal IMHO and may give less pleasure, other issues and or poorer results later on - also device sharing may have little to nothing to do with buffer size - the below, as suggested by tmyoung will be the way to go, telling Win to allow sharing the device.)

Click..

Start
Settings
System
Sound
Device Properties (text link)

then scroll down to

Additional device properties (pops up a new pane with tabs)

nearly there..

Click "Advanced" Tab...

now you can find the checkbox for

"Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device"

You may not want 16bit sound - and the above is easier than it looks (That is how I do that on Win 10 - I hope similar or easier in Win 11??? maybe - if not exactly the same others might know, or it may kind of rhyme and be easy enough to hunt and peck through settings to get the checkbox.)

Cheers!

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (marcos daniel) — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 16:19:02 +0000

Thank you all!
I've been tinkering with the configuration of the sound interface and Windows. I could not find the exclusive setting for the outputs (only for the mics).I am using the Behringer ASIO driver.
I could solve the problem by changing the bit depth of the sound interface from 24 to 16 bits, which is something strange because I never changed anything but the ASIO buffer size. I feel this is nonsense, but it works...

image uploader

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (Key Fumbler) — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 07:43:02 +0000

Yes indeed. Windows and the sound interfaces can work in shared or exclusive modes. The latter is as it sounds, the sound device has exclusive access.

Re: Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (tmyoung) — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 02:19:50 +0000

While this is only a guess, is the Windows setting for "Let applications take exclusive control of this device" set? If not, are you using a direct asio driver/connection to your device instead of something like the DirectSound interface in the Devices pane of the Audio/MIDI setup window, which could mean PTQ might be taking the device over in the background?

Audio Issue: Pianoteq blocks other apps from playing sound

null@example.com (marcos daniel) — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 01:23:48 +0000

Hi to everyone, I'm experiencing the following problem: when I run Pianoteq, other apps loss their ability to play any sound. I seldom use other audio apps at the same time as PT, so I have noticed this recently. For sure I was able to play along with, for instance, YouTube a couple of months ago. I wonder if anyone is experiencing the same or if it just me.
I have a Behringer 204HD and a laptop with Windows 11 and another one with Windows 10 (up to date), the same happens for both of them.
Is there any way to solve this?
Thanks in advance,
Marcos