Topic by Jake Johnson

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Topic: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

In Windows 8, if I have Chrome running and then open an audio application, the audio application will not play. In Pianoteq, for example, the interface opens, but a dialog box appears saying that the audio drivers are not loaded. If I then try to load the drivers, I of course find that they are not available. Conversely, if I have an audio application running, and then open Chrome and try to play a sound file or a video, there is no sound. (In Pianoteq, I can load the native Windows Direct drivers, but I would prefer not to have to change drivers.)

This appears to be a newish problem--at least for me. Listening to an audio file while having an audio app open worked fine in Windows Vista, my previous operating system. I've found a few posts on the internet, and on the Chrome help site, from people with the same problem, but no solutions.

Last edited by Jake Johnson (21-02-2014 18:33)

Reply by custral

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

Presumably you are running Pianoteq with ASIO4ALL, but since you're also running Chrome, do you need the big advantage (low latency) that using ASIO brings? Anyway you lose nothing by switching in Pianoteq to a Windows driver just to check what (might be/is) what. Playing your files from Chrome might suddenly come available. Might.

And if so, you'll have to run Pianoteq with Windows drivers, plus not run Chrome with audio when playing (performing with) Pianoteq via ASIO. At least for now.

Reply by Jake Johnson

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

custral wrote:

Presumably you are running Pianoteq with ASIO4ALL, but since you're also running Chrome, do you need the big advantage (low latency) that using ASIO brings? Anyway you lose nothing by switching in Pianoteq to a Windows driver just to check what (might be/is) what. Playing your files from Chrome might suddenly come available. Might.

And if so, you'll have to run Pianoteq with Windows drivers, plus not run Chrome with audio when playing (performing with) Pianoteq via ASIO. At least for now.

Well, I've been using the native ASIO driver on a Zoom R24. I wish I could find a way to make Chrome use the Windows 8 drivers, but it seems to lock onto whatever sound driver is set as the default.

Reply by Beemer

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

Jake Johnson wrote:
custral wrote:

Presumably you are running Pianoteq with ASIO4ALL, but since you're also running Chrome, do you need the big advantage (low latency) that using ASIO brings? Anyway you lose nothing by switching in Pianoteq to a Windows driver just to check what (might be/is) what. Playing your files from Chrome might suddenly come available. Might.

And if so, you'll have to run Pianoteq with Windows drivers, plus not run Chrome with audio when playing (performing with) Pianoteq via ASIO. At least for now.

Well, I've been using the native ASIO driver on a Zoom R24. I wish I could find a way to make Chrome use the Windows 8 drivers, but it seems to lock onto whatever sound driver is set as the default.

Jake,

I use Zoom's ASIO driver with my H4n.   Is there not one for your R24?

Ian

Reply by Jake Johnson

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

Beemer wrote:
Jake Johnson wrote:
custral wrote:

Presumably you are running Pianoteq with ASIO4ALL, but since you're also running Chrome, do you need the big advantage (low latency) that using ASIO brings? Anyway you lose nothing by switching in Pianoteq to a Windows driver just to check what (might be/is) what. Playing your files from Chrome might suddenly come available. Might.

And if so, you'll have to run Pianoteq with Windows drivers, plus not run Chrome with audio when playing (performing with) Pianoteq via ASIO. At least for now.

Well, I've been using the native ASIO driver on a Zoom R24. I wish I could find a way to make Chrome use the Windows 8 drivers, but it seems to lock onto whatever sound driver is set as the default.

Jake,

I use Zoom's ASIO driver with my H4n.   Is there not one for your R24?

Ian

Yes, that's the driver that I'm using, the latest version (2.0.0.3) of the Zoom driver. I uninstalled and reinstalled it today, just in case it was corrupted, but I still have the same problem with Chrome and all audio applications being mutually exclusive.

One odd thing is that the system on the Zoom itself, which is shown when I turn it on, is still 1.00. I followed the instructions that are in the zip file for the driver. Shouldn;t the driver\system on the Zoom itself also be version 2.0?

Last edited by Jake Johnson (21-02-2014 18:34)

Reply by Beemer

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

Jake,

I use Windows 7 Pro 64bit not 8.  Are you able to set 'release driver in background' for all other sound drivers?

The ASIO version number will only apply to the Windows driver.

Ian

Reply by Jake Johnson

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

After doing a search for "release driver to background," I see that some applications, such as Cubase, have this option. I don't see it in Chrome, however.

Without success, I also went into Control Panel\Sound\Line Zoom..Interface\Advanced tab and unchecked the box under Exclusive Mode beside "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" and clicked on Apply\OK. Chrome and audio apps, including Pianoteq, are still mutually exclusive.

Are you able to open the standalone version of Pianoteq, test that it plays, and then open Chrome and load a video that can play sound?

Last edited by Jake Johnson (21-02-2014 21:27)

Reply by skip

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

I've noticed a problem with Chrome too, but I haven't investigated it properly yet. The problem I've had is that sometimes after having used an application that uses ASIO, Chrome will not make any sound at all, even though I have shut down the ASIO application.  I'm pretty sure that Internet Explorer keeps working though. If/when I look into this further I'll report back.

Note that Windows has a driver called "WASAPI" which is low latency like ASIO. I doubt that Chrome is actually using ASIO, but just maybe, it is using WASAPI, which might be causing some kind of a conflict.

Greg.

Reply by skip

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

Just did a quick test - no problems at the moment. Using an M-Audio Fast Track Ultra (USB), I can use Chrome and Pianoteq simultaneously, and when I exit Pianoteq Chrome keeps working.

Using the laptop's internal audio with Pianoteq, using the ASIO4ALL driver, Chrome stops when I fire up Pianoteq, but it's always been like that for me even on earlier versions of Windows - when using ASIO4ALL, I can't use any other application whilst using an ASIO application.  (and conversely, I have always been able to run ASIO and non-ASIO applications simultaneously when using the M-Audio interface).  I don't think it is possible for more than one application to use ASIO simultaneously, at least on Windows.

So I can't repdroduce the problem at the moment. When the problem occurred, in YouTube, Chrome would still play the video, but there would be no sound. At the moment, using ASIO4ALL in Pianoteq, YouTube simply stops altogether when I fire up Pianoteq - no sound OR video. When I then close Pianoteq, I have to refresh the page in order for YouTube to work again.

I'm on Windows 8.1, 64-bit. 

It's good that the M-Audio works at all - the driver isn't really supported on Windows 8.

Greg.

Last edited by skip (22-02-2014 00:40)

Reply by Beemer

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Re: Chrome browser hijacks ASIO audio in Windows 8?

Jake Johnson wrote:

After doing a search for "release driver to background," I see that some applications, such as Cubase, have this option. I don't see it in Chrome, however.

Without success, I also went into Control Panel\Sound\Line Zoom..Interface\Advanced tab and unchecked the box under Exclusive Mode beside "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" and clicked on Apply\OK. Chrome and audio apps, including Pianoteq, are still mutually exclusive.

Are you able to open the standalone version of Pianoteq, test that it plays, and then open Chrome and load a video that can play sound?

Jake,

I have tried this with Chrome and as you said with Pianoteq running using Zoom ASIO no sound is produced.  Moreover the same happens with Firefox!  Even stranger I noticed that on attempting to play You Tube videos an error message comes up and the clip stops after a few seconds of play.

Ian

Last edited by Beemer (22-02-2014 12:13)