SBZ Switcher - Double click Speakers/Headphones mode switching available

Discussion in 'Soundcards, Speakers HiFI & File formats' started by applejack, Sep 13, 2013.

  1. lukas_1987_dion

    lukas_1987_dion Master Guru

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    Thank you so much for this handy tool!

    P.S. Is there any way to enable CMSS 3D Stereo Surround on Sound Blaster Z series card?

    I see that Creative added that function again with their new cards Audigy 5/Rx/Fx ( see for yourself http://pl.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-audigy-rx ), but what about Sound Blaster Z series, such a shame :-(
     
  2. adrock311

    adrock311 Guest

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    yeah i'm having the same problem on win 8.1 using version 1.4.4 of sbz switcher, sometimes it doesnt startup automatically on reboot, also sometimes it doesn't minimize after switching. anyway, the program is still great, thanks for all the hard work!
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2013
  3. applejack

    applejack Master Guru

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    @adrock311 & Ilya,
    please check next time, when sbz switcher fail to launch at startup, if the following registry key exists and points to the app's full path (via regedit.exe), before you manually launch it:

    Code:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run\SBZSwitcher
    
    this will help me understand whether its a win8.1+autohotkey startup issue or an issue with sbz switcher (un)registering itself for launching at startup.

    anyway this is just one of several ways to launch an app at startup, but I've seen some very specific instructions for win8+autohotkey which is worrying me the most as it requires user intervention.


    @lukas_1987_dion, sadly, I suspect CMSS-3D will never be available for the Z Series. nevertheless I assume creative could implement a similar stereo surround option with ease, if they just give a damn.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2013
  4. Diamond_Cut

    Diamond_Cut Guest

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    So I've been wanting something like this for my soundblaster recon3d. Any chance this can be re-written to work for it? I tried to change my programs name to SBZ but it doesnt even load haha. I would grateful if you did this and I was already gunna donate before I even got it working too haha.
     

  5. adrock311

    adrock311 Guest

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    OK, I just checked it , I'm running windows 8.1, and it didn't start at startup, so before launching it, I checked that reg entry, and it DOES exist and point to the exact full path. Thanks.

    edit: afterwards, I tried deleting that regentry, and then running SbzSwitcher and checking the box "launch at windows startup" and it recreated the regentry, but yet, when i restarted, it still doesn't launch at startup.
     
    Last edited: Dec 6, 2013
  6. applejack

    applejack Master Guru

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    @adrock311, lets try something else then. disable sbzswitcher run at startup, and first try to manually add a shortcut to windows startup folder as described here:
    http://www.addictivetips.com/window...older-how-to-edit-startup-items-in-windows-8/

    in case you get UAC prompts on each startup you might want to give this a try:
    http://winaero.com/comment.php?comment.news.152

    if you still encounter problems you might want to take a look at starting it via task scheduler:
    http://blog.danskingdom.com/get-autohotkey-script-to-run-as-admin-at-startup/


    @Diamond_Cut, I'm already working on it, but haven't had much time lately. I'll try to get it done as soon as possible.
     
  7. adrock311

    adrock311 Guest

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    One problem solved :)

    task scheduler was the only thing that worked for me, and for some reason I had to specify "run at log on" rather than "run at startup" to get it to work.

    The other two problems I've been having with the program is that when using SBX profiles, i want only the surround checkbox to work when using headphones, and no checkboxes at all with speakers, but sometimes it applies surround to speakers and not to headphones. The other problem is sometimes the program doesnt minimize itself after switching and i have to minimize it manually Thanks.
     
  8. Diamond_Cut

    Diamond_Cut Guest

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    Sweet, I will be waiting patiently :)
     
  9. applejack

    applejack Master Guru

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    regarding the other problem, make sure you setup sbx surround with black (not gray) checkmark on headphones, and uncheck speakers ofc. also note that changes are only saved to profiles on closing of the "predefine SBX profile" window (or the main settings window or program exit). meaning dont test with sbx profile edit window open. adding to that some main settings are not saved until closing the main window, this includes the SBX profiles enable checkbox as it appears. :)
    otherwise you might be referring to missing/skipping sbx toggles on switch (does it even try ?). see if your tray menu has "Apply SBX Profile" enabled when this happens. if so, click it and see if it successfully toggles (and disable itself afterwards). lemme know.

    moving on to last problem, open "SBZSwitcher.ini" and raise the "SleepAfterSwitch" key (under Debug section) from its default value of 10 milliseconds to somewhere comfortable.
    this is the time period to wait between last switch/toggle and up to control panel window close. control panel switch lag varies and can sometimes ignore the window close command. 10ms seemed enough at first, maybe my computer is faster :eyebrows:
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2013
  10. Diamond_Cut

    Diamond_Cut Guest

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    You know whats stupid too is the scout mode has a hotkey function built into it but it doesnt even work...
     

  11. adrock311

    adrock311 Guest

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    I tried changing the sleepafterswitch value to 15, 20, 30, and also 5, exited and saved the config file, exited and relaunched the app, it doesn't fix the problem, whats happening is , its minimizing fine when moving from headphones to speakers, but speakers to headphones it doesn't auto minimize


    the other problem hasn't cropped up lately, keeping an eye on it.
     
  12. primetime^

    primetime^ Master Guru

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    Can't say thanks enough applejack...your app really makes this card much easier to use...Creative should be paying you for this app and bundling it with the drivers
     
  13. applejack

    applejack Master Guru

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    @adrock311, first, a couple of corrections to myself! (I must have been out of focus or something) -
    * all main checkboxes, including SBX edit window, do take effect immediately (except launch at startup), only they are saved to ini/reg at window close / program exit...
    * sleepafterswitch delay fired after each (not just "last") switch/toggle. it has a minimum value of 10ms and will default to that if configured less.
    also the switch lag cannot interrupt a window close command, but the other way around - a too-quickly window close can potentially cancel the switch.

    so moving on to the bug report, I'm yet to find a culprit in code or reconstruct the issue.
    it might help if you send/link me your .ini file so at least I can have a starting point. the code can be confusing to say the least (my first autohotkey tryout and its already ~1400 lines).


    anyway, while at it I noticed some other issue with the 3 recording devices order which for whatever reason changed from my previous rig (digital-in/mic/whatUhear) to (whatUhear/digital-in/mic). its reflected on the SBZ control panel mixer category and also affects the mute controls respectively. so I had to issue a fix as follows:

    version 1.4.5:
    -------------
    - added recording devices order control to SBZSwitcher.ini (under "RecDeviceOrder" section) - can manually sync mute toggles order with SBZ CP Mixer REC list if needed.
    - improved s.card detection for where more than one sound blaster card is listed in registry (leftovers etc.)

    http://www.mediafire.com/download/75gwhkm8f2jmmre/SBZSwitcher_v1.4.5.zip


    @primetime, "thanks" posts are enough of a drive for me! btw, creative would be better off providing their own solutions instead of relying on some 3rd party patch that can only communicate with their card through registry guesses and automations.

    @all recon3d users, I feel for you and really sorry for the delay. I will provide a beta R3D version as promised, asap!
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2013
  14. automaticman

    automaticman Master Guru

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    I just installed a SB ZxR two days ago and the first thing I was looking for was a hotkey or quick way to change bewteen headphones and speakers without opening the CP. This looks perfect! I'll definitely try this when I get home.
     
  15. winterrr

    winterrr Guest

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    Hey Applejack,

    I just want to first of all say thank you for making this great tool. I'm downloaded it primarily for the force stereo Headphones feature.

    However I think I've ran into a bug. Whenever I start the program, the feature works (forces windows to stereo mode). However, when the program is already up and running in the tray, and double click it to headphones, the feature isn't working (I check windows speaker configuration and it's 5.1).

    I'm using Windows 8.1.
     

  16. applejack

    applejack Master Guru

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    do you see it opening windows sound panel for a split second after switch, or not even trying to ?
    does it sometimes succeed setting speakers to stereo on switch or always fail ?
    can I take a look at your SBZSwitcher.ini ? I could not yet reproduce the bug on my end (win 7).
     
  17. winterrr

    winterrr Guest

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    I only see it opening the windows sound panel for a split second when I close the program and open it from scratch. When I use the toggle feature, I do not see it flash. Here is the ini:

    ########## HELP ###################################################################################################################
    # Main / SpeakersSetVolume - enable set master volume after switch to speakers [0/1, default: 1]
    # Main / SpeakersVolume - predefine desired master volume after switch to speakers [0-100, default: 100]
    # Main / HeadphonesSetVolume - enable set master volume before switch to headphones [0/1, default: 1]
    # Main / HeadphonesVolume - predefine desired master volume before switch to headphones [0-100, default: 20]
    # Main / SBZFilePath - set path to SBZ.exe [default: SBZ.exe default install location]
    # Main / CloseSBZPanelAfterSwitch - enable closing of SBZ control panel window after switch [0/1, default: 1]
    # Main / SwitchHotkeyEnabled - enable switch speakers/headphones hotkey [0/1, default: 0]
    # Main / SwitchHotkey= - switch speakers/headphones hotkey [default: <empty>]
    # Main / MicMuteHotkeyEnabled - enable Microphone Mute On/Off hotkey [0/1, default: 0]
    # Main / MicMuteHotkey= - Microphone Mute On/Off hotkey [default: <empty>]
    # Main / TrayIcon - choose Tray Icon / Color [1-4, default: 1]
    # Main / ForceStereoHeadphones - set Windows speakers setup to stereo after switch to headphones & startup [0/1, default: 0]
    # Main / TrayLeftClickMode - control Tray Icon left click behavior [0-2, default: 1]
    # Main / DonateMenuItem - show/allow donate on right click [0/1, default: 0]
    # Debug / SleepAfterSwitch - set time to sleep after switch / before closing control panel window [miliseconds, default: 10]
    # Debug / HideCursorOnSwitch - hides mouse cursor while switching [0/1, default: 1]
    # SBXProfiles / EnableProfiles - enable SBX profiles [0/1, default: 0]
    # SBXProfiles / <SBXfeature> - set speakers/headphones SBX feature [0-2, default: 2] (0-Off, 1-On, 2-Ignore)
    # RecDeviceOrder / <RecDevice> - mute related - set record device order to match SBZ Control Panel / Mixer / REC list [1-3]
    ###################################################################################################################################

    [Main]
    SpeakersSetVolume=1
    SpeakersVolume=67
    HeadphonesSetVolume=1
    HeadphonesVolume=10
    SBZFilePath=C:\Program Files (x86)\Creative\Sound Blaster Z-Series\Sound Blaster Z-Series Control Panel\SBZ.exe
    CloseSBZPanelAfterSwitch=1
    SwitchHotkeyEnabled=0
    SwitchHotkey=^!F1
    MicMuteHotkeyEnabled=0
    MicMuteHotkey=
    TrayIcon=4
    ForceStereoHeadphones=1
    TrayLeftClickMode=2
    DonateMenuItem=0

    [SBXProfiles]
    EnableProfiles=0
    SpeakersSurround=2
    SpeakersCrystalizer=2
    SpeakersSmartVolume=2
    SpeakersDialogPlus=2
    HeadphonesSurround=2
    HeadphonesCrystalizer=2
    HeadphonesBass=2
    HeadphonesSmartVolume=2
    HeadphonesDialogPlus=2

    [RecDeviceOrder]
    DigitalIn=1
    Microphone=2
    WhatUHear=3

    [Debug]
    SleepAfterSwitch=10
    HideCursorOnSwitch=1

    Edit: It works when I set the compatibility mode to "Windows 7"!
     
    Last edited: Dec 25, 2013
  18. adrock311

    adrock311 Guest

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    here you go: (i'm on win 8.1, btw)


    ########## HELP ###################################################################################################################
    # Main / SpeakersSetVolume - enable set master volume after switch to speakers [0/1, default: 1]
    # Main / SpeakersVolume - predefine desired master volume after switch to speakers [0-100, default: 100]
    # Main / HeadphonesSetVolume - enable set master volume before switch to headphones [0/1, default: 1]
    # Main / HeadphonesVolume - predefine desired master volume before switch to headphones [0-100, default: 20]
    # Main / SBZFilePath - set path to SBZ.exe [default: SBZ.exe default install location]
    # Main / CloseSBZPanelAfterSwitch - enable closing of SBZ control panel window after switch [0/1, default: 1]
    # Main / SwitchHotkeyEnabled - enable switch speakers/headphones hotkey [0/1, default: 0]
    # Main / SwitchHotkey= - switch speakers/headphones hotkey [default: <empty>]
    # Main / MicMuteHotkeyEnabled - enable Microphone Mute On/Off hotkey [0/1, default: 0]
    # Main / MicMuteHotkey= - Microphone Mute On/Off hotkey [default: <empty>]
    # Main / TrayIcon - choose Tray Icon / Color [1-4, default: 1]
    # Main / ForceStereoHeadphones - set Windows speakers setup to stereo after switch to headphones & startup [0/1, default: 0]
    # Main / TrayLeftClickMode - control Tray Icon left click behavior [0-2, default: 1]
    # Main / DonateMenuItem - show/allow donate on right click [0/1, default: 0]
    # Debug / SleepAfterSwitch - set time to sleep after switch / before closing control panel window [miliseconds, default: 10]
    # Debug / HideCursorOnSwitch - hides mouse cursor while switching [0/1, default: 1]
    # SBXProfiles / EnableProfiles - enable SBX profiles [0/1, default: 0]
    # SBXProfiles / <SBXfeature> - set speakers/headphones SBX feature [0-2, default: 2] (0-Off, 1-On, 2-Ignore)
    ###################################################################################################################################

    [Main]
    SpeakersSetVolume=1
    SpeakersVolume=100
    HeadphonesSetVolume=1
    HeadphonesVolume=8
    SBZFilePath=C:\Program Files (x86)\Creative\Sound Blaster Z-Series\Sound Blaster Z-Series Control Panel\SBZ.exe
    CloseSBZPanelAfterSwitch=1
    SwitchHotkeyEnabled=1
    SwitchHotkey=+^A
    MicMuteHotkeyEnabled=0
    MicMuteHotkey=
    TrayIcon=3
    ForceStereoHeadphones=0
    TrayLeftClickMode=2
    DonateMenuItem=0

    [SBXProfiles]
    EnableProfiles=1
    SpeakersSurround=0
    SpeakersCrystalizer=0
    SpeakersSmartVolume=0
    SpeakersDialogPlus=0
    HeadphonesSurround=1
    HeadphonesCrystalizer=0
    HeadphonesBass=0
    HeadphonesSmartVolume=0
    HeadphonesDialogPlus=0

    [Debug]
    SleepAfterSwitch=20
    HideCursorOnSwitch=1
     
  19. applejack

    applejack Master Guru

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    compatibility related you say ? Interesting...

    nothing yet. anyhow I'm adding optional logging to next version, so I can properly debug your cases.

    also, go ahead and try win7 compatibility mode. your issue pretty much reminds me of winterrr's (one fails open, other fails close, both ends a switch process, to headphones specifically).
     
  20. applejack

    applejack Master Guru

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    Version 1.4.7:
    -------------
    - added support for Sound Blaster Recon3D (beta)
    - updated device detection and folders handling.
    - added logging and direct forum links under a Help menu item.

    http://www.mediafire.com/download/y0jgxdl84hchzo9/SBZSwitcher_v1.4.7.zip

    note:
    Recon3D support is not tested and is based on the PCI-E version. While I did my best making sure other versions would pass detection and handled accordingly,
    it is not guaranteed to pass states synchronization with registry, as I only received the PCI-E registry export from one user. however it seems to match the Z's registry values, so I assume other versions are no different.
    I do not own any version of Recon3D so I cannot test myself.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2014

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