Multizone setup help

by **rhinoman** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 2:50 pm

I'd like to revist this too!

I do have a system working because my souncard has a built in mixer to allow what we are talking about, and works so long as you want ro raise/lower the volume of all zones respective to the original set volume, it doesn't allow volume control of the individual zones.

This must be possible using direct show but how is way beyond what I know about.

by **CiXel** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 5:58 pm

I wonder how J. River does it so well and tight, and if there's any way to access it via API kinda like MusicLobby does...

by **rhinoman** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:09 pm

I heard that the jriver product also had some sync issues, whether its been resolved or not I dont know, I've not looked for a while.

by **CiXel** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 6:20 pm

Well then...
Guess I'll give up in that.

Ok...
Time to reinvestigate. Lemme play with some options.
Probably some form of stream that we tap as opposed to actually synching.
Hmmmmmm

by **rhinoman** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:28 pm

Stream to tap is definitly the way to go, the main issue with sync is multiple hard drive streams of the same thing from the same bit of drive.

by **CiXel** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:48 pm

Do we want an anything and everything approach? Or should we go for say a "party zone" and each able to do independant as well....

by **bymyhand** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:16 pm

Honestly I think we need two things. A piece of software that can take one stream and put it out many physical outs, IE a Mixer, then to be able to control the volume on those physical outs. So all you really need to do is integrate a software mixer into xlobby. A generic software mixer usually works off what windows see as the different outputs you can use. Like here is an example of how it can be setup:

You use the zones how they are normally used. You can have one song playing at one place and another playing somewhere else. Then there is a button called party time or something like that. This then brings up a different screen and new copy of winamp. It then has the front end that just displays every zone you have and then in the backend it’s based off of a mixer type program. Everything is muted by default. You then start your song and enable the certain zone you want. This then refers to the sound card interface in the mixer and unmutes the interface on the sound card. You then can click again on the zone and it brings up the volume screen for that zone. You change the volume and it changes the volume on the mixer backend. You then can select the next zone and repeat. The zones to sound card reference will be setup in a config file or something. You can actually accomplish all this already through windows but putting them into a program or integrating a mixer in to xlobby would make it so you can do it directly from xlobby.

But the best thing about doing it this way would mean that it would work for any card and you could still use each zone independently or use the party screen for just that, Parties!!

by **rhinoman** on Thu Aug 17, 2006 11:36 pm

You use the zones how they are normally used. You can have one song playing at one place and another playing somewhere else. Then there is a button called party time or something like that. This then brings up a different screen and new copy of winamp. It then has the front end that just displays every zone you have and then in the backend it’s based off of a mixer type program. Everything is muted by default. You then start your song and enable the certain zone you want. This then refers to the sound card interface in the mixer and unmutes the interface on the sound card. You then can click again on the zone and it brings up the volume screen for that zone. You change the volume and it changes the volume on the mixer backend. You then can select the next zone and repeat. The zones to sound card reference will be setup in a config file or something. You can actually accomplish all this already through windows but putting them into a program or integrating a mixer in to xlobby would make it so you can do it directly from xlobby.

I think that is exactly the right way to do it. The only thing I might add is the option to add zones to the party zone so that not all zones need to play (although I suppose muted volumes would also acheive this.)

by **CiXel** on Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:07 am

There are some inherhant flaws in this unfortunately right now as far as I see it. I was going to point them out, but I think the points are moot as much of this would require writing a backend on steven's part, which I just don't see happening anytime soon. (Not to be a spoil sport

The key for us is going to be to find a way to implement this using existing tools and programs. I still have some hopes for Virtual Audio Cable and also its seperate repeater program which can intercept an audio stream and output it differnt places. We see though. I won't have a chance to investigate it for a few days at least.