Windows Soundcard Mixers in VISTA
revised 10 Nov, 2007
The documentation and help files for PRAXIS often refer to the "Windows
Mixer". The Windows Mixer is an application (actual name:
"SNDVOL32.EXE") that provides selection of Record and Play
sources or jacks, and volume levels (as well as some other functions).
Access to these controls is needed to perform calibration of PRAXIS.
Unfortunately, Microsoft no longer
includes SNDVOL32.EXE with Windows VISTA, and the VISTA sound mixers work
differently than they have in previous Windows versions. As a result, PRAXIS is no longer
able to open the mixer in VISTA, nor manage it in the same ways. Below are
instructions on getting hold of the needed
equivalent mixer controls and to manage them for PRAXIS calibrations
To access All Available sound controls:
- First, you need to make the mixer icon appear in the "task bar"
(at the bottom right of the screen). To do that, right-click on the
taskbar at the bottom of the
screen, but not on one of the buttons.
- A menu pops up -- select
"Properties"
- Click the tab labeled "Notification
Area"
- Under where it says "System Icons",
put a check where it says "Volume"
- Click OK. A small "Speaker" icon
should appear in the right side of the bar that is at the bottom of the
screen.
- Left- click on the Volume icon,
a pop-up menu will appear. Select
the Playback or Recording tab and a new "Sound"
form will pop up.
- On the Playback page of the Sound
form (Initial Setup only):
- Click on the device you want to use, and
then on the "Properties" button. A new Properties form
appears..
- On that page, select the "Enhancements"
tab and be SURE to select "Disable all enhancements"
- Select the "Advanced"
tab and under "Default Format", select the actual sample
rate and resolution that you will use for PRAXIS. Make sure it
is one that your sound hardware truly supports when simultaneously
recording and playing!
- On the "Levels" tab,
you will find a slider for the overall (Master) control of the
playback function, and a "balance" button. This is the
only place where "balance" can be adjusted, so make sure
both left and right channels have the same setting!
- Click on "OK" and close the
Properties form. See below for info about how to adjust the
playback levels for each application!
- Some soundcards do not have any Windows
playback controls. These cards do, however, usually have a custom
mixer (see below) that can be used during PRAXIS calibration.
- On the Recording page of the Sound
form:
- Click on the description matching both the
desired sound card and the input source on that card, it will become
highlighted. You want a "Line" level input, but some
cards (particularly USB cards) will tend to call their inputs
"Microphone", even if they are line level. Click on the
"Select Default" button to make sure this input is enabled for
the soundcard.
- Click on the "Properties"
button. A new Properties form appears (as shown below).
- Select the "Advanced"
tab and under "Default Format", select the actual sample
rate and resolution that you will use for PRAXIS (which must match
the one selected for Playback, above). Make sure it is one
that your sound hardware truly supports when simultaneously
recording and playing!
- If there is a "Levels"
tab, then you can use controls on that page to adjust recording gain
or other features. Note that this is the ONLY place
where you could adjust recording levels in VISTA. If there
is a Levels tab, you will need to use it when doing soundcard
calibration for PRAXIS!.
- Click on "OK" and close the
Properties form when finished.
- Many soundcards do not have any Windows recording
controls. These cards do, however, usually have a custom mixer
(see below) that can be used during PRAXIS calibration.

- Close the Sound form.
- Adjusting playback levels:
- General information: In VISTA,
every application (program) has its own separate playback level control
on its selected sound card, along with an overall playback volume
control for all applications. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT BOTH OF
THESE BE SET TO THE SAME POSITIONS EACH TIME PRAXIS IS USED.
This will be easiest if the master ("Device") volume is set to
maximum for the card used by Praxis.
- The individual "Praxis"
volume will need to be set per the calibration procedure. When
you are adjusting the slider control with the mouse, a number will
appear, showing you the selected level. You can use the
displayed number to set it the same for each Praxis use.
- To access playback controls, left-click on
the Mixer Icon in the task bar. A single slider should appear.
Click on the word "Mixer" just below that slider. A
larger Mixer form will appear (as shown below).
- There is a single menu item at top
left, labeled "Device". Click on that to select
display for the playback device that PRAXIS uses.
- When PRAXIS is running and that device
has been selected in PRAXIS, one of the sliders will display the
blue and gray Liberty Instruments icon. It will also show the
text that is at the top of the currently highlighted PRAXIS
form. This is the PRAXIS individual level control slider.
- At the far left will be a
"Device" slider, which is a master control for all
applications. It is usually best to keep this set to maximum.
- At the bottom of all other sliders on
this form, there is a "mute" button. MUTE all of these
sliders EXCEPT for the PRAXIS slider and the master DEVICE slider.

- For cards (like Transit) that provide
"custom mixers":
- Go to the VISTA Control Panel via the
Start Button, then set it to "Control Panel Home". Use "Additional Options"
to find the custom mixer icon.
- There is a beta driver for the Transit
under Vista, but if you use it, see details given on the
Liberty Instruments website!