I'm trying to figure out how to do simultaneous multi-track recording with Traverso 0.49, a multi-channel GPL audio program I recently downloaded. I suspect with my hardware it should be possible, but I can't seem to figure out how to get it to work.
Sound is on-board Realtek AAC889A, on a Gigabyte GA-MA69G-S3H mobo. It has 6 jacks on the back, and they all can be independently assigned as inputs or several types of outputs. (Theoretically, I could set all 6 jacks as inputs, for 12-channel (6 stereo track) simultaneous recording.) I have the latest drivers (just updated them a few days ago).
I've read a little bit about ASIO, and due to a recommendation on another forum (which made no mention of Traverso) downloaded ASIO4ALL, but can't seem to figure that out either, so maybe that's not the right solution, OR I'm not doing it properly.
In the Traverso preferences, I can either select a PortAudio driver or a NullDriver. When PA is selected, I can select either MME, DirectSound or ASIO driver. However, only MME works, when I select ASIO for example and click "Restart Driver" it gives me an error "PADriver:: hostapi asio was not found by Portaudio!" and "Audiodevice: Failed to create the PortAudio Driver".

I know multi-input works on hardware, as I plugged a couple things into different ports on the audio hardware, but I can't seem to get the software to assign one port to one track and another port to another track, and so on. Also, when I go to the bus selector for a track, only Capture 1 is available. Also when I record, the audio gets mixed - both inputs get recorded to one track (and if I have multiple tracks set up to record, the mixed audio gets recorded to all).

What do I need to do, short of buying any hardware or software, or recompiling Traverso with ASIO support (I am NOT a programmer!), to get it working properly?

Or is there some other solution I should look into? At this time, purchasing any hardware or software is not an option.

If you want a few screenshots / pics / drawings of what I'm trying to do, I'd be willing to provide those, although it'd take a little work to prepare them.

As far as I know, Realtek does not support ASIO. Neither one of my chipsets, ALC888 or ALC880, works when ASIO is enabled, according to my tests. Even the Kernel Streaming in foobar2000, with Realtek's official drivers, doesn't give the foobar exclusive access, in other words prevent other programs from using the soundcard. With only Windows UAA-driver (KB888111), however, enables this (to my understanding) correct working mode for KS. Maybe you could try using only this driver and then using the ASIO on top.

If I have something terribly wrong here, please correct me.

EDIT: If you try this route, you will lose the ability to assign the jacks.
EDIT2: Now when I think of it, Realtek does not support the feature you are speaking of. The ability to use several inputs is related to the onboard mixing, so even though you can plug 12 different channels, the sound card mixes them into one stereo track. I have never even thought if this could be possible.

Hmm... then is there another way to do simultaneous multi-channel recording to separate wave files with the hardware I have, and with available free / open-source software, under Windows XP (Home SP3)?

Or if there's absolutely NO WAY without buying new hardware, is there an add-on card I could get to do this that's no more expensive than what the difference in cost of my mobo with its built-in sound is, and what it would cost without a sound card built in? (At first when I got the mobo I didn't care about multiple inputs, but when I found I could assign all the jacks as inputs I was thinking I had multi-channel record capabilities.)

If I absolutely MUST buy new hardware, what would you recommend? If I basically get what would be the equivalent of the RealTek with multi-channel support, I don't think I want to pay more than $15-20 (assuming I pay full MSRP), including sales tax and shipping. Also, if I'm searching on, for example, NewEgg, what would I look for? (I may need to buy a few more audio cables - I expect these to cost as much as, if not more than, the add-on card. (I'm not looking for professional results now - just something that's as good as the on-board card, which IMO is still quite good.))

P.S. I was beginning to wonder if this forum was dead. I posted this a day or two ago, and your reply was, IIRC, the first post since then. (Maybe I browse too many other forums that have several dozen posts a day, and have gotten a bit spoiled )

I haven't found a software that would bypass the mixing the Realtek hardware does internally. As far as I can give advice, the best bet is to find a card that supports this feature better than Realtek. Regarding this, hopefully someone else will back me up, since I know nothing about these cards, which would support this. I have no need for such feature in my setup.

Maybe some studio sound solution, but these can be really expensive.

I don't have a multitrack set-up, but I doubt that capability is built-into your drivers. The drivers are created for the specific hardware by the hardware manufacturer. The drivers provide a common interface between the hardware and the operating system and application. In general, you can't "bypass" the drivers, and the only to access the hardware is through the drivers. (i.e You can't use an HP driver for an Epson printer.)

If Windows "sees" all of the inputs as recording inputs, you may be able to open multiple instances of whatever recording software you are using.

Most true multitrack hardware comes with multitrack recording software (and the proper drivers, of course).

An entry-level multitrack card is the 10-channel M-Audio Delta 1010 for $200 USD. You might be able to find a 4-channel board for half as much.

The problem with Realtek is that at least with my computers, if you change one output into input, it changes every other using the same DAC chip output into input too. Basically I cannot record more than two channels at a time even though the driver set had support for it.

Example 1: mic in and line in, both of them are being handled by the ADC chip, if I change either one of those into output, then the other is changed too.

Example 2: Front line output, Headphone, side line output, surround output and subwoofer output are all under one chip and again, changing one changes others.

One can basically change the jack assignments, but eventually it is a router - it reroutes the audio to somewhere else than default chip.

EDIT: Minor correction: Checked the datasheet for ALC888, the ADC and DAC sections are physically in the same chip, but the chip itself has option to change the direction of the signal in the DAC or ADC section. I think this is the reason for the assignment behaviour.

From where have you got the idea that you have 6 independent inputs? Sincerely, you're out of luck:



First, simultaneous recording of multiple line ins or multiple microphones is only available in prosumer or professional soundcards, just for the single main reason that a consumer does not need it.

Creative soundcards have several models (Those that have front side panels) that can support multiple inputs. There are some other USB soundcards which allow different inputs aswell, but beware that different digital, optical and analog inputs do not necessarily translate to simultaneous inputs.

You say you don't want to spend more than 10~20$ on it, but at the same time you seem sort of desesperate to have the feature. Please, clarify yourself.

Ok, so I guess 1 - I DON'T have multiple simultaneous independent inputs (even though I can independently assign the jacks), and 2 - I can't get that feature for under $20 (even though it probably would have cost the manufacturer a small fraction of that (per unit sold) to have the driver be able to support it).

At this time I'm not set up to do professional recording, but I would like to have the feature I thought I already had (but it turns out I do NOT have). $200 is way too much to spend, though, for an entry-level multi-channel setup, AND I was thinking for now I'd be using a built-in card in a PCI or PCI Express slot. Is there nothing that's at least 8 or 10 channel, same quality as the Realtek AAC889A which I have now, and is good enough if I keep the price under $150? (If I pay more, the features and quality per dollar will have to increase exponentially (or logarithmically, whichever is a sharper increase).)

Since I probably have multiple PCI or PCI Express slots available... what about buying 2 or 3 inexpensive (2-channel) sound cards at maybe $5-15/20 each, opening multiple copies of Audacity and assigning each one to a different card? I'd also use the on-board sound for an input, and the on-board would be the output / monitor.