Add option to select sound device

[patka076]

Hi!

I like to listen to music while playing, and have different sound devices for my main speakers and my headset. However for one reason or another, Microsoft does not implement a common way to switch which application sound is output to which device, selecting a different "default" device switches all applications over to this device, unless the application itself has the functionality to specifically select which sound device to use.

What I would like to suggest is adding an option under the sounds tab, to allow manually switching which sound device to use (much like what is available in the vlc player for example).

Sadly I've kind of given up on Spotify adding this functionality in their application (what, select sound device in a music application, my lord, why would you ever want to do that...).

regards,
Patrik

[ssilk]

But it's a good question: Why would you ever want to do that? Hehe, I just plugin my earphones and switch the sound device like so.

I mean: Can you give us a good example? One that is so useful, that everybody understands, why it is needed.

[patka076]

Well, ok, I can try to explain a bit more. My setup is that I have an optical output connected from my computer to my stereo, streaming music (spotify) in my apartment. I also have a headset to use when playing games. Obviously I don't want factorios sound to stream in the entire apartment, but just in my headset (or the attack alarm would probably upset my neighbours). Problem is that today I can not keep music streaming in the rest of the apartment when I play. If I switch the "default" device to the headset, all sounds are output to the headset. So one of the applications need this functionality, and my money is on Factorio...

[TuckJohn]

Could I recomend that you try to run the autio though your phone or on other computer? That would probably be the easiest thing.

[ratchetfreak]

Well, ok, I can try to explain a bit more. My setup is that I have an optical output connected from my computer to my stereo, streaming music (spotify) in my apartment. I also have a headset to use when playing games. Obviously I don't want factorios sound to stream in the entire apartment, but just in my headset (or the attack alarm would probably upset my neighbours). Problem is that today I can not keep music streaming in the rest of the apartment when I play. If I switch the "default" device to the headset, all sounds are output to the headset. So one of the applications need this functionality, and my money is on Factorio...

sounds more like the audio stream should have a selectable audio device

[patka076]

Could I recomend that you try to run the autio though your phone or on other computer? That would probably be the easiest thing.

There are surely workarounds that could work, however I only have the one computer and don't stream through my phone, but I guess I could listen to the radio instead. At the moment I often end up playing Factorio without sound, but you kinda miss a dimension of the game that way, which is a pity.

sounds more like the audio stream should have a selectable audio device

Well, partly I agree, it may make more sense for a music application to be able to select output sound device. And surely it would make most sense to handle this on a windows level without application dependency. But I would also like to argue that in my case, it's actually Factorio that should not use the default sound device, but rather my headset. Since windows has taken this path, it's actually the application that you want to specifically manage that has to implement this.

Anyway, for me this would be a very much appreciated feature.