• Registered: 2021-11-06
  • Posts: 2

Topic: Question about Windows and 5.1 Surround

Hello! I am looking to get a UCX II and connect speakers to create a 5.1 set up. I know my DAW will work perfectly with this, but my question is about when I am NOT in my DAW. If I am just playing normal stereo audio/music through a media player (Winamp, Spotify, Youtube, etc), will the audio automatically be routed through my left, right, and subwoofer speakers?

I guess I just want to make sure that if I connect a 5.1 set up that it is still possible for me to listen to stereo signals through my left, right, and subwoofer speakers. How does Windows handle this? Would I need to change routing any time I switch between a 5.1 DAW session and normal Windows apps? And what about using a DAW that only supports Stereo (such as Studio One) - would it automatically route to left, right, subwoofer?


Any info on this would be most appreciated - I am brand new to surround and trying to figure it all out!


Thank you!

  • Registered: 2019-01-19
  • Posts: 18

Re: Question about Windows and 5.1 Surround

I can't answer all the questions in detail, but let's make a start:
- If you have installed the UCX II in Windows with 1 WDM device, you will see 1 device called "loudspeaker" in the playback devices in the control panel. You can configure this and select Stereo, Quadro, 5.1 or 7.1. This is then what playback software sees in Windows.
- With TotalMix software you can see these channels (software playback channels) and route them to any hardware outputs.
- For example, I routed LFE to L+R because I have full-range mains but no sub for LFE. It doesn't matter for the playback software because it only "sees" 5.1.
- You can also choose in TotalMix which outputs you want to use. I have e.g. Mains+LFE mirrored on two digital outputs and Rears and Center on three analog outputs.

  • Registered: 2021-03-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Question about Windows and 5.1 Surround

I agree with kallisgrillimbiss and add some more info.
Above is valid if you need to use windows WDM drivers. Problem is when you change something in RME driver, it will reset also WDM device and you need to set this device again from stereo to multichannel. RME WDM driver also does not support sample rate switching. Not very user friendly behavior but we have to live with this. So I don't use WDM at all - only ASIO.

For local music playback I recommend players with possibility of ASIO output (Foobar, JRiver, lot of others) for local video playback I use Jriver. Jriver can handle also some streaming services.

Routing change is not needed, but I use switching setup and volume control via ARC USB. I am downmixing to 4.0 and in this case there is needed proper level mixing of up to 8 channels especially LFe channel, sometimes it is included in L/R sometimes not and sometimes it has even reversed phase so I use mute group for switching LFe on/off and Totalmix to check right phase if sound seems not right.

Another problem may be delays if you have different monitor distances or even DSP in some monitors. You have to take those latencies to your settings. Jriver can handle this in setup.

Spotify/Youtube are not mch sources, only stereo, they use default windows wdm device. Whatever its setting is first two channels are always L/R so it will work but problem may be wrong sample rate and resampling. Jriver provides its own WDM device as a bridge to ASIO. You can use this as a output for non ASIO players.

My personal sound experience is that my own TM mixing with ASIO input is more clean comparing using WDM mch device. There is probably some more lossy processing within windows. Hard to say.

Maybe somebody else will add/correct this. MCH is much more complicated comparing to stereo.

ADI-2 DAC, Digiface USB, Fireface UCXII, ARC USB, Neumann MA1 aligned monitors

4 Reply by nogills (edited by nogills 2021-11-07 22:28:19)

  • Registered: 2021-11-06
  • Posts: 2

Re: Question about Windows and 5.1 Surround

Thank you both for the info - So if I just use ASIO drivers as my playback on 5.1 set up, there's no type of "bass management" my system can do to grab low frequencies from the 1/2 channels and send them to the subwoofer?

I was also hoping to be able to do this for when I work in a stereo-only DAW such as Studio One (keep my 5.1 system plugged in, use ASIO, but still get low frequencies out of my woofer). I was hoping TotalMix might have some sort of 'built in' Bass Management


Basically, I just need 5.1 in Nuendo/Reaper, but everything else stereo is fine (but would like to hear my subwoofer too)

  • Registered: 2021-03-12
  • Posts: 71

Re: Question about Windows and 5.1 Surround

There is no bass management in UCX II, only EQ. Maybe using this on output channels would help. But I have no experience with this and if there is some limitation.
You can use bass management which can be implemented in your sw player. Or maybe do bass management in Jriver and use its WDM device. But here can be problem with latency if playing video from other player.
Maybe some bass management is implemented in windows WDM driver, I don´t know, it would be interesting to know.
So somebody who has more info should help.

ADI-2 DAC, Digiface USB, Fireface UCXII, ARC USB, Neumann MA1 aligned monitors