Windows 10 and multiple audio interfaces

[sghose]

I am not sure if it is possible for ASIO to support multiple audio interfaces by aggregating them. If not Microsoft need to start think on this line as this will help many users, i suppose.

What do you think?

[Sam Spoons]

This might be worth a read https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/using-multiple-audio-interfaces-together

[CS70]

I am not sure if it is possible for ASIO to support multiple audio interfaces by aggregating them. If not Microsoft need to start think on this line as this will help many users, i suppose.

What do you think?

No, ASIO does not support multiple audio interfaces playback.

But it's nothing to do with Microsoft - ASIO exists exactly to bypass Microsoft's code.

ASIO is made and maintained by Steinberg - both specification and reference implementation (the software development kit). While the ASIO SDK is still developed (https://sdk.steinberg.net/viewforum.php?f=1), I am not sure such a major change is in the cards at all.

After all, ASIO comes from an era when Microsoft's audio subsystem was intended for multimedia applications, not music studio processing. These times are long past, and WASAPI exclusive (microsoft's architecture) does pretty much the same thing as ASIO (and arguably you could use also the older kernel streaming, albeit with some limitations). The reason ASIO is still the driver model of choice is now tradition and amount of compatible software. So I wouldn't hold my breath about ASIO.

With Microsoft drivers, I haven't really looked hard but I have a hunch that with the current architecture it would be perfectly possible to do something similar to what OSX does.. (gotta check the clocking interface). But audio interface producers tend to focus on their own product, and I am not sure if Microsoft has enough requests from customers to prioritize that development (especially with most musicians complaining loud about how they are "forced to update".. )

Also the current trend towards lower-cost multi channel interfaces kinda down-prioritizes that.

[James Perrett]

Some manufacturers also allow you to use multiple interfaces of the same type with ASIO - certainly RME do and I think Focusrite also allowed this with some of their Firewire interfaces.

Microsoft certainly tried to cater for low latency audio but their efforts were mostly ignored by developers (with the exception of Cakewalk who were part of the development effort and Reaper which supports a wide range of driver models).

[garrettendi]

On the back of this, I haven't tried to have a YouTube video play at the same as me through an amp sim.

Not sure I can do this.

Sorry to hijack! Back on topic...

[CS70]

On the back of this, I haven't tried to have a YouTube video play at the same as me through an amp sim.

That most likely won't be an issue at all...

[garrettendi]

Grand! Will make learning to butcher popular songs easier.

Now I can cause a travesty even quicker!

[The Elf]

I am not sure if it is possible for ASIO to support multiple audio interfaces by aggregating them. If not Microsoft need to start think on this line as this will help many users, i suppose.

What do you think?

It's been a frustration for a long, long time, but I think events are going to overtake it. Interface aggregation will come in the form of network audio, though ASIO may be the final destination.

It's definitely not a Microsoft issue, though I do feel they should have taken a lead when they had the chance. From my experience WASAPI doesn't get close to the performance of ASIO.