Force 5.1 Wasapi on windows 10

Question

I currently have a home theater receiver (STR-DN840) on a 5.1 configuration connected to my PC (Windows 10) trough HDMI using the graphics card (GTX-760). I currently have KODI and I have it on my settings to upscale to 5.1 and wasapi and I like it. I want to know if there is a way to upscale all audio to 5.1 or force WASAPI on all audio that by default comes in 2.0 such as spotify. Thank you!

Answer 1

You typically can't, since most of your sources are not designed for surround sound. Your software has to be aware of WASAPI as well and this is uncommon - for example. foobar2000, which I use in WASAPI exclusive mode, needs a plugin, and no other software I regularly use has wasapi support.

WASAPI is not a driver or seperate output device. Its a different way to talk to an audio device skipping the mixer. Having something in between as Andrew Hendrix suggests... seems counterproductive.

Also considering that proper use of WASAPI requires exclusive control of the sound card, and you're giving up use of the mixer, forcing WASAPI is impossible, and has no practical advantage.

Likewise to 'increase the number of channels' takes some additional processing. Something like VAC might work so you can duplicate your 2.0/2.1 output but you'd still need to work out what to do with the centre speaker and so on. Unless there's some software that would do the mixing for you, its hardly something simple to automate, and this feels like something at odds with using Wasapi for low latency .

As such, I don't think there's a universal, native way to do either, and doing both increasing the channels and forcing low latency output dosen't make sense.

I'd also suggest spotify kinda has potato quality compared to most sources people use WASAPI with , and you're attempting to apply beauty products and lip colouring on a porcine... but that's just me being a snob.

Answer 2

This isn't exactly what you're looking for, but it's the closest I can think of that I know should work. Your home theater receiver has the ability to upscale 2.0 or 2.1 to 5.1 through the use of Dolby Pro Logic II It was actually an older technology designed to let movie and game producers make audio that was "in surround sound" using only 2 channels, but it works on any audio source to upscale your audio. The only downside is that you'd have to enable it every time you wanted to play 2.0 audio. :/ There might be a better way, but mine is the only answer since October, and I don't know of any other way to do what you're asking.

Virtual Audio Cable might be able to do it mixed with some other program or something, but as far as I know, there doesn't currently exist a way to do exactly what you're asking. Hope that helps!