Getting Stereo Mix on XP...lets do it

I'm determined to figure this out. Here's where I am so far:

1) I've installed XP on my Inspiron 1420 using the dell driver R158235 (I think that's right, its the one you guys are recommending at least)
2) Go into the registry, specifically under HKEY Local Machine-->System-->ControlSet001-->Control-->Class-->{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} (It should be this one, whichever is Sound and Video Game Controllers)
3) Scroll down til you see something resembling a sigmatel entry.
4) You'll see what .ini version your card is using. If you go into settings/filter/rear, you'll see that StereoMix has a 0 for its value (that means disabled). Try putting a 1, and restarting and see if that enables stereo mix...
5) Next, go into your Dell\drivers folder, or wherever you install your drivers and look for the .ini file that matches the one from the registry. Open it up and look for the stereomix, and try setting that to 1. I recommend backing up the original somewhere outside of that folder.
6) Uninstall your sound card and reinstall (it will now use the new ini file) and restart. For some reason I get an exclamation point, I'm not sure why changing one little 0 to a 1 effects the entire driver.

EDIT: Success! (I think!) I didn't restart after step 4. Now that I have I can see stereo mix as an available option in the sound settings. No need to modify or reinstall any drivers. Should work for all laptops and all versions on XP. Report results

Any tips?

 

I stumbled across this thread just today, and now I finally have the stereo mix option on my Vostro 1500! I just went through the first four steps and now I can finally use Audacity for what I want it for. I hope this helps out other frustrated dell users.

 

Thank you very much

 

Anything for Vista that you guys can suggest???

 

frustrated! have tried following these instructions, but when i get into the relevant registry file i don't have a stereo mix option!!!

i've got a brand new latitude d520, xp, sigmatel audio soundcard.

any ideas?

many thanks!

 

You sir, are a king amongst men... or a queen amongst women, your handle and dialect don't honestly make which all that apparent. But still, my point is: thanks!

This is an encouraging development. I can only assume that a similar 'fix' could be identifiable through Vista.

 

This step-by-step solution to getting "Stereo Mix" on your Dell computer owes a great deal to the original thread posted by stuckinasquare3.

While that post described the fix for a Dell Inspiron, the precise overview below is for Getting Stereo Mix on a Dell Latitude D630.

To Get “Stereo Mix” on a Dell Latitude D630 with Windows XP

This solution is quick, but it is not for folks who feel uncomfortable about making changes in the nested folders of the Windows XP registry, even though the change needed in this case is just one number value.

This solution will not give you the full SigmaTel Control panel. Other people have already discussed elsewhere the hacks, downloads, and driver re-installs necessary to have that missing Control Panel which Dell has denied us access to.

The solution here just gives you “Stereo Mix” period, making it available as an option to any recording app on your computer. This will allow you to record streaming audio from the internet, re-record mp3’s and other music files (.wav, .flv, etc.) playing on your own computer so that you can edit and/or convert them to other formats—in short, to record Anything You Can Hear and make only strictly legal, personal use of it.

First, you need to open the computer’s registry. In Windows XP, go Start-->Run...-->type regedit-->click Okay. The Registry opens. Look for this folder:

HKEY Local Machine-->System-->ControlSet001-->Control-->Class-->{4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}

Click through to the sub-folder 0005 and scroll down within that folder to the value IniPath and check it for the path to the exact SigmaTel .ini file your computer is using. In the case of my Dell Latitude D630, that path is: c:\program files\sigmatel\c-major audio\wdm\92XXM4-3.ini. *Note yours down because you will later be going to that .ini file and changing just one value to enable Stereo Mix.

But first, still within the registry location you are in, you must open the 0005 sub-folder further until you see the sub-nested folder called “rear.” When you open that folder, you will see the value called DigitalStereoMix and that its current setting is 00 (meaning “off”). You must change that setting to 01 (meaning “on”). Do that by right-clicking on DigitalStereoMix and changing the last two zeros to 01. That will enable Stereo Mix when you reboot after the next and final step. Close and exit the Registry.

Go to c:\program files\sigmatel\c-major audio\wdm\92XXM4-3.ini -- or to the exact .ini file you found in the Registry that applies to your Dell computer.

Open the file 92XXM4-3.ini (or the .ini that applies to you) in Windows NotePad and look for the entry DigitalStereoMix. (The quickest way to find this entry is to use the Edit—Find menu in the NotePad application.) Change the value for DigitalStereoMix from = hex: 0 to = hex: 1. Do nothing else! Save the file under the same name in the same location it’s already in and exit NotePad.

Reboot your computer.

When you now open any sound recording application on your computer, you’ll see that you have “Stereo Mix.” It should also show up as an option in the bare-bones Windows XP recording mixer, looking like this:




Cautionary note: This worked for me on a Dell Latitude D630 computer running Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2. I do not know if it will work on any other machine or model. Obviously, I can’t take responsibility for registry and file changes you make to your computer. If you feel hesitant about any of this, please do back up your Registry and the key .ini file beforehand and also set a Restore Point through Windows Help which will allow your computer to return to exactly the way it was before you changed any setting.

 

Thank you for you help. As a frustrated Dell user, I now I can see some light at the end of the tunnel. I've just bought an Inspiron 1501 and it has been a nightmare for me.

The instructions you provide is fairly straight forward. The only problem is I got stuck at step #4, couldnt seem to find "StereoMix" anywhere in "rear".

My soundcard is also Sigmatel. I will upload a screenshot so you can give me some helpful input, if you don't mind. Thank you so much for the tip.

here's a screenshot of the registry key:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h56/seriphosnoos/005.jpg

 

I tried this and got Stereo Mix to appear on the first attempt, however, it is not that good. When recording to Audition 1.5 (formerly Cool Edit 2000), I still have to have sound playing out from my speakers. Lowering the volume lowers recording volume and if I increase the volume and mute, then the recording is also zeroed. How can I record aty decent volumes without having to actually hear the audio and without having to go from digital to analog to digital via a line out to line in cheat? Can't it be done completely digitally?

 

Hello,
You did not mention if you got Stereo Mix by the complicated re-install of a hacked SigmaTel driver as described above by others and elsewhere on the internet, or if you went the short route through the Windows registry and by making one change to an SigmaTel .ini file. In case of the latter, I cannot claim the solution works for any other Dell computer than the Dell Latitude D630 I tried it on. Still, the behavior you describe on your Vostro does sound odd. If you have the "Stereo Mix" option available, any good recording application should be able to use it fairly cleanly. You've got a conflict somewhere. I have tested and got good results with recording apps like the free Audacity and another excellent one, PolderBitS, which you have to pay for. And then, of course, you can always bypass the whole matter of getting "Stereo Mix" by hacking anything at all if you install and pay for a dowloadable application like Total Recorder which takes its own workaround software route to recording anything on any computer. I've so far tested the trial version and it works.