Sound Blaster ZxR and Toslink - No System Volume Control

Durahl

Member
Member
Greetings!

I'm having a little problem here which I wasn't quite able to solve using the official Creative Support.

First a little explanation:
Before installing my new Sound Blaster ZxR I had to temporarily use the Onboard Sound of my Asus Rampage IV Black Edition because of a SLI Water cooling component blocking the necessary PCI Port of the former Sound Card ( a Sound Blaster Recon3D Fatal1ty Professional ).

Because of the cracking ( grounding loop? ) I receive during the startup when using 3.5mm jacks ( or 1/4" with the ZxR ) I stopped using them whenever possible and instead started using the Toslink connection on both the Recon3D AND the RIVBE as it electrically disconnects the PC from the Sound System.

Now here comes the Problem:
Using the new Sound Blaster ZxR and having it connected via Toslink to my Sound System I'm not able to control the Volume using...
  • Multimedia Keys on my Keyboard
  • Volume Mixer from the Taskbar
  • Even Muting isn't possible

The only way to change the Volume level from now on has been by doing one of the following four...
  • Change the Volume level by Hand in the corresponding App itself, not the overall System Volume - Kind of sucks
  • Using the Hardware Dial on my Speaker System - Hard to reach
  • Switch from Toslink to Jacked Cables - Startup cracking
Also

  • Switching the default Playback Device from Speakers to Digital Audio (S/PDIF) - Will cause me to loose the ability to run Encoders like Dolby Digital Live or DTS Connect and it's DTS Neo:pC Music Mode feature which, in my opinion, really improves my listening experience as it then uses all my Satellites, not just the front ones.

To be honest... I'm not sure how my settings were while still using the Recon3D that allowed me to go Toslink while still being able to change the System Volume simply by using the Multimedia Keys of the Keyboard but if anyone has an idea I'd really appreciate some Information.

Thanks in Advance.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 10 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Homemade
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-5930K
    Motherboard
    ASUS RAMPAGE V Extreme
    Memory
    32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum
    Graphics Card(s)
    2x EVGA GTX 980 SC
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3x Dell UltraSharp U3011 / 1x Wacom Cintiq 24HD Touch
    Screen Resolution
    3x 2560x1600 / 1x 1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    1x Kingston HyperX Predator 480GB M.2 SSD
    4x Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply
    Case
    Corsair 900D
    Cooling
    EKWB / Aquacomputer Custom Water Cooling
    Keyboard
    2x Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard / 1x Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard
    Mouse
    Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse / 3DConnexion Space Pilot PRO
    Internet Speed
    250'000 / 15'000kbit
    Browser
    Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    YOLO
I have a recording studio and use Toslink's. I have to control the volume level in my recording program. There are level controls on my recording interface unit (Roland Octa-Capture) but it is for analog only.

In a PC, when you use a digital output, that bypasses all (or most all) of the sound card as the device its feeding is the one that has the volume level control. I suspect this also applies to what you have, as it apparently works the way my Toslink works (the level control in the application program).
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Built
    CPU
    i7 6700K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus VIII Hero
    Memory
    16 Gb G Skill TridentZ DDR4 3400
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel (i7 CPU)
    Sound Card
    RealTek Integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" Dell SE2717HR
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1080
    Hard Drives
    500GB Samsung 850 SSD, 3TB for backups
    PSU
    EVGA Supernova 750 G2
    Case
    BeQuiet Silent Base 600
    Cooling
    Deepcool Captain 120EX
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Wireless
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    Cable - 100MB Downlink
    Browser
    Edge/Firefox
    Antivirus
    Microsoft
    Other Info
    Sonar Platinum 64 bit recording studio software with MOTU 896Mk3 Hybrid recording interface unit.
Right click the speaker system tray icon and select "playback devices". Choose "Speakers" as your default playback device. Next you should activate "Play Stereo Mix using Digital Output" in the Creative driver settings. Now you should be able to control the volume again.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
Right click the speaker system tray icon and select "playback devices". Choose "Speakers" as your default playback device. Next you should activate "Play Stereo Mix using Digital Output" in the Creative driver settings. Now you should be able to control the volume again.

That did not really gave me access to Volume Controls via Multimedia Keys.

But it's okay... I resolved to using the Volume Control of the Speaker System despite it being hard to reach...
In the end it's not like I'm in constant need of doing so... ;)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Microsoft Windows 10 Professional
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Homemade
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-5930K
    Motherboard
    ASUS RAMPAGE V Extreme
    Memory
    32GB Corsair Dominator Platinum
    Graphics Card(s)
    2x EVGA GTX 980 SC
    Sound Card
    Creative Sound Blaster ZxR
    Monitor(s) Displays
    3x Dell UltraSharp U3011 / 1x Wacom Cintiq 24HD Touch
    Screen Resolution
    3x 2560x1600 / 1x 1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    1x Kingston HyperX Predator 480GB M.2 SSD
    4x Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB
    PSU
    Corsair AX1200i Digital ATX Power Supply
    Case
    Corsair 900D
    Cooling
    EKWB / Aquacomputer Custom Water Cooling
    Keyboard
    2x Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard / 1x Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard
    Mouse
    Logitech G700 Wireless Gaming Mouse / 3DConnexion Space Pilot PRO
    Internet Speed
    250'000 / 15'000kbit
    Browser
    Microsoft Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    YOLO
And what about the software master volume/ PCM volume control? At least that one should work now if everything is configured correctly. I presume the latest drivers are installed. If you are not sure check if there is a driver update for your hardware.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update 1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    self built
    CPU
    AMD FX-8350
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD7 Rev. 3
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Zotac GTX 770 Amp 2 GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    GDATA Internet Security
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