Beginning with Total Recorder 7.0, Total Recorder has two types of virtual audio drivers: a user-mode driver and a kernel-mode (WDM) driver. The user-mode driver is the same type of driver that was supplied with previous versions of Total Recorder. The kernel-mode driver is a new driver. When you install Total Recorder, you can choose from the following options for virtual drivers:

• Install Total Recorder without a driver.
• Install Total Recorder with the user-mode driver only.
• Install Total Recorder with the kernel-mode driver only (if the driver is compatible with your operating system).
• Install Total Recorder with both the user-mode and kernel-mode drivers (if the latter is compatible with your operating system).

If you install Total Recorder without a driver, you will not be able to record in "Software" mode. An alternative to "Software" mode recording is to record in "Soundboard" mode from a line such as "Stereo Mix", "Wave", "What U hear", or similar. Most sound boards have such a line. Installing without a driver may be necessary if you encounter compatibility problems between the Total Recorder drivers and other software, or if you do not plan to record in Software mode and do not want to have another driver on your system.

If you install Total Recorder with both drivers, you can select which driver Total Recorder uses.

To install or uninstall a driver, you must reinstall Total Recorder over the installed instance and select the appropriate driver options during installation. All of Total Recorder's configuration settings and registration information are preserved.

Information regarding drivers on different operating systems is shown in the table below.

Total Recorder Drivers on Different Versions of Windows

Windows Vista considers user-mode audio drivers to be legacy drivers and does not fully support them. An audio device with a user-mode audio driver is not listed as an available audio device in the system (for example, in Control Panel-Sounds). Such a device cannot be set as a system default device. To record a playback program by Total Recorder through the user-mode Total Recorder driver, you must be able to set up the playback program to pass sound streams through the Total Recorder driver.

Windows Vista does not have a DirectSound emulator for user-mode audio devices. If a player uses DirectSound, then Total Recorder's user-mode audio driver will not appear in the list of available audio devices for the player, and it cannot be used to record such programs.

In many cases, Total Recorder's user-mode audio driver is not very useful on Windows Vista. Examples of programs that cannot be recorded through Total Recorder's user-mode driver under Windows Vista include Windows Media Player and RealPlayer. Programs that can be recorded include WinAmp (provided that it uses the WaveOut Output plug-in for playback) and Total Recorder itself.

Possible Problems with Total Recorder Drivers

Possible problems with Total Recorder's user-mode driver

- Incompatibility with DirectSound

Problems can occur with an application that uses Direct Sound. If such an application passes a sound stream through the driver, the sound may be garbled. For example, distortions often appear when using most versions of Skype 3.x.

- Incompatibility with a small number of applications

A small number of applications may not start at all, or they may function incorrectly, if the driver is set as a system default device. Examples of such applications include CyberLink software (e.g. PowerDVD, PowerProducer) and Adobe software (e.g. Adobe Premiere, Adobe Encore, etc.).

- Partial compatibility with Windows Vista

See this information regarding compatibility issues between the user-mode driver and Windows Vista.

Possible problems with Total Recorder's kernel-mode driver

- Unable to record a particular application

The system mixes audio streams being played before it arrives in the kernel-mode driver. Audio streams being played can only be recorded in mixed form. This is similar to recording from a line such as "Stereo Mix". It is not possible to single out a stream belonging to a particular application as it could be made using a user-mode driver. All appropriate recording parameters (i.e. Record only streams opened after the recording has started and Record only this application) are disabled.

- For some sound boards, a sound stream cannot be played through the board while another stream is played through the kernel-mode driver if the driver is set to use the sound board

This restriction can cause some problems:

Note that this problem does not occur with most sound boards.

- Incompatibility with USB-microphones under Windows XP

Total Recorder's kernel-mode driver does not work with USB microphones under Windows XP. This can result in problems when recording an Internet telephony program, such as Skype. Such programs can be recorded, however this requires some additional setup. For more information, see Total Recorder Help: Troubleshooting -> After installing Total Recorder with the kernel-mode driver, problems occur using a USB microphone.

 

Note that this problem does not occur on Windows Vista.

- Volume regulator affects the level of recording

The volume level of the Wave line affects the level of sound received by the kernel-mode driver. For quality recordings, it is recommended you set the volume level of the Wave line to the maximum position and do not change this level during the recording. You should use the level of the Master line to regulate the sound volume when recording.

Notes:

• Most players' volume regulators are connected to the Wave line. You should set the regulator to the maximum position and do not change it during a recording.
• The system volume regulator, which is the regulator that appears when you click on the system tray icon, is associated with the Master line. You can adjust it freely while recording.
• Under Windows XP, you can also use the volume regulator in Total Recorder's main window to adjust volume. Beginning with version 7.0, this regulator is associated with the Master line rather than the Wave line. Under Windows Vista, you should use only the system volume regulator.

- Additional format conversion is sometimes performed

When a playback program passes a sound stream to the sound board, Windows can transform this sound stream to a format supported by your sound board. Total Recorder's kernel-mode driver receives this transformed stream rather than the original stream. The driver does not know the format of the original stream and Total Recorder can display only the format of the transformed stream.

In very rare cases, this conversion can result in a minor loss of quality, although this loss is normally not audible. Since the majority of recordings are performed in a compressed format, the compression results in more loss in quality (even if it is usually not audible) than the conversion.

- Problems with accelerated recording

The speed of an accelerated recording can be lower when using the kernel-mode driver compared with the user-mode driver. The recorded sound may be garbled even though no problems appeared when the recording was being made. For more information, see Total Recorder Help: Using Total -> Recorder Recording -> Accelerated Recording.

- Driver's recording-level regulator may function improperly

It is possible that the recording level regulator or the volume for specific playback lines of the driver do not work. This depends on the particular sound board. If you encounter this problem, follow these recommendations:

• For Windows 2000/XP: Launch the system mixer, and use the controls of the real sound board rather than the controls of Total Recorder's driver.
• For Windows Vista: From the Control Panel, click Sounds (or select Options - System settings in Total Recorder's main menu), select the playback or recording device to be used, click the Properties button, and then go to the Levels tab.

- Under Windows 2000/XP, if you record from Total Recorder's kernel-mode driver device, you should manually select the recording line

Total Recorder's kernel-mode driver has only one recording line, called "Microphone". Recording actually occurs through the active recording line of a real sound board. If you find that a recording uses an incorrect line, you should manually select the proper recording line by using the system mixer.

This problem occurs mostly when recording Internet telephony programs, such as Skype. If you only want to record from a sound board, you should record directly from a real sound device rather than from Total Recorder's driver.

- Under Windows Vista, if you record from Total Recorder's kernel-mode driver device, the recording can use an incorrect line

If you use Total Recorder's kernel-mode driver to record from a recording device, sometimes the recording uses an incorrect line. This problem depends on the real soundboard driver.

This problem occurs mostly when recording Internet telephony programs, such as Skype. If you only want to record from a sound board, you should record directly from a real sound device rather than from Total Recorder's driver.

If this problem occurs, take the following steps:

• Stop using the recording device, and terminate the Internet-telephony conversation.
• From the Control Panel, click Sounds (or select Options - System settings in Total Recorder's main menu), and then go to the Recording tab.
• Select a real device (normally a microphone) that should be used for capturing sound, and click the Set Default button
• Select Microphone. Total Recorder kernel mode (WDM) audio driver, and click the Set Default button.
• Close the Sounds window.

See also:

Primer on PC Audio