Stereo Tool

Hi there!
As a new ST user I finally did get music processed through ST.
I'm working with AerOn radio automation and i'm using VBCable.
It took several hours to get things started and sadly, after I shutdown my PC and restarted it the other day, all my settings were gone and i had to start all over again.
After (again) several hours ST worked again and because of this experience, I made several screen shots of all the settings, but after another day offline i faced again with the same trouble and even with the settings as screen shots, I couldn't get ST started. After HOURS of trying to set things right I still can't manage to get ST working again.
The programm starts but doesn't process music.
Who can help me?!

First things first: there is an easy way to save all settings (even the ones regarding inout/output/etc) to a file.
So if you manage to get it working again, save the settings with this button:


Stereo Tool's settings should persist automatically by the way: if you close the tool and open it again, everything should be as before you closed it.
This automatic feature doesn't work when it crashes or when the system reboots while ST is running (which must have happened in your case).


That said, let's get up and running.
You mentioned you're using VBcable?
Try setting Windows's default playback device to one of the virtual playback devices that VBcable adds to your system. This will automatically let most programs play their sound to the virtual audio cable.
You can do so either through the Windows 10 option screen (right mouse click the speaker icon in the system tray and choose "Open Sound settings"):


Or through the older interface (I forgot how to get there, probably just search for "Sound" in Windows's start menu):



Then choose VBcable's virtual recording device (which receives audio from the virtual playback device that all programs are playing to) as input device for ST:



And choose an output device to your liking!
This can be a device under Normal Output (to just play the processed sound to your speakers), or something more exotic if that's your thing.

I should probably resize those images...

Dear Tom,
Thanks for the excellent explanations, including screen shots!
The difficulty, I think is that AerOn works with a Delta soundcard, then there's this VB cable, windows10 and finally Realtek.....
But your explanation 'sounds' good and I'll give it a try, however one more question:
The screenshot regarding SOUND: Speakers should be the Default service, but what should be the Default Communication Device?
Setting all this settings, Adobe Audition is complaining, that it can't record a live program.
Has this anything to do with the ST settings as you explained?
Anyway thanks a lot and I'll keep you informed..
Louis

The thing is: setting VBcable as the default playback device is a quick-and-dirty way to route all audio through VBcable (and therefore through Stereo Tool, once that is set up correctly).
A drawback of that method is that you might not want some of that audio to go through Stereo Tool.
Another side-effect can be that some programs might not be happy with a virtual output device: This could be one of the side-effects of setting VBcable as the default, though I'm not sure.
The most important thing, is that AerOn (which I am not familiar with) outputs to VBcable.
If there's a setting to do that in AerOn, then there's no need to set VBcable as the default device.
In other words: if you can tell AerOn to output straight to VBcable and ignore the Windows default playback device setting, do that. Then you can put the default playback device in Windows back to whatever it was.
I don't really know what the definition of a "Communication Device" is. My guess is that it's used by software like Skype.
But like I said: the most important thing is that AerOn outputs to it.

Alright Tom,

I followed up your advises and i'm anxious what will happen if i stop the whole show.
I'll keep you informed, thanks again!
Louis