Can ASUS Support Fix Realtek ALC 4082 Audio Drivers with Bongiovi Support?

[achugh]

Dear Support,

CURRENT STATUS WITH ALL ISSUES IS IN

https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/gaming-motherboards/can-asus-support-fix-realtek-audio-drivers-with-bo...

I am owner of ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z790 DARK HERO motherboard. I have the latest v6.3.9600.2368 drivers installed. I have been having the following issues with this driver:

1. If I do not install Armoury Crate or if I uninstall Bongiovi Drivers after installing Armoury Crate due to issue (see below about the Bongiovi issues) then I am left with a broken driver. This is because "ExtRtXUsb_Asus_BJ_RTK.inf" driver file included in this version of the package has the RENDER APO FX for %PKEY_CompositeFX_StreamEffectClsid% set to Bongiovi APO ONLY.
   1. I am referring to line no. 63 in this file. It should have both the Realtek and Bongiovi SFX. Currently it only has Bongiovi SFX.
   2. Basically we need to change "HKR,InterfaceSetting\SysCustomizedFx\FX\0,%PKEY_CompositeFX_StreamEffectClsid%,%REG_MULTI_SZ%,%MB_RENDER_SFX_APO%" TO "HKR,InterfaceSetting\SysCustomizedFx\FX\0,%PKEY_CompositeFX_StreamEffectClsid%,%REG_MULTI_SZ%,%MB_RENDER_SFX_APO%,REALTEK_SFX_CLSID"
   3. This is because this is a composite key and can hold multiple value so making it similar to line no. 65 gives us the customers the option to use the installed APOs in the order listed on line no. 63
      
      
2. Does the Realtek Drivers do not support other Windows Modes like MEDIA, MOVIE, COMMUNICATION, SPEECH and NOTIFICATION?
   1. If they do support them, why are they not mentioned in the RENDER configuration for %PKEY_SFX_ProcessingModes_Supported_For_Streaming% or line no. 66 so that Windows can apply different EQ settings for each of the audio modes.
      
      
   2. I noticed that even Bongiovi drivers are not adding this support but some of your older motherboards with DTS APOs supported these modes properly and I would like to see them on my premium motherboard. Before buying the board I did not realize these audio limitations.
      
      
3. The driver is not specifying the configuration for OFFLOAD Mode Support as well. Can the following lines get added to the RENDER configuration? With high quality ES9218 and ALC4082 I am hoping the processing can be offloaded to hardware for better results.
   1. "HKR,InterfaceSetting\SysCustomizedFx\FX\0,%PKEY_CompositeFX_Offload_StreamEffectClsid%,%REG_MULTI_SZ%,%REALTEK_OSFX_CLSID%" where REALTEK_OSFX_CLSID needs to be defined and supported.
   2. "HKR,InterfaceSetting\SysCustomizedFx\FX\0,%PKEY_CompositeFX_Offload_ModeEffectClsid%,%REG_MULTI_SZ%,%REALTEK_OMFX_CLSID%" where REALTEK_OMFX_CLSID needs to be defined and supported.
   3. "HKR,InterfaceSetting\SysCustomizedFx\FX\0,%PKEY_SFX_Offload_ProcessingModes_Supported_For_Streaming%,%REG_MULTI_SZ%,%AUDIO_SIGNALPROCESSINGMODE_DEFAULT%"
   4. "HKR,InterfaceSetting\SysCustomizedFx\FX\0,%PKEY_MFX_Offload_ProcessingModes_Supported_For_Streaming%,%REG_MULTI_SZ%,%AUDIO_SIGNALPROCESSINGMODE_DEFAULT%,%AUDIO_SIGNALPROCESSINGMODE_MEDIA%,%AUDIO_SIGNALPROCESSINGMODE_MOVIE%,%AUDIO_SIGNALPROCESSINGMODE_NOTIFICATION%"
      
      
4. I am using Front Panel connector to connect my Headset (SONY MDR-XB950), it is not the one in DTS Sound Unbound app as the ones in it are MDR-XB950N1 or MDR-XB950B1 and I don't have those variant versions, but it is close enough.
   1. The microphone volume from the HD Audio Combo Front Panel (My case is ASUS ProArt PA602) is extremely low.
   2. I also get loud pops whenever the microphone is enabled. See https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/gaming-motherboards/re-rog-maximus-z790-dark-hero-low-microphone-volum... with pictures of these loud pops in the capture.
   3. I have even enabled the max 30db Mic Boost and even that is not helping.
   4. I had installed the Two-Way Noise Cancelling but has uninstalled it as can be seen in this thread and I am still not able to figure out where the volume of my microphone is getting lost.
   5. This headset is reported with low impedance. The value is shown between 22 and 60 Ohms and the headset is rated at 32 Ohms; from my recollection. This means that it is an efficient headset which requires less current to work at its peak and optimum quality and I am having worst issues with it.
   6. Can someone on your team look into what is causing the volume to be dropped? Gaming is not possible as no one can hear me and that is a big disappointment with this premium gaming board.
      
      
5. I am also noticing that if I change my headphone output format from 48Khz 24Bits to anything else, I lose about 50% of the volume.
   1. I believe the Volume Curves for other formats are not defined and Windows defaults to some volume curve that does not match the hardware which then affects the perceived volume loss of 50% or more.
   2. I believe these volume curves are defined in RtDUsbAD_asus.inf file.
   3. Maybe things are not working because in this version the "Realtek Universal Audio Service" even though is set to Start Automatically does not start upon reboot due to service defining having quotes. See RealtekService.inf file at line no 61. This issue I see is fixed in the v6.3.9600.2379 that is release for some other motherboard but not yet for my motherboard.
   4. Maybe, having this service running will fix my issue with volume drop if any other format is selected.
      
      
6. Similarly, for Microphone Format, if I chose anything other than 48KHz 24 Bits all I get is either static noise or no sound from the microphone.
   1. I see values up to 192KHz at 24 Bits but I cannot use any of the higher quality values.
   2. Can this issue be fixed? Maybe it is also related to the previous issue of service not running and will get fixed when you release updated versions for my motherboard as well.
      
      
7. The officially published driver on the ASUS Support downloads has couple of mistakes or issues.
   1. In the UWP folder, the INSTALL.BAT file has a mistake where it installs the DTS app and the immediately tries to uninstall it.
   2. Basically line no. 8 needs to be moved to line no. 18 and the another line to wait for 12 seconds need to be added so the installation of the DTS app completes in the background and the process is not killed. After this fix, the file looks like below
      
      

      @EchoInstall Realtek Audio Driver Please Wait ...
      @Echoon
      @Echodism online install DTS Sound Unbound appx files

      %~d0
      cd %~dp0

      REG ADD "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell" /f /v "ExecutionPolicy" /d "RemoteSigned" /t REG_SZ

      powershell -executionpolicy bypass -File .\remove_and_install_DTSSUWP.ps1

      REG DELETE "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PowerShell\1\ShellIds\Microsoft.PowerShell" /v "ExecutionPolicy" /f

      
      @Ping127.0.0.1 -n 12 -w 1000 > nul

      dism.exe /online /Add-ProvisionedAppxPackage /PackagePath:"77ebcb3cc75d4261bade64b63bb84bf9.appxbundle" /LicensePath:"77ebcb3cc75d4261bade64b63bb84bf9_License1.xml" /DependencyPackagePath:"Microsoft.NET.Native.Framework.2.2_2.2.29512.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.appx" /DependencyPackagePath:"Microsoft.NET.Native.Runtime.2.2_2.2.28604.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.appx" /DependencyPackagePath:"Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00_14.0.30704.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe.appx"

      @Ping127.0.0.1 -n 12 -w 1000 > nul

      cd ..
      @EchoDone

      exit /b
      
      

   3. Next under UWP\CONFIG\PIN\run folder the AsusSetup.exe file is missing. This file can be copied from any folder as there are multiple copies of this file.
      1. Because of this missing file "Realtek Audio Console" is not getting pinned to the START menu.
      2. This missing file is needed because the INSTALL.BAT file in UWP\CONFIG\PIN folder is trying call AsusSetup.exe in Silent mode and that file is missing from the RUN folder.
      3. Hopefully, this easy fix can be included when you release the v6.3.9600.2379 for my motherboard.

BONGIOVI DRIVER ISSUES

I am sure by now you would have seen numerous people complaining about loud pops with these APOs which is why I have tried to uninstall them. They are not easy to uninstall also.

1. Can the installation and uninstallation of them be supported with a windows installer or something in Armoury Crate to make this task easier as a short-term workaround?
2. Also, can the Motherboard SDK be split so that it does not install this driver automatically and you make it a customer choice?
3. With my limited knowledge, I believe all APOs work on the concept of buffering the audio data and I don't think Bongiovi Drivers are any different. I suspect these loud pops for BOTH Rendering and Capture are happening because these drivers DO NOT clear or ZERO out the buffer and there is a buffer overflow or dirty buffer that gets flushed when the audio starts and these APOs get triggered by Windows Audio Chain. Since these buffers have junk data that gets flushed, that's what comes across as this pop when either the speaker or the microphone is turned on for audio streaming or capture via the software. I believe create a buffer with 0x00 (ZEROS) at the beginning of the stream (Render or Capture) should solve the pop issues. This way the buffer does not have any junk or dirty data when it gets flushed.

-Amit

Tagging #ROG, #Motherboard, #Z790, #Z790 Dark Hero

[achugh]

I am beginning to think that maybe ASUS has some kind of hardware design mistake and the microphone volume is reduced extremely due to this mistake on our Z790 Dark Hero board which is why we are getting nowhere.

Only someone with technical design knowledge of ALC 4082 chip will be able to confirm if ASUS deviated from the reference Realtek design and that deviation is causing this issue or the reference design from Realtek itself has some issue.

It seems even the ASUS X670E Hero board using this same audio chip (ALC 4082) is also suffering from the exact same problem (refer https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxaudio/comments/1206x3e/mic_volume_is_too_low_and_literally_nonexistent... ).

I even reached out to Realtek Support and they are not helpful as they point me back to work with ASUS team.

I have no hope of getting this microphone volume fix from ASUS at this time as it has been a problem for 2 generation of boards (X670E Hero and ours Z790 Dark Hero).

[mattbg00]

I can't really offer much help, but just wanted to add that there's definitely something "off" about the implementation of this chipset. I'm using a Z790 Maximus Hero, but it implements the ALC4082 via USB.

I recently picked up a pair of Vanatoo T0+ speakers and tried connecting via the onboard TOSLINK connector. It worked fine, but semi-regularly the TOSLINK signal would fail to "wake" the speakers (usually after the PC had been asleep). The speakers implement digital silence detection to allow sleeping on no optical signal, and for whatever reason the optical signal was defeating this algorithm.

Anyway, fair enough - maybe it's a speaker issue, you might say. Well, I tried connecting the speakers via USB, bypassing the ALC4082 altogether, and it was like a different set of speakers. They just sounded so much better in terms of clarity and space. Technically, USB and TOSLINK should be comparable in this case because they both send digital signals to the speakers.

Anyway, I had other issues with USB audio and wanted to go back to TOSLINK, so I ended up buying a PCIe audio card that had TOSLINK (Sound Blaster X AE5-Plus). And now, not only do the speakers sleep and wake properly, but the audio sounds as good as it did on the USB connection.

Anyway, nothing conclusive in there, but there is definitely something odd going on with the audio implementation. A bit frustrating because I specifically bought this board because it had a TOSLINK output thinking that it was hard to mess that up, quality-wise.

[NewEnglandNole]

Wanted to report that I am having the same low mic volume on my ROG STRIX B650E-F GAMING WIFI. It was fine until I did my yearly PC wipe. Now now combination of drivers/settings will bring the mic volume back. I ended up by a $8 USB audio card so I could get my mic working again. I don't use the motherboard for audio out (external DAC+Amp) so I can't comment on the other issue.

[achugh]

@NewEnglandNoleIt is so sad that these USB drivers are not working for multiple boards and the only solution is to find an external solution by purchasing USB Audio solution. I hope ASUS and Realtek can figure out their mistake and can correct it for all of us waiting for a solution.

[TYCHO_005917]

They won't. They don't care