Christmas came a little early for me and not by choice. After upgrading my Dell Precision laptop to Windows 7 64bit, I discovered a little nuance that I couldn't live with, and that was not having a recording audio mixer.

No, I'm not talking about a microphone or line input, I'm referring to the software mixer that allows one to record any audio feed that comes across the speakers. Apparently Sigmatel, the makers of my onboard audio chipset, were no longer in business and I was forced to use Microsoft's generic drivers which lacked any code for a software audio mixer.

I also noticed this on my Precision workstation when I tried to use an old Sound Blaster Live! 24bit audio card, and that Creative's updated Windows 7 drivers also lacked this recording feature.

In Windows XP, Creative provided their own recording mixer tool called: "What U Hear". I liked it. It was a quick and easy way to record whatever was playing on the computer. Such as live conversations or a quick mix down of multiple sources. Creative recommended that I buy a newer pro card in order get the recording mixer back into Windows 7.

Googling the issue, I found the net to rife with numerous complaints of the windows audio mixer either being disabled by default, or simply non-existent, and forcing users to find cumbersome hacks or workarounds, or having to upgrade to more expensive hardware. Windows 7 refuses to use unsigned drivers, so even if an older driver were to work, you would have to disable the security protocols and open the system up to all kinds of folly. Not a good solution.

You see, having that feature allows one to record streaming audio from the net. This brings up the issue with music rights and piracy. Fine, I can understand that. However, as an editor there are times I need to use this tool in order to work with audio, and do so legally.

Ok, for my workstation, since it had two audio cards (an integrated chipset installed from the factory and the added Sound Blaster Live! card). I simply split the output of the Blaster via an 8mm headphone splitter to the line in of the integrated card, and the other feed to the external speakers. I then went to Start, Control Panel, Hardware and Sound Devices, and opened up the "Manage Devices" tool. From there I was able to set the Blaster as the default for playback, and then set the onboard chipset as the recording source.

That was an easy fix for my desktop, but what about my laptop? I'm not gonna crack that open and be able to solder on a new chipset, right?

Well, fortunately Creative has a solution in the form of a simple USB enabled device, the Sound Blaster X-Fi® Go! Pro.

X-Fi® Go! Pro comes with instructions, installation CD, and a USB extension cable.

Best Buy currently has it for $25 and I couldn't pass up the chance to try it for being so inexpensive, and it turned out to be a great deal for the money.

When using these adaptors, I prefer to use the included USB extension cable. I'm not confident that these plastic devices will handle the strain of a headphone cable hanging off from it. The extension cable relieves some of that strain. Besides, I've sheared off a few thumb drives in the past from either pushing my notebook around, or forgetting to remove them before hitting the backpack.

Upon plugging in the device Windows 7 did a good job downloading the appropriate drivers, but you'll want to install the software on the disk as well. You'll get access to some pretty cool effects settings for both playback and microphone. Including the all important and totally cool THX and surround sound properties.

I was floored by the sound quality of the device as compared to a full size card. True THX and 3D Surround. Not to mention having the "What U Hear" feature installed with the software package. Bingo! I then fired up Adobe Audition, set the hardware panel to use the "What U Hear" as the source and I was back in business. Nice.

I am most certain that there are others out there with laptops that have similar issues, or even non-working audio chipsets. This little unit is the fix and not only that, it will add some 'Wow' to your games and music.

There are some cons. First it's a 2.0 speaker output, and not a 5.1 or 7.1 replacement if that matters to you. Second, you'll have to use headphones or external speakers. My laptop has an integrated sub-woofer, and I lose that having to use headphones to monitor and edit my recordings. I have patched the output of the X-Fi® Go! Pro to the input of the laptop (setting it for line level), and using Adobe Audition, I can select multiple sources for recording and playback. However, because Windows limits me to using one playback source, I cannot monitor live recordings via the laptops built in speakers. No free lunch there.

Never-the-less, I can get work done using the X-Fi® Go! Pro, and have some entertainment as well. Nothing wrong with that.

Keep Shooting.

-Pete

Full disclosure: I am affiliated with Creative in any way. I so happen to write occassional reviews when I feel a product or service is worth sharing for the benefit of others. That said, I cannot guarantee that your experience and usage with this product will be the same as mine. I will note that while folks out there have issue with many of these devices and software not working on their systems. It's important to note that I both use and keep quality products such as Dell Precision Workstations. These PC's, like Macs have quality or server grade hardware and likewise, reflect higher initial cost. As such, I have avoided many costly mistakes and issues. In short, you get what you pay for. It also helps to a some extent to know what your doing under the hood, and to avoid the hazards of installing free (a.k.a Junk) software and surfing innapporpriate websites. Do this and your PC life will be much more enjoyable.