How to detect/prevent windows from changing my usb audio device's bit rate or bit depth while I am using the mic or speakers?

Question

In the middle of a video call, a game, or watching a video, for no obvious reason and seemingly at random, something (I assume Windows itself) changes the bit rate/bit depth of the default USB audio device which causes the audio to stop... either the person on the other end of my call stops hearing me (if it was the mic that was affected), or I stop hearing them and everything else coming from my speakers (if it was my audio output device that was affected.)

Some notable details:

• My PC has multiple audio devices, but all of them except one is disabled.
• "Exclusive Mode" on the both playback and recording is disabled.
• I want both the playback and recording device to stay at 32 bit/48000 Hz and never change... something periodically changes it?!
• I've noticed that after a Windows update (of the sort that requires a reboot), the settings are altered and I have to fix it.
• Its also notable that the event viewer does not have any entries relating to this problem... also the device's log has no indication that a change was made.
• Sometimes the audio doesn't cut out entirely... sometimes it just degrades into static

I want to know how to detect the source of this change, for example, was it a windows service? some other app? And I want to know how to prevent those particular audio settings from being altered. Anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

To prevent Windows from changing the bit rate or bit depth of your USB audio device while you are using the mic or speakers, you can adjust the audio settings in the Windows Control Panel or use third-party software.

To change the settings in the Windows Control Panel, go to Sound > Playback or Sound > Recording, depending on whether you want to adjust the output or input settings. Right-click on your USB audio device and select Properties. Then go to the Advanced tab and select the desired bit rate and bit depth. You can also check the box that says "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device" to prevent other programs from changing the settings.

Alternatively, you can use third-party software such as Equalizer APO or ASIO4ALL to adjust the audio settings for your USB audio device. These programs allow you to set the bit rate and bit depth and can also provide other advanced audio features.