The Hidden Digital Mixer in Win 10

Question

From: Microsoft Surface Support <******@css.one.microsoft.com>

Sent: Friday, July 28, 2017 12:26 PM

To: ***Email address removed for privacy***

Subject: SRX1391523351ID - Microsoft Surface Support Team

Hello Steven,

Hello "Jane"!... My name is NOT Steven... but Bahman

Good day!

 Thank you Jane.  Good day to you too. 

This is Jane, hi... one of the Case Managers... nice, from Microsoft Technical Support... Technical Support.... I hope this message reaches you well. We do apologize for all the inconvenience that this might have caused you. I know this is important for you. No worries, this will be sorted out soon as possible. Thanks... yes, it is of utmost importance and yes it has caused me lots of trouble so far...and let's see how soon can you solve this problem... Thanks and thanks for your e-mail... You are a technician and working for Microsoft Tech Support.  You then must know a lot and so the specific technical issue(s) I contacted you for and so therefore must know very well that... 

Anyway, I tried to verify what you said that under Sound settings there is "Digital Mixer" option under recording tab. Actually there isn't. NOT TRUE ... THERE IS. We have Surface devices that are all set to default and all Windows 10, probably/most likely the latest versions and the default Microphones are only "Headset Microphone" and "Microphone Array" which is Realtek High Definition Audio (SST) as the default driver. Digital mixer is not an option under Recording not unless if you plug in the physical Digital Mixer to your Surface device then supposedly it will be recognized and will pop up as one of the options of your speakers under Recording tab. If it will not work, it needs a driver. Please read my previous e-mail...YOU DO NOT HAVE AN ACCURATE INFORMATION even though you work for MS Tech Support.

About the driver, Digital mixer driver is not pre installed, supposedly you should be able to download and install the driver of the specific mixer that you have. It is the one that came with my Surface Book.  You might need to contact the manufacturer of the Digital Mixer MICROSOFT OR REALTEK???   that you want to use with your Surface for the specific driver. It is not pre installed on settings and device managers, it needs to be downloaded.

Please read my e-mail again and again... I do NOT mean to be rude... but it appears that you intentionally are trying to mislead and/or give inaccurate information/explanation here

This is simply NOT true.  I have at least 4 other computers with win 10 and 8.1 none upgraded and my friends and partners have several more ALL of which HAVE the DIGITAL MIXER of the REALTEK sound card... and I did explain this to the TECHNICIAN I spoke with recently.  The device manager clearly shows the digital mixer and there is an option under the recording devices for the digital mixer WITHOUT PLUGING IN ANY EXTERNAL PHYSICAL MIXER

Nevertheless, we are going to double check for a workaround about this matter. Please do as your explanation here is not true AND DEFINITELY INACCURATE. 

We'll keep you posted.  I AM WAITING...

By the way, I just wanted to inform you that Vince is currently out of the Office for his 2 days off I thought he was off for further training ... but oh well, he also needs a brake... and will be back this weekend. We will schedule a call back for further assistance about your concern which is probably of many others as well about the hidden digital mixer .... I will endorse this case back to Vince . Please feel free to reply to this email if you have questions, we would really appreciate your response.  Please READ my previous e-mail and STOP playing games here and/or pretending that you do not understand my complaint/concern... You the MS are hiding the digital mixer of our computers including the ones you sell the Surface, SurfBook, etc.  The digital mixer is an essential part of any computer the hidden and/or absence of which makes the computer USELESS.

How can a sURFACE tablet much the less a Surface Book with hidden digital mixer be a "REPLACEMENT FOR YOUR DESKTOP" if it is missing the most essential part of any computer? AND as I have repeatedly explained, I have computers with Win10 and 8.1 that ALL have the Realtek digital mixer.

On the other hand, If you do not wish to wait, you can also always contact us back again by requesting a call from http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/contact-us/home or by calling 1-800-MICROSOFT. We are available Monday - Friday from 5:00am to 9:00pm PST and Saturday and Sunday from 6:00am-3:00pm. Please use this Reference number: 1391523351.

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AND PLEASE DO SEND ME THE RECOVERY IMAGE ON A FLASH CARD FOR MY SURFACE BOOK that so far has NOT been a good substitute for my desktop.

Sincerely,

Jane

Microsoft Surface Support Team

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/support/contact-us/home

Phone: 1-800-MICROSOFT (1-800-642-7676) 

--- Original Message ---

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Hello.

Thank you****for sending me emails which do not really correspond to the problem I have contacted you for and/or I have already explained to you, the MS tech.

Regrettably I do not have the time to go to your store to get a recovery drive for a Surfacebook, and I seriously doubt if an old recovery drive or older recovery win10 image would solve my and probably many others' problem which in fact is caused by you, the Microsoft, practically HIDING the DIGITAL MIXER of the computers' sound card in win 10, and I am not sure why are you doing this???

You sure know better why.

If you, the Microsoft, do NOT want people to record sound, music, etc, via the digital mixer i.e. to protect the industry and save them money by obliging people to BUY and PAY for any noise called music, then you and/or your colleagues might as well help break all the pens and burn all the books and papers (or just hide them) in the world because someone MAY use a pen and paper to copy someone's text or a paragraph of a book thereby infringe the publication rights, copy rights, etc.

THE COMPUTERS DO HAVE A DIGITAL MIXER IN THE SOUNDCARD BUT YOUR LATESTWIN 10 IS HIDING IT FORM US SO WE CAN'T SET IT AS AN OPTION FOR RECORDING. I am using music software to compose and record music but am not able to do this in Win 10 and/or updated win 8.1.  Any update makes the digital mixer to disappear. Moreover, the Surface Books which have the latest version of Win 10 do not show the digital mixer.

I WANT THE DRIVER(S) OR FIXE OR UPDATE SOFTWARE SO I CAN USE THE DIGITAL MIXER OF MY SOUNDCARD THAT IS HIDDEN FROM ME IN WIN 10.

In the "recording devices" of the sound card there should be an option for digital mixer to be "set as default".  My other computers with win 8.1 (without update and older versions of win 10, not updated)all have the digital mixer.  I even installed the older version of win 10 on my Surf Book, AND, LO AND BEHOLD... THE DIGITAL MIXER APPERED !!!  IN MY SOUND CARD AS ONE OF THE RECORDING OPTIONS,... but then the touch screen was not functional and so I have to re-install the Win10 on my SurfBook, AND I ALSO NEED TO BE ABLE TO SET AS DEFAULT MY DIGITAL MIXER AS ONE OF THE RECORDING OPTIONS aside from the Microphone array.

Are you listening? PLEASE DON'T TELL ME YOU ARE NOT...

Please send/mail me the latest recovery image of Win 10 for Surface Book, and send me the fix, or upgrade patch, or update, or however-you-name-it software so I can use my digital mixer as a recording option which is an essential and indispensable feature and function of any computer with any Operating System.

Thank you for listening.

Bahman Khashayar

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Answer 1

Hi Bahman,

You can download a recovery image for your Surface by following this link. Please don’t save it directly into a USB flash drive, you need to save it to your Surface Book.

Regards.

Answer 2

NO, THE DIGITAL MIXER REMAINS HIDDEN AND INACCESSIBLE IN WIN 10.

I downgraded it to older version of Win 10 (2014-2015) and the digital mixer has appeared but then the touch screen and pen input are not present.

I thought one could have both pen and touch input and digital mixer in Win 10.

UNBELIEVABLE.

Answer 3

I need the digital mixer and the pen and touch input functionality which seems to be either or but not both.

Where or how can I get them, if you know?

Thanks

Bahman