Suggestion/Question regarding multiple sound channels

[Smax]

Now I was thinking about who to ask about this. I did enquire twitch about this a but had no response (which was expected). So I decided to ask here.

Since video files can and do have multiple sound channels for you to freely choose (for instance movies with optional dubbed sound) I think it might be useful for streamers and their fans to have a feature like that. For example a streamer can have two channels - one with music and one without - for the viewer to choose. Or maybe even layering the sound (although this might be a bit of a stretch), for instance having game sound, commentary and music, each on its own layer and the user can select which layers are playing.

Now obviously this would take effort from the streaming software developers as well as streaming service providers and it may be very difficult to pull off. It just feels odd that I haven't found anything about people discussing this issue.

I guess more than anything else I am curious about the technical difficulties about such an issue and why has it seemingly, at least publicly, not been discussed.

 

[Warchamp7]

I've actually thought about this and thought it would be really useful.

Would definitely require a change on the streaming platforms end as well though.

 

[dodgepong]

I was talking to Smax last night. The reason he needs it is because he is using Astro A50's. The way Astro A50's work is that they actually have 2 sound devices: one that you set to default, and on that you set your VOIP program to output to. These sound devices feed into a knob which you can use to change the balance of game audio vs. VOIP audio, and both of those feeds are mixed into the headphones.

So to stream game sounds and VOIP, you have to capture two audio devices in addition to your own mic (so 3 devices total), and mixing them into one single output defeats the purpose of the headphones.

This is just one use case...I'm sure there are lots of other reasons having multiple audio inputs would be handy. But you're right, it would require a lot of changes in addition to altering the UI to accommodate an arbitrary number of inputs.

IGNORE ME I AM A DUMB

 

[Smax]

I'm sorry, but I believe you are referring to a different Smax :P

 

[dodgepong]

Oh...haha nevermind. I was talking to someone else then who was asking for the exact same thing at pretty much the same time you posted this.

 

[Warchamp7]

Dodgepong I think the person you were talking to just wanted to select more than one speaker output device to be streamed.

What Smax is asking for here (I think), is to have the ability to break up sounds into different 'layers' when streaming. So on Twitch I could then choose to mute a streamers music if I wanted to, but still keep their game and microphone.

 

[dodgepong]

Wow, I am very confused today. I think I'm in the wrong thread. You are correct. I'll see myself out.

In response to the actual idea, though, it sounds neat. I like the ability to record different audio streams in DxTory for editing later independently, and the ability to turn on/off audio tracks on a live stream could be very interesting.