Virtual Audio Cable is a Windows WDM multimedia driver allowing you to transfer audio (wave) streams from one application to another. It creates a set of "Virtual Cables" each of them consists of a pair of the waveform input/output devices. Any application can send audio stream to an output side of a cable, and any other application can receive this stream from an input side. All transfers are made digitally, providing NO sound quality loss.
VAC is a "wave-version" of the "MIDI loopback cable" like MultiMid or Hubi's Loopback drivers. It is also similar to "What You Hear" (or "What U Hear") feature of Sound Blaster Live! and Audigy cards.
If more than one applications are sending audio to VAC, it will mix all streams together. If more than one applications are receiving audio from VAC, it will share the same audio data between all targets.
VAC is useful to record application's audio output in real time (for example - Generator, Reality or other software synth), or transfer a sound stream to another application processing it. You can, for example, use two or more software audio generators/synthesizers/sequencers to produce audio streams sending them to VAC Out, and record the mixed stream from VAC In using any recording software - Windows Sound Recorder, Audacity, Sound Forge, WaveLab, Adobe Audition (formerly Cool Edit), Gold Wave, Cakewalk/Sonar, Cubase/Nuendo etc.
With an ASIO wrapper like ASIO4ALL from Michael Tippach, you can use VAC in ASIO supporting applications.
If you use an audio encoder application that encodes a stream coming from a sound card, you can use VAC to supply such encoder with a stream produced by other application.
You can use VAC to capture an output sound stream from the application that doesn't allow to write it into WAV file directly. Unlike Total Recorder allowing you to simply save audio stream, VAC allows to route it in real time.
If you are using some Voice Over IP (VoIP) and/or Internet Telephony applications like Skype, you can use VAC to record your calls and conversations.
VAC needs no audio card; it is a "virtual audio card" itself.
A detailed description is included into a free trial package.
Since VAC 4 is a WDM driver, there are some benefits but some (generally older) applications that use MME (waveIn/waveOut) interface can work better with the older VAC 3 version. This version also supports Windows 98/ME.
If you need to simply share your In/Out wave ports among several applications, take a look to the Wave Clone software.
VAC is distributed in two different forms: free downloadable trial version and full version sold online.
Buy online the full version 4.08 for Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista
Caution: please evaluate the demo version before purchasing the full version to ensure that VAC works properly in your system and satisfies your needs.
Registered VAC 4 users can freely obtain bugfixed versions as described in their purchase confirmation email message.
Registered VAC 3 users who bought it from this site (not from other distributors) can purchase VAC 4 with 50% discount. To do that, you need a password to access the discount page. Please contact the author to obtain a discount password and then go to the discount page.
People living in Russia can purchase VAC 4 with 33% discount. To do that, please contact the author to obtain a discount password (a message must be written in Russian and sent from a Russian IP) and then go to the discount page.
VAC package is distributed as a ZIP archive. Simply unpack it into an empty folder, run setup.exe application and follow the instructions displayed. If you use VAC for the first time, please read the readme.txt and vac.chm files before installation. If you have already installed previous version of VAC 4, don't forget to uninstall it before installation.
Version 4.08 (14.09.07)
Clock correction amount is now represented and specified in percent values.
Changed clock correction algorithm to increase sampling rate precision.
Fixed a bug in the INF file that prevented Virtual Cables from being used via KS Proxy (for example, as a DirectShow WDM filter).
Fixed a bug in format checking code that limited number of channels to 2 under Vista.
Version 4.07 (28.06.07)
Version 4.06 (15.05.07)
Version 4.05 (12.05.07)
Version 4.04 (31.12.06)
Version 4.03 (16.07.06)
Version 4.02 (22.05.06)
Version 4.01 (24.03.06)
Version 4.00 (06.03.06)
If you have experienced any problems with VAC, please ask for support. See the Support chapter in the Manual for the request format guidelines.
VAC is a WDM driver miniport written entirely in MS C++ using object-oriented technology. No external assembly files or additional driver development tools like VtoolsD are used.
VAC also supports a custom (proprietary) version creation to be used together with a particular application only.
Each of custom versions has an unique key to identify its "native" application. This "native" application uses a special way to open the driver. Such opening way is called a "open in the native mode". When the driver is opened in native mode, it transfers audio signal without any limitations.. If not, it adds a noise to the signal to prevent unauthorized usage.
To order VAC sources or a custom version, please contact the author.
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