List of Features Removed in Windows Vista - Audio

Audio

• The ability to choose a different hardware or software MIDI synthesizer other than the default Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth has been removed from the user interface for audio configuration in Windows Vista. A different output MIDI synth or output device port can be selected only by editing the registry or using third party MIDI default output device configuration tools. Even though the default MIDI output device is changed, not all programs that use waveOut MME use the selected MIDI synth; they continue to use the default MS Software Synth. Also, not all MIDI synths are compatible with Windows Vista and later Windows versions.
• As DirectMusic was based on DirectSound which was hardware accelerated, DirectMusic also is software-emulated in Windows Vista. As a result, MIDI playback which is greatly sensitive to latency, timing and CPU usage can be choppy.
• Sounds cannot be played for balloon notifications any more.
• Sounds do not play for Classic Start menu although sounds have been assigned to "Menu command" and "Menu popup" events in Sound control panel.
• Some SAPI 5.1 and SAPI 5.2 voices and applications do not work in Windows Vista and later. Only SAPI 5.3 compatible voices and applications work.
• The controls to adjust per speaker/per channel volume have been removed from the volume mixer.
• It is not possible to minimize the volume control window or change its size using Ctrl+S.
• It is no longer possible to double click the Volume icon in the notification area to show the volume mixer.
• The position of the volume mixer window is not saved.
• In Windows XP, essentially, audio would be "broadcast" to all the audio endpoints at once. However, the new audio engine in Windows Vista changes this behaviour. Basically, audio can be sent only to the specific endpoint that the system has set by default, or which the user has configured via the Control Panel setting. Although this new audio behavior provides separate Digital Signal Processing (DSP) capabilities, it is limiting in cases where audio has to be streamed to multiple devices such as headphones, speakers, HDMI out to AV receiver or analog audio to one device and digital to another.
• The ability to customize the Windows startup sound has been removed, although the logon and logoff sounds can still be customized.
• Windows Media Center drops support for the Caller ID and Windows Messenger features.
• In the Sound Control Panel applet, the ability to preview a sound from the Browse dialog box has been removed.
• The option to enable or disable digital CD audio is not available in the CD/DVD drive's properties in Device Manager.
• The ability to change the recording device to mono mixer or stereo mixer has been removed.