As you can see, my Focusrite is switched off as I use my PC speakers (via VoiceMeeter AUX) when cobbling things together. To my way of thinking, that means is shouldn’t matter if I leave the FR switched off when I fire up but it does: I get no audio at all, by which I mean no activity at track level. (It’s the same if I individually switch off the In/Out too.)
I guess it depends on what audio connections thinks it’s seeing…if you’re not changing the output manually in Cubase maybe it doesn’t recognise the change.
Also of note is that you’re showing different sample rates for the two devices…are you sure all sample rates are matched up…sometimes an inability to switch rates can silence an audio device.
I thought you were onto it there, buddy. The sample rates for the outputs were indeed at 48k (not sure why, one was even at 32-bit!) but, even after a reboot and double-checking they hadn’t reverted, ASIO4ALL is still showing 48k for the VM device.
Update: I re-installed ASIO4ALL and bingo! It’s now showing 441.k for the VM driver.
I’m not really sure what your original problem was…you’re turning off the Focusrite when Cubase is set to use the Focusrite and are surprised when there is no audio?
Could you set up control room outs for focusrite and the VM as alt outs and just switch there when you’ve turned off the focusrite?
Well, yes tbh. Cubase is set to use ASIO4ALL, which is set to use both VM and the Focusrite as CR outs. The FR is always switched off in A4A but everything works, even after I switch off the FR unit. But if I forget to switch the FR on in the first place I get no audio at all - not a flicker on any meter. FR is switched of in A4A, remember, so why wasn’t it ignored, leaving VM audio intact and working? That’s what I don’t understand. Especially as Windows Audio works.
In the meantime, I do as you suggest and switch off once everything’s booted up. It’s just that I forget…