It took me a while, but I eventually figured out that in order to have sound output in, say, YouTube while Cubase was running, I had to go to Studio Setup and specify ‘release driver when app is in background’.
Super. I leave Cubase, goto YouTube (which is then the ‘focus’) and watch a video on how to do something in Cubase - and I can hear the sound of the video, which I couldn’t before. I watch the video, understand what I have to do, go back to Cubase (which is then the ‘focus’) and…no sound. Nothing.
In other words, ‘release driver when app is in background’ allows other apps to play with the output, but it doesn’t seem to tell them to give it back when I need it for Cubase.
Any ideas?
There’s a few things to be aware of here. The route cause is that your web browser is probably holding the audio driver so that Cubase can’t ‘get it back’ again, so to speak. 
So, ideally you need an audio interface who’s ASIO driver is multi-client. Many if not most are that i’ve tried. Are you running from a dedicated interface? If you’re running ASIO4ALL you can actually open the control panel and see which ports are available for the ASIO driver that Cubase uses - you will notice that when the browser takes a port it will have a red cross on the ASIO4ALL control panel for example. Only way to get it back is to close the app and eventually ASIO4ALL will take it back.
If you’re not using ASIO4ALL and have an audio interface with ASIO driver, then the other common issue is if the default windows sample rate differs to what you’re trying to run in Cubase - keep those the same where possible.
If you reply, list your Audio Interface (if any) you’re using, and whether it’s the manufacturer ASIO driver or ASIO4ALL, please.
On my main desktop machine i have an audio interface and have no problems whatsoever, i can run Cubase audio AND something like YouTube simultaneously.
On my laptop using it’s onboard sound running through ASIO4ALL - it’s just a pain, especially as the laptop speakers are addressed separately from the headphone. Sometimes i can get sound from my headphone output, but Chrome has hold of my laptop speaker outputs!
Never had any issues like this when i used to run on a Macbook. Microsoft still lag behind when it comes to audio drivers - but they have a far wider array of hardware to keep compatible.
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Thank you. That’s helpful, or it will be once I fully understand it.
I’m using ASIO4ALL. Here’s a screenshot of the control panel when Cubase is in ‘can’t hear anything having come back from a browser’ state.
It does lead on to another problem, which is that I don’t really understand what all those numbered outputs actually are. But as it stands, it does appear that Cubase has two of them in active use.
So you need to hit on the Control Panel button and it will open the ASIO4ALL panel.
If your browser has hold of onboard audio ports then they will show with a red cross, i.e. i have spotify running and if i open Cubase i can get no output from my main speakers, and if i check ASIO4ALL control panel i get this:-
So you can see the red cross on that image shows my main Audio Output (Laptop speakers) as locked, whereas my 2nd output (Headphones), i can still carry on using in Cubase via the ASIO driver.
If i closed Spotify completely and kept attempting to reconnect that port in ASIO4ALL it will return to back to the ASIO driver.
I hope that kinda helps… ASIO4ALL is a little tricky as no DAW really ‘officially’ supports it as far as i’m aware - because it’s a bit of a hack.
As for all those outputs, one will be your main speakers, one headphone out… And the other, depending on your hardware could be a digital out, or perhaps external out to a display or something?
If you have two outputs you may even be able to utilise that and use one for windows, and the other in Cubase, you wouldn’t have to worry about releasing Cubase to the OS then either.
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This is a great help.
Man, the learning curve is steep. I mean, I feel as if I should assure everyone that I’m really not as dim as all this makes me appear.
On the other hand, I’m about to post another question that might suggest otherwise.
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