SSD - SetSoundDevice

There used to be a time when all the sound a computer made came out through the motherboard. This changed over the years, of course, with speakers now even capable of emitting sound wirelessly. What’s more, computers can now be equipped with more sound cards and output devices, which can easily be changed with the help of applications like SSD - SetSoundDevice.

The name might leave you scratching your head for a while, as it’s not to be confused in any way with the Solid State Drive (SSD). In fact, the name is only a trap, but the intentions are good and you can easily fall for it. Another good thing is that it doesn’t even require installation to work, which means you can use it from an USB Flash drive on other computers as well.

In case you’re only using your laptop’s built-in speakers, headphones, or any other sound system, there’s little this application can do for you. In order for it to be useful, your computer needs to have at least two sound output devices, even if they’re virtual, such as ASIO4ALL.

As mentioned above, the application requires no installation. Once you run it, a small window pops up along with your system’s sound properties panel, the one that shows playback, recording, sounds, and communications.

A text description lets you know that SSD can also be used from the command prompt, and neatly explains how. On the other hand, it’s much easier to use its functions from the main window. A drop-down menu lets you choose from installed sound devices, while pressing Change Default Sound Device does just that.

Some additional parameters can be used to your advantage. In other words, the application can create a desktop shortcut for the configuration you set as default, so that later on you can do this again without running the program. Moreover, you can have all changes made silently by simply selecting the corresponding option.

Bottom line is that SSD - SetSoundDevice is a practical utility that can be used to quickly switch between your audio devices. Although the name can be misleading, the job is properly done, even bringing up the system panel for this task so you can view the devices used and available. Shortcuts can be created for a more comfortable experience, making this little utility worth a try.