Enabling Sound Blaster AudioPCI device in VMware Workstation and Fusion

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

VMware Workstation 8.x and above, and Fusion 4.x and above come with an HD Audio device that is compatible with RealTek ALC888 7.1 Channel High Definition Audio Codec.

 

This article provides steps to change the audio device to be compatible with Sound Blaster AudioPCI.

Symptoms:

• Sound is distorted when using legacy applications
• Sound crackles inside the guest virtual machine

Environment

VMware Workstation 9.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Linux)
VMware Fusion 10.x
VMware Workstation 11.x (for Linux)
VMware Fusion 7.x
VMware Workstation 10.x (Linux)
VMware Fusion Pro 8.x
VMware Workstation 11.x (for Windows)
VMware Workstation Pro 15.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation 9.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation Pro 15.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 8.x (Windows)
VMware Fusion 4.x
VMware Workstation 10.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 8.x (Linux)
VMware Fusion 5.x
VMware Fusion 8.x
VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Windows)
VMware Fusion 6.x
VMware Fusion Pro 10.x

Resolution

To change the audio device:

1. Open the .vmx configuration file of the virtual machine using a text editor. For more information, see Tips for editing a .vmx file (1714).
2. Locate this entry in the .vmx file:
   
   sound.virtualDev = "hdaudio"
    
3. Change this entry to:
   
   sound.virtualDev = "es1371"
    
4. Save and close the .vmx file.
5. Start the virtual machine.

Additional Information

For a list of guest operating systems that support sound, see the Workstation Documentation.Tips for editing a .vmx file
VMware Workstation および Fusion で Sound Blaster AudioPCI デバイスを有効化する