I've been reading the multi-client capable thread with a certain bewilderment, mostly I guess because I'm much more a Linux person than a Windows person and the environments can sometimes be quite different.

Typically on Linux, I'd have the Jack Audio Connection kit running with a bunch of the shims for ALSA and PulseAudio (Linux is just as arcane as Windows where drivers are concerned), and I'd patch my applications through jack. As a consequence, I don't need multi-client drivers ... I believe I can just run something like MixBus and use just it as a mixer. I've just tried a quick set-up with a demo MixBus32C and it looks like it should work OK. In practice, as I have a Ui24R real mixer, I actually don't work that way, I use the Ui24R itself.

The question then is, is there really no way to do that on Windows?
Are you really reliant on drivers for I/O devices to offer the multiple-client working?

I do know that Jack is now available on Windows, but I know nothing of whether and/or how well it works. It can be a bit quirky even on Linux, so I'm very wary of commending it.


So: Are there other ways to handle multiple clients on Windows than being beholden to I/O manufacturers' drivers, and if so, how?

Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful.
AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11
BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software.
Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts
.