Having two soundcards at once!?

W

William Choi

New member
Is it possible to install an extra sound card and use it?
Im sure that the programs I have, Cool edit Pro and Native insturments pro52, allows you to specify which soundcard you wish to output to or input from.
I was thinking of trying to install another Soundblaster Live value into my computer so that I could out put Native Instrument's softsynth through one and record with the other using Cool Edit Pro.
The reason:
Because usually softsynths(not samplers) utilize a waveform which most be processed and oscillated within it's own processing unit. Anyways, the point is that it has to be outputted as a wav.
Therefore to record it, I have to set my soundcard to record a wave form.
But if Im recording from a multitracker with tracks going on in the playback, the playback will be recorded also.

So In installing another secondary soundcard and sending the output of the softsynth through that, i will be able to use my Line In input of my primary soundcard, thus, only recording the softsynth and not the entire mix.

Understand yet?
Has anyone tried this?
Im worried about how it's set up on the operating system.
Will it mess up? I want to plug in an identicle soundcard.
The drivers will already be there for the primary soundcard.So will it automatically be fine?
 
I have a soundblaster live card and a Darla24 card,
living harmoniously, side by side in their slots.
No problems here.
 
Beware of trying to get two Sound Blaster Live cards to live side-by-side because the regular SB Live drivers are incapable of handling more than one card. You can, however, use the APS drivers for one of them. See http://alive.singnet.com.sg/musician/ and http://exakt.just.nu/ for details.

You can run a SB Live and another make of card -- lots of folks are doing that. I have an SB Live and a Delta 66 and they coexist quite nicely.
 
TB Montego and GINA living harmoniously together in 1 PC. But it wasn't like that from the start. The key was to install the GINA first, then the TB. I don't know why.
I've heard there are timing issues involved with using two SBs together. They have no sync mechanism so you get what you get. I don't use the two cards together, just for different things at different times.
 
So you guys with the PCs with SB Live and another different soundcard, does the other soundcard have it's own mixer window and application?
Im only familiar with creative lab's mixer window, and I found it quite shitty.
And how does microsoft's windows mixer work relative to the creative's mixer and the other parties mixer?
I remember that the ms windows mixer did have some control over the settings of my creative mixer.Does using the ms windows mixer mess up both of the soundcard's mixer settings?
I've learned to only work with creative's mixer in order to keep things organized.

Oh, and after you plugin and install the new soundcard, is it already mapped out? I mean for instance the first card you installed would be mapped out as SB LIVE!Wave Out[1400]
SB LIVE!Wave IN[1400],
would the second soundcard automatically be given a different number and selection availability?
I think, logically, it would but then again you can't trust a computer to do anything.
 
does the other soundcard have it's own mixer window and application?
Click to expand...
Yes. There's a mixer/settings utility that comes with the Delta cards, but no other extra software -- no lite audio software. Actually, that's not strictly correct -- the store I purchased it from throws in a copy of a lite version of Samplitude.

Does using the ms windows mixer mess up both of the soundcard's mixer settings?
Click to expand...

No, the Delta's settings are unaffected by the Windows mixer; it only affects the SB Live.

after you plugin and install the new soundcard, is it already mapped out? I mean for instance the first card you installed would be mapped out as SB LIVE!Wave Out[1400], SB LIVE!Wave IN[1400], would the second soundcard automatically be given a different number and selection availability?
Click to expand...
Yeah, they are distinct. There was nothing special I had to do except to make sure that there were no IRQ conflicts.
 
Each source or destination gets its own entry in the list.
For my dual card system the list I get is:
TB Montego OUT (stereo pair; 1/8" stereo jack)
TB Montego IN (stereo pair; 1/8" stereo jack)
GINA analog IN 1,2 (2 mono 1/4" jacks on the breakout box)
GINA S/PDIF IN (stereo pair; coaxial jack on card)
GINA analog OUT 1,2 (2 mono 1/4" jacks on the breakout box)
GINA analog OUT 3,4 (2 mono 1/4" jacks on the breakout box)
GINA analog OUT 5,6 (2 mono 1/4" jacks on the breakout box)
GINA analog OUT 7,8 (2 mono 1/4" jacks on the breakout box)
GINA S/PDIF OUT (stereo pair; coaxial jack on card)

This list shows up whether I'm using CW, Vegas or whatever.

The GINA card comes with its own volume control applet much like the Window applet that does the same thing; it displays where the thing is set for each input & output in dB. It adds a cooler looking meter for each source. It also has a control for input sensitivity (-99 cut to +26 dB boost) and a cut on each output (-99 to 0 dB). I can also use the windows version; each change in one is reflected in the other.
 
Shit. Im looking at the GINA card, plus Im looking at how CEP outputs and inputs each track.

IM STARTLED!!

So If i had a GINA, and a rackmount FX processor,I could
output individual tracks from CEP through the GINA, then process it through the FX processor, then take the output of the processed stuff into the input of my SB LIVE and have a totally wet signal?!

If my logic is correct, then Im right.
and that would be sweet.

Im looking at the specs for GINA and Darla right now, How is the Motarola DSP on these babies?Do they process input(whether or not they have limiters and compessors) or just output(Modulation and Reverberation)? Or both?
The website doesn't even say.

I know this question is a bit off topic but:
When I output my Natives Instrument Pro52 through the SB LIVE WAVE OUT, its considerably more clippy and choppy compared to when I have it outputed through the Direct Sound SBLIVE WAVE OUTPUT. Why is that?
Is it because in using the DIRECT SOUND OUTPUT,it's being accelerated by the hardware?
This may be a deciding factor in getting one of these multiple output cards since they don't have Direct X acceleration.
What if I get one of those cards, and I find out that the softsynth comes out all choppified.and theres nothing I can do about it unless I get an even more expensive card WITH direct X acceleration.
Am I totally confused yet?
 
I wouldn't count on the SB being in sync with the GINA for what you want to do. There's no word clock connection. As to soft-synths, I tried the soft-Sound Canvas and oh boy did it suck. Choppy, out of sync and the samples sounded nothing like the real thing.
What you really want is the Layla24..... :)
Why not bring the wet tracks back in through the analog inputs on GINA instead of the SB?
The converters are much better.
My only reason for having the TB is for voice chat applications that need a SB compatible card to work.
 
I've swayed my thinking of just getting an SB LIVE equivalent(its about $$$ of course and the probability of usage). So does anyone recommend any cards equal to SB LIVE in spec.?
 
sync or no sync, two can work

I've done it. I run out of inputs on my Gadgetlabs 496, and I squeeze in two more using a cheap I/O Magic souncard. Cubase can handle this cause it can record at different bit rates simultaneously. I tried it as an experiment thinking that it would be some problems syncing up, but it worked! You use the Multimedia driver in Cubase insted of the ASIO. N'track can do this too I think, Vegas can not and I don't think Cakewalk can either.

-jhe
 
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