what's wrong with this thing????

  • Thread starter Thread starter thedansound
  • Start date Start date
T

thedansound

New member
hi,

well i wrote a week or so about this. i'm having troubles with recording on my new computer. it's vista. i've tried a couple of programs. i cannot monitor my instrument when recording. although it records, the sound plays back with lots of cracks and pops. sounds terrible, volume cuts in and out.

it seems as though my computer soundcard (conexant high definition smart audio 221) does not want to do what i need it to do.

if my sound is set up as ïntigrated sound which i'm afraid it is, it doesn't support things like streaming audio inputs. i've also tried direct transfer of external wavefiles and they also come out with clicks and pops.

i understand vista has made this type of project much more difficult than XP was but is it hopeless? my computer (a compaq CQ60 laptop 32 bit) is set up for high definition dvd playback. sound on it is fine when playing itunes, using the webcam/mic for international chatting, works on youtube. however, when recording the sound is choppy, cuts out, cuts back in, distorted.

i can appreciate the idea that an external soundcard is much more desirable but at this point i do not feel confident in spending money on a new soundcard if i'm not sure if my computer can handle it to begin with.

if anyone can offer me some help i would really appreciate it.

thanks!

-dan
 
i can appreciate the idea that an external soundcard is much more desirable but at this point i do not feel confident in spending money on a new soundcard if i'm not sure if my computer can handle it to begin with.

If you intend to do a lot of recording then you will struggle unless you get either a better sound card or an audio interface of some sort.

Your computer will be able to handle it. Audio recording programs do not actually need a highly specced computer (after all, I was successfully running Logic on a 500 mHz CPU with 128 meg of ram and a 4 gig hard drive not that long ago).
 
waddaya mean audio interface???

by audio interface, do you mean something like the m-audio delta 44 (the soundcard i had for my old computer in the U.S.) or an external USB mixer?

i don't really see how i can just go into my laptop and change soundcards. i couldn't possibly install the delta 44 as there is no way/place to put it.

what would you suggest? i moved to holland and bought a laptop expecting to be able to do the same thing. this computer is certainly more powerful, faster than my old one.
 
If you have a laptop, then look for interfaces that do what your old card used to do for you. You can get USB interfaces (look up Tascam or Edirol, for example), or Firewire interfaces (check out Firebox as an example).

Effectively, these 'externalise' your soundcard, and you bypass your laptop's card altogether.
 
interface

please forgive my ignorance. by interface, are you referring to an external soundcard (such as the delta 44) or an external mixer with a usb out? i'm under the impression that a usb mixer is not a soundcard. the interface you are referring to, could i plug a guitar directly in or would i need something else as well? sorry, i'm doing a different setup than i had before and i'm a little confused. could you please give a more thorough explanation? thanks a lot!
 
Last edited:
an external interface would be something like a 8pre, firepod, firebox, etc. etc. A delta 44 is a internal PCI interface. Basically check and see if your laptop has a firewire port. If it does then google firewire interfaces and have at it. Like Gecko stated these plug into your firewire or USB and bypass the internal soundcard and act as the soundcard itself. I'd also suggest once you get something like that you should also get ASIO4all and use it as your driver. I'd also suggest dumping vista.
 
hey dansound

i've got the exact same problem as you. if you get a usb or firewire audio interface post your results, please.
 
Back
Top