Can someone help me please?

[4string]

I can't get a digital coax signal from my gear. I have two PCs. One is running Gigastudio 96 (v.2.54) with an Audiophile 2496 card. The other PC is running cakewalk with an Edirol UA-5 for audio input. I'm trying to run the digital coax out from the Audiophile 2496 to the digital coax in of the UA-5. I'm trying to mixdown the midi tracks coming from Gigastudio. Problem #1: I cannot see how to route Gigastudio to the S/PDIF out of the 2496. The only option shown is the GSIF driver. Problem #2: when I set audio in Windows Control Panel>Sounds to the S/PDIF in/out I can play audio and see a signal on the Audiophile mixer, but I still get no sound from the digital coax out.

I can get the analog ins/outs to work, but they sound awful. Makes the clear gigastudio drums sound like someone beating on phone books.

I really hope someone can help. I can't even get through to tech support at Tascam (answering machine) and I'm still waiting for a reply from MAudio. But it could be the Edirol, too!

 

[ssscientist]

Try this - turn all the volumes in your entire system to their minimum setting. Then slowly bring them up, GiGaStudio first up just a little, then the analog outputs of the 2496 just a little, then the audio ins on the Edirol just a little.
What I think is happening is you're simply overloading the analog inputs and outputs to the point @ which your clear drums sound like phone books...

On balance, I prefer to use analog I/O over digtal I/O because it's much easier to insert exernal processing - especially in a case like this in which you're basically submixing multiple tracks from computer A to stereo on computer B.

And the SPIDF settings wouldn't be done in GigaStudio, but rather in the 2496's control panel. Rereading your post it sounds like you knew this but I'll leave it in just in case.

 

[4string]

Thanks. I'll give it a try a little later today and let you know the results.

I only have problems when I have something important to do! The analog ins didn't sound like this before and I haven't changed anything.

 

[4string]

Didn't work. I've narrowed it down to the Edirol UA-5. I plugged a CD player in the analog ins and I get the same garbage output. It's not distorted. All the sparkly highs are just gone. No sizzle. Sounds like you are listening through a thin wall. Even an old portastudio sounded better. Any ideas what is causing this? Do I need to upgrade to something better? Shouldn't it come out nice and clear?