Can't record one track without picking up the others

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harryswartwood

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I recently got into using cubase sx 3 but could not monitor myself because of latency issues. To combat this I bought a new soundcard (soundblaster xfi titanium) now when I record 1 Tack, no problems, however, when I record a second track, it picks up the first track as well. This happens whether the first track is Midi or audio. I downloaded Reaper to see if it was a Cubase problem, but Reaper does it too. The soundcard seems to monitor the input automatically (whether or not Cubase or Reaper is on) and I wonder if this is the problem, I cannot figure out how to change it if it is.
 
You need a full duplex soundcard. A lot of the consumer end ones are NOT full duplex. Or it could be a configuration issue depending on your hardware. You might check reviews of your card and see if you're not alone in your issue(s). A full duplex card is more common these days, since you need one to converse via webcam or skype. But it's not a given. Always check the specs, specifically for FULL DUPLEX. My M-Audio Delta 44 says FULL DUPLEX on the box. They normally will allow simultaneous in and out, but they both travel on the same wire, or wires that are so close to each other they might as well be the same wire. Hence the bleed from output to input that you're experiencing. Not that that's your issue, but I get that symptom on my laptops integrated soundcard.

Creative Sound Blaster - Sound cards for gaming, movies and music listening
PCI Express Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium | Creative Labs Online Store

Assuming that you have that version and not the half a dozen others by the same name-ish. It looks like it could be full duplex. Clear(er) chat. Low latency ASIO drivers. You might just be using the wrong driver for it. Or have options to the card in a wrong configuration. I find it funny that it says 5.0 sound, versus the 5.1 that is surround sound. Or that is says clearer chat, as opposed to clearest. Otherwise on the surface it appears like it might work, according to the propaganda.

Newegg.com - Creative 30SB088200000 7.1 Channels 24-bit 24 bit 96 kHz ADC - Play
24 bit 96 kHz 7.1 Channel DAC - Play
24 bit 192 kHz Stereo DAC - Play
24 bit 96 kHz Recording PCI Express x1 Interface SoundBlaster X-Fi Titan

heh. 5 stars, but this comment:
Cons: The utilities it comes with conflict with Windows and the motherboard's sound card. I had to disable evry output except for the one I use, and then I had to mess with things to get it to work right.

4 stars and this comment:
Other Thoughts: I immediately grabbed the latest drivers from there site and had problems. Went back and noticed there is a Product Identification Module update specifically for Win 7 : ) been fine ever since.

Still no clue as to full duplex or not. The beefier 2x's+ as much version probably is. Yours might be. With ASIO drivers it should be. But per the reviews a PITB to install / configure correctly.
 
Creatives track record certainly isn't ideal in terms of linux compatibility. And midi these days is almost always synthed in software than rendered on the card itself. So there's no difference to the soundcard if you're piping midi or wav's through the card. It's exactly the same thing in terms of the content that reaches the soundcard in a lot of cases.
 
o.k. I've been looking into audio interfaces and have found a relatively cheap one that connects via USB. Now my question is, I will still need a decent sound card, right? Will this soundblaster work for that? And will this (almost) certainly fix this unintentionally bouncing issue?
 
No. An audio interface is designed to replace the soundcard, not complement it.
 
It's difficult to use two soundcards at the same time. They have different clocks on them, that don't sync. Without extras specifically for syncing. And even that's not a perfect solution. So in general one card REPLACES the other. And an interface is a soundcard.
 
Shadow_7 said:
It's difficult to use two soundcards at the same time. They have different clocks on them, that don't sync. Without extras specifically for syncing. And even that's not a perfect solution. So in general one card REPLACES the other. And an interface is a soundcard.
Click to expand...

This is true. Don't try to use two or more interfaces/sound cards at the same time in your DAW unless they can be synced up properly. However, I keep the stock sound card and use it for mundane stuff like operating system sounds and casual listening. What audio device I select in the DAW is independent from the one I select in the OS' audio properties window. There may be setups that don't allow this.
 
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