freakin' pips &pops driving me nuts

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ideashappen

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I need help. I have an AMD k62 3d now 500 mhz cpu ,320 megs sdram 100 mhz, 20.4 gig ultra dma 7200 rpm hdd , and a sblive value .I use all editing apps like cool edit pro , pro audio logic , cubase ,sound forge , etc.
My hard drive is only for recording nothing else on it .
I KEEP GETTING PIPS AND POPS ON MY RECORDINGS AND IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY,CAN ONE OF YOU EXPERTS HELP BEFORE I SCRAP EVERTHING?????
 
What have you done to optimize your system? swapfile, vcache, dma, etc....
 
pips and pops

I have nothing i'm aware of ??????why should i?
 
Oh yeah, you should big time. If your not doin things like setting your vcache and dma and checkin for IRQ conflicts then you are gonna get clicks and pops.

This is an excerpt from another thread I was in. This is a place to start.

There's alot more to optimizing a PC for recording than just the swap file and vcache settings. As CyanJaguar eludes to, other things usually need to be done for the PC to be stable and happy.

I would ask CyanJaguar a question however. Tell these fine folks how to disable the static vxd's as most people don't know how. As for the rest, almost everyone will tell you:

Activate Busmaster operation
Limit Hard disk Cache (vcache) to 16384 min/max Or use the formula shown above by oneArtist.
Disable CD-ROM notification
Disable System sounds
Best Color Depth is 16 bit (High Color)
De-activate Screen Saver
De-activate Power management
Don't use 'animated windows'
Exit Task scheduler
De-activate scrolling Tooltips
Disable scrolling Taskbar
Use msconfig to disable startup items
Set your swapfile size manualy
etc...

There are more things, I repeated some that CyanJaguar stated because they are all important to do!

All of these things are found on the web for anyone who looks for them. But knowing what to use is the bigger question that I hear most often.

Now it just so happens that I am trying to put together a real time chat soon for users of another forum. The chat will cover PC optimization on a per PC basis so if you've tried tweaks and they did not work, we can talk about your specific setup. As I am new here I don't wish to solicit anyone or be spammed, but with the amount of optimization questions floating about I just have to ask if anyone is interested in participating. If so, please let me know by email rather than taking up post space here. Or visit Collaboration Central for a followup.

I do this only to help and for no other reason than the love of figuring out a puzzle.
 
pips & pops

Wow you've got me at a dis advantage while i'm quite prolific with the mixing and playing music all that technical jargon has lost me is there anyway of explaining it simpler ? As far as I see there are no irq conficts . What do i set my swapfile to? Is vcache the same as virtual memory? And as for your real time chat BRING IT ON.
 
Start here.

I want you to read an article on PC optimization. There are a several sites around but start here. Try www.audioforums.com/win95_setup.html and follow some of it's advise. Get back to me and let me know if the things they want make sense or not.

There are also several threads on this board with good tips. But it can be hard to read sometimes.

Start with the above link, then we'll go from there. If you prefer to chat then let me know.. we'll set it up
 
If you're using an AMD chip you're also probably using a VIA chipset on your motherboard too. Tell me if your not. That SBLive just won't work with that chipset! I racked my brains out on this problem before and had to LOSE that card. It looks like the weak link in your system anyway. It's a consumer card get yourself something more pro. Save some bucks and get a Digital XG by Hoontech (also known as Soundtrack) Tracer Technologies sells them Cheap and tons of digital I/O. I'm not sure how it supports Soundfonts if thats nessessary for you. You may have to look around. I've heard of people using SB with some success but it nearly gave me a heart attack it was so frustrating. VIA chipsets are not supposed to work well with Cakewalk 9 either. Hope I hit the crux of your problem.
 
C. Anthony said:
If you're using an AMD chip you're also probably using a VIA chipset on your motherboard too. Tell me if your not. That SBLive just won't work with that chipset!
Click to expand...

That isn't true. The VIA chipset is touchy and certain things won't work well or at all on it. However, I had a SB Live on my VIA MVP3 chipset for years without any trouble at all. None.

I ran into trouble when I tried to upgrade to a Delta 66. Finally returned that and got an Aardvark Direct Pro LX6, which works great.

In the future, I'll probably be going Intel w/ something other than VIA, but I just wanted to let you know that your statement isn't necessarily accurate.
 
Real Time Chat

Hey Ideashappen and anyone interested, were having another chat this Saturday the 17th at 6 PM PST USA time at Collaboration Centrtal if your interested in getting your system tuned up (that's a music pun right??? anyway) click on over and click the chat link on the left, sign in and ask away. Hope to see you there.

Ideashappen, you had specific questions didn't you? Hope I can help.
 
pips &pops

Well, I have read though all the great responses on my particular problem and I have to say I am not only impressed with the help but also greatful for all of your time and effort. I have to say after amassing all the input as well as my own research I tend to agree with
C Anthony about my possible conflict with my chip set and dis agree with Kabudokan (no offence intended) The reason for me dis agreeing is that this chipset is relativley new and not years old as Kabu. has stated his experience "for years without any trouble". So I'm going to save my cash and buy either delta 44 or something comprable (no need for sound fonts ).If I could get some insight on what card to get for just good 'ol down to earth recording it would be much appreciated.
 
Is your sound card sharing an IRQ with another device? This could be the source of the unwanted pops and clicks. It was happening to me with my Gadget Labs card until I found USB freedom. In fact, I'm in the process of posting a USB thread here.

Regards,
PAPicker
 
Hey Ideas... No offense taken. It is possible that your newer chipset has problems that my older one doesn't. Do you have all the VIA 4-in-1 drivers installed? If not, that's probably your problem.

Also, if you decide to go with a Delta setup, just buy it from somewhere you can return it to. Like I said, I didn't have nay problems until I switched to a Delta 66, which was totally incompatible with my setup. You might want to check out the Aardvark, which I really love. :)
 
pips&pops

Kabu ,I installed 4in 1 to make sure a couple of weeks ago and did not solve the problem. What is the specs on the aardvark and is it better than delta 44 ? Keep in mind this recording is for straight forward recording . And ,of course, is it compareable in price to the delta?

PaPicker, it is possible I share an IRQ but I can't tell .How can I tell ,and how ,if it is shared , can I isolate it?
 
Go to : Control Panel>System and click on the Device Manager tab. Then double click "computer" at the top of the window. You'll get a listing showing what devices are functioning on which IRQs. Don't worry if you see "IRQ Holder for PCI Steering" . . . that's not sharing. You may have a problem, however if you see your soundcard sharing an IRQ with your Modem or , even worse, if it's sitting on IRQ 9 with your USB Host Controller. This can be a definate source of Pops & Clicks.

You can try to assign it another IRQ within control panel by going to your device under "Sound, video and game controllers", double clicking the device and going to the resource tab. Chances are that Windows won't let you change it though.

There is another way, however, to trick Windows into reassigning it. It is complicated though.
First, pick an unimportant IRQ . . . one that isn't used by a "must have" device like your keyboard.
Usually 3, 5, 10, & 11 are the best choices. Go to back to that same device manager tab and double click "computer" again. This time go to the reserved resources tab and reserve an IRQ, let's say you reserve IRQ 10. Now go to your soundcard and disable it! Yeah, go ahead . . just hit properties and check the disable box. Reboot the computer and now IRQ 10 is no longer used and your sound card is disabled.

Next, go back to the reserve resources tab and un-reserve IRQ 10 . . . delete the reservation. Next,
go back to your soundcard properties and do two things. One, enable it again and two go to the resources tab and uncheck the box that says "use automatic settings". Reboot again and cross your fingers. Chances are that it will find the newely free IRQ 10 available. You might have to try this several times before your soundcard finds a happy home alone.

Regards,
PAPicker
 
Hey ideashappen, as PAPicker suggests, this does indeed sound like an IRO conflict, or the sharing thereof. So, with that in mind, can you list for us what the current IRQ assignments are?

You can get them by running msinfo32, then picking the hardware resourses, then IRQs. Then select the text in the right window (it may only highlight the numbers, but do it) then paste it into your message. This way we can see what is what.

And if that yields no help then we can look at what other programs are running during the time that you get the pops n clicks. Perhaps some system optimization as well, what have you done so far in that regard? Let me know if you want a one on one.

Additionally, can you list what other cards are in your system so I know what should be listed. (I know I'll get that from the IRQ list, but sometimes things are funny that way) Better to know than not too!

Sorry you couldn't make our chat last night, we could have gone over this and maybe helped get it fixed for you. Maybe next time though huh?

Let me know.
 
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