I don't know where my problem is. Soundcard?

[Brad]

If ya don't know me, let me forewarn you - I do not fancy myself a "computer" recording person. This is just a warning because if in trying to help me, you start throwing out terms like "giga-flop" and "flux capacitor" and "hard drive" I will not know what you are talking about. Okay, I know what "hard drive" means, but let's leave S8-N's mom out of this.

So here is my problem. Awhile back I purchased Cubasis VST Project Pack - which comes with Steinberg's project sound card. So far, so good. This thing has done everything I need it to.
This card has a SPDIF out, which I currently have coming out to two channels of my digital mixer. Grand! I upgraded to Cubase VST/32 5.0 and still have the sound card configured the same. Grand! I can load my drum samples into Cubase and they come thru my mixer in digital form to the two dedicated channels (connected with one SPDIF cable) So last night, I decide I actually want to do some HD recording (which I seldom do) and I plug my synth into the analog ins on the sound card. Cubase is only receiving the left channel clearly, the right channel is fuzzy and breaking up. It sounds like I have a loose wire on my right monitor, but I do not. I have isolated the trouble spot to be somewhere between my patchbay and the Cubase, but the cable seems fine. So is it my sound card's right channel input? I did nothing I can remember that would have fried it. Is there a way to check the problem? The last time I used the stereo ins on the card, I was using Cubasis and it worked fine. When I bumped up to Cubase, was I supposed to configure the soundcard differently? I only ask because I know some signal is getting through - it almost sounds overloaded. Come to think of it, the left channel is coming through okay, but seems rather hot.

Any ideas? Am I as lame as I feel? Anyone have an ASIO compliant sound card with digital I/O they want to sell me at a steal of a price? Anyone seen my mom?

 

[Gidge]

plug something else with a different wire into to eliminate the cable as a possible problem......

if you are looking for a different card, i think a posted a link for you once for a Delta Dio for $89 from Mars, but thats S/PDIF in only...if you want analog also, GC has the Audiowerk2 card for $99.....Im assuming its being discontinued, so driver support may be nil in the future.....they also have deals on SeaSound cards and DigiToolBox cards...check out the October Monster Deals.....

 

[Queue]

Brad, (I'll try not to geek out on you)

I'm going to assume you've got everything connected correctly, and are using a "Line In" on the soundcard...

Almost every soundcard comes with a program that works like a mixer. Through this program you can control the levels of the various ins and outs on your soundcard. Usually you can get to this program by double clicking on the little yellow speaker in your system tray (the little box, usually in the lower right-hand corner of your screen, usually has a clock and a bunch of small icons).

When you double click on this, it usually just shows you the outputs/playback. Try clicking on options or advanced to see if you can find where to switch it to inputs or recording. You may find your problem lies in the settings for the inputs on your soundcard.

How can you test? Get a portable CD player, and use it as a sound source, plugging it into the "Line In".

Queue