n-track help

  • Thread starter Thread starter dobro
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dobro

dobro

Well-known member
I got a free copy of Cool Edit Pro with my Wave/824 soundcard, but the help information in the program is designed for Windows 95, and I've got Windows 98. So, for example, I'm having problems getting any volume when I monitor what I've done through headphones, and the help instructions for how to get volume up in my version of Windows is lacking. What has this got to do with this forum? Well, how does n-track compare? Does it have useful help features, and for Windows 98? Anybody know how it compares to Cool Edit Pro?
 
Actually the volume control is pretty much the same in windows95 and 98. Identical on my machines anyway.

Go into the volume control (DOUBLE click the speaker thingy in the taskbar) and select properties from the file menu. Then make sure under Playback that EVERYTHING is checked. This will allow you to adjust each with sliders. Mute everything you don't want. Now repeat this process but select Recording instead of Playback. Crank Line-In all the way up.

Now look at the Playback volume sliders. Set the main Volume to about half. Then play with both the Line-In and Wave volumes until it's where you want. Cranking Line-In playback will make what you're currently playing louder...cranking Wave Output playback will make the tracks your playing louder.

As far as I can tell...Line-In from the RECORDING volume control allows you to adjust the overall input gain so you'll want this set real high. Line-In on the PLAYBACK volume control lets you adjust WHAT YOU HEAR. They *might* both be the same thing though, and this would probably depend on your soundcard? Play around, it's pretty simple really.

Using n-Track won't really help you adjust these settings. n-Track has a typical help system that I've never really had to use (very user friendly IMHO). There's also a message board on the website for tech support. Real easy.

The demo is free and almost fully functional. For the most part you just can't mix down. Registration is only $35 though. Check it out http://www.fasoft.com

Slackmaster 2000
 
SM2K - thanks, clear as a bell. You'll probably wish you hadn't tried helping out in this case, though. You see, I can't get into volume control on my sytem (there is no volume icon in the taskbar, for example). Could this be because of the following: when I pulled my old soundcard to make room for the new Wave/824, I had to disconnect the computer speakers (the 1/8" stereo plug is now hanging loose, waiting for me to find or have made a cable to hook up to the Wave/824 outputs, which Gadgetlabs assure me will give me back computer speaker function). Is it possible that Windows disables volume control when there are no speakers on the computer to put the sound through? It would be nice if this were the case, since any other scenario sounds worrrying.
 
Do a search (Find file) on your system for:

sndvol32.exe

and run it. It should be in your windows directory, but only you can know where it really is.
 
Hi drstawl - it's in Windows alright, but it refuses to open. :(

[This message has been edited by dobro (edited 10-19-1999).]
 
Dobro,

Ok, this has nothing to do with your speakers. Windows doesn't know and doesn't care if you have speakers plugged in or not.

Want a solution? Reinstall your soundcard. Get into device manager and remove all sound devices (except those that might be on your modem) and reboot the computer. Hopefully it'll detect the card when it restarts. Otherwise reinstall manually (follow instructions with card).

This should work. If it doesn't, then things get a *little* harder, but we'll get ya there. Let me know.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Wow, I had no idea reinstalling something could be that easy! I think I followed the instructions correctly, removing my soundcard, but leaving something called Wave Device for Voice Modem (it sounded like it might be on my modem). After Windows reinstalled the Wave/824, however, I still couldn't open Volume Control. Rats. What do you reckon - reinstall Windows? Second question: do I have more computer problems than anyone else in the world, or does it just seem that way looking through this particular face? ;)
 
Ok man, here's what you can try.

Go into Add/Remove programs and select the Windows Setup tab. Get into mulitmedia and Uncheck the Volume Control. This will uninstall it. At this point I'd reboot. Now do the same thing in reverse to reinstall the volume control. See if that helps. I have a feeling though that the problem is deeper than that.

If that doesn't work, you're going to have to do things the hard way. I wouldn't recommend this unless you're confident! Uninstall the Volume Control again. Then go into Control Panel/Multimedia/Devices and Remove everything related to your soundcard. Don't reboot. Go into your windows folder and delete soundvol32.exe if it still exists. Shut down your machine and *physically remove* the soundcard. Restart. Now get into your System and System32 folders and delete all the drivers for your soundcard. There should be a list of the filenames SOMEWHERE on the install CD. (Windows does not always delete drivers after you uninstall something) Finally, you can (if you're real careful) get into your registry (run regedit) and delete all references to your soundcard. Be carefull doing this though as you could ruin the settings in your applications!!!!! Also, DO NOT run any applications while doing all this or you could screw stuff up.

Anyway, once just about everything is gone, shut your computer down, stick the card back into the machine, and restart. Go through the installation process when Windows autodetects your soundcard. If it didn't ask you for the install disk last time, it certainly will this time.

Basically the theory behind all of this is to get rid of enough information such that the installation process is forced to start from scratch without skipping over anything. This is a common thing to do when benchmarking video card drivers...and is a real pain in the ass.

There might be an easier way to do this but I'm from the destroy and rebuild school of computer troubleshooting. And be carefull when deleting files man, I'd hate to see things get worse...we're trying to avoid a Windows installation here.

A good rule of thumb, next time you replace ANY card...FIRST, totally get rid of the old card and all its files and reboot once before adding the new card. Always run uninstall programs provided by the hardware manufacturer if they included one (most don't).

Slackmaster 2000
 
My 2 cents.

Go to control panel, add/remove programs, windows setup. Uncheck multimedia, say ok.. etc...

Reboot. Go to Control panel, add/remove programs, windows setup. Check multimedia.. etc.

Reboot if necesary.

Just one process. You will need your Win9X CD to do this.

Emeric
 
SM2K, Emeric: thanks for the suggestions. I tried the easy options first :) but they didn't work. :( As for the deeper approach Slackmaster described - no, I'm not anywhere near confident enough for that - there are lots of terms I don't even recognize.
Slackmaster: some feedback - when I replaced the soundcard, I also had the entire C-drive reformatted, and installed a complete (and new) Windows 98, second version. There couldn't have been any drivers or files left over from the previous card. That's what baffles me. Windows assigned the new card to IRQ 9, though, and people have been telling me that the soundcard usually goes to lRQ 5 (which is presently empty and available). I wonder if that's what's creating this trouble? I'm also thinking of reinstalling the old soundcard and seeing if that sorts the problem out, but the prospect of sound card conflicts is fearful to me. I think I'll get Mr Computer down at the shop to help me reinstall Windows, and if that doesn't work, I'll just pull the soundcard, drop the computer out the window, drink two bottles of wine, and buy a new computer.
 
Your deference to IRQ nine instead of IRQ five makes no sense unless-

1) your sound card is not plug and play and demands a specific set of IRQs of which 9 is not a member, (I own two of those) or:

2) IRQ 9 is already in use on your system.

I'll assume you've already printed out or otherwise looked at all current IRQ assigments on your system. Be sure when you peruse the list to account for any device on your system that isn't mentioned. Verify that each of these doesn't require an IRQ channel.
 
Hi again drstawl. Sorry, I don't quite understand the implications of what you're saying. The card, a Wave/824 is plug and play, and both IRQ 5 and 9 are available. Windows assigned the card to IRQ 9. Two Singapore techies have told me, based on their experience, that soundcards usually get assigned to IRQ 5. Makes no difference to me which IRQ it gets assigned to, as long as it's not shared, and as long as it works. :)

[This message has been edited by dobro (edited 10-21-1999).]
 
Dobro...

Ahh, I thought you went from an older sound card to a new soundcard on the same windows install. So, I spewed a lot of garbage that didn't help much.

This sounds like it's probably something pretty simple. Does your soundcard seem to work?? Can you play wavs? Can you record wavs? Do all the nifty feature seem to work except for this volume control problem?

It really shouldn't matter what IRQ your soundcard is using unless, of course, something's already using that IRQ (I'd suggest 5 however). How many IRQ's does your soundcard use? Have you looked into your I/O and DMA settings? Is the card really Plug n Play? If it's not, windows will detect it and assign whatever settings but it won't be able to change the settings on the card. Windows typically will not assign something to IRQ 5 unless it KNOWS that it's a soundcard. Does it? How old is the soundcard, by the way? Did you get it new? Have you read the manual and looked at the jumper settings (if any)?

Whatever you do, DON'T reinstall the old soundcard. Why? It'll work just fine but you'll still be in the shitter...except now your nice little windows install will be "dirtier" :)

So, you ask a question and get 30 in response. Sorry. If you can get someone near you to look into it for free then certainly do it. Actually sitting down in front of the machine makes a WORLD of difference!

Slackmaster 2000
 
I've been using the Gadget Labs wave 4 card for some time now and if the 824 is simualar it doesn't use the windows mixer at all.You should be able to use any volume controls that are provided with the software that you are useing.Also these cards do not provide any internal amplification,you must run it thru an amp of some sort.Hope this helps.Have you contacted Gadget Labs? I've found them to be very helpfull.
good luck GMan
 
Okay, the problem's sorted out, and I want to thank everybody for helping out: SM2K, drstawl, emeric, and GMan. As it turns out, GMan was right. When I got no playback volume, I went into Cool Edit Help, and it said that to adjust recording and playback levels, go into Multimedia Volume Control. However, as I found out from a guy at Gadgetlabs who knows what's what, when you install the Wave/824, it bypasses the Windows mixer completely (it might have been nice if they'd mentioned this in the manual). In other words, the Wave/824 had installed perfectly, and I was trying to solve a problem that didn't exist! When I found that out, I started looking in other places for the problem - I'm monitoring with headphones at the moment, and it was that - I'd inserted the jack all the way, whereas first click was required to get playback sound.
I've recorded some stuff now, and I'm impressed with how clean the sound is.
I'm impressed also with the help I got on this page. Thanks again.

dobro
 
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