Please help a new guy

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jimmy_LD

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I am using Cool Edit to multitrack at home (well, I don't have multitracking per se, but I just track...) and I want to know about a playback card...

I am running my recording through a Soundblaster card (believe it or not, it's working out well) and I want to be able to have playback while I am recording... What do I get for this? Should I get another card and have it be a playback only card?

is there something simpler that I am overlooking?
Do I have to buy something expensive, or will a cheap on handle it?

Please help!
Jim Hutchison
 
Can't you use your Soundblaster for playback?

I use my Delta 44 for recording and then i use my SB Live! for playback. Back(2 days ago) when i had only my SB i was able to use it for both recording and playback.
 
I guess I need to clarify...

I suppose the question I should have asked is how do I get my computer to play at the same time I am recording? You know, like so I can hear what I am tracking at that moment?
 
Ah, this CAN be done on a Soundblaster, but it has a 1-2 second delay that comes with it. It's really not worth it, but to do it..:

In the window's volume control make sure you have the mic unmuted

Then go to options -> properties -> then click on recording -> then click ok and make sure the microphone is selected..

also the mic is in the green port right?

if this doens't work i'm not to sure what to do
 
so should I buy another sound card to use as the method to playback at the same time?

How would I do this? Am I out of my mind?
 
Just make sure the card is full duplex to begin with. It probably is but some of them are not which would not allow you to listen and record at the same time.
 
Last edited:
Playback with workable latency while recording should be working just fine. My SBLive! works great in that aspect..
So there's definately no need to get something new just for that.

I don't think wether a card is full-duplex or not is not an issue. The soundcards produced in the say last 8 years all are full-duplex.

(woohoo, 250th post)
 
oh boy, here's my newbie-ness shining through...
Can someone describe what "playable latency" is?
 
i figured it out.... thanks everyone!

subject says it all!
 
jimmy_LD said:
oh boy, here's my newbie-ness shining through...
Can someone describe what "playable latency" is?
Click to expand...

What he probably means by that is latency during playback (e.g. latency while mixing). What that is, is the amount of time it takes for you to hear the result of an action. So, if your latency is 250ms, then it takes a quarter of a second from the time you move a fader in your software to the time you hear the result of that fader move.

Anything under 100ms is really damn workable, with 50ms being great. When you start getting up near that quarter second mark it gets very hard to work...you have to make adjustments in little awkward steps. It just feels more "real" when you mix with lower latency.

Latency also comes into play when doing realtime processing of an input stream...like if you want to add a chorus effect to your guitar WHILE you're playing. In this case, latency will represent the amount of time it takes before you hear a note after you hit a string....and acceptable times are usually in the <10ms range. Depending on what your doing you might get away with more, but you'll definately feel the delay.

Slackmaster 2000
 
mic is red
line in is green

but you don't want to use mic, you want to use line in.
 
Why would you use your SB for playback if you have a Delta 44? That would mean that you are hearing your recording after going through the SB's Digital->Analog converters, which are inferior to the converter's on your Delta 44.
Maybe you need the soundfonts/midi/whatever from the SB? (I don't know about this stuff!)


Toad Rush said:
Can't you use your Soundblaster for playback?

I use my Delta 44 for recording and then i use my SB Live! for playback. Back(2 days ago) when i had only my SB i was able to use it for both recording and playback.
Click to expand...
 
simple answer

hopefully everyone didn't confuse you with their latency talk..i'm not sure where that really comes into the picture. I've owned several sound blaster cards and the playback/recording has always worked fine on it. So just to re-iterate..no you don't have to buy anything else. just like your telephone allows you to hear and talk at the same time (most speakerphones are a good example of half duplex since you can't hear the other person when you're speaking)
dlv

p.s. i didn't finish that last sentence did i...oh well.
 
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