ugh...speaker problems

[thunderfvck]

Hello there!

You may remember me...Well I finally got my computer running, everything works like a gem. I just got the sound card (audiophile 2496) today, and I'm having some problems...

Firstly, I don't have monitors yet. I will buy them in the future, but right now I just can't afford them...So I want to at least have my computer speakers in the computer so I can do SOMETHIGN...But it just won't work! So, I have that little green output for the audio, and I try to put my headphones in there. No sound. I figure the speakers won't work then, since they connect via the same thing.

On the sound card I have L/R audio outputs, looks like I need the fancy monitors to hook up there. How are you able to put headphones through this? Do they have fancy ones with the L/R inputs?

I'm confused. I want to play. I built my computer, put in the sound card and didn't do anything more than insert it into the slot and install the drivers. Could they be clashing with the onboard audio driver thingies, so my headphones in the audio input doesn't work?

Another problem, unrelated...I have two hard drives, 40 GB and 80 GB. The OS is on the 40 GB. The 40 is the master, the 80 is the slave, both are connected to the primary IDE. Computer detects both drives. In BIOS and in windows. But I don't SEE the drive and cannot access it in My Computer. I tried connecting both on cable select, my friend's recommendation, and this didn't work. Any ideas?

Thanks!!

 

[Farview]

Normal computer speakers run at headphone level. The audiophile has line level outs, you need some sort of amp.
This is assuming you have the computer mixer set up right.

 

[livilaNic]

If you have a receiver you can get some RCA wires. Go from L/R out of card to input L/R receiver.

For the HD I got a program called BootIt http://www.terabyteunlimited.com/bootitng.html
I'm able to use both of my HD independently. And use them simultaneously. OS's on both. GL, HF lol.


L8er,
livilaNic

 

[thunderfvck]

Alright, so it seems I need an amp. I'm not sure I understand the concepts of it though...A preamp will adjust the 'quality' (I'm guessing) of a recording being sent through it to the soundcard, into the computer. An amp will take the information from the sound card and send it to a pair of speakers. What is it doing to the signal though? Amplifying it would be my guess, but in what sense? Does it interpret the signal, or tell it that it's going to be louder when it is sent to the speakers?

I'm guessing that this kind of amp is not like a guitar amp (which I have!)...

Why am I having trouble using the connection in my motherboard (the onboard sound)? Conflicts between the newly installed drivers of the m-audio?

So do I need a preamp or just an amp? Do they have two-in-one kind of packages available? Like a VCR/TV combo? That'd be sweet. Which are good amps to look into (I don't want to have to spend much more...$100-200 I guess. Fuck, whatever it takes I guess; once I'm over this hill, ugh, I can sit down and begin...).

Oh, and Farview, you mentioned something about the computer mixer being set up right...What is right? I have the monitor mixer menu, and it all is set to the default (if it can even be called that - I didn't touch it).

Umm. Mics. Alright. I got the SM57. It says it's an instrument mic, which it WILL be used for...But not much (I'll deal mainly with electronica). I'm hoping I can still use it for vocals? Now, to plug the mic in...Ugh. I NEED A PREAMP DON'T I. Combo deals never sounded so sweet. heh. I need to read more and ask less.

As for the hard drives...I set the DIP (what the hell does DIP mean anyway? hehe) for my 40 GB (housing the OS) as master, and the 80 GB as slave. This is what I started up with. In the scanning process before entering BIOS, the computer sees these drives and tells me that they're what they should be (master for the 40, and slave for the 80). Same thing in the bios, it tells me this is the setting. In windows, there is no second drive. There's just the C:. When I go into system info, again it tells me that there's two drives, but where the hell is it you bastards! Stupid computers man! I already had a problem with the cd rom not working, and me needing to get a boot disk for windows to load. Now this. What a ride this is! haha.

I will definitely check out that program once I get the net on my computer (tomorrow).

That should cover it! Thanks again!

 

[livilaNic]

Hmm, doesn't the drive need to have a file system on it for windows to read?
I just did this same thing but like said before I have an OS on both. Try formatting the drive and see what happens. Didn't really answer the question in the last post. I was talking about a whole different realm lol. Sry bout that.



L8er,
livilaNic

 

[mshilarious]

Alright, so it seems I need an amp. I'm not sure I understand the concepts of it though...A preamp will adjust the 'quality' (I'm guessing) of a recording being sent through it to the soundcard, into the computer. An amp will take the information from the sound card and send it to a pair of speakers. What is it doing to the signal though? Amplifying it would be my guess, but in what sense? Does it interpret the signal, or tell it that it's going to be louder when it is sent to the speakers?

An amp is an analog device that increases the magnitude of a signal. There's a few twists, but for your purposes, that is all that matters.

As for PC speakers they aren't all passive devices (meaning that they don't have a built in amp). So your computer speakers may already have a built-in amp. However I don't know what you mean by the green connector--the 2496 has no green jack. Are you still using your onboard sound jack? That won't work once you install another soundcard.

What you need is a stereo RCA - stereo 1/8" cable. Radio Shack has these. Plug that from the 2496 outputs to your PC speaker input.

Yes you do need a preamp for the 57, which will work fine for vocals. Check out the M-Audio audiobuddy, that gives you two channels which matches up with your 2496.

 

[thunderfvck]

I'm not sure how to format the drive? How do I access it to do anything to it?


And yes, the green connector was the onboard sound, not the 2496. I see. Now that another soundcard is installed, this won't work.

And about these stereo RCA - stereo 1/8" thingees...This will be a two wire thing that has two male RCA jacks that I can plug into the females on the soundcard...these two males will meet at a point where there will be a 1/8" female thing so I can plug in my speakers (which only have one male connector)...? Just want to get the picture right in my head...

In this case an amp won't even be necessary, provided my speakers are passive (ouu, look at all my new vocabulary )? Which they probably aren't, so I'll need an amp. And I need a preamp. I won't be able to find these at radio shack, eh? So I must order and wait, once again. ugh.

OUOU. Edit. Since an amp isn't needed when using a computer with a built-in soundcard, does this mean that an amp is installed already on the motherboard? Does this also mean that everyone that buys a soundcard has to buy an amp? Or do most soundcards come with a built-in amp?

 

[livilaNic]

Right click start menu/properties/Advanced/start menu items/Administrative tools/Display this in all programs menu. Goto start/all programs/Administrative tools/computer management. Then computer management/disk management. Find the drive you just installed and right-click it. Create new partition (a wizard we'll pop up). Then make a basic partition and format to NTFS. hope this helps. GL, HF.


So you don't have a house stereo? Like I said you can just plug your 2496 to it untill you get your monitors. Loudspeakers are better then comp. speakers ne way. Just hook up the Soundcard into your house stereo like you would hook up a CD player to it.



L8er,
livilaNic

 

[thunderfvck]

Sweet! It's formatting now. I didn't know I needed to do that. Looks like this should do it. I formatted it as a primary partition, I'm guessing this was the right choice...Thanks for that!

I do have a (several) house stereos, but they have wires and no RCA cables. Maybe some of them do actually, but the one I would use (my stereo) uses wires that you have to clamp into the back of the cd player thing. I DO however have these two little speakers that come with it, I think they're RCA cables; these are intended for surround sound though...I guess I can just hook these up?

edit: and I did. They work, but the sound is very quiet, despite the master volume being all the way up. Like I said these are "dipole surround system" speaker pieces that add little effect to the beast speakers. But..Well, I think I understand what you're saying now. I could put some RCA cables from the soundcard to the stereo itself, in the aux mode, and it should blast whatever it recieves. Like when I would hook up my TV to the stereo, same principle, yes? I feel moronic now Thanks!

mmm...harvey's..

 

[livilaNic]

Np, sometimes you read so much your mind goes blank lol. When its done formatting can you let me know whats up?



L8er,
livilaNic

 

[thunderfvck]

She works! Sexcellent. Thank you SO much. This always has to be done whenever a new drive is installed then?

 

[livilaNic]

Yeah I'm pretty sure it does. Unless you swap it from another-in that case it was already done. Glad to be able to help .



L8er,
livilaNic

 

[mshilarious]

edit: and I did. They work, but the sound is very quiet, despite the master volume being all the way up. Like I said these are "dipole surround system" speaker pieces that add little effect to the beast speakers.

You're still a little mixed up--those are passive speakers, that is, they have no amp. You computer speakers are probably active--they have an amp. Real easy way to tell--do your computer speakers require an AC adaptor? If so, they are active.

Your computer speakers only have one male cable? Usually one of them has a built-in cable that has a male plug that goes into a female jack on the other. That speaker will also have an input jack and an AC adaptor jack, and probably also a volume control. If that is the case, then the cable you want will have a male 1/8" stereo plug into the input jack on your speaker.

 

[thunderfvck]

I'm going to be using my stereo rather than those shit speaker things. The fact that I could just use my stereo's aux thing to hook up to my computer didn't click until earlier today But yeah, the speakers I had orginally planned on using was just a normal 1/8" (I think?) cable that would plug into the computer (not on the sound card).

My computer speakers didn't have an adaptor...They just plugged into the computer. But I'm able to adjust the volume and make it louder...Beh. I don't know. I'm tired and my sister needs the computer. I'll continue this tomorrow. Goodnight.

 

[thane1200]

Hello there!

Another problem, unrelated...I have two hard drives, 40 GB and 80 GB. The OS is on the 40 GB. The 40 is the master, the 80 is the slave, both are connected to the primary IDE. Computer detects both drives. In BIOS and in windows. But I don't SEE the drive and cannot access it in My Computer. I tried connecting both on cable select, my friend's recommendation, and this didn't work. Any ideas?

Thanks!!

Are they both formatted with the same file system? Are you using FAT32 or NTFS?

 

[livilaNic]

Are they both formatted with the same file system? Are you using FAT32 or NTFS?

umm...