Usb Sound Card Issue

[whiterabbit_medic]

I am just having the hardest time with these usb 3d sound cards. I’m trying to hook one up to my computer to run just one feed and use the main sound card for normal computing. I am able to isolate sound to just the usb sound card broadcasting the feed but even with the input volume down and the speaker output volume down in the usb mixer menu, I am clipping in audacity and receiving a tinny sound with the audio. I have the scanner set a ¼ volume using the headphone out of the Pro 2096 running into a ground loop isolator and is working well with the sound card on the computer currently providing the feed. Am I doing something wrong as it seems a lot of providers here are using them with little issue? Any suggestions?

Thanks
whiterabbit_medic

 

[gmclam]

$1 3D USB sound cards

I too am using the $1 3D USB sound cards. I have more than one installation, and each has quite a few of these cards. All of my computers are running XP Pro, yet the setting options for the sound cards are not identical.

When you are setting sound properties, select RECORD, not playback. Be sure to select whatever input options provided once you've selected the desired USB card.

With the record mixer displaying, if the input (some are marked "wave", some are marked "mic" and some are marked "line" on mine) has an ADVANCED button, click on it. Usually that presents me with an "auto level" or something similar. Sometimes it helps, but I usually turn it off because I want to use the scanner volume control to get the input signal into the correct range.

From your description, it sounds like you are adjusting the playback sliders. I think you'll have success once you are adjusting the recording sliders.

 

[GTR8000]

Make sure you uncheck the AGC option on the Advanced tab of the input controls, and keep the input slider bottomed out. For good measure, bottom out and mute all five output levels as well. At that point you can adjust the feed volume using only the scanner's volume control for the best results. If you don't already use it, this level meter comes in real handy for getting the levels just right.

Audio Level Meter

 

[gmclam]

Make sure you uncheck the AGC option on the Advanced tab of the input controls, and keep the input slider bottomed out. For good measure, bottom out and mute all five output levels as well. At that point you can adjust the feed volume using only the scanner's volume control for the best results.

I do NOT fully agree with the above directions. The settings will be affected by the cable/etc you are using to connect your scanner, and the exact sound card. Some people add attenuation in their cable, I am doing so with transformers.

My approach is to set the scanner volume at about 10 o'clock. You certainly do NOT want it above 12 o'clock (unless you have a lot of attenuation in that cable) as that will overdrive the sound card input.

With AGC off, I have found the input slider has a good range. The exact setting also depends on the modulation level of who you are receiving. Some can be very good and some can be very low (undermodulated).

You WILL need a meter to make the settings. I am using an older version from DarkWood.

 

[GTR8000]

You don't have to agree, I'm simply giving him my suggestions based on my own experience with those USB cards for the past year and change. They tend to be very hot, even with the AGC disabled. Let him start out with AGC disabled and the slider bottomed out, and he can go from there depending on what he sees and hears. He is clearly already familiar with running a feed, and has already bottomed out the input slider (which I think you missed in his post, based on what you wrote in your first reply).

 

[whiterabbit_medic]

Ok to clear some things up, I do have the wave input slider bottomed out; the mixer has advance controls shaded out under options and unable to access them. I am using xp media center sp3. I am using audacity as my input monitor and on the bars it showing me clipping even with out any input from the scanner. My scanner is volume is set between 8-9o clock with no room to turn it down w/o loosing audio output from the scanner. I am using the suggested cabling and ground loop isolator from the wiki. I have switched between several usb cards and have had the same result.
Everyone has had good suggestions. Is there a way to gain access to the advance settings for these usb cards?

Thanks
whiterabbit_medic

 

[gmclam]

With the USB card connected to the computer, and NOTHING connected to the sound card, and the setting as you have described; do you still see "maxed out audio"? If so, that's a problem right there.

I have used these cards on several different computers with different results. I have seen the condition you are describing, and it seems to be some sort of conflict. I have switched USB sound cards, plugged them into different ports, and used other measures to resolve these conflicts. It seems like it should be a simpler issue; but I never traced this out all the way to the underlying cause.

Funny thing about the advanced option; in some cases it is presented to me and in other cases it is not. It may be a conflict with audacity! In my cases I killed as many programs as I could related to sound and used just what I needed to. Try using one of the Darkwood meters and don't run audacity and see what happens. I'd also start from a clean reboot. Good luck.