Need Sound Card Advice

[non-linear]

I need some advice,

I am currently using a SoundBlaster PCI128 sound card. I have been having problems when playing back audio or video, where the file will skip/pop. I have tried using ReClock, and it doesn't do the job well enough for me, and doesn't help when playing audio in Winamp.

I also have a motherboard with integrated sound (RealTek AC'97). The playback quality is fine. However, when recording on the line input, the recorded quality is bad, it sounds distorted, even when recorded at low volumes, and at times almost sounds out of phase. The quality of recording on the SoundBlaster is fine.

In both cases, I am running the most recent drivers (In the SoundBlaster's case, the last driver revision was a couple years ago).

Now I was playing around and it seems I can have both cards working together. What I was thinking about doing was using the SoundBlaster for recording audio from the line input (for my ATI AIW Radeon card, etc), and the RealTek for everything else.

One problem I found was that although I can record the audio from the SoundBlaster and listen to audio on the RealTek, I can't hear the audio while ATI MMC is running, or while capturing. I was thinking of possibly patching the audio out from the SoundBlaster to the line input of the RealTek using various connector parts from Radio Shack.

What I want to know is would this possibly cause any problems for me, either on the capturing side, or anything OS related that I haven't come across, or if anyone can recommend a better sound card that can play back audio and video files without skipping, and record line sources cleanly and accurately replicate the sound quality from the source. I have also tried a Turtle Beach Riviera card, which originally came with this system, and same thing as the RealTek, good audio/video playback, but crappy capture quality. I'd like to get some feedback before spending any money. I wouldn't mind getting a new sound card if it can do everything fine. I have seen a Hercules 4.1 sound card in a local store for ~$50. I don't do much gaming, and the audio out is fed to my stereo, so 5.1 or 7.1 systems are overkill for me.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[DJRumpy]

The distorted recording problem you describe is common when the record level is set too high for the input. You end up with a 'blasting' effect for lack of a better term, and the sound is very distorted. Even on 'quite' material. You can adjust the recording levels within the volume properties dialogs. Don't confuse the record levels with the standard 'playback' volume levels. They are seperate from the playback volumes. You should also make sure that the 3D playback options for the realtek are disabled. They can make for strange souding output like your describing.

I'm curious about the poping noise. Is anything else going on when your playing these files back. Is the audio always a certain type (i.e. MP3 audio, or DivX/XviD with MP3, etc..you get the idea).

[tlegion]

About a year ago, I ditched my integrated sound for a SB PCI128 because the AC97 driver would not integrate with the mixer applet. IMO, it is probably better to not run both devices, meaning disable the onboard sound device.

Regarding the playback problems, do you have the SB in the slot directly next to the AGP slot? Or, if you have integrated video, is it in the slot closest to the power supply? I ask this because I've read that this slot shares resources with the AGP slot and is suitable only for a second video card.

Now, that may just be a myth, it may have been true in the past but not now, it may only apply to certain MB's, etc.

If the SB is not in that slot, it may be having resource confilicts or the MB chip set is not handling the resource settings correctly.

Of course, the SB could just be defective.

[non-linear]

The distorted recording problem you describe is common when the record level is set too high for the input. You end up with a 'blasting' effect for lack of a better term, and the sound is very distorted. Even on 'quite' material. You can adjust the recording levels within the volume properties dialogs. Don't confuse the record levels with the standard 'playback' volume levels. They are seperate from the playback volumes. You should also make sure that the 3D playback options for the realtek are disabled. They can make for strange souding output like your describing.

I'm curious about the poping noise. Is anything else going on when your playing these files back. Is the audio always a certain type (i.e. MP3 audio, or DivX/XviD with MP3, etc..you get the idea).

I am aware of the volume settings, as well as the difference between the playback and record settings. In ATI, I end up using both, where the record volume will be set at one setting, and I control the volume with the playback setting. When I said that it distorts at low volumes, I meant that it distorts when the recording and playback levels are low. I also made sure that I wasn't using any of the Realtek 3D sound settings, as well, everything else sounded fine, just what I recorded through that card.

As far as the skipping and popping, I get it in audio that's mp3, ogg, wav, and on videos in mpeg-1 and 2, and AVI.

[non-linear]

Regarding the playback problems, do you have the SB in the slot directly next to the AGP slot? Or, if you have integrated video, is it in the slot closest to the power supply? I ask this because I've read that this slot shares resources with the AGP slot and is suitable only for a second video card.

This card was also in another system up until recently, and it had similar problems with the skipping, but not as bad as it is in this system. I put it in the same slot in this system as I had the Turtle Beach card in previously, and the Turtle Beach card didn't have any playback problems, it just recorded poorly.

I think I'll just look for a better sound card.

[non-linear]

Thanks to those that responded to me. I tried moving the soundcard to a different PCI slot like tlegion suggested, and there was no difference. I didn't figure there would be a difference since the older system the card used to reside in had the same problems.

I eneded up picking up a SoundBlaster Live 5.1 card, and my media hasn't skipped once, and the recording quality seems to be okay so far.