My TV Caps have Low Audio Volume and Hiss - ATI AIW 2006 PCIE

[somebodeez]

Ok, I'm at a loss for this one.
As the subject title says, I am getting low audio volume and hiss with my TV caps.
I am using ATI AIW 2006 PCIE, MMC 9.12 (came with the card).
I am capping from Verizon Fios (SD) cable box using coax cable.
My sound card is Sound Blaster Audigy 2ZS.

I have gone over the settings and for the life of me, just can not get this corrected.

I found a registry hack here for ATI
http://www.digitalfaq.com/dvdguides/capture/soundsettings/soundsettings.htm
but it doesn't match what I am seeing in my registry.

I tried to normalize the audio and get rid of the hiss but I wasn't happy with the results. I tried using Nero Wav Editor, Audacity and TMPGEnc. The audio volume in the files produced by those programs did improve and the hiss was gone but the tone sounded tinny and some kind of high pitched clicks got added in.

I'd much rather capturing from the source be nice to begin with.
Any suggestions?

[Towncrier]

I had a similar problem with audio levels, only it was when I was capturing from a Time-Warner 8300HD cable box. My problem turned out to be that the cable box audio output was actually being controlled by the volume control for the cable box. Not sure if this is your problem or not, but I would check the audio coming out of the box (if you haven't done so already) to ensure that you are getting a decent level.

[somebodeez]

Thank you very much for your suggestion, Towncrier.
I have already tried that though.

[somebodeez]

Update:

I'm still getting this very annoying problem with my TV caps.

Since I first posted about the audio problem here, I've done a LOT more searching and stumbled upon a couple of things that might be a clue to the answer but I'm not sure... (- If that makes any sense. My head is absolutely swimming now from all of the searching.) I'm hoping someone here will be able to help me sort it out or by stroke of luck someone else may have over come this problem by now and can help me benefit by their experience.

When this card was first installed, it appeared that none of the other programs that I could cap with would work with this card. The only thing that I had that would cap with it is the MMC 9.12 that came with it. It apparently has something to do with the ATI T200 Unified AVStream Driver ATI started using.

During the much time that has passed, I've tested a few programs that have come my way and discovered one other program that could cap from TV with the ATI AIW 2006 PCI-E (Cyberlink PowerDirector and the audio still has hiss with that too. )
But it was only successful at capturing the audio along with the video (which is nice to have ) if I told it to use ATI's "ATI T200 AVStream Analog Capture Audio device".

AHa! So it's not using my sound card

More searching - now looking for info about "ATI T200 AVStream Analog Capture Audio device" and I stumbled upon one post in a forum
http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:hsTzlzcFgz8J:www.rage3d.com/board/showthread.php%...ient=firefox-a

That said in part:

For those of you with audio issues, what are your audio settings in ATI TV? If your settings are *Decode and Downmix to (number of) Speakers* switch to *Passthrough to Cyberlink/ATI Renderer* instead. Instead of relying on the video card to handle the audio, instead, the audio is routed to the audio portion of your setup via the AGP and PCI buses. This has been an option for the past several Catalyst releases, and, in fact, I switched to this since I got my first original Audigy; that way, the Audigy's own Dolby Digital decoder and mixer would handle those chores for me. (The same still applies now that I have an Audigy 2 ZS Gamer.)

I thought - Oh! Maybe that's the key to make ATI stop using it's own sound thing.

I go to check that out and damn! The sound tab in my ATI TV isn't even there.
So I searched the help file that came with it and it says:

Pass through to audio device The audio decoder "passes through" non-PCM multichannel audio to an audio device that supports AC-3 input.
This option is available when there is a compatible S/PDIF audio device on your system, and you have selected the Pass through option.

Be sure your sound card is connected to your system and setup correctly in Windows. The Audio tab appears in the TV setup dialog only if your system audio is working correctly.

I'm not having any other problems with audio with this PC and there are no alerts showing up in the device manager for my sound card so I've always assumed my sound card was set up correctly. My sound card doesn't have S/PDIF input or output though.

So judging by what I found, I'm thinking I need to get a sound card with S/PDIF but I'm not sure if that's the answer and I'd like to get thoughts on the matter.

[themaster1]

For the audio fine tuning i suggest two things:

1- use a software like goldwave to have a precise view of the audio level
http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/5111/image1hc8.jpg
2- adjust the sound with the audio control panel
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/3806/image2ha7.jpg

Once the fine tuning is determined for each channel try to find an intermediate level so that way it's good for every chan.

That's how i do and so far so good

[somebodeez]

Thank you for your reply

I downloaded and installed the trial version of Gold Wave but can't seem to find the info about the audio level.
I did explore around the program and stumbled upon an area where my sound card was listed but nothing for the ATI "T200 AVStream Analog Capture Audio device".

[themaster1]

Thank you for your reply

I downloaded and installed the trial version of Gold Wave but can't seem to find the info about the audio level.
I did explore around the program and stumbled upon an area where my sound card was listed but nothing for the ATI "T200 AVStream Analog Capture Audio device".

it should be in TOOLS>device control

a window will pop up with left & right channels bars

you can choose your device (sound card or tv card or else) in:
OPTIONS>CONTROLS>DEVICE

To get them working ("the bars moving") you must proceed as if your're about to record something with goldwave so click on:
NEW>CD>stereo>44khz>lenght: 1.000 (the shortest possible that way you don't spend 5 min waiting for nothing)

There you go

[DarrellS]

First off. I've always heard that ATI cards have problems with Sound Blaster cards.

With ATI cards, you have to connect the audio out from the capture card to the Line In on the sound card and you need to make sure that the volume is turned up in the Volume Control and that Line In is set for recording in your sound card properties.

Don't know if this is your problem or not.

[somebodeez]

Thank you for your instructions, themaster1. It's getting late for me now but I plan to have another go with that tomorrow.

And thank you to you too, DarrellS. That's exactly how I have it set up but it's always best to cover all grounds.

[DarrellS]

It won't help you now but I'll see a friend on Sunday that has the same card and was having audio problems with his. He also uses a digital cable box which I believe was causing his problem. I think his problem was low audio and only capturing mono.

Hopefully you'll have your problem figured out by then.

[somebodeez]

themaster1 - Unexpected company dropped in yesterday. Hopefully, I can get to trying the Gold Wave thing today.

DarrellS - Thank you. I do get stereo with my caps (hiss on both channels as far as I can tell).

[somebodeez]

I tried Goldwave again but I'm still not seeing ATI "T200 AVStream Analog Capture Audio device" listed in the Device area.
Just my sound card and "Primary Sound Driver" which evidently also means my sound card since that's what it appears to use no matter which one is selected.


And I can't figure out how to translate what the color bar is telling me.

[somebodeez]

Tested capping using PowerDirector (the only other program I've found so far that can cap with this card)
and I cannot get audio captured when trying to use my sound card. I have to use the ATI thing.

[themaster1]

I tried Goldwave again but I'm still not seeing ATI "T200 AVStream Analog Capture Audio device" listed in the Device area.
Just my sound card and "Primary Sound Driver" which evidently also means my sound card since that's what it appears to use no matter which one is selected.

Very strange, i got an old version of goldwave so it don't look exactly like on your snapshot but i have my audio card (realtek HD) and tv card (audio-cynergy 250) listed so i don't know what to say.
Here is a snapshot
http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/7/4984ki6.gif

[FulciLives]

I noticed that you said you are using the coax cable from the cable box. Obviously the tuner in the ATI must decode this ... including the audio.

Any chance you can try the regular (composite or S-video) output and 2 channel RCA stereo outputs of the cable box. I have a feeling that will be the only way to truly 'solve' this.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[GideonK]

somebodeez, Try this:
Go to Control Panel --> Sound and Audio Devices
First tab is volume; move the slider to high or close to high
Third tab is Audio; Which device is selected as default for sound playback and sound recording?
I have mine selected as SB Audigy for both, perhaps you need to do the same (If not already done so).
btw, are all channes coming in with this hiss or just some?

[somebodeez]

Thanks, FulciLives for your suggestion.
I don't have cords on hand that are long enough although I have been kicking around the idea of getting some so that I could try that because I've read that is actually better than coax...

Thankyou to you too, GideonK.
In Control Panel --> Sound and Audio Devices , the SB Audigy is the only device listed to choose from.
Hmmm... I mainly cap from TCM. I'll have to test out some more channels.