Some sound card questions (newbie)

jslarve wrote on 10/15/2001, 11:04 AM
Hello -

I have a Dell Dimension 8100 series (Windows 2000 Pro) that came with a soundblaster live card, and I am having some problems with it. I have Vegas Video and intend to use it for transfering old 4-track stuff to digital media and for recording new stuff via microphone.:

1. If there is a better card that I should get, could I please have some suggestions? If you know the ball-park price for the suggestions, would you please include it in your post?

2. I am having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get the input to be recognized by Vegas. I can plug a microphone into the card and can hear it clearly through the speakers, but I can't get the input to register with the program. I am pretty persistent/patient, and ain't toooo stupid, but I have run out of ideas. Anyone?

If you post a reply, would you please CC it (or at least let me know that a response is posted) to jeff@jssoftware.com ?

Thanks for your help.

Jeff Slarve

Comments

vanblah wrote on 10/15/2001, 2:33 PM
I'd go with a more pro-audio card. Are you going to be doing multi-track audio? If so, you might want to consider a card with more than just stereo ins and outs. www.midi-classics.com has a pretty good selection of cards and is a good place to start doing research.

price will vary depending on what you are wanting.
SonyNateM wrote on 10/15/2001, 4:56 PM
Once you get used to setting the input you are recording from on the SBLive! card, configuration is easy.

You should first check that your system is set to record correctly.

  1. Bring up the Volume Control mixer dialog by selecting Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Multimedia or Entertainment, and select Volume Control.
  2. In the Volume Control dialog go to the Options menu, and choose Properties.
  3. Click the Recording radio button, and make sure that all of the boxes under "Show the following volume controls" are checked. Then click OK.
  4. Verify that the correct input device is selected or not muted and that its volume level is turned up.
  5. You may also wish to unselect or mute any inputs you are not using, as this will add unwanted noise to the recorded sound.
Most sound cards come with multiple inputs from which you can record sound. These may include microphone, CD, auxiliary, MIDI, and line inputs. Although some cards record from all of these inputs at the same time, many cards make you choose which device is currently your record device (also known as the input source). These cards come with software which allows you to pick which device is the input source. You will need to refer to your sound card manual to determine how to set the input source.

Most sound cards also come with some kind of application which controls the input level of the recording device. You may need to increase the level of your input sources in order to record from them. Again, you will need to refer to your sound card manual to learn how to adjust these levels.
jslarve wrote on 10/15/2001, 5:32 PM
Thanks very much, both of you.

Jeff