Karaoke Forums

Okay, start playing filler music before starting last night - perfectly clear - Mackie sub, two SM350s.  Used the same system on Friday night, everything is PERFECT. No crazy loud music...just normal use.  Speakers, as usual, sound wonderful.

First karaoke song comes on (played through PC shuttle, all new innards but the sound card)....it's clear. Second song - wow, something is really wrong...Speakers sound like they're fried! Turn off karaoke music, put filler music, which runs through a laptop, back on while checking connections. Take the sub out of the loop. Try playing through the computer, and the same thing. Speakers sound FRIED!  

Moved computer to another channel...seemed to help minimally, then back to crackling. Nothing wrong with connections. Nothing on board has been changed. Rebooted computer - no difference.

Nothing different from Friday as far as settings, etc. . There is another component in the loop now - a switching box for switching between karaoke computer and DVD player for karaoke DVDs, but that was in place on Friday and functioned perfectly fine.

We switched out as many of the components as we could with extra connectors and cables that we carry - nothing made a difference. Sounded almost like an impedance issue.

Am I right in thinking perhaps the sound card in the computer may be going?  I don't know what else it could possibly be because we didn't change a thing from Friday night. Like I said, the shuttle has all new boards, etc., but I did not replace the sound board when I had all that work done.

Anybody had a sound board go in a PC before? Any advice will be very appreciated. How FRUSTRATING! Sounded like krappyoke last night, had to keep apologizing as we're known for having such good sound...

It's a leap but...

Any of the new boards interfering with the soundcard?  Or a fan?

never had one fry before, but as with ANYTHING audio or video, they can go!

Unsure what type of sound card you're using, but I have a couple of different ways of putting computer sound into a mixer.

1.) straight usb connection to a Numark mixer.

2.) USB sound card - discontinued Soundblaster MP3 + device. But Behrenger sells a similar item.

Probably not - we've been using this sytem for months. I'm going to run the shuttle into my computer guy today and have him check it out. Strangest thing to have it all of a sudden sound like crap!

Hey, all leaps are welcome... As with anything, it's one big process of elimination.

K

If you can, try hooking up two different computers to the the same mixer/speakers setup at the same time. On my mixer I can use RCA to 1/4" adapters into a channel(s) or the cable from the computer into the CD/Tape In, which is RCA connectors. If you have two cables that go from the PC to the mixer-which is good so you have a backup-you can hook both computers up at the same time and alternate back and forth between them. If they both sound bad playing the same song then it's in your mixer or the amp or the speakers. Chances are it's the PC, but it's anyone's guess until you try different things.

I have gone to external USB sound cards for several reasons. They work so easily without you doing a thing-just plug them into the USB port and they self install. They are portable from computer to computer. They are inexpensive-the Behringer I just got was only $30. It includes (2) RCA input jacks and (2) RCA output jacks, it also has a 1/8" headphone jack that can be used to connect to a mixer too. This makes it easy to hook into any mixer and allows you to easily record back onto the computer through the mixer using audacity or some other recording software. If nothing else, get one of the Behringer USB soundcards as a backup

Thanks for the suggestion Stogie - will set up system in living room today (ugh...let's move equipment...) and experiment a little. Ironically, this happened when we replaced the Mackie with the Behringer board to allow more flexibility in EQ'ing...May just replace the B with the Mackie and try the normal setup.

k

Using two computers at the same time will help isolate what is causing the bad sound. Have both the Mackie and the Behringer ready to be swapped out. If it's not the soundcard I suspect the mixer. Also, make sure you try multiple channels on each mixer. If it's the PC it will sound bad on any channel.

I've had a sound card go out before and it did something similar, it lasted awhile but eventually went completely out.  I'd check the wires first tho, always start with the simplest solution then work your way to other possibilities.  Good luck

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[shadow=white][scroll]Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass.....It's about learning to dance in the rain[/scroll][/shadow]

OKay, I'm thinking it has to be sound card because we tried all channels, including switching out the two computers...mics were clear as a bell...filler music was clear as a bell. Like I said, tried exchanging anything that we had extras, including Y connectors, connections to the board, etc., to see. Going to put the Mackie back in today and test it with that...then replace sound card as necessary.

Hopefully it's a simple fix. Thanks for all the suggestions.
k

maybe dumb question ..but have you checked  the speakers with some other audio source CDG player or DVD ? --How's the sound out of the PC with Heaphones ?
If you listen with phones and sounds like crap then you can discount all but the pc itself

Trust me on this, the simple fix is to use a USB soundcard. You won't regret it.

Is the computer properly grounded?  Do you have the phantom power on the mixer switched on?

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Okay, who took my pants?

Everything else running through the board sounded great ...  just karaoke music coming from PC sounded bad. Switched channels, even. Laptop playing bumper music was crystal clear.

Just setting it up now to listen straight from PC into headphones. That'll tell the story.

k

Just listened directly out of PC into headphones - there is distortion (though not as audible I thought it would be based on what I heard last night) on a random selection of different disc types, particularly noted with higher female backing vocals.  So off to the sound card store I go. Phew. Thanks for all the suggestions.

k

1. What kind of sound card is it?
I did have an Audigy 2Z fry once (left channel) (Googled it and turns out left channel fry on Audigy boards is quite common)

I'm not sure if you stated or not but do you run the filler music through the computer and soundcard as well?

2. Have you tried changing your settings to onboard sound to see if the problem still exists.

3. If it is indeed the card - go with Matt & Stogies advice about a USB external card.

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Music speaks to the heart in ways words cannot express.

Remember that a driver problem can cause this type of thing too. I used to see it on my Win2K box after running Audacity. MTU Hoster would go wonky until I rebooted.

Use Hoster only on computer. No Audicity (yet). Laptop is running through the board on one channel; DVD takes up another; computer takes up another, and the second laptop we use when DJ'ing takes up another channel. The only one with a sound problem is the PC shuttle. I can hear what almost sounds like clipping just by plugging headphones directly into shuttle to listen.

Hopefully tomorrow will see a resolution of this issue. Shudder to think about having to use CDGs and player on Friday night! ARGGGG...... SO SPOILED.

k

I am sure you have tried this, but make sure you have completely rebooted and not just suspended.

Willing to bet it was completely rebooted since she said it started at her "show" & and she "reset" the system up at "home".

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[shadow=deepskyblue]I'm impressed, I've never met such a small mind inside such a big head before.[/shadow]

If you had ordered a Behringer Ucontrol  external USB sound card a coupe of days ago from Musician's Friend it might be there tomorrow, they ship fast. The Behringer, at $30 is the way to go. You will need a cable-which you may already have-with two RCA connectors on both ends or a cable with two RCA connectors on one end and a 1/8" male on the other. You should order this sound card no matter what, even if you can get the sound working properly again with the internal card because the Behringer will allow you to record. Don't wait, order the Behringer right away.