Karaoke Forums

You're good to go.

You got decent processor and buss speed, but you need to double your ram and consider adding another HD(if there is an open bay for it and your power supply will support it) Crucial.com is THE place to go for truely compatable RAM.

Go look at the ATI All In Wonder video cards if you plan to host off it.....The 9200 is more than enuff....

If however, all you plan is recording and burning, then forget the video card, you won't need it....I built my machine not just for music, but also video, so I had to have the ATI card....

Yeah, I do KJ with it, but I also plan to move the 60" screen in here for DJ and video stuff(when ya got a pro dance pole and lighting in your house, you need a big screen for the music videos or you ain't pro )...I'll replace the big screen in the living with one of them new HD WIDE screens as soon as I decide on format....The Sony with SXRD is on my radar screen so far....DLP, like LCD and plasma is soon to be history, but it seems SXRD will be around for awhile.

Now, if I could just get CactusJack's wife Diane on that dance pole!

...Anyway, give the guys at M-Audio an email...Or chat with them on the phone....Let them help you with the best sound card....You can believe they want you happy with it....Chat with them about what you have so far and what you intend to do...They won't oversell you...Then shop it on the web for best price....If you end up chatting with sweetwater, make sure to tell them you found it cheaper somewhere else....Odds are they will match the price and then connect you with one of their guys who actually use it at home so you can get the most out of it.

Thanks Keith, I've been looking at RAM.. I wonder if I currently have 2x128 chips, or one 256 chip... That way I'd know if I can double it by just adding another 256...

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Your service ticket says "1 dual inline memory module", but the best way to tell is to jerk the side off(don't be skeerd) and take a look....If you got just one slot full of Ram, then it's a single strip....If both slots are used, then you got a pair....

Go for it...yank the side off and take a peek....Hell, the sides stay off mine cause I'm always in there screwing with something....your owner's manual will describe where to look in the "upgrade" section....Just find what looks like the pic in the manual and you will have it....Power down the machine before you pop out the ram...There should be a paper lable on the ram strip to verify what you got.

If you got just one strip and you still have an empty slot, then call crucial and they will match it up perfectly with another strip or advise you if they can't.....Last resort is to buy ram from uncertified source.

alright the sound card  I am using now is sound blaster live  5.1 and of the out puts I am using the front out which I am noticing is for a front speaker for a surround sound system. Do you think this could cause some of my poor volume and quality

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If You Want Something You've Never Had , You're Going To Have To Do Something You've Never Done

I ain't got a clue when it comes to consumer based stuff, and i ain't going to bother cause I done been there and done that....I told you that you needed a pro level interface and that M-audio offered the best there is at a decent price.

You still need a pro to consumer interface.....It's all a matter of matching inputs to outputs electrically....You can find adapters that allow you to plug in anything to anything, but that don't mean it will sound right.

5.1 is surround sound stuff....It's consumer grade stuff...If you want to patch your PC soundblaster to your TV surround sound, then it will allow you to do it, just plug it in and watch TV on you PC while you listen to it on you surround sound system and vicey versey.

But if you want to do KJ off yer PC into a pro mixing board, then get yerself a pro interface card or forget it.

Hate to sound rude, but thats the way it is.....Do you think I spent 149 on a delta 44 cause I have too much money?

Nope,...I'm sitting here right now trying to find a way to buy a new Corvette....I sure ain't going to waste $$ on audio stuff I don't need.

Woooo Hooo!...I got the Vette dealer down to 40K so far.......That's the closest I've been yet....We just might make a deal.

Soundblasters are not great for any commercial purpose. I have had them as an inexpesive soultion for sound font manage for the last 4 years. I have noticed the cards tend to break down and crap out over time. If you are using a desktop I suggest taking a tip to your local guitar center an picking up an M-Audio card.

Keith, there are SEVERAL options for pcs, and your "pro level interface" is but one of them.

The Soundblaster MP3+ USB device is another. $45

USB mixers are yet another, although I've heard a few bad reviews on the Alexiss models... something about some background noise or hum. Some users have said that it works fine with their stuff, others have said it doesn't. The numark mixer I got is a champ! $99.

So please do everyone a favor and knock it off with the knowledge that you are giving is all that. There is ALWAYS another option when it comes to computers. Just because you gave ONE doesn't mean that there isn't others.

For the money M-Audio are good boards a better one  is the Lynx

I already did eveeryone a favor when I told them the delta 44 works....Short and simple, it works.

Ok, I'll  shut up and let all the others speak....funny how they all seem to agree with me tho in that there are no short cuts....you yerself just posted all the alternatives but mentioned they don't always work...Yet my suggestion works every time.

I've wasted lots of money experimenting with this audio stuff....So you can believe me when i tell you what NOT to buy.

I ain't saying M-Audio is the only solution. What I am saying is there is no short cuts....It's a mathimatical fact that you just can't interface consumer audio to a pro audio mixer without using the proper equipment.....Sorry, but Soundblaster just doesn't make it yet....And if they do, I ain't aware of it...And don't forget this, I am the first guy to save $$ whenever I can....I got horses to feed and I'm trying to buy a Vette.....I'll be lucky to buy a hubcap the way it's going.

I got bad ears, but I do have a degree in engineering.....I know what should work and don't work just by looking at the specs....How it sounds after that is subjective tween your ears and mine.....

If the guy wants to patch karaoke into his surround system then it will work, but if he wants to host karaoke thru a pro mixer and PA then his soundblaster will suck big time.

Been there done that and avoided all the shortcuts/false starts and failures with the M-Audio delta 44....If you want to reinvent the wheel, then go for it...It's your time and money not mine at stake...In fact, I would prefer you and he both reinvent the wheel...Maybe then we would be on the same plane and i would have someone to chat with who had a clue.

Thanks Keith, I assumed this was like my last few systems in that you had to unhook everything, and  lift the top casing off, wasn't aware Dell made things quite so simple, great to know !

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Man, you can dig in there with both hands while it's fired up and not hurt yourself or it....Just don't go unplugging anything with it operating or the computer God might resent it and release the magic smoke.....The magic smoke is what makes everything electronic work....Everyone knows that once the magic smoke is released, it's broke until you buy a new magic smoke containment device.

Keith, I thought something as little as static electricity can blow a MB.. I ruined a system just be running my vacuum cleaner too close to it... not unplugging one or two other's from the phone line "I assume" fried a few earlier systems during bad surging and lightening strikes to my building a few years back.. Also fried the TV, and a few other things....Not sure how good my surge strip is, but that's another story...as to me going into a computer....If there's a way to ruin something, I'll find it, if there's little way to ruin it,  I'll be the one who innovates a new method.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

See?...you let the magic smoke out...I told you not to do that.

Did you see the magic smoke?...Did you try to capture it and put it back in?....Didn't work did it?....Nope, cause it never fails that you will ever catch all of it...You got to catch it all and put it back or it will never work again...That's why I always say it is easier to just buy a new device that has the smoke still inside.

Keith, I'm happy you have a degree. I've been spinning music in clubs since 1983. I've been a karaoke host since 1996. Don't pretend that you know more than myself or other members of this bboard. I've been running karaoke via computer for a YEAR now, and NEVER had to use any kind of "M-AUDIO" board.

I heard that the Soundblaster CARD wouldn't work via pro audio. It wasn't DESIGNED to do that. It was designed to work with computer speakers, not an AMP that connects to speakers.

When I mentioned the Alexiss mixers, I was showing folks that despite what some manus claim, they may not work. JUST like there are all kinds of karaoke players, but we pros only use certain ones. There are all kinds of ways to hook up sound, too. AND "They" don't ALL agree... we're talking about a few members of the bboard that have piped up. Not "all"!

Now I'm using a numark usb and rca connection mixer, and it works WONDERS for me. But for the entire past year, I've been with the Soundblaster MP3+ USB device, and it works flawlessly.

For $45!

So until you've tried that sucker, don't put it down, or think that your M-Audio is the cheapest way to do it. Cause it's NOT!

Ok, Ok....I'll back off.

I don't want to lose any friends here over my opinion.

Let's just say I have my choice and it works for me, and you have what works for you, ok?...And that's all that really matters anyway-that we swap ideas and experiences on what works and what doesn't.

One more thing to remember is to turn off both on board audio and video via BIOS settings. If you leave them on and add PCI cards, the system resources will be wasted, specially video. The built in Intel video chips use main memory as the video buffer, rather than dedicated fast DDR memory, like NVIDIA or ATI cards for APG or PCIe. If you leave them on, it will take a chunk of your main memory to run the video even though you have not connected anything to it. Same goes for the audio but to a much lesser degree.

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Seize the day and SING!!!

Yes, the static electricity can ruin a MB, specifically an IC that is on the MB. I have seen the damage a static electricity does to an IC, under a microscope. It's pretty ugly, large pits in silicon base as if a bomb has dropped on them. Human can discharge over 40k volts of static electricity. The reason you are not hurt by them is that it's very low amperage. However, for an IC, it's the voltage that causes the damage. Also, static electricity doesn't alway do damage right away. It can cause a small damage that over time will degrade the silicon in the IC so your failure may not show up months after the initial discharge.

Always a good tip is to make sure the the unit is plugged in to a 3 pronged plugs with a good ground, not turned on, and touch one of the casing metal parts to discharge yourself before you touch anything inside. This does not guarantee complete discharge but will work in a pinch. You can always get a wrist discharge device that's less than $10 and clip it to a good ground source and you are definitely better off with that.

I build all my PCs from scratch and I take precaution when touching any components, so far none has failed on me.

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Seize the day and SING!!!

Keith, I never tried to say anything OTHER than that. I just took objection to your saying it was the only way.

My apologies for coming on too strong.

I value other's opinions. Highly. I'm here to learn and if the folks are open to it, to give advice. Most of the time it's me shuttin' up and listening as many of the folks here have much more experience. Especially some that are remaining quiet on this matter and others.

There's been a plethora of posts of late on the techie boards that frankly don't belong here, and I know I'm getting tired of it. Not saying we can't have fun, just if these post-ers aren't going to contribute in meaningful ways, it's best if they just post in the other areas.

And no, I'm nobody special... but I AM tired of weeding through the nonsense.

You really think you are a special gift from God, don't you? Personally, I think you are more air then anything else.

Like I told you before cowboy, you come get you some anytime you want it....I'll make time for you....Come get all you want...I'm an equal opportunity kinda guy.