Karaoke Forums

I have to agree with Knightshow...I too use the Soundblaster USB MP3+, and love it.  I love it so much I have 3 of them!  And anoter DJ in my are uses it too!

AND I got the for even cheaper off EBAY for under $20 per unit!!!!  :P  LMAO

Sorry, no time to waste.


I agree, nothing wrong with a generic soundcard.

Back to the original question....

Yes, that could be a problem, try the LINE OUT, probably on the back of the system.

Also check your volume levels on the player you are using, and in the master volume of the computer (speaker in the sys tray).

thanks for the help also should I be able to turn up the main volume from the computer above 50% without distortion. Seems like when I go over 50% it sounds bad. I know that when i bought a Ipod it said that if you run it to a stereo not to turn the Ipod above 75% volume. Im wondering if this holds true for a desktop cpu also. Hmm maybe there are some other setting that im missing here.

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Make sure the gain on the mixer is not set too high, also check the db input selector switch.

There it is!...It's like I was trying to explain....You are attempting to interface consumer level with pro level....Your PC card is overdriving your mixer.

It's got to be padded or somehow better matched. My suggestion was the M-audio card because it is designed to do just that.

Been there, done that.

Then why do respected people like Lonman, KnightShow, Twansenne and myself get away without the M-audio card? And no, before you get on your high horse again, I am not flaming you, just wondering how the rest of the world run their KJ shows without the M-audio card?

Keith, you mentioned above "masters need to be at or near unity".  

Can you (or anyone else) 'splain what that means?  I am always reading and trying to learn more about sound so I can constantly improve what I do.  Been reading lots on this and related topics as I am thinkin seriously about adding a PC/laptop to my setup.

guys guys easy on the big sound card battle I asked this question for a little insight which I have gained and truly appreciate. Stop with the bashing. Keith for some reason I feel like you own stock in the m-audio card easy brother. I understand that you like it but you have to admit there are alot of others that dont use it and are doing fine with what they have. Also what is the "UNITY" you all are talking about?

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

gain definition!

unity definition!   compared to unity (as in a normal sound wave)

I found that... and I think it's as close as an answer as you'll get

Actually in all honesty I haven't made the official leap into computer hosting yet.  I am ready to go as soon as my computer is built.  I will probably try the SB card that is built in, but chances are I was actually looking at a more pro-grade card myself - not trying to start any kind of word war here, like I said I will start with the SB card & see how it works with my system first...If I do go with another card I was actually thinking about this one http://www.esi-pro.com/viewProduct.php?pid=43&page=2

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Unity

Look at your mixer sliders.....And your twisty knobys.

Look for a detent or position that is labled zero....it's about 2/3rds up on a slider or twisty....That's unity....Sometimes it's labled like a figure 8 layin on it's side.

Unity means "out equals in"...1 volt in will give you one volt out, and so on.

Imagine this....That every device in your signal chain starting at the mixer inputs is a room that has both an entrance door and an exit door....And that your signal must pass thru all those rooms to end up at your speakers....and that in those rooms the signal can be amplified.....

Your mixer contains several of those rooms...The first one is at your inputs and it too has an entrance door(input gain twisty).....At the bottom of that input strip is the exit door(channel slider)....That door leads to the master buss...The master buss also has an exit door that leads to every device/room down stream headed toward your speakers...

The main rule you need to remember is to never have any entrance door to any room opened more than the exit door...Never admit more to any room than you let out....

Start with your board masters (mixer exit doors)at unity/zero........and your amp entrance doors wide open(amp input gains)

Reduce your CD payer input on the board twisty to min (mixer entrance door) and bring up your player strip slider to about -6(strip exit door)...Then increase the opening of the player mixer door (board player input twisty)till you have a little too much sound pressure from the player and then reduce it and control it with the player exit door(the slider)

At no time (in actual performance)should you ever have any entrance door open more than an exit door....No slider should ever be higher than your masters.....No input twisty should ever be higher than your channel sliders....If you do that, you are causing distortion by overloading an input....signal is entering one of those rooms and getting crowded trying to exit.

From mic to speakers, there are several levels of amplification...Each amp needs it's exit door open wide, but it's entrance door positioned just so.....That's what we call proper gain structure.

Clipping is an altogether different beast....That's where you ask one of those amps in the chain to pump out more than it can....When an amp gets drained, it genertates a square topped signal that carries all the way thru the whole chain and get's amplified as it passes...........

Lon I have been using comps for 5-6 years now for shows.. The first one we used was an old e machine 550 cpu and used the ac97 codec onboard sound for a year or 2, 3 nights wk .  It doesnt take a pro board to run shows. I use the delta 44 but the only reason I got it was for recording. It does improve the quality on some tracks especially if you have a system that (puts out) the difference.    Although ac97 codecs have improved they still have alot of floor noise. The sounblaster that Matt is using is more than adequate for shows and even recording.  Im not familar with the  board you are lokking at but I did notice in the specs the noise level is -107 db That is approaching or with Audiophile or Lynx boards I couldnt find a price on it How much?

Very good post there.

And when "it genertates a square topped signal " you get a DC signal to the speakers which burns the coils, and boom, there goes your coil. Open your coils when you replace them, and if you see any blue color, you know what the culprit is. DC voltage.

$139

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I really didnt read the specs real good but it does look like one good board One other thing to remember an internal board is sometimes subject to comp freq interference and a usb or firewire board is immune from that.. But its nothing to get real concerned about....

Edit the newer mb's have better ac97 codecs and better dac and adc converters I recently put a new laptop on and it surprised me...

Thing that is helping my decision (if I go this route) is the fact that the 1/4" are balanced in's & outs as is the rest of my system.

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Yea I noticed that I didnt see that they are balanced I hate the mini stereo plug out and in..  Thats what I like about this business about the time you think you have the best somebody comes out with better!!!!

I got to wondering about running balanced into the stereo in the desk I'm looking at the dfx12 diagram and with stereo 1'4" plugs and using the two conductors for balanced (standard) it goes into a + and - op amp just as the mic inputs do...