AnimeSuki Forums

hhaamu · 2006-03-11, 15:46

I have a problem with Soundblaster Live using Windows 2000. The volume is far too loud (I'm using headphones) unless the mixer levels are at minimum. This also gives an annoying static noise. To illustrate my problem:

However, the sound card is working just fine under Linux using ALSA and reasonable mixer settings. I have the newest drivers ('03) from Creative. Any ideas what might be causing this and suggestions to fix it?

Ending · 2006-03-11, 18:06

Control panel -> Sounds and audio -> Explore a bit. There is another volme-bar there, although I'm not 100% is it separate from the one in start-menu. It also might be a good idea to mute all line-in ports in case the card listens them (thus creating static noises when something, like dust, hits the port).

Set the volume so that those bars are one third of the max.

hhaamu · 2006-03-15, 04:07

I found the volume bar but it is exactly the same as the one in the mixer (move one and the other moves). I also tried to mute everything, and only the "Mute all" checkbox removed the static noise

Ending · 2006-03-15, 06:43

Then you know that the static noise is coming from the soundcard. Ensure that the cables are tightly plugged in and, of course, you went through the extra options in sound-panel, right? Other than that, dunno; I had similar problems in my old comp after 5 years of good use, but that was solved when I got a new one with Audigy 2 ZS.

hhaamu · 2006-03-15, 11:07

Extra options as in the mixers that you could get visible through the menus? Yes, I did try to mute them also. The cable is plugged in just fine. The static noise is probably there because the mixers are set loud -- I get similar noise if I set the mixers to 90% Master 90% PCM under Linux.

hhaamu · 2007-02-13, 07:14

After a clean reinstall and meditating on this issue for almost 11 months, I have a theory of what happens:

The hardware mixers are jerked up to maximum at boot-up, and Windows is actually using software mixing to control the volume.

I should consider replacing the sound card with a non-creative one.

Nicholi · 2007-02-13, 08:40

Further suggestion, don't use Soundblaster's drivers. I had a Soundblaster Live myself (for a very long time until only recently) and I had alot less issues while using the kX Project drivers. Much nicer and allows for extreme user customization.

Specto · 2007-02-13, 13:44

Hmm not sure this exactly fits the issue, but perhaps you have the recording source set to "what you hear" and this is feeding back and causing the sound output to be very loud.
To fix this open volume control, Options Menu -> Properties. Select "Recording" radio button. click OK and change settings appropriately.

You can also make everything too loud by applying certain EAX settings, so you need to check that the EAX effects are disabled. I can't recall how to do this, but there is tool supplied with the drivers.

Jinto · 2007-02-13, 19:02

I'ld also look for feedbacks first. So crappy soundblaster cards (Live) are known to produce much noise on the PCI-bus. After threw out this card, my PC died a lot less on IRQL less or equal blue screens.

hhaamu · 2007-02-16, 12:12

Thanks, but the noise did not go away. I played with the mixer recording settings. None were better than the other. I installed kX Project's drivers (their control panel is flashy and confusing), it swapped my front/rear channels so I had to tell it I had a 4.0 speaker setup to keep the headphone jack in place =/

Nicholi · 2007-02-16, 23:23

There is an option in the settings to reverse the FL/FR and SL/SR jacks again. You could just turn that on/off. It is on one of the basic pages with the Volume controls, nothing in the super nifty pages if you are getting stuck there

.

Navel · 2007-02-17, 06:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicholi

There is an option in the settings to reverse the FL/FR and SL/SR jacks again. You could just turn that on/off. It is on one of the basic pages with the Volume controls, nothing in the super nifty pages if you are getting stuck there

.

The kxMixer page -> "Toggle Swap Front and rear mode". (by default it's checked, that is your front and rear are swapped - it's said that the dac convertor used for the rear speakers is higher quality that the one used for the front ones)

Another way is to simply plug your speaker cable in the rear jack.

2006-03-11, 15:46	Link #1
hhaamu Don't panic. Join Date: May 2003 Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Age: 38	SB Live mixer problem I have a problem with Soundblaster Live using Windows 2000. The volume is far too loud (I'm using headphones) unless the mixer levels are at minimum. This also gives an annoying static noise. To illustrate my problem: However, the sound card is working just fine under Linux using ALSA and reasonable mixer settings. I have the newest drivers ('03) from Creative. Any ideas what might be causing this and suggestions to fix it? __________________ (actually, any browser is fine to me as long as it doesn't use IE's rendering engine...) Generating the #animesuki stats since 2003

2006-03-15, 04:07	Link #3
hhaamu Don't panic. Join Date: May 2003 Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Age: 38	I found the volume bar but it is exactly the same as the one in the mixer (move one and the other moves). I also tried to mute everything, and only the "Mute all" checkbox removed the static noise __________________ (actually, any browser is fine to me as long as it doesn't use IE's rendering engine...) Generating the #animesuki stats since 2003

2006-03-15, 11:07	Link #5
hhaamu Don't panic. Join Date: May 2003 Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Age: 38	Extra options as in the mixers that you could get visible through the menus? Yes, I did try to mute them also. The cable is plugged in just fine. The static noise is probably there because the mixers are set loud -- I get similar noise if I set the mixers to 90% Master 90% PCM under Linux. __________________ (actually, any browser is fine to me as long as it doesn't use IE's rendering engine...) Generating the #animesuki stats since 2003

2007-02-13, 07:14	Link #6
hhaamu Don't panic. Join Date: May 2003 Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Age: 38	After a clean reinstall and meditating on this issue for almost 11 months, I have a theory of what happens: The hardware mixers are jerked up to maximum at boot-up, and Windows is actually using software mixing to control the volume. I should consider replacing the sound card with a non-creative one. __________________ (actually, any browser is fine to me as long as it doesn't use IE's rendering engine...) Generating the #animesuki stats since 2003

2007-02-13, 19:02	Link #9
Jinto Asuki-tan Kairin ↓ Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Fürth (GER) Age: 43	I'ld also look for feedbacks first. So crappy soundblaster cards (Live) are known to produce much noise on the PCI-bus. After threw out this card, my PC died a lot less on IRQL less or equal blue screens. __________________ Folding@Home, Team Animesuki

2006-03-11, 18:06	Link #2
Ending Senior Member Join Date: May 2004	Control panel -> Sounds and audio -> Explore a bit. There is another volme-bar there, although I'm not 100% is it separate from the one in start-menu. It also might be a good idea to mute all line-in ports in case the card listens them (thus creating static noises when something, like dust, hits the port). Set the volume so that those bars are one third of the max.

2006-03-15, 06:43	Link #4
Ending Senior Member Join Date: May 2004	Then you know that the static noise is coming from the soundcard. Ensure that the cables are tightly plugged in and, of course, you went through the extra options in sound-panel, right? Other than that, dunno; I had similar problems in my old comp after 5 years of good use, but that was solved when I got a new one with Audigy 2 ZS.

2007-02-13, 08:40	Link #7
Nicholi King of Hosers Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 41	Further suggestion, don't use Soundblaster's drivers. I had a Soundblaster Live myself (for a very long time until only recently) and I had alot less issues while using the kX Project drivers. Much nicer and allows for extreme user customization.

2007-02-13, 13:44	Link #8
Specto Junior Member IT Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: UK	Hmm not sure this exactly fits the issue, but perhaps you have the recording source set to "what you hear" and this is feeding back and causing the sound output to be very loud. To fix this open volume control, Options Menu -> Properties. Select "Recording" radio button. click OK and change settings appropriately. You can also make everything too loud by applying certain EAX settings, so you need to check that the EAX effects are disabled. I can't recall how to do this, but there is tool supplied with the drivers.

2007-02-16, 12:12	Link #10
hhaamu Don't panic. Join Date: May 2003 Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha Age: 38	Thanks, but the noise did not go away. I played with the mixer recording settings. None were better than the other. I installed kX Project's drivers (their control panel is flashy and confusing), it swapped my front/rear channels so I had to tell it I had a 4.0 speaker setup to keep the headphone jack in place =/ __________________ (actually, any browser is fine to me as long as it doesn't use IE's rendering engine...) Generating the #animesuki stats since 2003

2007-02-16, 23:23	Link #11
Nicholi King of Hosers Join Date: Dec 2005 Age: 41	There is an option in the settings to reverse the FL/FR and SL/SR jacks again. You could just turn that on/off. It is on one of the basic pages with the Volume controls, nothing in the super nifty pages if you are getting stuck there .