I seem to be in sound card hell. My machine's on-board audio is
fixed at a 48KHz sample rate and I don't want to do re-sampling in
software. I scrounged a sound card out of another machine and found
it to be a undocumented OEM version of the SBLive! for Gateway computers.
It's just different enough from the standard version that it plays, but
will only record silence.

Since it looks like I'll have to buy something I'm wondering... what's
a good PCI sound card for ham use? Comments?

// marc (kc7jl)

In article ,
Marco S Hyman wrote:

| I seem to be in sound card hell. My machine's on-board audio is
| fixed at a 48KHz sample rate and I don't want to do re-sampling in
| software. I scrounged a sound card out of another machine and found
| it to be a undocumented OEM version of the SBLive! for Gateway computers.
| It's just different enough from the standard version that it plays, but
| will only record silence.

My SBLive will record from line-in, or the microphone. You control
which one via software.

(I do it on Linux, so I'm not sure how exactly you'd change it. But
the odds are good that it can record.)

--
Doug McLaren,
Once I finally figured out all of life's answers, they changed the questions.

"Marco S Hyman" wrote in message
...

Since it looks like I'll have to buy something I'm wondering... what's
a good PCI sound card for ham use? Comments?

The 16-bit SoundBlaster PCI works best ( for me ) with the largest variety
of Ham Radio software.

Charles Brabham, N5PVL

Director: USPacket http://www.uspacket.org
Admin: HamBlog.Com http://www.hamblog.com
Weblog: http://www.hamblog.com/blog_n5pvl.php

(Doug McLaren) writes:

In article ,
Marco S Hyman wrote:

| software. I scrounged a sound card out of another machine and found
| it to be a undocumented OEM version of the SBLive! for Gateway computers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

My SBLive will record from line-in, or the microphone. You control
which one via software.

So far I've found info on about 11 different cards that all call
themselves SBLive! None of the info describes the custom OEM version
made for Gateway, the one that has different jacks on the back.

(I do it on Linux, so I'm not sure how exactly you'd change it. But
the odds are good that it can record.)

Yep, probably just a simple matter of programming. But since the card
is undocumented it makes the programming choices a bit harder. I suppose
I could spend the next several months toggling toggling bits at random
in hope that I stumble on the right combination. Or I can buy anyother
audio card.

Got any suggestions on a good card for ham use?

// marc (kc7jl)

"Marco S Hyman" wrote in message
...
(Doug McLaren) writes:

In article ,
Marco S Hyman wrote:

| software. I scrounged a sound card out of another machine and found
| it to be a undocumented OEM version of the SBLive! for Gateway
computers.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

My SBLive will record from line-in, or the microphone. You control
which one via software.

So far I've found info on about 11 different cards that all call
themselves SBLive! None of the info describes the custom OEM version
made for Gateway, the one that has different jacks on the back.

(I do it on Linux, so I'm not sure how exactly you'd change it. But
the odds are good that it can record.)

Yep, probably just a simple matter of programming. But since the card
is undocumented it makes the programming choices a bit harder. I suppose
I could spend the next several months toggling toggling bits at random
in hope that I stumble on the right combination. Or I can buy anyother
audio card.

Got any suggestions on a good card for ham use?


Get the generic SBLive! installer from Creative's web site.
When you install it, make sure you install SB16 emulation.
This works for Windows. For Linux you may need to check
that the specific CTxxxx number has support.

Details on the different cards can often be found via
a Google of their CTxxxx number.

I've picked up a number of the older "SBLive! Gamer Value"
variety on eBay, generally for about $10 - $12. These are pretty
generic versions of the Live!, and have the four jacks instead of 3.
Was going to check CT number, but all are in computers right now.
CT4670 or 4560 sounds kinda familiar.

--

... Hank

http://home.earthlink.net/~horedson
http://home.earthlink.net/~w0rli

"Hank Oredson" writes:

Get the generic SBLive! installer from Creative's web site.

Perhaps if I had a windows partition on this box, but I don't.
Apparently Gateway has a windows driver for this specific card, too.

Details on the different cards can often be found via
a Google of their CTxxxx number.

Yep. My card is the CT4830 which apparently some software reports
as a CT4832. The Gateway version of this card removed the S/PDIF
output jack and multiplexed it onto the line out 1 jack with some
(undocumented) way to switch between audio and digital output.
I got around that by using the line out 2 jack. Play works just
fine.

But recording gives me silence. I suspect there's an internal mapping
in the the EMU-10K1 that isn't being set correctly by the *BSD driver.
I get silence on line in and mic in. It's a digital interface issue
as the mixer is more than happy to route mic and/or line in to my
line out.

I've picked up a number of the older "SBLive! Gamer Value"
variety on eBay, generally for about $10 - $12. These are pretty
generic versions of the Live!, and have the four jacks instead of 3.
Was going to check CT number, but all are in computers right now.
CT4670 or 4560 sounds kinda familiar.

That's an idea. I've also been told that older Ensoniq PCI audio
cards will work well in my environment. I guess it's ebay time.
I'm tired of looking at audio driver code and guessing what the
relevant bits may be.

Thanks,

// marc (kc7jl)

"Marco S Hyman" wrote in message
...
"Hank Oredson" writes:

Get the generic SBLive! installer from Creative's web site.

Perhaps if I had a windows partition on this box, but I don't.
Apparently Gateway has a windows driver for this specific card, too.

Details on the different cards can often be found via
a Google of their CTxxxx number.

Yep. My card is the CT4830 which apparently some software reports
as a CT4832. The Gateway version of this card removed the S/PDIF
output jack and multiplexed it onto the line out 1 jack with some
(undocumented) way to switch between audio and digital output.
I got around that by using the line out 2 jack. Play works just
fine.

But recording gives me silence. I suspect there's an internal mapping
in the the EMU-10K1 that isn't being set correctly by the *BSD driver.
I get silence on line in and mic in. It's a digital interface issue
as the mixer is more than happy to route mic and/or line in to my
line out.

I've picked up a number of the older "SBLive! Gamer Value"
variety on eBay, generally for about $10 - $12. These are pretty
generic versions of the Live!, and have the four jacks instead of 3.
Was going to check CT number, but all are in computers right now.
CT4670 or 4560 sounds kinda familiar.

That's an idea. I've also been told that older Ensoniq PCI audio
cards will work well in my environment. I guess it's ebay time.
I'm tired of looking at audio driver code and guessing what the
relevant bits may be.


I've had some problems with the Ensoniq cards, and now
just toss 'em in the trash. Long story, but I tend to end up
with a lot of older compturs to recycle into ham radio use.

--

... Hank

http://home.earthlink.net/~horedson
http://home.earthlink.net/~w0rli

In article ,
Marco S Hyman wrote:

| I've picked up a number of the older "SBLive! Gamer Value"
| variety on eBay, generally for about $10 - $12. These are pretty
| generic versions of the Live!, and have the four jacks instead of 3.
| Was going to check CT number, but all are in computers right now.
| CT4670 or 4560 sounds kinda familiar.
|
| That's an idea. I've also been told that older Ensoniq PCI audio
| cards will work well in my environment. I guess it's ebay time.
| I'm tired of looking at audio driver code and guessing what the
| relevant bits may be.

Any generic SBLive will do you well, and they're cheap. I've gotten
several locally for $5/each, and all of my computers have one.
They're excellent cards, and while I don't know what the deal is with
the OEM version you have, it's not worth wasting much time on.

As an added bonus, I don't know about the BSD driver, but the Linux
drivers can play multiple streams at once on the card without a
software mixer like esd. This doesn't sound like a big deal, but it
is -- you can be playing music, and it can play a new mail sound at
the same time. Or you can fire off six different xmms programs, and
play six different songs at once. It's very nice, and it's why I
don't deal with anything but SBlives anymore.

--
Doug McLaren,
There's upholding the principle. And there's being the only
knucklehead left who's upholding the principle. - Bram Cohen

(Doug McLaren) writes:

Any generic SBLive will do you well, and they're cheap. I've gotten
several locally for $5/each, and all of my computers have one.
They're excellent cards, and while I don't know what the deal is with
the OEM version you have, it's not worth wasting much time on.

Not wasting time is good! A cheap SBLive or SB16 is what I'll
look for. I'll save my current card for the next windows machine
I build, i.e. religate it to the junk pile :-)

Thanks to all for your input,

// marc (kc7jl)