Recording with Laptop

[whshep]

I've been trying to record audio with CakeWalk 8 on my IBM Thinkpad 1400 (Celeron 333) laptop with WinME and 128MG through the new Aardvark USB audio interface, and no matter what I do, I get random clicks and pops. The Aardvark is two-channel only so I'm not overtaxing the system with two many tracks. I've tried adjusting system settings--hard drives, video, etc.--and disabling startup and closing all running programs--to no avail. The only thing that has helped at all is increasing the playback buffers, but I still get that occassional annoying click.

I've checked IRQ settings and found that the USB hub shares a spot with "IRQ Holder for PCI Steering". I don't know what that means, but according to the Systems setting under PCI Bus, IRQ Steering is disabled.

I tried using n-Track to record, but it was even worse, click-wise.

Anyone have any further suggestions on how to get rid of the clicks?

[xxFT13xx]

just record and then use a plugin to remove the clicks and pops.

sonic foundrys dx plugin works real well.

-Sin
http://zwap.to/ft13

[recordingpro]

some plugins can get rid of the pops and clicks pretty well, but I think it would be much wiser to spend your resources on eliminating them in the first place. It could be a myriad of things....if you purchased any of the gear from sweetwater than you might want to check with their tech support department. If not, you might want to cruise to the support portion of this webpage and search the online database. One thing that I've seen do this is hard drives that are overly fragmented, so you may want to check that as well.

[whshep]

The clicks and pops occur on playback, so editing the file has no effect.

Adjusting playback buffers has no effect either.

I've exhausted all the suggestions from several other user groups, as well as all the tech docs I can find from Sweetwater and elsewhere. I get clicks and pops on playback with no other programs running and the entire system optimized. I'm at a loss.

[sammtri]

At the first time I learn to to use a soundcard on a HP Vectra computer. I had the same experience. I was asking around and then one day I have found that the couputer has it's own clock tic tock for setting how long that I'm not using it..then it will turn to low power. I just set this to off or disable (what ever I can't remember now)and not using it. From that time I didn't get any pops at all. Hope this will help. Sam
:D

[everett_chris]

Make sure all of your disk caching options are disabled, esp. write caching.

Also consider an OS besides winME. I have had very poor luck with doing anything with that OS.

[Ken G]

I wonder if whshep is still reading items from this forum. I recently (Christmas 2004) purchased an Aardvark Direct Mix USB3 external USB audio box for use with a new Dell laptop (Windows XP). It works fine with Sound Forge, which fortunately is what I really need, but with all other audio programs that I have tried, I too get clicks and pops when playing files or CDs, even though the same files play through the same programs without clicks using the otherwise terrible on-mother-board audio. So I am interested to know whether whshep eventually cured the problem and if so, how.

Ken G

[ark]

First: Try transferring the file to another machine and verify that the clicks and pops do not occur there.

Next: There is probably a way of setting the buffer size for playback. See if changing the size (probably increasing it) helps.

If that doesn't work, you might see whether the clicks and pops happen at the same point in playback each time. If not, is there some other kind of activity that coincides with them?

[Ken G]

ark,

Thanks for the comment, but I think you miss the point. As with whshep some years ago, the wave files themselves are clean. The same symptom occurs playing audio CDs. Files and CDs play back by other means on the laptop, and on other computers not via external USB converters, perfectly well. It is only when files or CDs are played out from the laptop via the Aardvark USB3 using most programs that the clicks occur. Fortunately for me, the program I need to use on files, Sound Forge, works without clicks (but cannot deal with CDs). I would like to be able to play audio CDs out via the USB box. I haven't been able to check whether the USB3 plays cleanly on my other computer, because it doesn't work at all there (incompatible USB controller), but that is really not the point since it was bought for use with the laptop. I assume that it's a timing problem, but I cannot find anything in the XP settings that would affect that, and it is strange that one program works. Incidentally in case anyone thinks of it, there is no dedicated driver for the USB3; you plug it in, XP recognizes it (with its name) and it works (or it doesn't).

Ken G