OT: external soundcard

Discussion:

(too old to reply)

p.mc

2012-08-04 22:57:39 UTC

Hi All

Apologies, but I couldn't find a relevant NG...Here goes.

I want an external soundcard for my laptop (see below)
http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-usb-2-0-sound-card-11358351-pdt.html

Thing is my laptop falls short of the required configuration [My specs in
these type brackets]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Required Configuration
Microsoft® Windows® 7, [YES...32bit OS Though]
Windows Vista®
Windows XP (Professional x64 Edition, Service Pack 2 or above)

Intel® Core™2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor,
2.2 GHz or faster [NO...Celeron Dual Core 1.90 GHz]

1 GB RAM [YES...2GB]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Would the soundcard not work on my laptop at all; or would it just be slow?
Any advice would be appreciated.

Regards
p.mc

zippy

2012-08-05 03:49:06 UTC

Permalink

Post by p.mc
Hi All
Apologies, but I couldn't find a relevant NG...Here goes.
I want an external soundcard for my laptop (see below)
http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-usb-2-0-sound-card-11358351-pdt.html
Thing is my laptop falls short of the required configuration [My specs in
these type brackets]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Required Configuration
Microsoft® Windows® 7, [YES...32bit OS Though]
Windows Vista®
Windows XP (Professional x64 Edition, Service Pack 2 or above)
Intel® CoreT2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor,
2.2 GHz or faster [NO...Celeron Dual Core 1.90 GHz]
1 GB RAM [YES...2GB]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would the soundcard not work on my laptop at all; or would it just be slow?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Regards
p.mc

p.mc

2012-08-05 15:37:49 UTC

Permalink

If you're willing to spend a bit more have a look at the M-Audio mobile pre
USB series.
http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=products.family&ID=USBinterfaces
I use the Mobile Pre Fast Track Pro mainly for playback on large P.A.
systems.
Zero latency. Very clean indeed.
--
zip

------

Thanks for your response but it's a lot dearer and also the M-Audio
minimum system requirements are higher than the creative one (see below)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M-Audio
Minimum System Requirements (PC)
Pentium 3 – 500 MHz (higher speed CPU may be necessary for laptops)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The thing is, I just want to get better sound quality out of my laptop when
linked through the P.A in my friends pub.
(I understand that it also depends on P.A/speakers/file format/mixer...etc)

But I'd really like to know if I purchased the creative
creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-usb-2-0-sound-card.
Would it work on my laptop although the laptop's spec is under the cards
required configuration?

Or if it would it struggle and defeat the object?

Regards
p.mc

Phil W

2012-08-06 13:30:44 UTC

Permalink

Post by p.mc

Post by p.mc
I want an external soundcard for my laptop (see below)
http://www.dixons.co.uk/gbuk/creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-usb-2-0-sound-card-11358351-pdt.html
Thing is my laptop falls short of the required configuration
[My specs in these type brackets]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Required Configuration
Microsoft® Windows® 7, [YES...32bit OS Though]
Windows Vista®
Windows XP (Professional x64 Edition, Service Pack 2 or above)
Intel® CoreT2 Duo or AMD® equivalent processor,
2.2 GHz or faster [NO...Celeron Dual Core 1.90 GHz]
1 GB RAM [YES...2GB]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for your response but it's a lot dearer and also the M-Audio
minimum system requirements are higher than the creative one (see below)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M-Audio
Minimum System Requirements (PC)
Pentium 3 – 500 MHz (higher speed CPU may be necessary for laptops)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In what regards is a way old Pentium 3 @ 500 MHz (from the late 1990s) a
higher requirement than a C2D @ 2.2 GHz (from about 2006) ? ;-)

Anyway, it usually does not matter, if you have a Celeron or its
"full-blown" equivalent CPU. A Celeron @ 1,90 GHz + 2 GB RAM running Win7/32
bit should be more than sufficient to use a relatively simple USB audio
interface.

Post by p.mc
The thing is, I just want to get better sound quality out of my laptop when
linked through the P.A in my friends pub.
(I understand that it also depends on P.A/speakers/file
format/mixer...etc)
But I'd really like to know if I purchased the creative
creative-sound-blaster-x-fi-usb-2-0-sound-card.
Would it work on my laptop although the laptop's spec is under the cards
required configuration?

Your machine is way over the specs, so there´s no need to worry!

Post by p.mc
Or if it would it struggle and defeat the object?

I wouldn´t buy any Creative stuff anymore. In an office PC (XP SP3), I´ve
had to put an old PCI SBlive and the driver regularly crashes the system to
a blue screen, even when the card is not in use. Especially, in "live"
situations you don´t want your playback hardware to behave like that.
If you want something with good drivers, that will "just work" *and* sound
good, get something from M-Audio´s Fast Track series. The older ones have
dropped in price a while ago, when the new C models were released. The
smallest "old" Fast Track might even be cheaper than a Creative X-fi USB.

Hope that helps,

Phil

Arny Krueger

2012-08-05 17:56:08 UTC

Permalink

IME the larger question is whether or not it would install at all.

As I read thngs, the card is supported by Windows XP, Vista or 7, either 32
or 64 bit version with the added caveat that XP have at least SP/2 applied.

I think there may be no problem.

BUY it from a retailer with a liberal return policy.

p.mc

2012-08-06 19:15:44 UTC

Permalink

Sorry I just saw Pentium 3 over my celeron instead of GHz/Hz.

Anyhow thanks for the great advice, I think I'll google some of
M-Audio's older models, considering they give better support
on drivers. Then again some times companies end up not supporting
their older models though!..."What to do,what to do"

Regards
p.mc

Arny Krueger

2012-08-06 21:55:00 UTC

Permalink

Post by p.mc
Sorry I just saw Pentium 3 over my celeron instead of GHz/Hz.
Anyhow thanks for the great advice, I think I'll google some of M-Audio's
older models, considering they give better support
on drivers. Then again some times companies end up not supporting
their older models though!..."What to do,what to do"

M-Audio has a series of cards they call the Delta series. They all use the
same driver, but vary over a pretty fair range of # of channels and
performance.

p.mc

2012-08-06 22:50:18 UTC

Permalink

Think I'll firstly look there then. Thanks Arnie

Regards
p.mc

M-Audio has a series of cards they call the Delta series. They all use the
same driver, but vary over a pretty fair range of # of channels and
performance.
----

Think I'll firstly look there then. Thanks Arnie

Regards
p.mc

p.mc

2012-08-06 22:52:22 UTC

Permalink

"p.mc" wrote in message news:jvphn8$d9u$***@news.albasani.net...

Think I'll firstly look there then. Thanks Arnie

Regards
p.mc

p.mc

2012-08-07 02:25:39 UTC

Permalink

As Stated I primarily want to override/replace my laptop's on-board sound
card with an external USB sound card
to get better quality sound, outputting to a powered mixer for
karaoke/disco.

I'm not really fussed about recording in sounds, but rather getting better
sound quality from my mp3 music files on the laptop
which I use win amp as the media player to the P.A (I understand if the mp3
files are crap then I'll get crap anyway)

Currently I come from the laptop's headphone mini jack out to a ground loop
isolator then to two 1/4in jacks to the mixer.
If I use the m-audio fast track as an external sound card (if that's right!)
How do I connect cables to use it as needed

Loading Image...

For example if it was connected up (USB) would I only need to connect from
the units 2 rca outs - ground loop isolator - powered
mixer to get sound playing through the P.A
or
Would I still come out of the laptop's headphone mini jack - ground loop
isolator - m-audio's inputs (mic/guitar!) - 2 rca outs -
ground loop isolator - powered mixer to get sound playing.

Regards
p.mc

B***@the.controls

2012-08-07 14:45:33 UTC

Permalink

On Tue, 7 Aug 2012 03:25:39 +0100, "p.mc" <***@home.com> wrote:

<snip>

Post by p.mc
Currently I come from the laptop's headphone mini jack out to a ground loop
isolator then to two 1/4in jacks to the mixer.
If I use the m-audio fast track as an external sound card (if that's right!)
How do I connect cables to use it as needed
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j238/npilcs/m-audiofasttrack.png
For example if it was connected up (USB) would I only need to connect from
the units 2 rca outs - ground loop isolator - powered
mixer to get sound playing through the P.A
or
Would I still come out of the laptop's headphone mini jack - ground loop
isolator - m-audio's inputs (mic/guitar!) - 2 rca outs -
ground loop isolator - powered mixer to get sound playing.

You need to connect a USB lead from your laptop to the external sound card
(esd), and connect from the rca outputs of the ESD to the inout of your
mixer.

You will need to install software on your laptop to control the sound.

I used a similar setup 8/9 years back with what I would consider to be
better results than you'll get - in that the SoundBlaster ESD that I used
had 2 sets of stereo outputs, giving me the opportunity to run a DJ program
(BPMstudio) into 2 separate inputs on the mixer (I could have run 3 outputs
if I had wanted) this gives you the opportunity to set disparate input
leves as required,

Once you have the ESD installed and connected via. the USB lead you have no
need to use the headphone output on your laptop.

For what you're doing, somehthing like
http://uk.store.creative.com/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-x-fi-go-pro/1-20056.aspx
would probably suit you a whole lot more, for a start uit does away with
the USB lead :)

cheers

BJ

Post by p.mc
Regards
p.mc

Only users lose drugs.

ROT13 this <***@hfn.arg> to contact me.

Phil W

2012-08-07 15:36:40 UTC

Permalink

Post by p.mc
As Stated I primarily want to override/replace my laptop's on-board sound
card with an external USB sound card
to get better quality sound, outputting to a powered mixer for
karaoke/disco.
I'm not really fussed about recording in sounds, but rather getting better
sound quality from my mp3 music files on the laptop
which I use win amp as the media player to the P.A (I understand if the
mp3 files are crap then I'll get crap anyway)
Currently I come from the laptop's headphone mini jack out to a ground
loop isolator then to two 1/4in jacks to the mixer.
If I use the m-audio fast track as an external sound card (if that's
right!) How do I connect cables to use it as needed
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j238/npilcs/m-audiofasttrack.png
For example if it was connected up (USB) would I only need to connect from
the units 2 rca outs - ground loop isolator - powered
mixer to get sound playing through the P.A

IF you choose to use an external audio interface, you have to connect any
external audio to this interface and not the built-in "soundcard" of your
computer ( no matter, if laptop or desktop).
So, in short:
PC - Fast Trak [RCA OUTs] - groundloop isolator - mixer/whatever

Post by p.mc
Would I still come out of the laptop's headphone mini jack - ground loop
isolator - m-audio's inputs (mic/guitar!) - 2 rca outs -
ground loop isolator - powered mixer to get sound playing.

That won´t improve anything, since you still actually use the on-board
soundcard.

The Delta series cards are quite nice, but since they´re PCI cards for
desktop computers, you won´t be able to connect them to a laptop.

As far as driver support goes, I´d trust much more in M-Audio than Creative.

You might also want to check out "audio interfaces for DJs". Not really of
my personal interest, so I can´t suggest anything. Just generally choose
something from a company with good driver support, as the best hardware is
worth nothing without decent drivers to control it.

Rupert

2012-08-07 17:00:01 UTC

Permalink

Post by Phil W

IF you choose to use an external audio interface, you have to connect any
external audio to this interface and not the built-in "soundcard" of your
computer ( no matter, if laptop or desktop).
PC - Fast Trak [RCA OUTs] - groundloop isolator - mixer/whatever

That won´t improve anything, since you still actually use the on-board
soundcard.
The Delta series cards are quite nice, but since they´re PCI cards for
desktop computers, you won´t be able to connect them to a laptop.
As far as driver support goes, I´d trust much more in M-Audio than Creative.
You might also want to check out "audio interfaces for DJs". Not really of
my personal interest, so I can´t suggest anything. Just generally choose
something from a company with good driver support, as the best hardware is
worth nothing without decent drivers to control it.

You shouldn't need a ground loop isolator with the M-Audio interfaces in my experience. I've been using a MobilePre USB for year. They do a good job on their own. Adding one in needlessly degrades the signal. Especially if it's a cheap one that saturates and distorts with low frequency content.