RE: RE: VikingCon

From: W. Scott Snyder

> Hello all..
>
> I couldn't help but put my $.02 in here. :)
>
> There are a few cards out there that offer digial input - SBLive!
> is one - and with the Platinum version you get a convenient input
> bay (fits into a drive bay) that exposes all the connectors.
> At this time with so many PCI audio card companies discontinuing
> their audio business, this is probably your only bet in a consumer
> level sound card.

Hmm. I think there may be more than two versions of this card, because the one I looked at didn't have digital input. I'll have to look into it. A Platinum gives you digital input as well as output, as I understand it, allowing for noise-free transfer of data from the Minidisk.

> One caveat of this however - the SPDIF input on a SBLIVE is noisy.
> Not digital noise, analog noise. PCI bus is noisy and not far
> enough away from the power source. So you will likely experience
> an offset, which can be corrected with software like Sonic Foundry's
> Sound Forge (the XP version of this excellent software can be
> had for around $50)

I install cards and tech computers, but I'll bow to your greater expertise on the quality and use of high-end soundcards. However, I was under the impression that she had digital output on her Minidisk that would fit into the digital port on a SB Live! Platinum. If it leaves her machine in digital format, travels in digital format, and records to the hard drive in digital format, the power source and such should be irrelevant. I will research this further; it has been on my "to-do" list for years.

However, that does bring up a good question. What types of output does the Minidisk have?

<snip>

> As far as multiple audio cards go - they can coexist. Windows
> will recognize one as the primary playback device (settable in
> Audio control panel) and pretty much ignore the other one. You
> audio editing software, however, can utilize all the cards found.
> We have done testing with as many as 4 different cards in a
> box, and they all work simultaneously. If you use a specialty
> card like the Echo, or an interface like the Roland, then this
> won't be a problem for you as these devices are treated differently
> by Windows.

Subject to some caveats, most of which apply to the specialty cards, too, I agree. I hadn't tried it myself, though, so corroboration is all to the good.

> Okay - that's probably too much information - but I hope it helps
> at least a little. :)
>
> -Scott Snyder

I think that was a good start.

If the Minidisk has a digital output, and the card has a digital input, then she doesn't have to worry about noise in the computer system. With a SoundBlaster Live! Platinum, she would have digital input, so all we need to do is make certain that the Minidisk has digital output, and that it is the correct type to connect to the sound card. If it does, all she needs is a SB Live! Platinum. From what I have been given to understand of late (and I'm still checking on this), if the SoundBlaster card she already has is a Live!, then all she will need is a Platinum upgrade kit, which can be bought online for probably about $50-60.

Filksinger
AKA David Nasset, Sr. Received on 08/27/01