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Hello Guest - I'm in a bit of a rut!
13 October, 2008 - 12:44 — DarkZephyr23
Ok, so recently, I had a massive computer failure. I was forced to run the installation disc, and wipe out EVERYTHING from my hard drive. Since then, my computer has been working fine. I can still listen to/ produce music. However, when I export the completed song as a wav file, it sounds horrid! The notes cut off, blend together, or don't play at all! I've updated all my audio codecs and drivers, so it can't be that. I'm beginning to think it's my sound card failing on me. Anyone else ever have this problem? I'm trying to decide whether to get a new sound card, or just get an entirely new system altogether. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
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P.S. I'm running a Gateway GT5058, AMD Athlon 64 dual core. Integrated 5.1 Surround, with Windows XP Media Center Edition.
Music knows no bounds
Try updating your sound card drivers...
or all your drivers at that.
Check out all of my BEATS
CLUB BANGA/TIME$ ENTRY : KICK-DOOR!
Ooh dam. I haven't encountered something like that before. Have you got another soundcard or onboard audio to test exporting the wav file with? Just to cut the current soundcard out of the equation to test whether that's the problem?
Last Perfect Day
You can check out your soundcard, if it is a separate soundcard board. Go into the settup on start-up (F11 I think) and enable the onboard (mainboard) sound card, remember to relocate your in/out plugs.Good luck, you dont want your creativity disturbed in this way.
What program are you using for your mixes? I had that problem once but it was because I was using audacity,wasn't exporting the files right,and I was over loading my memory and sound card by using a mixer pluged into my sound card with a head phone to rca cable a I had the levels up to high. How do other songs sound?
Is the problem only with the tracks you make? if you can play a reg audio cd, then it prob isn't your sound card. Try using a differant program,I've found that cool edit works well. It's hard to really give you any advice though with out knowing what your using for software and audio inputs. It sounds like you have a fairly new computer. Their is no reason you should be having somany hardware issues. I've been using an extreme audio sound card non stop for 2 years without any problems and I bought that at office max for 2o bucks.
I'm using magix music maker 12 mainly as my recording mixing and editing software. I also use fl studio 8. Only thing is that I've never had any problems before my computer malfunction a couple weeks ago. I lowered the volume on all the instruments and exported each instrument as its own wav file. But even those are messed up. I know my audio drivers and codecs are up to date. Music knows no bounds
I'm using magix music maker 12 mainly as my recording mixing and editing software. I also use fl studio 8. Only thing is that I've never had any problems before my computer malfunction a couple weeks ago. I lowered the volume on all the instruments and exported each instrument as its own wav file. But even those are messed up. I know my audio drivers and codecs are up to date. And any previously done songs sound pristine. Absolutely no errors.its just the ones I've done recently that are screwy. Music knows no bounds
Hey is it only when you export a wav file from Magix that it sounds terrible? What if you export one from Flstudio?
Also, have you double checked in your Magix audio settings that you've got the correct audio driver selected? And the correct buffer length and all that?
It sounds the exact same in FL, bro! Only difference is the playback sounds just as screwy in FL as the exported file does in Magix. However, playback in Magix is pristine. No problem whatsoever. I tried all three of the audio drivers. (Wave, Direct Sound, ASIO.) And the buffer length is to at maximum. I dunno what else I could do.
Music knows no bounds
This is bizarre! Just out of interest, have you tried creating a new track, just in case its something to do with your existing track files? I really doubt it is, but just in case.
Yea bro, I had that exact same thought. I actually tried that too, and got the exact same results. You said it, it's really bizarre. I never had a problem before until just recently. I'm starting to think it's not my sound card though. It's gotta be something else.
Music knows no bounds
Also you haven't messed around with the interpolation settings in Flstudio? I read that some of the higher flstudio interpolation settings can cause stuttering audio.
Do your flstudio audio settings look pretty much like this?
http://www.maketunes.com/images/flstudio-audio-settings
Hmmm whats changed since your previous installation of windows? Were you always running Windows Media Center edition? I know you said it was working fine, but I have read many times that its not recommended for music production, and can cause all sorts of problems for musicians. The integrated audio too could likely be causing headaches. If it was me, I would look at switching to XP Pro, with a soundcard something like the M-audio 2496.
Perhaps its something to do with the 5.1? Maybe you had the soundcard configured differently last time, and then during installation this time, its all been changed back?
You might also want to check out your CPU usage level while your music software is playing, eg start a track playing in flstudio, and right-click the windows taskbar and select TASK MANAGER and click the PERFORMANCE tab in the Windows Task Manager that should pop up. Be curious to know whether your cpu is maxing out while the audio is stuttering.
Well, except for the "M-Audio" part, my settings look exactly the same. I'm honestly at a loss here. I don't know what's wrong. Media Center Edition worked just fine before. I'm not sure what's changed since then. Everything looks the same on the surface. I tried doing a system restore on my computer also, and got the same results. I'm racking my brain trying to pin point the problem so I can remedy it.
Music knows no bounds
One thing - are you absolutely certain that you upgraded to the CORRECT audio drivers? Upgrading to a similar sounding products drivers can cause all sorts of issues. Thats one thing which has changed since the last working windows installation huh? Do you have a link to the drivers you downloaded?
Ok, I just ran FL. I opened up one of the songs that came with it. The second that song started playing it started getting distorted, with loud cracks and what not. My CPU also jumped from 2% usage to 55%....
Music knows no bounds
I don't at the moment bro, but I can track it down. I actually downloaded the driver directly from the Gateway website. It wasn't a third party installation or anything. And, it was the only driver they have for this computer, unless it was a bad download......
Music knows no bounds
Hmmm ok. Well the cpu at 55% seems maybe a little high, but at least its not maxing out at 100% which I would definitely expect to cause audio issues. I'm downloading the flstudio demo and will see if I can "break" the audio playback some how :)
Hey you should check the Device Manager for problems too. If you don't know how, one way to get it is just to open up the MY COMPUTER window, and right click in the white space - then click PROPERTIES, select the HARDWARE tab, and then click the DEVICE MANAGER button. Look through that list of all your computers devices to see any warnings or errors.
Yeah, did that too bro! Everything seems to be functioning just fine. I didn't get any error messages or anything. I didn't get any yellow exclamation points or red x's. And, the trouble shooter was no help at all. Not sure what else I could do. I mean, if I'm getting playback, and all music and sound effects are playing, then it can't be the sound card. It's gotta be something else. By the way, I really appreciate the help, Matt. I've been able to maintain sanity by posting this forum. :)
Music knows no bounds
Yeah no worries, its frustrating as hell when things like this happen, I know!
Now I'm not sure whether Windows Media Center Edition has the same setup, but can you load the Event Viewer? If you can access it, it'll be under CONTROL PANEL > ADMINISTRATIVE TOOL > EVENT VIEWER...
If you can see that, then you can view the APPLICATION log and the SYSTEM log, which may help, because all sorts of errors and warnings you can't view anywhere else are logged there. Its possible that might give you clue as to whats going wrong.
Hey what about DirectX? I'm not sure, but its possible that could be involved. Maybe you had say DirectX9 already installed on your last working windows installation, but since reinstalling you have some hideously outdated version of DirectX which came with your installation CD?
You can find out what version of DirectX you have by running the command DXDIAG from the START > RUN box...
If you don't have a proper version of DirectX installed, your computer may be emulating DirectSound?
Yea this is FRUSTRATING!!! lol I found the event viewer you mentioned. I'm looking through it now. Already I've seen dozens of error messages that say this:"The MAGIX_ASIO_BoostDriver service failed to start due to the following error:
The system cannot find the file specified." I'm still looking for more error messages. Thank you for mentioning that, Matt. I would've never known about it!
Music knows no bounds
Matt, you might just be right! I never even thought of that. I'll check right now, bro!
Music knows no bounds
AHA! The asio error could well be a major clue. Hmmm well, now that I think about it, your 5.1 integrated audio probably doesn't support ASIO natively, so if you attempt to use native ASIO in your audio programs setup, it will probably log those errors.
ASIO4ALL on the other hand, is different - its a sort of simulated ASIO driver for people who don't have an ASIO supporting soundcard. I think when you install Flstudio it installs ASIO4ALL as a bonus extra? Do you have ASIO4ALL as an option under your audio settings in either flstudio or magix?
Actually they both have it, bro. I also ran DXDIAG and I've got DirectX9 installed......
Music knows no bounds
Gahhh! lol. So its not the directX.
What happens if you try using ASIO4ALL in your audio software? Ah nuts, you already said you've tried all the options huh.
Yea, bro. Exactly why I'm stuck! lol
Music knows no bounds
wow this post got long quickly.... and this is the most i've seen matt on maketunes lol
(i have no more info on this)
Check out all of my BEATS
CLUB BANGA/TIME$ ENTRY : KICK-DOOR!
Haha I have my moments toogood ;)
Well I installed the flstudio demo and while its playing via Primary Sound Driver, I can make the audio playback destroy itself by reducing the buffer length to 35ms for example. Also, while its running with the Audio Settings window open, I can see hundreds of buffer underruns accumulating in the handy buffer underrun counter... can you see that too?
Yea, bro! Accumulating by the hundreds also! I activated the 32 bit buffer, and the numbers stopped for a bit, until a more complex part of the song, and they rapidly shot up again.
Music knows no bounds
Ok, so buffer underrun seems to be the problem as far as flstudio is concerned. Do you have more errors appearing in the event viewer when playing flstudio track?
Are you already maxing out the buffer length? Have you tried various points of buffer length? Eg, low, medium, high?
Ok, nothing pops up in event viewer regarding the under runs. How ever, adjusting the buffer ever so slightly seems to have remedied the problem. I wonder if the same goes for Magix.....
Music knows no bounds
Well, after adjusting the buffer in Magix, the exported file sounded promising for a little while, but then the notes started cutting off. Hmm......
Music knows no bounds
man i know this sux....
but at least you came back after crashing!! i had to switch to totally different software(reason) after my comp. crashed(fl studio xxl and reaktor 5 setup with a full reaktor 5 library!)
and i wouldn't change that at all if i could go back in time lol; it happened for a reason!
Check out all of my BEATS
CLUB BANGA/TIME$ ENTRY : KICK-DOOR!
Cool good to hear you're getting there at least with Flstudio DarkZephyr. Do you think maybe on your last installation of windows, you'd carefully zeroed in on the fine tuning of buffers etc to get it running fine, and then forgotten all about that after reinstalling?