adding a sound card to on board sound

[mjh]

guys , my brother just gave me a Dell THX 5.1 speaker setup but because i have onboard sound the three cables from the speaker setup take all my available connections , with a software switch i can turn the inputs to outputs no probs there , but now i have no where to plug my tv card audio in as its sent from the card via a fly lead to the on board line-in also i cant use my mic coz thats used by one of the speaker channels as well

hope your still with me here

do ya rekon i can add a cheap sound card without turning off the on board sound to get back the connections i lost , i ask coz i have one kicking around

yeah i know i could add a seperate sound card with all the connections i need and just switch off the on board sound but i already did that using a hercules muse 5.1 dvd sound card and it was total crap even with new drivers from there web site , it sounded like someone was rustling a crisp packet out the rear channels and the front centre didnt work unless a suedo 5.1 was selected , i dont wana go back and forward to the shop trying different variations , i`m happy with my on-board sound , i just need those extra 2 connections for line in and mic

what ya rekon

 

[DaFonz]

Running two sounds card shouldn't be a problem. AS long as you can choose which is your line in from whatever software you use, you should be good to go.

 

[stan03]

are you sure you can use onboard sound and a sound card at the same time? i was pretty sure that causes problems.

 

[RobxMcCarthy]

Um.. well if you're using a sound card just for a Mic in or a Line in then it shouldn't be a problem really... Just redirect those two under the system audio controls.

 

[mjh]

thats the problem guys

the software for my onboard sound is AC97 5.1 software and it has the ability to change the mic and line in to out put centre and rear channels by doing this i guess i`m disabling totaly line in and mic , like i said i`m guessing here maybe if i add another card i`l get them back , i dont realy know , thats why i was asking , i was hopping someone here with experience with this sort of issue could say for definate , i dont wana just go ahead and throw the cheap card in and bugger something up

 

[stan03]

i have AC 97 sound and in my bios its set to auto detection. with my audigy 2 the onboard sound is disabled.

 

[I.M.O.G.]

That I know of, you cannot have both enabled as their drivers will conflict and they will generally **** eachother off - thats my personal experience. I don't know the intricacies of this however, as I've never messed with onboard sound = bleh.

 

[mjh]

a bit strong with the bleh m8 , i say that in a nice way however

my on board sounds great , no i`m not an audiophile ......true , but i have all seperates in the lounge with nice mission floor standers and lubbly thick cabling to connect , no bell wire here , and i know what sounds good , mind you thats always gona b down to the individual

the THX Altec Lansings added to my on board give clear , well positioned , bassy output , they just use all my connections ( sob )

anyway enough of all that , i just bought the SBL live 5.1 Dig with EAX and the like , will plug it in shortly and see what transpires , hopefully no crisp packet rustling from the rears this time and a working front would b a bonus , the hercules muse didnt give me front unless ya messed with the 5.1 suedo and selected a option like room or hall or corridor , who needs that crap

lets see what creative can do !

 

[mjh]

aaahhhh now thats better , no crisp packets a few slight ticks when turning up or down but nothing major , had a play with some of those bass tracks submited in the other thread , man there kickin , the woofer cooker bass line could just b heard , i`m guessing not properly but just , thats with the sub control up above THX and the bass software with SBL messed with as well , so i`m happy now

there was a mention of THX surround tracks , but i guess it was pm`d can someone post a few if they have em , i wana scare the cat LOL

 

[DaFonz]

aaahhhh now thats better , no crisp packets a few slight ticks when turning up or down but nothing major , had a play with some of those bass tracks submited in the other thread

there was a mention of THX surround tracks , but i guess it was pm`d can someone post a few if they have em , i wana scare the cat LOL

What's a crisp packet?

Hehe that's mean. Some guy on a BB somewhere had a problem with his cat thinking his SVS was a scratching post... so he waited until it got close and played the Dharma scene at full blast... haha.. the cat no longer thinks the SVS is a scratching post.

 

[mjh]

sorry m8 uk expression , i`m guessing your state side then , crisp = chips which = something different again over here

well i have now realised i`m not happy again , hooked up to the SBL ok with the THX altec lancings and plugged in my tv and mic cables and then thought , sh*t no where for me headphones or vid camera , hahaha , it just gets worse for me dont it , so i re-enabled my OB sound and with a driver change each time in the audio settings and now i have got my headphones back coz there plugged into the output of the on board audio , ok i cant have headphones and speakers on at the same time but its a small price to pay , its taking a bit of time sorting out exactly which audio driver is connected to what but hopefully it will all fall into place in time , what a tangled web we weave

i guess my ideal SB would be one with
mic in
line 1 in
line 2 in
front channel
rear channel
centre channel
headphone out
s/pdif

maybe theres one made with all that but i bet it costs a few shackles ( dollars ) ( euros ) ( pounds )

 

[batboy]

Check out the Chaintech AV-710. It has great sound, it's cheap, 7.1 channels, and almost all the jacks you want.

External Connectors:
Microphone In
Line In
Line Out
Surround Out
Center/Bass
Surround Back
SPDIF Out