background audio noise

[blotto99]

I'm testing SnapStream with my ATI AIW Radeon and the video quality is fine, but there is a background "snowy" sound on my recordings. I am recording at VHS quality, even so, the background sound is loud for that.

It is not my signal, because when I just play TV through the ATI TV interface, the audio is totally clear.

Any tips on how to clean this up?

[MattS]

What driver version are you using?

[blotto99]

Here are the drivers that I'm using

ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon - 6.13.10.6118 - 7/9/2002
ATI WDM TV Tuner - 6.13.10.6125 - 6/22/2002
CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device - C-Media - 5.12.1.641 - 9/20/2002

Any other drivers specifically that should be checked?

[Jason Bottjen]

Sounds stupid, but try bringing the audio in on your MICROPHONE input instead of the LINE input. (yuo will also have to change the input setting in Snapstream)

On a couple of different C-MEDIA based sound cards I've dealt with, the LINE input had a lot of static, whereas the MICROPHONE input always seems to work perfectly.

Jason Bottjen

Originally posted by blotto99
Here are the drivers that I'm using

ATI All-In-Wonder Radeon - 6.13.10.6118 - 7/9/2002
ATI WDM TV Tuner - 6.13.10.6125 - 6/22/2002
CMI8738/C3DX PCI Audio Device - C-Media - 5.12.1.641 - 9/20/2002

Any other drivers specifically that should be checked?

[blotto99]

I bringing a coax cable directly into my ATI AIW Radeon, so I can't change the audio in. I have to use AUX. If I choose any of the other audio settings, I don't get any audio.

How are other people doing it??? If I don't run coax into the coax tuner adapter, then I won't be able to control channels with the card and software.

How can I set it up, so that I can bring in the audio into the microphone in or line in?

[brianl8534]

If you look at at your manual it describes the use of the intialization wizard where you select your audio source on your audio card. The manual tells you to connect the black mini plug on the Audi/Video out connector to your sound cards line in. You may also be able to internally connect the AIW directly to your sound card via the CD Audio connector on the AIW car and your respective sound card. Make sure you reference your sound card and AIW manual for correct pin outs. I also have a nerve racking hum that only occurs when I select S-Video or Composite as my video input. It appears to be totaly unreleted to the video function but is rather a ground loop between my set top box and and CPU. I've tried to tie both boxes to a common ground but still have the problem. Any EE's out there with a thought short of an expensive isolation transformer.

[chaumurky]

I checked this thread just to see one thing: whether your audio chip is c-media. Surprise surpise!! Unfortunately the c-media chip does not support full duplex properly and there is no cure other than to get a cheap SB compatible and replace the c-media card. Sorry my friend, at the moment there is no other way.

[Jason Bottjen]

Well, I've been using a C-MEDIA based soundcard for 7 months with Snapstream just fine.

Of course I never do anything besides record and watch video on the machine.

Since I'm never doing both at the same time, I likely do not run into the full duplex issue (which IS real...).

So if all he is doing is recording and later watching (and not trying to do 'time shifting') then he should be able to use a C-MEDIA based soundcard just fine (I have for months).

Jason Bottjen

Originally posted by chaumurky
I checked this thread just to see one thing: whether your audio chip is c-media. Surprise surpise!! Unfortunately the c-media chip does not support full duplex properly and there is no cure other than to get a cheap SB compatible and replace the c-media card. Sorry my friend, at the moment there is no other way.

[chaumurky]

I've been looking around and got this from c-media's site (it's for an older chip but it could be still relevant - I'm gonna try this when I get home)

Because CMI8330 uses two devices(SB16 & WSS) to perform full-duplex functions, some applications may detect that CMI8330 is not full-duplex. To avail yourself of full-duplex functions, please select different wave devices between the playback and the recording in audio setup of that program. Or you can set the playback and the recording devices to different ones in "Multimedia" of "Control Panel". In Iphone 5.0, please set the full-duplex function forcibly, then the full-duplex functions will be working fine.

[blotto99]

Jason,

Is your C-MEDIA soundcard on-board or in a PCI slot?

[Jason Bottjen]

On-board. On a Soyo Dragon KT333 Ultra (black).

Jason Bottjen

Originally posted by blotto99
Jason,

Is your C-MEDIA soundcard on-board or in a PCI slot?

[chaumurky]

Well, I tried what I wrote above and there is only one device option available, so, back to the SB Live!

[blotto99]

The ATI AIW Radeon was connected to the AUX port of the on-board sound card. I tried moving it directly to the CD Audio Input, but the recordings still had the same background noise.

I tried playing with the audio settings and lowering the volume, but that didn't help.

Anyone have any other ideas? Snapstream admins????

[brianb]

Try the mic input on the cmedia instead of aux... I know, not ideal (no stereo), but this solved the problem for me as well. Personally, it's a temporary fix until I get a new soundcard.

Hope it works for you too.

Brian

[RobertH]

re-run the hardware wizard go all the way to the final step where it shows you the test video stream and a volume slider, open the windows volume control app and turn the wave and master volumes all the way to their max (you could also use headphones) and then slowly turn down the volume in the snapstream wizard (note it may take as much as 30 seconds for the adjustment to take effect because of buffering). Also for onboard audio devices MUTE EVERY THING but the wave, the input you are using in both the playback and the recording portion of the volume control app. You may also need to turn on all the check boxes in the options of the volume control app in the recording list and the playback list so that you can see all the various mixers the card offers. I have an avance onboard and a cmedia on my old board and i had to have the recording volume in the wizard almost all the way to the bottom before the buzzing and other random noises went away.