A problem with my new Audiophile USB

The Audiophile USB is installed to my laptop and shows up OK on the control panel stuff. But it doesn't record and I am getting a bad message. I also wonder if I have the right lashup for the Audiophile.

The new unit is an M-Audio Audiophile USB.

The computer is a Toshiba Satellite laptop, 2455-S305, running Windows XP Home. P4, 2.40GHz, 60 GB HDD, 512MB DDR. A Yamaha PST-275 keyboard synthesizer has been attached via a USB cable. I have ordered Midi cables to take the keyboard directly to the Audiophile. The external sound has been an inexpensive Altec-Lansing unit, with a subwoofer, connected to the headphone jack of the Toshiba. A EuroRack UB502 is attached to the Line-In jack of the Toshiba. A Shure PG58 mike is attached to the EuroRack.

As to software, I have Home Studio XL but it is not important to this phase of my work. I am doing all audio at the moment and use Total Recorder for recording and playing single tracks. I use MixCraft 2 by Acoustica for mixing several audio tracks and burning CD's. As to sound units, I have Audiophile vanilla and Audiophile Midi available, as well as Total Recorder and SoundMax. I reinstalled Windows XP and did not get an audio unit reinstalled. I downloaded SoundMax from Toshiba but suspected there was something wrong with it. The recording level of audio from the Shure mike via the Eurorack was clipped at about 50% and I could not adjust it in any fashion. It had worked satisfactorily prior to the reinstall, using input from the MIC jack on the Toshiba. I didn't want to futz with this problem, so I upgraded to the Audiophile.

This is such a jumble that I almost would toss it. But I will try to salvage something.

Total Recorder will not record anything from the Eurorack Line-In now, although it would, albeit poorly, before I installed Audiophile.

I do seem to have a little problem. The MixCraft volume control routine said, "There is a problem with your sound hardware. To install mixer devices, go to Control Panel and Printers and Other Hardware, and then click Add Hardware." I got this same message from another routine, maybe Total Recorder. So, I went to Printers and Other Hardware and did not have an Add Hardware button to click, just an Add Printer option. Which got me nowhere.

Does Audiophile require a certain type of recorder? What might be an inexpensive instance of such? Or is there something wrong about Audiophile even though it looks OK in Device Manager?

As to Playback, I can get sound through the Audiophile headphones and I suppose that the Altec Lansing would also if I got the proper adapter. I suppose playback is OK and the problem is in recording.

Would it help to ask what would be proper acoutrements to the Audiophile. What for audio recording? It seems to me that Home Studio does not do audio in the most enjoyable manner. What about an inexpensive monitor better than the $35 Altec Lansing from WalMart?

Anybody want to tackle this kludge?"

Wow! I've just read your posts three times, and I still can't get a "picture" of your setup...My initial inclination is that you're complicating matters by overdoing certain steps...

First of all, do you know--for a fact!--that the M-Audio USB install was successful? It's tricky with XP because Microsoft doesn't "recognize" the drivers as "certified". Try uninstallng the Audiophile (using Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs) and reinstalling...Take care to follow the installation instructions to the letter. Make sure the Audiophile is turned off and NOT connected to your USB port on the computer before beginning the install. During the install you will get to a window telling you to "power on" the USB device & connect the USB cable to your computer (or vice versa, I can't remember)...Anyway, once you're connected wait for the Windows "New Hardware Detected" window to appear...Click on "Search for latest drivers" (or whatever it says) then click on "I have disk" (or whatever it says) and let Windows find the drivers from the disk...Only after the Windows "New Hardware Detected" process has completely finished should you click on the "next" (or "finish") button of the M-Audio auto-installer. It's a bit confusing when reading the manual's "installation" section but I figured it out thru trial & error...

After you have ascertained a successful install, open CW & go to Options->Audio->General...Click on "Wave Profiler"...CW will look for the Audiophile drivers and configure them to work with your system.

Let me know if any of this works!

Papa

Thank you, Papa. Wilco. Will comply. I will reinstall. I did not do one of the things that you said I should do. And I am doing things that you say I should not do. I also will need to get adaptors to interface the Audiophile with what I have been using. My line-in plug will not work with the Audiophile jack, and neither will myAltec-Lansing sound system.

What monitor system, inexpensive, would work well with the Audiophile?

Life calls me to other things, so I shall not be back right away, but I will use your good advice.

Thanks.