Anastasis
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Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
Hi again folks. Well I fixed a beginners problem after 3 hours of playing with my new MC4. I kept getting really distorted fuzzy guitar sounds from my guitar and the notes playing on the output were not the notes I was playing on the guitar - sometimes a step to an octive lower or higher than I was playing and the sound was completely garbled. I tried everything I could think of but then I noticed frequency and got to thinking about the problem and realized that my sound was coming out at the wrong frequency. I clicked the Audio Options menu and adjusted the Sampling Rate from 44100 to 11025 and this has fixed the whole problem. Hope this may save someone from a heachache and some advanced users from more noob questions. Thanks. P.S. I was also getting a lot of crackling when i turned on echo in audio. i turned on echo for all tracks and it cleared it up. Why? I have no idea, all I know is that it did. Maybe it really is all about the vibes after all..
post edited by Anastasis - 2009/03/23 02:25:54
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Guitarhacker
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 08:01:10
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I'm using a laptop with RealTek sound card. I clicked the Audio Options menu and adjusted the Sampling Rate from 44100 to 11025 and this has fixed the whole problem. Probably not.... the realtec is not acting right.... your sampling rate is supposed to be 44.1k not 11.0k... (maybe the wrong number?) The problem is in your sound card, and you should begin looking for a better interface (audio & midi in one unit) because the issues are still there, you've just bypassed them... but the more you start to do with MC4, it will become evident that you need a better card.... but all in due time... I was also getting a lot of crackling when i turned on echo in audio. i turned on echo for all tracks and it cleared it up. Why? I have no idea, all I know is that it did.
For now, I'm glad you got it working. But still, my advice.... start looking for a better interface.
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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Beagle
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 08:12:34
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yeah - that's going to end up giving you many other problems, I'll bet. I wouldn't ever want to try to record at less than 44.1k.
herb's right if you're interested in a new soundcard, check my website for some recommendations.
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Anastasis
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 11:43:12
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Thanks for the comments guys. Ok so I just checked something on the soundcard and it said the frequency was set at 48000! Is that right? That's not right, is it? Well there's more than a slight possibility that I set something up wrong. Let me walk through this thing again and see what's going on, cause I know you guys know what you're talking about and if it is to be 44.1 then that's where it needs to be.
post edited by Anastasis - 2009/03/23 11:49:28
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57Gregy
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 12:05:48
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Okay, the sampling rates of the sound card and MC have to match. Many sound cards default to 48 kHz, while MC defaults to the CD-standard 44.1 kHz. If you can't set the sound card's sampling rate to 44.1, you can set MC's sampling rate to 48.
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Anastasis
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 13:20:40
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Well here's what I think is going on, my soundcard is simply not correctly interpreting the analog signal from the mic jack. I plugged in my Peavey PV i2 microphone and I get the same problem, fuzzy static until I set hrz at 11025. That's the best she'll do captain! I think she's gonna blow!  Think a fire-wire would help the analog to digital problem?
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Robomusic
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 14:04:41
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Firstly a mike jack is for a mike and not a guitar, guitars are line level and do not need a preamp boost. So that can cause problems. 11,000 sample rate is far to low to allow any kind of quality to a recording that is not going to work, I suggest setting the sound card to 44,100, then set the MC to the same and try the mike, if that does not work then there is an issue.
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Robomusic
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 15:04:36
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Firewire can help, but remember that it has to be setup properly as well. The difference is that Firewire interfaces usually have better AD/DA convertors to start with.
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ascottdesign
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 15:06:46
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Wish I could get a fuzzy sound on my guitar
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Robomusic
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 15:08:35
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I just love getting that old fuzzy feelin'!
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Anastasis
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 15:09:57
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Good grief man, I think I finally figured this out!  You guys were right that there was a sound card setting problem. Here's what was going on. In Audio Options >> Advanced / File System there is an option for imputing the I/O buffer size. Mine somehow got messed up and did not accord with the 44100 specs found in the Driver Profiles tab of Audio Options. For my card it should be 768, mine was set at 3 (?) Its finally working in 44100 now. But, I know now that I need a mixer and a firewire. You guys are right I think im beginning to see why that would solve 60% of all problems. And I just set the sampling rate to 48000 where the RealTek HD card is set and this is making the RealTek much, much happier. I wont use this card for recording anything, it can't handle the truth. But I'll play with MC4 until I learn the software and then I get a real sound card along with a real computer. But for the time being, it sounds crystal clear now and has a latency of only about 5 seconds. (not really but it seems like it.)
post edited by Anastasis - 2009/03/23 15:48:53
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57Gregy
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 17:31:26
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Don't confuse I/O Buffer Size with Buffers in Playback Queue. The default I/O buffer size is 128 (in SONAR Home Studio 6), and the buffers in playback queue's default is 2. From the SHS 6 help file: I/O Buffer Size--This value determines the buffer characteristics for transfers to and from the disk. Changing this value does not affect audio latency, but will affect the disk throughput for audio tracks. The default setting is 128. A higher value causes more audio to be buffered from the disk ahead of the playback cursor. If you are hearing consistent dropouts/clicks in your audio and if your project contains high bit depth (32-bit) or high sample rate audio (88.2K or higher), it may be indicative of a too small I/O buffer size. If so try a higher I/O buffer size like 256 or 512. If audio problems persist, reset to 128 and try a different remedy.
Also, if you are playing a large file, and using maximum latency, a too-small I/O buffer size may cause dropouts or crashes. Try increasing the buffer size by blocks of 128.
The Buffers in Playback Queue values determine the buffer characteristics for transfers to and from the audio drivers. Lowering this value improves audio latency, though making it too low makes your system more susceptible to stuttering or dropouts
The Buffer Size Slider enables you to set mixing latency manually, overriding the value set by the Wave Device Profiler. Lower numbers increase the risk of audio problems. WDM sound card drivers offer lower latency than the older MME type.
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Robomusic
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 17:35:05
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57Gregy
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 17:58:59
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the buffers in playback queue's default is 2. Just a note of clarification. This number is set by the wave profiler when it's run the first time. It happens that mine is 2. Yours may be different depending on your system.
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Anastasis
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 19:07:59
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Thanks a lot for your help guys. I think I'm ready to begin the recording tutorial now that everything is hooked up and setup correctly (as correctly as this hardware will allow). I've laid down three bars on a midi background for guitars and vocals. It could well turn into a fine combination of Enya, Yanni, Van Halen, and Mr. Ed. I'm getting excited. Cakewalk really is cool.
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Robomusic
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 19:36:11
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Yep dis is fun, let us know if more issues arrive.
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Anastasis
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 20:17:08
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It is fun. By the way you guys are producing some really good stuff. I've been checking out everyone's uploads. Very cool indeed. I could watch the recording video or I can go to beagle's site. I think I'll go to beagle's site because he looks like the go to man for this stuff. If I really work on it, in a month I could know just enough to be really, really dangerous.
post edited by Anastasis - 2009/03/23 20:24:29
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57Gregy
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RE: Fuzzy distorted sound? Try adjusting the frequency
2009/03/23 21:27:59
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Don't forget Guitarhacker. He has some good MIDI stuff at his site, too.
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