Calkwalker
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Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
I'm doing initial setup of a small-scale SONAR-based studio. I have purchased a Cakewalk/Edirol UA-101 interface to handle all audio I/O, via USB. However, my new dedicated PC comes with a factory-installed "Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio" PCI card.
I've already read the advice about setting Windows 7 to "no sounds."
So what purpose is there in having the PCI audio card in the system? Could it potentially cause problems? Should I just remove it?
Thanks
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CJaysMusic
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 11:45:17
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YEA, RIP IT OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then go to your nearest highway and toss it in the middle of it. Then wait for an 18 wheeler to come by and smash it into a gazillion prices.
Please take some pics of you doing that, so I can sit back and rejoice and know that the music worls is that much better...
Cj
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Calkwalker
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 12:00:49
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Ha ha - as I anticipated. It looks like I can get maybe $20 for it on eBay, if I want to spend the time... 
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ohhey
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 12:30:19
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Calkwalker
I'm doing initial setup of a small-scale SONAR-based studio. I have purchased a Cakewalk/Edirol UA-101 interface to handle all audio I/O, via USB. However, my new dedicated PC comes with a factory-installed "Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio" PCI card.
I've already read the advice about setting Windows 7 to "no sounds."
So what purpose is there in having the PCI audio card in the system? Could it potentially cause problems? Should I just remove it?
Thanks
You should be able to leave it in there with no problems or conflicts. In fact it would make a good decoy for Windows to use. That way Windows won't try to mess with your UA-101. If the UA-101 is the only sound driver available Windows might try to use it. Keep in mind Sonar does NOT use any of the sound driver settings in the Windows control panel, it uses the driver directly. So it's OK to set Windows to use the Creative card.
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AT
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 12:35:26
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That's what I usually do - leave the card in to play "windows" sounds. The plus is that windows doesn't try to reset the sample rates/bits when it plays beeps and warnings. I have the speakers power plugged into a strip w/ printer etc, so I usually don't hear those sounds.
The only problem I've encountered are a couple of programs (Cake Pyro for example) that use the windows realtek card and there is no way to tell the software to look for my pro drivers. Small issue since I usually use pyro for comping CDs and LPs (it is easy to change vol) to CD not more pro level work.
@
https://soundcloud.com/a-pleasure-dome
http://www.bnoir-film.com/ there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head. 24 And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.
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Calkwalker
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 12:57:25
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Thanks for the feedback - I understand what you're saying about leaving the PCI card in, so that the Windows OS has a primary audio device in the configuration, thereby hopefully leaving the UA-101 alone (except for handling the I/O requests coming from the SONAR program, and only from the SONAR program).
I'll leave it in initially and see how it goes.
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CJaysMusic
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 13:48:49
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I don't think windows sounds have an argument in this, as I can play window sounds and Sonar at the same exact time and I only have one audio sound card.
I don't get any erros saying this or that. You just need to set up your windows to play through your audio card. There is no need for 2 cards. (one for sonar and one for windows)
Cj
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dr.hash 
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 19:27:46
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Go into your bios and turn it off unless you have a laptop and that makes it even hardere by the way im thinking about purchasing one of those boxes what do you think so far and what did you pay.
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dr.hash
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 19:32:18
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ps dont leve windows sounds on not needed the system does not need a primary audio card your ua101 can handle all audio.
Look ive been chastised for using my creditials but i am a masters of music technology student this is what i do i have built and ran various pc systems over the years and turn off the sounds and the card. Trust me i know what i am talking about.
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Chappel
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 19:51:19
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When I got my UA-1G USB audio device I kept using my Realtek intergrated sound device for Windows sounds, TV shows I recorded on my hard drive. Used the Cakewalk audio device only for Cakewalk projects. Never had any problems or conflicts and that setup worked really well for me. I recently put my Echo MiaMidi pci soundcard back in and now use it for Windows sounds and all is well. Really, the only advantage to taking the soundblaster card out is that if you don't want to use it it will free up a pci slot so you can drop something else in.
Personally, I like having two audio devices so I can dedicate one to Windows audio.
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NoKey
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 20:16:49
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Hi Calwalker,
I'd say leave the card in.
That way, when you figure out more things you can compare sound quality and other things between one and the other, and that way you can make an intelligent, informed decision on your very own.
Remember that if it were up to priest, we'd all have a lobotomy by now.
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dr.hash
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 20:50:10
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 Yes and i am a the preist who is goind to labotomize you. why on earth would any one want to keep the windows sounds active. plus if you are recording ther is a chance one of those sounds will chime. Turn them off. I can see the point about keeping two cards for comparison but still it's like apples and apples. Burn a cd and listen to it on a real cd player with real speakers. becasuse all you are doing is comparing converters not the actual sound.
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Stone House Studios
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/16 22:25:31
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Well,
I have an Edirol UA 101 (pre Cakewalk) that I just love. There is a Soundblaster Live (whatever version) in my PC. They don't fight. Windows sound schemes are off, because I don't need audio reminders. It seems that, as always, do not do anything automatically, but instead see what works best for your system and uses.
Although I once had a Philips soundcard that I would have loved to put on the highway!
Brian
Core i7-6700@3.40Ghz Windows 10x64 16 GB RAM Sonar Platinum/Studio One PreSonus Studio 192
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edentowers
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/17 16:19:23
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My UA-101 is part of a rack system that I only power up when I use Sonar.
My Sigma Tel card on the Dell's motherboard does a wonderful job of supplying all the everyday audio. (Games, news videos, iTunes, BBC TV repeats) I've disabled Windows Sounds though.
By keeping the everyday audio card it's easy to adjust its volume, and I don't have the worry of any interferance with my UA-101.
I certainly don't want general audio delivered at my usual monitoring volume on the Tannoy LRMs.
The PCs we use are multi-tasking computers. Let them do some multi-tasking.
Phil
S8PE, Dell XPS 720 (Q6600), XP Pro SP2, Edirol UA-101
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garrigus
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/17 16:25:24
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NoKey
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/18 19:39:05
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dr.hash
Yes and i am a the preist who is goind to labotomize you. why on earth would any one want to keep the windows sounds active. plus if you are recording ther is a chance one of those sounds will chime. Turn them off. I can see the point about keeping two cards for comparison but still it's like apples and apples. Burn a cd and listen to it on a real cd player with real speakers. becasuse all you are doing is comparing converters not the actual sound.
Hi dr.hash, Maybe when you get your masters, perhaps when you are at your PHD, you will learn that one less well known reason to keep the two cards, and to keep them active is that you can use the built-in chip sound card as a headphone monitoring device, if you route what you wish to monitor, to a bus. If you don't want to wait, though, you can read about it in the Sonar documentation.
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bitflipper
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Re:Hardware setup w/Calkwalk UA-101 - get rid of PCI audio card?
2010/07/22 13:57:12
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you can use the built-in chip sound card as a headphone monitoring device, if you route what you wish to monitor, to a bus. That's a good point I hadn't thought of: using the integrated audio as an alternate output device if your primary interface does not have multiple outputs. I'd say leave the card in if it's not causing any problems. And problems are indeed possible, although if it works OK now it'll probably be OK in the future. (Personally, my built-in audio has been disabled since day one. My MOTU interface is always on and handles all audio jobs, whether mixing, listening to CDs or playing video games. But I didn't disable it to solve any conflicts, I disabled it because it sucks and I have no use for it.)
 All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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