Possibly a very stupid question regarding PC Recording and Interfaces

Hey, barry.  let's keep the language "G" rated, OK?

what soundcard are you using on the laptop?  the external soundcards are only as good as the drivers.  some drivers are better than others.

right - the delta should work fine, but the laptop's onboard soundcard would give you problems, likely. 

it depends on your needs and your budget, but the m-audio fast track ultra (and ultra 8R) are the latest hot items.

My recording system is an old single core AMD with a delta 24/96 and it is dedicated and non internet , and after all these years it still runs smooth as a babys behind!!

Putting 2 gig of ram made it slick. I am planning an upgrade this year later, but we will see.

My last two computers have been hand build models i have less clutter that way and the parts are picked after some research. The first one was good but not great, the second one i still have after 8 years it is still cookin'

My computer is not a dedicated DAW and my settings never change. I'm on the internet, word processor, use photo-editing software, watch Utube videos and listen to Windows Media Player and mp3s on the internet. It's a multi-purpose machine.
Every now and then an update to something may knock the settings askew, but it's certainly not a major headache to reset them.
So why is it a headache for you? What settings get changed?
If you have any external audio interface that uses ASIO drivers, and you set the interface up so it uses ASIO drivers, set up all your audio applications to use that interface, the settings should not change, since you can only use one device with ASIO drivers and very few (none?) stock sound cards use ASIO drivers and cannot take control of the audio and change the settings.
I know you wrote previously about your different uses for the computers, but if it was me, I'd take the Delta with the laptop and use it all the time, for both computers.
 

Hi Gregy- yeah when I try and use it after a long period off, I get the deal where I try to record a track and it records the old track and the new track, rather than one at a time. Then I have to chase that down. Sometimes chasing it down can take forever. It's just frustrating. I guess I need to just make it a dedicated machine, but I've got business bookkeeping stuff on it and other stuff, so it's just a bit of a hassle.

Paul, are you running SHS 7 in 32-bit emulation mode?
I assume you mean ASIO4All, since you're using the stock sound card. Have you selected the ASIO drivers under Options>Audio>Drivers? And have you set the Driver Mode to ASIO?
Are you using a USB mic?
Have you opened the Windows mixer and adjusted the record and playback levels upward?
 
"I have no speakers attached to the pc yet. I was trying to get a somewhat normal sound just out of the speakers in the system."
 
So you do have speakers or you don't have speakers? Or are you using headphones only?
 
 

Let me add that the sound for the rest of my programs is fine. Just prob with shs. Also, how do I adjust the gain and playback volume. Unless I'm not seeing it in track view. Lastly, how do I turn the metronome off. Any help would be appreciated.

You won't be able to use ASIO4All with a USB mic or USB guitar adapter. These USB devices usually work best in MME driver mode. And 'best' still won't be good enough.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcAtPmLtRns
http://www.cakewalk.com/support/kb/reader.aspx?ID=2007012937
From the Cakewalk FAQ: 10) My USB Mic does not record.
USB mic's will work best in MME mode. Go to Options | Audio | Advanced and put a check where it says Always use MME Interface (or change the Driver Mode to MME). Close the program and re-open it. The Wave Profiler should run tests. You should now have more devices listed under MIDI Devices and Audio Drivers.
You may not be able to monitor that Mic while recording unless you use MME drivers, unfortunately MME creates a delay or latency. If you are able to use WDM and still get a delay when using (Input Echo or Input Monitoring), check out this link for more info on Decreasing Latency.
A third option would be using ASIO4ALL drivers. You can try out ASIO4ALL from www.ASIO4ALL.com These 3rd party drivers are a good solution for generic or OEM sound cards that have unreliable WDM drivers and/or nonexistent ASIO support. Once installed open Cakewalk and go to Options | Audio | Advanced and change the Driver mode to ASIO. You may need to go to Options | MIDI Devices and shut down the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth in order for this to work. Try using the input echo button on your audio track.
 
Fog's USB mic set-up post: http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=1618556
 
I generally recommend throwing these things away and getting a regular dynamic mic to plug into the sound card's mic input.
And a USB or FireWire audio interface designed for recording.
You shouldn't record with any mic while monitoring with speakers; use headphones so you don't get feedback.
To access the Windows mixer, double-click the speaker icon in the system tray at the bottom of the screen. But that probably won't work with any USB input device.

Thanks. I'll have to look into getting another mic. One thing, Ichanged the driver to MME  in advanced and ran wave profiler, but all I see in Input and output drivers are microphone High Def and Speakers High Def

no... do not use the USB mic.  In Gregs post he even said that very thing.

It's possible to use them but they are not conducive to a good recording experience. A dedicated recording interface will always do a better job than any USB mic or the factory sound card.

All of us here are using external interfaces or a dedicated PCI card... not the factory cards.

The reason the mic you used had a low signal was it needs a pre-amp of some sort. Either a mixer board or an interface with built in preamps is the answer to the low levels you get running straight in.

For example, my Saffire interface has nice pre's built in so I don't need any mixer. I run either a Rode or a Shure 58 straight in.

^+1!