Sigma Tel sound card

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rmilnes
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2005/07/15 00:48:44 (permalink)

Sigma Tel sound card

Hi. You folks have been very helpful in the past. How about this one?

I'm installing MCPro on a Dell laptop with built-in Sigma Tel C-Major Audio. According to the Audio Devices panels in Control Panel, everything works just fine, including the Microsoft GS Wavetable SW Synth for MIDI output.

Nothing shows up in the audio/MIDI input/output assignment boxes in MCPro, nor--of course--does anything play. The tipoff probably is the message that shows up just before the program starts. It says, "AUDIO DRIVER ERROR. The following driver(s) either do not support the current audio format, or are in use by another application. Please choose whether you want to disable them or use them anyway." The only driver listed is the Sigma Tel Audio.

Do you happen to know if there's something in MCPro that's incompatible with the driver or the sound card? Is there a fix?
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    millerbill
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2005/07/15 01:03:49 (permalink)
    If I remember correctly your sound chip is based on the AC 97 standard and may not include MIDI synthesis. [Some models do some don't]
    If so, to get MIDI you would need to go through Music Creator's soft synth - see Robomusic's tutorial. http://forum.cakewalk.com/fb.asp?m=390443&key=Using%2Csoft%2Csynths

    Are you able to get audio? [As opposed to MIDI]

    Others have had some success with selecting the option - "use only MME drivers." Actually, the Cakewalk forums are loaded with queries
    from users who cannot hear Midi playback until they set the Music
    Creator/Sonar Audio Options to use the MME interface. Sigma Tel C-Major Audio apparently only runs in the MME interface rather than the newer WDM mode. [It will run, they say with ASIO - but not in Music Creator.]

    Under Options | Audio | Advanced check the option to always use MME drivers(or MME next to Driver Mode) and then press Ok and restart Cakewalk. Next, select only your soundcard under Options | Audio | Drivers. Then, try it again.

    post edited by millerbill - 2005/07/15 01:51:59
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    jwr620634
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2005/07/15 03:17:52 (permalink)
    rmilnes,

    I have the exact same setup as you, and also had the same problem. I managed to get the audio to work by doing as millerbill suggests in his response to you, but I have been unhappy with the sound quality of the recording. I am getting a lot of buzz when I try to record with a microphone, or inline from a guitar POD. Let me know if you have similar sound quality issues, and I will keep you posted if I am able to correct them. If anybody reading this knows how to reduce the recording buzz I am experiencing, please post a solution.

    jwr
    #3
    marcel71
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2005/07/15 07:26:50 (permalink)
    I have a sigmatel soundcard onboard a Dell laptop. You can only use it in MME mode. This will cause you a number of limitations, particulalry performance ones. I recommend a new soundcard or external audio / midi interface. The latter is what I use.
    #4
    rmilnes
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2005/07/15 16:58:02 (permalink)
    marcel71: I'll try the setup that millerbill recommends, but I think I'll end up getting another sound card. Which external card did you get? Are you completely happy with it? Also, do you happen to know of a replacement internal sound card that works on Dell Inspirons?

    Thanks for the good info.
    #5
    Robomusic
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2005/07/16 01:17:31 (permalink)
    there are some PCMCA card out there go to musicians friend, and do a search for interfaces and sound cards
    #6
    marcel71
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2005/07/17 14:47:53 (permalink)
    I didn't look at replacing the internal sound card on my lap top. I ended up getting an Edirol UA 25, which I am very pleased with. I looked hard at the Tascam Us 122 (I think?) but it gets mixed reviews and some people have found it unstable / not very compatible. Similar units by MOTU and M Audio get good reviews. The Edirol I picked up has a USB interface. If I had it to do over, I probably would get fire wire, although I have had no performance issues. I think Edirol makes a unit now that is pretty miuch the same as the UA 25 but has a fire wire connection.
    #7
    Uncle Chubby
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2005/07/17 22:41:00 (permalink)
    jwr,if you are using a pod xt , go to Line 6 .com and download the driver software for usb, I have mc pro and the same dell with the sigma tel, you can use pod as your soundcard to play/record, and when you unplug your pod it will default back to sigma tel, set your mc pro to use pod xt as the sound card , I think its under options when you start it up!
    #8
    millerbill
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    RE: Sigma Tel sound card 2006/07/25 14:04:51 (permalink)
    Bump and oldie that still applies
    #9
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