-40db noise, please help

[madmega]

Hi, i do not know where to turn, i am using the last version of Cool Edit Pro, and i recently got a new windows 7 pc.
When i record, it records a -40db noise, i've tried anything i could think off, i totally disabled my internal soundcard, i have connected my extended soundcard to another pc (there i get no noise), i've turned all the volumes down to 0, but the noise keeps appearing, the noise is no hum just hiss, it is getting in the way with every recording because the recordings have a metallic sound to them, it's hard to explain, it sounds like they have been denoised, and i know it has something to do with the -40db hiss.
Only when i mute the extended sound card in windows the -40db is gone.
Note, i had this same problem when i recorded without the extended soundcard, there is something inside the pc that is creating a -40db noise
Anyone got any ideas ?

[crabapple]

Which soundcard are you using? I had a similar problem with my fast track ultra. It turned out to be a driver issue. Download the latest drivers for your soundcard and in your software make sure you have selected an asio driver, normally specific to your hardware.

[Hugh Robjohns]

I agree. It sounds like missing or corrupt data between the sound card and Audition, and that is almost certainly a driver issue.

H

[madmega]

It is a nowsonic phonix, that doesn't need drivers, and when i connected to another pc, i have no problem.
Also, i had this problem when i didn't have the nowsonic and just the internal soundcard.

http://nowsonic.com/en/products/studio/phonix/

[BJG145]

It can be difficult to chase down these problems. I'd probably start by trying a different external interface of some kind if I could beg/borrow/steal one. It doesn't sound like it could be a problem that's internal to the computer if you're talking about the same symptoms on different audio interfaces. Which leaves the equipment you're connecting to it, cables, settings or surroundings I guess. Just have to apply a process of elimination.

[crabapple]

Do you have to have a mic or any other hardware connected for the noise to appear or is it happening when it's just the soundcard plugged into the pc?

[madmega]

It is only the soundcard connected, nothing else.
All the volumes on the soundcard are closed.
The pc has on the back 6 in and outputs, and on the front 2 in-outputs, all for audio, i disabled those in my bios.
I had this problem before i bought this external sound card, i also tried this sound card on another pc, and there it is fine, both are the same windows 7, 64 bit versions.
Today i connected my sound card to another USB port and also powered the soundcard with a power supply, it didn't make any difference.
I noticed i have a dc offset while recording.
I have normalized the -40db recording and it is something like a lot of hiss with a beep and some very very very soft humming.
I really do not know what it is, the next thing i will do is remove the front controller.
It is a controller with a input and output, card reader and usb port, maybe that is what is causing it.
Because i have disabled my whole soundcard, but there is a microphone input appearing in my windows sound configuration but my soundcard has no microphone input :S

[Hugh Robjohns]

My money is still on a driver issue or a driver conflict, but youll need the advice of one of our tame PC gurus to find and solve it.

H

[madmega]

Yes, but it doesn't have any drivers, not with the soundcard not on their website, and i had this problem before i bought this soundcard.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Every hardware device connected to a computer has drivers. In this case it's using drivers included within the OS, but there are still drivers involved.

H

[madmega]

Yes that is right, maybe the drivers are installed from the soundcard, but this soundcard works on another pc, and this problem occured before i had this soundcard.
There must be something wrong somewhere on this motherboard.

[Hugh Robjohns]

If you can pass data successfully over the USB port (to and from an external drive, say), then it's unlikely there's anything wrong with the motherboard.

[madmega]

Well that works, it has like 6 usb ports, all of them are working, it also has a firewire port, serial port (which i disabled), network port, and the normal keyboard and ps2 port.
I removed everything that could interupt, all the cables, a video capture card, even the frontcontroller, but nothing helped, it is still there, i can also hear the beep when i turn up the headphone volume on my soundcard.
Right now i am going to update my bios, and some windows drivers, hope this helps

[Pete Kaine]

Other than trying to update every driver you can in, also take a look in the bios and disable C-states, IRST, Thermal Throttling options and anything else that looks like it might downclock the cpu (leave turbo on however) in use. Set your windows power performance options (in control panel) to high and see if anything changes.

I see your sound card is using class compliant windows drivers. Could be worth installing and running ASIO4ALL when using cool edit as that should bypass the native WDM drivers and force it to to use ASIO. Not sure it'll make a jot of difference, but certainly nothing to lose in trying it.

Some boards are just damn noisey electrically but the above will I hope give you some adjustment in noise levels and might just help put us on the right track.

The might be a some legs in a USB ground loop isolator box, given your description and whilst they are normally more suitable for hums than hisses, I've seen some results when dealing with this sort of system noise. Certainly a long shot and not a particularly cheap option, it might be the last thing to take a punt on.

[madmega]

I've tried all except for the USB thingy, my system performance is better (thanks) but the noise is still there, tomorrow i will try a firewire card, see if that also has the -40db noise, and well, after that i don't know.

[Wonks]

Is the unit being USB bus powered? If you are also using an external power supply as well as the USB bus power, there could well be a ground loop.

What is it connected to? Are you using it for a record deck for playback and recording or connected to a mixer for recording and playback? If a mixer, your metallic sound may well be phase cancellation due to parallel direct and processed signal paths, in which case we'd need to know exactly how things were connected and routed.

[madmega]

It is powered or with a power supply. At the moment nothing is connected to it.
When i turn on Windows and start cooledit with the soundcard connected turned
on all the volumes down and nothing connected. It gives the -40db noise.
when i remove the usb soundcard and reboot and in the bios enable the built in soundcard,
start windows and cooledit, turn all the volumes down and again connect nothing to the internal
Soundcard, i also get a -40db noise. So with or without a external or internal soundcard, i get the -40db noise.
So i still think it has to do with my mainboard.

[madmega]

I haven't tested yet with a firewire soundcard but i found out that my brother has the same processor but a different brand motherboard, but he has -60db noise, so i think it has something to do with the processor.

[James Perrett]

Are you recording in 8 bit mode by any chance?

[madmega]

No, in 16bit.

[madmega]

Today i tested it with a Edirol FA-66, and guess what ? No -40db, it was clean...so either there is something wrong with the USB in my pc or i am going insane.

[ef37a]

If you connect a USB audio device to a Win 7 computer with "generic" drivers, i.e. the ones the OS finds for itself, it is seen as a "USB microphone codec" or some variation of those words.

If you now look at Levels in the Windows sound menus you will find the record level set at 100% and that is where the noise comes from (and usually a whine ). Fix is simple, set the level to 5 or even lower! Set to zero shuts it down but I have an Alesis iO2 and that runs best at just 2%.

Another fix is ASIO4all.

Dave.

[madmega]

If i put the levels to say 1%, i will still get the -40 db noise.
ASIO4ALL doesn't work with CoolEdit

[ef37a]

If i put the levels to say 1%, i will still get the -40 db noise.
ASIO4ALL doesn't work with CoolEdit

You are going....Control Panel>Audio>recording>Device(click on)>Levels?

I don't have Cool Edit, didn't know.

Dave.

[James Perrett]

Still reckon you've gone 8 bit at some stage in the process...

You're not using the Windows Sound Mapper by any chance? You need to select the specific driver for your interface in Cool Edit.