E-Mu 1212M drivers finally not working

[Scramble]

I've been keeping my E-Mu 1212M card going for a few years on Windows 10, but it's now started to cause crashes. I tried my rarely-used Windows 8 partition, but after updating that with the latest Windows updates the card crashed on that as well.

So either something has changed in the latest Windows updates, or there's a problem with the physical card -- I suspect the former. Either way I've decided to retire the card (it's not my main card, just a secondary one).

Creative/E-Mu haven't updated the driver since 2011, so it's been miraculous that the thing has been working for so long. Meanwhile my Fireface 800 powers on, RME are still releasing updated drivers. So many audio interface companies that fail to support their products long-term, with the exception of RME. Mind you, they don't make any small cheap interfaces to use as second or third interface!

[OK1]

Thankfully the EMU is not your primary card.

This is the price of progress - obsolescence.

I have two EMU products I cherish - the 1212M PCI, and 0404USB. The 1212M I have not used for several years since I tried moving to a laptop - but I will move back to a desktop, and the 1212M will very likely be pressed back into service.

EMU are really great products - awesome sound quality, good performance, and in my experience relatively stable, at an affordable price, but they (Creative Labs) probably bought EMU only for the technology - and their business model of low cost premium devices, needed much higher sales volumes, than the enthusiast/home studio market could deliver, so they dropped that market.

Echo Audio is somewhat similar though their products were a bit pricier than EMU's. I happen to own the Layla 3G PCI, so you see a trend here - a customer base that wanted a lot for not too much money. - Somewhat unsustainable and not good for business - both ways - for the customer and for the vendor.

So what are the solutions.

1. Craft new drivers by tweaking the existing drivers - I am aware that this has been done for the EMU0404USB on Mac, to provide updated drivers. I am not an expert at this kind of reverse engineering/geek level chicanery, but it is feasible that it could be done, or has been done. I recall once upon a time owning - and this card is still in my storage somewhere in the world - a Creative Labs non EMU card - which independent developers had created drivers for - with a whole new custom app to control it.

2. Hope that further revisions of Windows 10 restore that compatibility with your audio device, that most likely was regressed when you upgraded to the latest version of Windows 10. I presume you may be using the Home edition of Windows 10, which gives you very little choice in when these upgrades are applied. This is the price I pay for using the Home Edition - MIcrosoft insists on keeping greater control, for using us as guinea pigs to test their upgrades - at our cost in inconvenience, lost productivity, time, should the new version introduce regression or unexpected outcomes.

3. Use Windows 10 Professional - a minor investment - to upgrade from Windows Home to a version which gives you greater control of when you need to upgrade - This way, all changes are predictable and at your discretion. e.g you can discretionarily choose to apply only the critical updates which affect security, and are unlikely to affect subsystems like audio services/devices.

4. Go back to using WIndows 7 ( I think it uses less resources than Windows 8 and 8.1). As Microsoft no longer really supports Windows 7 there is small security risk, if you use this PC for connecting to the Internet regularly for browsing, or need to leave this PC online cos you have have tons of installed plugins which need to "phone home". In my recent experience though I discern that my Waves plugins, which usually phone home, ran ok, when I was at a live venue without any LAN or Wireless connections, so temporarily turning off Wifi, disconnecting from your Wifi connection, or pulling out your Ethernet LAN cable, may fix this issue if it applies to you. If I was using Windows 7, i'd connect to the network, only for authorising plugins, and avoid browsing on this computer - if I wish to stay connected to the network/internet 24/7.

5. Upgrade to an RME interface. When you think of the number of years during which the EMU device has already served you well, an upgrade is not inconsistent. Nothing lasts forever, and you can take consolation in the fact that you have already derived a lot of value from the EMU device. You can still sell the EMU device - cos those enthusiasts who know its value keep it in demand - you may still get the same price you paid for it - last time I checked I could have sold my EMU1212M for exactly the same price I bought it for 10 years ago, and invest this in the purchase of a new audio interface.

6. You may also try rebooting Windows 10 a few times - strange but true, I find that Windows 10 seems to have some Artificial Intelligence, by this I mean it seems to "learn" what's working or not and appears to improve things like startup times, and in my experience, the driver subsystem can improve somewhat - after some reboots - strange - but true. Or it could be that the upgrade does not fully complete after the 1st or 2nd reboot - but this incomplete upgrade is not made apparent to the user.

[Scramble]

Thanks for the thoughts.

Yes, E-Mu cards, judging by the 1212M, provide good performance at a great price (if you ignore the lapsed driver situation). I also used to have an Echo card (Mia) and agree with your comments, great cards which proved to be too good for the price.

I do use W10 Pro, not Home, and I'm delaying the major updates, mainly because the major updates won't install on my machine anyway. (I thought removing the 1212M would solve this issue, but it hasn't).

>Go back to using WIndows 7

I've been thinking about doing that today. W10 seems more hassle than W7 ever was, and doesn't really offer me anything that I couldn't do in W7. But that means problems the other way, with software that eventually won't run on W7. Not sure it's the worth the hassle of going back to W7 at this stage just for one cheap soundcard. And re-installing a new OS, whether W7 or W10, means an incredible amount of time and hassle re-installing and re-authorizing my stupidly huge amount of software, which I don't have time for at the moment.

>Upgrade to an RME interface.

I'll get a new RME when I need a new primary interface, but I don't have the money for an RME at this point.

>You may also try rebooting Windows 10 a few times.

Done that a lot. Didn't help. But I may try re-installing the 1212M in a few days. Or I may just sell it.

[IvanSC]

FWIW RME stuff is reliable enough for you to safely buy a used card. I did years ago & it is still going strong. Funnily enough, it replaced my 1212m too.

[Guest]

Hey I was wondering if anyone here might be able to help me out. I just got an E-mu 1212M PCIe sound card. I am running Vista x64 Home Premium, Quad-Core 1.8GHz, 5GB ram. I was running on an e-mu 0404 standard PCI card before. I uninstalled the old card and the the drivers completely before trying to install my new card. Put in the new card installed the drivers and the patch mix dsp program, but every time I try to play sounds in winamp or Internet Explorer or any other source that runs on the wave channel, after about a min the whole computer locks up followed by a high pitch sound and then my screen pixel-ating forcing me to do a hard power off. Anyone got any Ideas I have been messing with this for almost a week now. Thanks!

[Guest]

Thanks for the thoughts.

Yes, E-Mu cards, judging by the 1212M, provide good performance at a great price (if you ignore the lapsed driver situation). I also used to have an Echo card (Mia) and agree with your comments, great cards which proved to be too good for the price.

I do use W10 Pro, not Home, and I'm delaying the major updates, mainly because the major updates won't install on my machine anyway. (I thought removing the 1212M would solve this issue, but it hasn't).

>Go back to using WIndows 7
BluestacksTextNowVPN
I've been thinking about doing that today. W10 seems more hassle than W7 ever was, and doesn't really offer me anything that I couldn't do in W7. But that means problems the other way, with software that eventually won't run on W7. Not sure it's the worth the hassle of going back to W7 at this stage just for one cheap soundcard. And re-installing a new OS, whether W7 or W10, means an incredible amount of time and hassle re-installing and re-authorizing my stupidly huge amount of software, which I don't have time for at the moment.

>Upgrade to an RME interface.
i tagight too
I'll get a new RME when I need a new primary interface, but I don't have the money for an RME at this point.

>You may also try rebooting Windows 10 a few times.

Done that a lot. Didn't help. But I may try re-installing the 1212M in a few days. Or I may just sell it.

[Keyman777]

I'm a noob on here so apologize 4the rant & if this hasn't been covered b4. Sometimes what has worked for me with the 1212m is after uninstall and reinstalls of emu driver on win 7 or 10 it's hit or miss. Sometimes moving the card to another slot if available does the trick. I had it working on win7 for the longest time then motherboard failure after 8yrs. Tried installing on new motherboard & a no go. Put it in a win 10 machine that didn't use to read it & all of a suddin it works yrs later. I also have an orig Rme babyf on the same computer switching for tracking certain ins & outs or mixing purposes. To me the Rme has a little more bottom, a little diff soundstage . Not huge diff have gotten used to both of them. Still Now today both are still very usable & great for$. Have a few more setups with diff interfaces but still they all get used & sound great.

Squinting my eyes and raising my eyebrows on pitchy vocals has become a standard with many years of recording in studios b4 applying pitch correction. That sometimes I find myself walking around and doing those 1st 2things mentioned that my wife says are you making beats again with your eyes & brows or happy to see me!

[rjkrook]

I once found a true solution for this issue on the internet. It containes files en instructions and works flawlessly. Still interested after all this time? let me know,
RJ

[Eddy Deegan]

I once found a true solution for this issue on the internet. It containes files en instructions and works flawlessly. Still interested after all this time? let me know,
RJ

Welcome to the forum

I'm not sure it's particularly helpful to anyone to know that someone else 'out there' has a solution without posting what that solution is! Could you provide more information please?

[rjkrook]

I can post a downloadlink to a zipfile containing the files and instructions or send it tot anyone...

[rjkrook]

E-MU 1212m/1616m - Complete Install Guide for Windows 10 (1903 & Above)
*Please perform each task in the exact order listed.*
Download the E-MU_Windows_10_Install.zip file from https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ar-KCv7xikVOh23zeXTESuD8k2ih.
Extract the zip file to your main Windows 10 drive and change the name of the folder to "temp". (C:\temp)
Remove all current E-MU Drivers and PatchMix software.
Install the EmuPMX_PCDrv_US_2_30_00_BETA drivers and RESTART INTO SAFE MODE by holding the shift key when clicking on Restart. Choose Troubleshoot, Advanced Options, Start-up Settings and click Restart. When the start-up options appear, press F4.
Once in safe mode right-click on the start button and open Windows PowerShell (Admin). Type into the PowerShell window
CODE: SELECT ALL

set-executionpolicy unrestricted -scope localmachine
and press Enter. Then type
CODE: SELECT ALL

cd c:/temp
and press Enter. Then type
CODE: SELECT ALL

./EMU_Driver_Fix
to run a modified version of ClubHouseKey's script. This will replace our windows files with the updated files. Performing this step in a normal Windows environment will either cause the script to not run at all due to script settings within Windows or some files will not get overwritten because they're in use.
Restart Windows normally and then install the EmuPMX_PCApp_US_2_20_00 PatchMix Software.
You should now have successfully installed your E-MU Audio Interface.
If ASIO isn't working then click on Start and type regedit and click on Registry Editor. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, right-click AsioThk32Reg and choose Modify. Change CTASIO.DLL to CTASIO64.DLL.

I hope this guide helps everyone that wants to keep their 1212m/1616m running.

Martin
Producer, Sherwood Sound Studios

[Martin Walker]

Thanks for those details Martin - I'm sure they will help some of our forum users!

And in an addendum to the original thread, I too moved from an Emu soundcard (in my case the 1820M) to an RME device - a Fireface UC, which I'm extremely happy with.

Martin

[tlainhart]

FWIW, I was running my 1820m on Windows 10 with the driver adjustments described a couple of posts back. One of the tricks, not described in the zip instructions IIRC, is to modify the group policy so that the drivers aren't whacked by updated Creative drivers on subsequent OS patch updates.

I'd still be running the 1820m if the breakout box didn't die recently. I bought the caps to do the well-known cap-replacement, but decided that it might be best to fold. I ended up buying a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6, which is OK, and gives me the loopback routing I liked with the 1820m, but I still prefer the E-MU. I lusted for the RME interfaces, but it wasn't in the budget.