please help - sbLive audio problems

[jailbird]

i'v got a marvel g400 and everything is working fine, except when i output to tape, the audio is terribly low. the creative labs soundblaster live value card that i'm using does not have an on-board amplifier, and i cannot find any where else that i can adjust the audio levels beyond the current output. i bought a set of powered yamaha speakers with an extra output that i tried to use as a small amplifier, but that didn't work--the audio was still barely audible. does anyone have any suggestions (aside from buying an expensive amplifier/sound board/mixer).

come on dr. mordrid, i've seen you help out everyone else. i need a little love here.

[TnT]

Do you have LiveWare installed? You should be able to change a ton of audio levels with the Audio HQ.

[Brian Ellis]

I have no problems, though with G200. Maybe your BOB is faulty? But make sure your audio connections are OK and that your sound mixer is correctly set up. One common fault with Live! is mistaking the front and rear speaker jacks. As I use only two speakers, I have set up custom categories on the Surround Mixer and I have the BOB plugged into the rear jack, with the speakers on the front jack. For all applications except video playback, I use the standard 2-speaker set-up, but on video playback, I pump everything into the rear jack. Works beautifully and can record VHS tapes with a good volume. This is a lazy man's approach, 'cos I don't have to crawl behind the computer to swap jacks.

Make sure you have the latest drivers. The Live! v. 1.00 were a load of crap. I'm using 2.0.

------------------
Brian (the terrible)

[fluggo99]

There's more possibilities for connection problems than anything else. Admittedly, the Live! is incredibly weak compared to the AWE64 (best sound card I ever used), but you should still check these things (if you think you've checked most everything, skip to my "Lastly"):

First thing you should do is skip the BOB. Half of connection problems happen there. Radio Shack (or your local equivalent) should have the appropriate adapters to go from 1/8" headphone jack to RCA jacks.

Secondly, make sure everything's hooked up right. Like Brian said, there's a line out for the front and one for the rear. The one you should use is green (front). This output will be disabled if you turn on digital out, so turn it off (volume controls->play control->advanced->digital output only). Also make sure you are connected to line in on your VCR (or whatever) and that if it has recording volume controls, they are turned up.

Thirdly, turn Play Control, Wave/DirectSound, and lastly the Bass&Treble controls up to full. If this does not work, put the Bass&Treble back to normal (I don't like messing with those.)

Fourth, swap in some different cables to see if they work.

Lastly, put a tape deck between your sound card and VCR. (line-out on Live! to line-in on tape deck, set tape deck to record-pause, turn its recording volume way up, line-out on tape deck to line in on VCR) This should provide you enough boost and a little control over your volume levels.

Lotsa luck, pal! (that reminds me of a song...)