Cannot calibrate creative x-fi soundcard

**robertcharles123** · **04-30-09, 04:30 AM**

I am having a boatload of trouble calibrating the x-fi soundcard. I have followed the instructions in the forums and from others who know how to use REW. I need to get this thing going. Any help would be fantastic.

Thanks,

Robert

**robertcharles123** · **04-30-09, 04:39 AM**

I have set the system up with the behringer mic going to a xenyx 802. From there, it is sent to the input of the soundcard via a rca connector (right) -(left )one goes to loop back left output. The rca's are connected to the input via a stereo mini plug. The right output is sent directly to amp-now. I have used the optical out, rca out to processor, and then to just amp. Still getting same crazy calibration

Thanks,

Robert

**robertcharles123** · **04-30-09, 04:40 AM**

No matter what I change, I keep getting the same result. Any thoughts?

**brucek** · **04-30-09, 06:55 AM**

Quote:

Any thoughts?

Yep, remove all the cables.
Uncheck the "Use Left Channel as Calibration Reference".
Click the Right channel button.
Connect a single RCA cable from right channel line-in to right channel line-out.
Run the soundcard calibration routine and save the file. Remove the loopback.
Now use the right channel for the mic and output to the receiver. The left channel remains unused.

brucek

**JohnM** · **04-30-09, 08:37 AM**

And clear the mic cal file (the black line on your plots) while you are checking the soundcard cal, reload the mic cal file afterwards.

John

**robertcharles123** · **04-30-09, 01:38 PM**

Please tell me that if the mic cal is loaded, it will give inaccurate results. That would explain a lot. I will try again later

**robertcharles123** · **04-30-09, 01:40 PM**

I am going to start completely over and remove the mic file and try the soundcard again. Is it alright to go directly to the amp with right output and not the processor no crossover?

Thanks,

Robert

**robertcharles123** · **04-30-09, 01:49 PM**

Quote:

JohnM wrote:

And clear the mic cal file (the black line on your plots) while you are checking the soundcard cal, reload the mic cal file afterwards.

John

I appreciate the help. I hope that is the problem with the mic file. It seems so simple now. I need to cal the soundcard before the mic so that the mic is not influencing what is happening. I did that backwards and I hope that is the answer. Each time the graph comes out exactly the same no matter how I do the test.

Thanks,

Robert

**brucek** · **04-30-09, 01:54 PM**

Quote:

Please tell me that if the mic cal is loaded, it will give inaccurate results. That would explain a lot. I will try again later

The meter/mic soundcard cal file has no effect on the soundcard calibration routine results.

It only has an effect when you are checking the results of the soundcard cal file by doing a loopback Measure once the cal file has been created and saved.

Simply follow the instructions I outlined in my last post.

brucek

**robertcharles123** · **04-30-09, 08:57 PM**

Please tell me I'm close with this.

Thanks,

Robert

**brucek** · **05-01-09, 06:28 AM**

Quote:

Please tell me I'm close with this.

Perfect.

But you don't have to ask, you can test it by now running a measurement test from 0-20000Hz of the loopback cable itself. If the soundcard cal file is good, then the frequency response of the cable should be flat.

For this test you leave the loopback cable on the right channel. Be sure there is no mic/meter cal and be sure you have saved the soundcard cal file. Then run a Measure.

After you get the flat response, you know you're ready to go, so remove the loopback and use that calibrated right channel for your mic and output to the receiver. The left channel is not used.

brucek

**Ricci** · **05-01-09, 10:56 AM**

Great Robert.

It's all fun and games from here on out. The set-up is the hardest part. The rest is just figuring out how to do things and getting used to it.

Thanks for helping out Bruce and John.. I tried to outline what you told him but I was much less succinct with it. Plus we had about 5 people barking out suggestions.

**robertcharles123** · **05-08-09, 03:11 AM**

OK. I had everything going great for the last few days, then, a friend of mine disconnected the souncard from the computer while REW was running and it does not work now. The right meter does not go into any of the lighted areas no matter what I do. I recalibrated the soundcard and now it is screwed up again. When I measure the soundcard, the graph is way upon the left side and flattens out as it goes and then drops off. I get sound out and can adjust the sound out, but I do not get any noticable signal on the right meter. I get a graph way down in the db level on the graph, so it must be picking up signal, but the graphs are off and it is not functioning like before the usb cable was removed while REW was running.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Robert

**brucek** · **05-08-09, 07:22 AM**

Quote:

When I measure the soundcard, the graph is way upon the left side and flattens out as it goes and then drops off.

Can we see the graph?

brucek

**robertcharles123** · **05-09-09, 12:56 AM**

**robertcharles123** · **05-09-09, 01:01 AM**

Ok. I am getting to the point where you can adjust check the levels for the soundcard with the check levels with the sub tab and get the levels even. When I go to the soundcard 1khz tone, it shows nothing on the right meter. Then, when I measure the soundcard, the meters go crazy and I get the above graph. All because the usb plug was removed and replugged yesterday. It has not worked since. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Rlobert

**brucek** · **05-09-09, 07:36 AM**

Uninstall and then reinstall the soundcards software.

brucek

**JohnM** · **05-09-09, 02:56 PM**

Check what device is selected as the input in REW. If it is "default", make sure the X-Fi is still shown as the default for audio input in the Windows soundcard control panel.

**robertcharles123** · **05-09-09, 07:56 PM**

Quote:

brucek wrote:

Uninstall and then reinstall the soundcards software.

brucek

That was my plan, but I cannot believe that unplugging the usb will cause such problems. My friend bought me a new usb drive and was trying to get it to plug in one of the usb ports, but it would not fit. He then pulled the plug on the soundcard to try that socket and it did not fit either. Then it did not work upon reconnecting. I guess that would be the best solution. I will do that in a few hours and see what happens.

Thanks,

Robert

**robertcharles123** · **05-09-09, 10:53 PM**

I deleted the creative soundcard. I now checked the default on windows and it is soundmax sound card. I am going to reinstall the creative and seee what happens.

Thanks,

Robert

**robertcharles123** · **05-10-09, 11:18 AM**

I reloaded the soundcard. Now there are all kinds of system errors and serious error messages. The soundcard is not recognized and the console is not launching or the volume control. I am woorse off than I was when I first started. It also says something abot Aarcan? cannot be loaded because it cannot be found when I start the computer. A total reboot is in my future.

Thanks,

Robert

**robertcharles123** · **05-15-09, 09:18 AM**

Got the system to show input and output. Here is a soundcard cal graph and the soundcard measurement. What is wrong with the soundcard measurement?

**brucek** · **05-15-09, 09:29 AM**

Quote:

What is wrong with the soundcard measurement?

You had the mic/meter cal file loaded when you did the soundcard measurement. It should be cleared since you're not measuring with a mic/meter. You're measuring a cable. Clear the mic/meter cal file when doing that measurement.

The clue what was wrong is that the plot is the inverse of the ECM8000 mic cal file......

brucek

**robertcharles123** · **05-15-09, 09:36 AM**

I think I got it. I did not do anything but turn off the control and turn it back on and here is what I got.

red is cal.
blue is measurement

**robertcharles123** · **05-15-09, 10:12 AM**

I just measured the card with and without the mic cal. and I am getting good repeating measures with and then without. I think I have a success as of now. I will make some measures soon.

Thanks,

Robert

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