# Help - Need soundcard calibration help



## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

I have been trying to use REW for a few months, but just can't seem to get anwhere. I hope someone can help. I am using a Gateway runnimg Windows Vista and a Turtle Beach Riviera Sound Card. I will attempt to past a view screen shots showing my settings. The calibration seems to work, except that I do not get a graph. Instead of writing a lot, I will let everyone look at the screen shots, and then ask me questions about the setup.

Thanks in advance for the help. Just in case you do not see any images, this may take a few tries.

Dan


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Here is what the plot looks like.

Dan


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

Dan, if you want to use a soundcard calibration file then uncheck the "Use left channel as calibration reference". The button to measure a cal file should remain disabled if "use left..." is selected, but it gets re-enabled after a level check (a bug, oops). If you are happy using the left channel as the reference then you don't need a cal file, just make a measurement with the loopback connected on left and right to make sure the result is suitably flat, then go ahead and connect your spl meter or mic on the right channel and carry on from there.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Why do you have digital SPDIF selected as your output and not Analog line-out?

See this thread where I show how to set up a Turtle Beach card in Vista (different card, but the same idea). You must select analog speakers for line-out and then analog line-in. If you are using the Left Channel calibrate method you must use a short on the left channel and use the right channel for your signal out and in...

bruce


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Bruce


Thank you for the response.

Good question about the Digital SPDIF being selected. The only reason it is selected is because that is the only way I could make it work. I was glad to see your thread on setting up your Turtle Beach card. I printed your post and set mine exactly like yours, but I had issues. For some reason, if I have Speakers checked as the playback device, Windows Media Player does not work and I do not get the test signal from REW. I thought about this, but as you can, even though SPDIF is selected, I am getting the test signal.









Here is what my sound card look like. I have a stereo cable from the Front Out to the Line In. I am getting the test signal and as you can see from above post, the VU meters are showing a response. 

Let's start with baby steps. - From looking at the picture of the jacks on my sound card - should I use a stereo cable or a mono cable.

Dan


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> For some reason, if I have Speakers checked as the playback device, Windows Media Player does not work and I do not get the test signal from REW.


Did you select the Turtle Beach analog out as the default device in VISTA playback devices tab?



> From looking at the picture of the jacks on my sound card - should I use a stereo cable or a mono cable


Stereo. From line-out (yellow) to line-in (top jack) and be sure it's selected as line-in and not center/sub out.

You need a set of breakout splitters that are (3.5 mm stereo jack to two RCA). This allows you to get at the left and right channels of the line-in and line-out ports.

brucek


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

I think I have a set up issue. Here is what I have selected. Notice the test tone error.

























Is there another selection that I need to make.

Dan


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> I think I have a set up issue. Here is what I have selected. Notice the test tone error.


Yeah, but in the pic below it shows the analog line-out as working.










If I look at my own playback devices screen in VISTA, and I switch the analog line-out to the Default, and then I place my mouse over the selection as shown below and right click, it offers me a TEST capability as shown. 

When I click it, it plays a couple of tones for a test. Does this work for you?









brucek


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Thanks for the help

I tried the test tones using right click, but I get the same error.










I did a google search and found lots of other people have this same problem. Before we get to deeply involved in this error, I would like to ask a question. I can get sound out and in by using the SPDIF option. If I connect speakers to the sound card, I can hear the REW test tone, and I can see the colored bars on the VU meters showing sound in and sound out. What do you think - As long as I am getting a signal, or we O.K. - or do you think there is more to it.

The problem I am having is that the test tone plays O.K (only if SPDIF is selected), but I do not get a graph.

Dan


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Have you loaded the latest VISTA driver called rivista.exe from this page?

brucek


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Yes - I down loaded the new drivers about a month ago - the new driver solved an issue I was having of not being able to see the control panel.

Just for fun - I put the REW setting back to SPDIF and connected my radio shack spl meter to the sound card input and ran some curves. Everything was fine. (At least I heard test tones and got a graph).

Next I disconnected the SPL meter and connected the stereo cable from Out to In. I got the following curve.









So - what does this tell us. Here is my guess - the test tone is being generated and the sound card is receiving the test tone - and REW is displaying the data.

So - the magic question is - what am I doing wrong when I try this in soundcard measure mode.

I don't know what is up with the analog issue, but I can at least get a measured curve - it just doesn't mean anything until I can get the calibration isuue figured out.

Bruce - As moderator I imagine you must get bombarded with stupid questions like these - but we do appreciate your help.

Dan


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

Dan,

The problem in soundcard measure mode is that you have "use left channel as calibration reference" selected. If you want to get a soundcard cal response, uncheck "use left...".

Your plot with a loopback curves up at low and high frequencies because you have C weight compensation selected, which isn't valid when doing a loopback measurement.


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

:jump:

We are making progress. Thank you. Thank you Thank you I have a calibration curve - sort of. The top curve is a measurement with the cable connected instead of the SPL meter. The second curve is the calibration curve.









Two questions.

1. What curve do I look at - Do I use the one tagged "Measured"
2. Any idea about what is going on above 500 Hz.

Thanks for your patience.

Dan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Arizona Dan said:


> :jump:
> 
> We are making progress. Thank you. Thank you Thank you I have a calibration curve - sort of. The top curve is a measurement with the cable connected instead of the SPL meter. The second curve is the calibration curve.
> 
> ...


Is this your sound card calibration graph??? ... it looks different than mine .. :scratchhead: ...


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

The bottom curve is the soundcard calibration curve. The top curve is a measurement taken using a cable connecting the IN to the OUT (same as when calibrating). Basically, the two curves are the same. I do not know why there is so much noise in it.

What does you calibration curve look like?

Dan


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

Please post a screenshot of the Impulse page for either your loopback measurement or the cal curve measurement.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Arizona Dan said:


> ... What does you calibration curve look like? ...Dan


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

I'm jealous - what sound card are you using? Also, laptop or PC?


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Here is the Impulse page of the soundcard calibration. What does it mea?









Dan


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

Arizona Dan said:


> I'm jealous - what sound card are you using? Also, laptop or PC?


I'm using an old laptop (Dell Inspiron 1100) ... it has XP and the sound card is a SoundBlaster Live 24Bits.

I had problems when calibrating my card too, the problem was that I used a 3.5mm cable and just did the loop from line in to line out (hopefully you're not doing the same) :hide:.

The correct way is to use a 3.5mm to RCA, then use the right side (red), you will not use the left (white) ... that worked for me.

Good luck ... you'll solve this obstacle in no time and will be in your way to REW :T


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

From post above - "I had problems when calibrating my card too, the problem was that I used a 3.5mm cable and just did the loop from line in to line out (hopefully you're not doing the same)"

This is exactly what I am doing - tried stereo and mono - did not make a difference. If I use 3.5 mm to RCA, what do I do with the RCA end. The RCA does not fit any of the jacks in the sound card.

Dan


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> If I use 3.5 mm to RCA, what do I do with the RCA end


You use a (stereo 3.5 mm split to two RCA adapter). 

You require *two* of these adapters.

One 3.5 mm plugs into the line-out and one 3.5 mm plugs into the line in. Then you connect the right channels together RCA to RCA (use an in-line).

Have you read this thread?

brucek


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Thanks for the help

O.K. Off to Radio Shack I went. Here is what I bought. Well, I took some pictures, but the file size is to big. Let me work on figuring out how to change file size of pictures. Anyhow, I bought two adapters and pluged the red RCA into the other adapter - Left the white unplugged. Is this correct?

I ran the calibration curve again, but no luck - it looks the same. Here it is.
















I'm cracking up.

The bad thing is that there is some little window somewhere that is either checked or should be check and I can't find it. Or I am a moron. O.K. I'm not giving up.

O.K. - Any ideas.

Dan


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Just in case the set up helps.








Dan


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

It is basically useable as is for subwoofer measurements, but there is something going on causing the high frequency noise that ideally needs tracking down. The sweep level should probably be higher, closer to -12dB, which may help a little but certainly is not the basic problem. 

There may be some kind of resampling issue, if you go through the various properties dialogs in the playback, recording and soundcard settings you may come across one that has selections for whether applications can have exclusive access tio the device and what sampling frequency and word length to use when more than one application is ugint the card. If you find that properties sheet set the sample rate and word lenght for shared applications to 48k and 16 bits.

There may also be a connector problem, a mono connector plugged into the soundcard 3.5mm sockets can cuase similar problems so make doubly sure the adaptors you have use stereo jack plugs.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

I've seen that ringing at the end of a soundcard cal file before and I feel it is a result of too low a sweep level. Increase your SWEEP level up to ~ (-6dB to -12dB) and redo and see the changes.....

brucek


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## Arizona Dan (Mar 8, 2008)

Finally made some progress.

The first thing I did was to remove the Turtle Beach card and use the built in sound card. Within five minutes I had a real good calibration curve.:yay::jump:

Then I did a measurement with the jumper still in place. Guess what, the noise was back. After two hours, I deleted all the files and tried again. Here are the results. The problem was (this is my guess) was that some time ago I made a mike calibration curve while I was having all of the previous problems. Now with the problems gone, when I would make a measurement, the calibration data was being used and the end result was REW was putting the noise back into the data. Does this make since? Tomorrow I will put the Turtle Beach back in and test again.

The top curve is a measurement curve (my speakers test really really flat, don't they - just joking)
The bottom curve is the calibration curve - I'm so happy.

Thanks for your help.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Looks good.............


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