# Check Levels inconsistent??



## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Yesterday I ran Check Levels and got (at -18dB) a 75dB SPL reading. For a first try I was happy. I went ahead to Calibrate SPL and only had to make a 2dB adjustment to -73dB. Good I thought. Didn't have time to do a measurement of the room.

Today I went back to Check Levels and got (at -18dB) a 61dB SPL reading! (see attached). I also noticed that the sound was mid and high frequencies only and yesterday it sounded quite different (low sounds mostly). Is there something I missed in setting this up? I used the same (good) cal file. Contrary to the image below, I have set the levels to main speaker.

Ok, now I have tried again and get still different results - still not working. I decreased the Input Volume and checked the SPL weighted meter box in Settings. I have connected the right output from the MP3+ soundcard through a Y to both left and right channels on my AV processor. Now I get no volume from the stereo but get feedback if I try to turn it up. Really stuck here.


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## thewire (Jun 28, 2007)

First make sure you have the correct drivers.

http://support.creative.com/Product...3+ 5.1&subCatName=Live!&CatName=Sound+Blaster

Then go to the creative console in your start menu so it looks similar to this.

























Now go here in your windows control panel that looks similar to this and double click the speaker icon. I think the icon in your system tray might work also.









Check the playback and recording playback as bruce explains.

Disable the line-in of the *Playback* Mixer. 

The line-in of the *Record* Mixer is enabled.

*PLAYBACK MIXER*
View attachment 10489

*RECORD MIXER*
View attachment 10490


See that REW settings look similar to this except with the soundcard calc loaded and then adjust as needed.


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## thewire (Jun 28, 2007)

Corrected the first post.


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## thewire (Jun 28, 2007)

This bass boost needs to be disabled also...


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Thanks for the detailed help. Unfortunately that site only has a driver update for the internal sound card SoundBlaster Live! I have the external SoundBlaster MP3. I can't find any drivers for the external card. Therefore I can't use the Creative Console! Any ideas?


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Use the Windows Mixer...

brucek


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## thewire (Jun 28, 2007)

hrpschrd said:


> Thanks for the detailed help. Unfortunately that site only has a driver update for the internal sound card SoundBlaster Live! I have the external SoundBlaster MP3. I can't find any drivers for the external card. Therefore I can't use the Creative Console! Any ideas?


That is the one I am using.


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Bruce: Where do I find Windows Mixer?
Steven: Do you mean you are using the internal driver? I couldn't load it because it is for x64 only.


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## thewire (Jun 28, 2007)

hrpschrd said:


> Bruce: Where do I find Windows Mixer?
> Steven: Do you mean you are using the internal driver? I couldn't load it because it is for x64 only.


Yes I spent over a couple hours downloading a driver version from another site and as soon as it started to install the driver it said it was not going to install because I did not have a internal sound card. Out of desperation I went to the Creative site and then installed the beta one and it worked. I thought to myself good news for users of REW. I guess the drivers only work on Vista x64, sorry to hear it isn't working.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> Where do I find Windows Mixer?


What Windows operating system are you using?

brucek


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Windows XP Professional


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> Where do I find Windows Mixer?


Double click the speaker icon in your desktop system tray.

The two mixers are setup as below.

To select Recording, select options, then properties pulldown

*Playback Mixer*









*Record Mixer*








brucek


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Thanks Bruce. Is this all I need to do or are the options Steven listed necessary also?
Also, besides checking the items do I need to adjust the levels just as you show them?


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> Is this all I need to do or are the options Steven listed necessary also?


Those options won't be available without the SB driver application software.



> besides checking the items do I need to adjust the levels just as you show them?


You set the levels as required by the Check Levels routine. I am only giving an example to show you what is enabled and muted.

brucek


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

SUCCESS!
Thanks very much Brucek! I obviously didn't understand the necessity of adjusting the soundcard volume as well as input volume and preamp volume.

I am assuming that this graph is a correct one of course but I think I can now add a "room curve" adjustment to the bass. The treble doesn't roll off much to 20KHz but I like the sound in the room (which is heavily trapped). With the bass traps I have it looks like I don't have substantial peaks but I may not be able to reduce the troughs too much more. I think the waterfall is fairly good (not much beyond 300ms).

With a little help this software is really easy to use and it gives great results.
:yay2:


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Looks good.

Tips:

For subwoofers, always use the standard Vertical graph axis of (45dB - 105dB) and the Horizontal graph axis of (15Hz - 200Hz) using the Graph Limits button in the top right corner of REW.
For full range, use the standard Vertical graph axis of (45dB - 105dB) and the Horizontal graph axis of (15Hz - upper limits you desire, - certainly no higher than your soundcard or SPL meter can extend).
For full range only, enable smoothing to eliminate the comb filtering. Use a 1/3 octave smoothing.

The little floppy icon in the bottom left hand corner of your graph is used to save a jpg at 800 wide so you can post them here.

brucek


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Hello again a year later! And a year dummer: I am getting no sound during "Check Levels". I have read and re-read this thread but can't find the problem. It seems everything is setup the same as before with the same hardware. 

To review: I have a SoundBlaster MP3 sound board connected to my stereo and my laptop. The Settings screen looks the same as before with the Mixer LineIn selected in Recording and muted in Playback. The "Check Level" output is at 0dB but Left and Right levels are not on scale. There is also NO sound.

What setting prevents output from the stereo (which is working fine)?


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Ok, found one mistake and am now getting -18dB in the Right channel but still no sound, so I cannot adjust to 75dB in the room. Arrgghhh.


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

Just in case anyone reads this thread (brucek?), I have solved the problem but I have no idea how.
I know one has to set up the Windows Volume Control settings properly to send a signal. Although it should have no effect, I found that increasing the volume on the Playback/Wave brought my signal up and it stayed there even though I could turn it down and it wouldn't go away.

This was a case of just fiddling knobs and getting lucky. Any rhyme or reason to that?


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## laser188139 (Sep 19, 2009)

I did not mention it before, as the symptoms of the SoundBlaster card my wife's XP desktop computer were different. There, usually when I start REW I have sound, but no levels show in REW. When I go into Sound in Control Panel and switch from Line In to Mic and back to Line In, the REW now receives the audio and displays the levels. So it seems the SoundBlaster drivers are sometimes buggy, where they are not actually acting identically to the settings they display, but when you touch a control they recognize the new value and the behavior again matches the displayed state. 

Bill


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## hrpschrd (Sep 16, 2008)

That actually makes a lot of sense. Thanks Bill.:T


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