# low input



## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

I'm using a soundblaster live! ,A Radio Shack 33-2055,FBQ2496. Iv'e changed leads,jacks,added new battery to my SPL,deleted REW settings and started over. sound card cal.no problem. read all of HTS ,reset all inputs and outputs on card and settings box. reset SPL meter and yes cal. When measuring ,the output level is always up around 10 db but the input is always around -72 db. When I go threw the measurment it always stops around 90% of the way and says your input is to low usally -72.2 dBFS The highest I've ever gotten was -67dBFS. Is this low input because of the SPL meter. HELP!!!



:help:


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

When you loop the line-out to the line-in with a cable for the soundcard calibration routine, are you able to set the levels properly (with the output and input levels matched at -12dB) ?

brucek


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Yes the card cal.s fine


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

I said yes to question should have thought a little first . Ive set it at least 1o times ,it always sets low around -12db and close. If it's not right on can it do what it's doing.


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

I made some tests for your question .With the setting set in default when I had the sweep level set at -12.0 I got an input at -10.5 .Measerment got -16.2 out ,-27.1 in.When I set the sweep to -13.0 I got -11.5 with a measurment of -18.4 out -32.7 in.When I set the device to soundblaster live /speaker soundblaster live/ mic I got with input volume set at 0.841 and sweep at -12.0 results were -12.0 out/-12.1 in then measered with -17.4 out and -35.2 in. Hope you understand all this.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

Actually, I'm not following you...sorry

I first wanted to establish that when you remove the speakers and SPL meter from the setup and simply use a loopback cable, it establishes whether the Soundcard and computer works with REW.

If you're able to get the proper levels on a Soundcard calibrate setup, then you would check that you can measure a cable (after first setting up correct levels) and get a flat line response (using the previously created soundcard.cal file).

When setting up the Soundcard cal routine, the output and input REW VU meters should be in the Yellow at about -12dB. Are you able to accomplish these levels? Like below...









Then while leaving the loopback cable in place (after you've finished the soundcard cal file routine), can you use the Check Levels routine and get the meters again to look like the VU picture above.
Below is my Check Levels settings to accomplish that. Can you show me yours?









brucek


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Took it out of the loop and got a -73.4 dBFS input


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Hi I have a screen shot do you want me to e-mail it to you or post it wich I don.t no how to do .It was in the yellow 9.1


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Back again YES they are -12.0 and -12.1 in the yellow.The 9.1 was the yellow readings on top of the meters


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## Danny (May 3, 2006)

sounds kinda obvious but are you using the right input on your sound card


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> Back again YES they are -12.0 and -12.1 in the yellow.The 9.1 was the yellow readings on top of the meters


Good. Is that the case for both the Soundcard calibrate routine and the Check Levels routine when you have a cable loopback hooked up?

Read this. It tells you how to post pictures and graphs etc..

brucek


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

yes theres only two lines in -Linein and mic in and I'm using line in


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## MakeFlat (Mar 30, 2007)

Check that you don't have any attenuating cable.:nerd:


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Thanks for trying to help, my settings pitcure wouldn't upload ,if it's to big I have to find out how to down size it. Have work tomorrow, getting to bed BUT I'LL BE BACK. Thanks again.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> if it's to big I have to find out how to down size it


Load the picture into Windows Paint (under the Accessories heading of the Start/Programs button in Windows)..

If it's a bmp file, Save As a jpg picture first (because they're the best type to resize) and then pull down the Stretch/Skew command in Paint and shrink the picture by whatever percentage you want (i.e 75%) and Save.

brucek


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Hi brucek I'm back. I'm going to send ypu three pitcures on diffrent replies.The first the one I belive you requested, the second the graft from it and third the meaurment results I got after after hooking back up.


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)




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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)




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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

The secound and third out of order(pitcures)


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

So I'm guessing that the picture below is the Check levels routine when you have a cable looped from line-out to line-in?

The levels are fine in that picture.









So, when do you get the low input level? Is it when you remove the loopback cable and plug in the meter (with a stereo adapter on the right channel) and then plug the line-out to your receiver and do a Check levels?

brucek


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Yes thats after I get out of the loop,hook it up like you said and run measurment


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

I'm not runnig into a reciever I'm runnig right from my card to the FBQ2496


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

When I say measurment I mean do the main testing of the sub sweep.


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

When you said low level it's not with that piture you showing bars circled,thats the pitcure when I have the system loop


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

I don't know if you got my last message so I'll say if again About hooking up right channel I'v hooked up mono, sterio different cables front back sideways if you get my point I'm seeing them in my sleep


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

> I'm not runnig into a reciever I'm runnig right from my card to the FBQ2496


Better to connect from the soundcard line-out into the receiver CD or AUX input. Then you can use the receivers volume control to set the volume in the room to 75dB SPL on the SPL meter.

Does that work? Do you get 75dB on the meter needle?

Then the cable from the SPL meter (with an RCA connector) goes to the right channel of the line-in of the soundcard using a 1/8" stereo adapter. Is that what you're using?

Have you tested your SPL meter by simply plugging it into your receiver with an RCA to RCA cable and talking into it. It's a microphone. Does it work?

brucek


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Hi brucek,thans again for helping me.After I get all my settings done I get a good signal to my sub amp if anythang to much I have to turn down the input on my power amp input attenuator to about 1/8 full,I'm gettting 75 db no probem .And back to the settings ,I'v cal. the Radioshack 2055,It seems to be working fine.I go to the measuring icon ,the Make a mesurment box appears check levels,start measuring,cancel.I make A level check no problem and then start the sweep measuring.It starts through the sweep but about 90% through the measuerment it stops and that box comes up ,which I sent you a pitcure of ,saying very low signal level-the highest level in the meaurment is just -73.4 dBFS ,If I click ok it finishes the measurement ,I get a result of the measurement but from there are these measuerments accurate I've stopped there at this point to solve this low input problem.


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## MakeFlat (Mar 30, 2007)

Can you read your room's SPL using REW? Does it equal the RS SPL reading?


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Hi Nick thanks for repling. Ya somthing I didn't notice when I go to the measering icon where the make a measuerment box comes up with check levels,start measurment,cancel I check the measurment box and a pink noise sounds,I get a 76db sound (same as what I cal. the SPL meter but in the box it shows in big blue letters level is low -87.2dbWhy is it to LOW?


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Heres a pitcture I just talked about


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

It is too low because the signal from your SPL meter is not getting to the input channel you have selected on your soundcard. That could be because the cable from the meter is connected to the left channel and you have selected the right, or you have the wrong type of adaptor connecting to your soundcard, or you haven't plugged in to the SPL meter


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

Tanks for reply John, If theres anythang wrong in relation to what you just said is the jacks,plugs, cables are wareout from me changing them around trying to solve this problem(joking).I'v caled the meter is connected. It's getting the signal it's just low.


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## JohnM (Apr 11, 2006)

With -87dB showing and -78dB peak it is not getting any signal from the meter, trust me. Until you see an input level around -18dB or so when a 75dB SPL signal is playing you don't have a signal coming in.


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## MakeFlat (Mar 30, 2007)

If you get low input signal again, you can immediately read the SPL on the *RS SPL meter *and compare that with *the reading in REW on the PC*. You will be surprised that they are not the same. As John said, you don't have a signal coming in, so that you may read 56dB in a typical room except that REW would display a very low number. 

Please verify the SPL Meter reading against the SPL displayed in REW.


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## Chrisbee (Apr 20, 2006)

What's happening here?










After endless attempts to uninstall and reload Creative and fix REW somehow I just noticed on my own settings panel that I had my *Input volume *set to "*0*". 

I simply set it to "*1*" and it now everything works perfectly! I even have a perfect soundcard curve and cal file to play with now! :T


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## bobmills (Apr 7, 2007)

I'm jumping alll around ,and laughing-it works and everybody that reads this it going to laugh.I've pulled my hair out for a week now trying to figure out whats wrong with my low input ,and one of my first threads asked the question is it my SPL meter.Then I got a tread from JohnM saying it was. I called Radioshack asking them if they had a 33-2055 SPL meter the one with the 1/8" jack output they say no ares have a RCA. I picked mine up and looked at it and just about passes out.Thanks again everybody for your help.Theres going to be a lot fine tuning with this ,HTS will probably be hearing from me soon.


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## brucek (Apr 11, 2006)

I made that exact point  several posts up in the thread. Did you miss it?

_"Then the cable from the SPL meter *(with an RCA connector)* goes to the right channel of the line-in of the soundcard......."_.

brucek


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## MakeFlat (Mar 30, 2007)

:jump:


bobmills said:


> I'm jumping alll around ,and laughing-it works and everybody that reads this it going to laugh.I've pulled my hair out for a week now trying to figure out whats wrong with my low input ,and one of my first threads asked the question is it my SPL meter.Then I got a tread from JohnM saying it was. I called Radioshack asking them if they had a 33-2055 SPL meter the one with the 1/8" jack output they say no ares have a RCA. I picked mine up and looked at it and just about passes out.Thanks again everybody for your help.Theres going to be a lot fine tuning with this ,HTS will probably be hearing from me soon.


:clap::clap::clap::jump:


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## Chrisbee (Apr 20, 2006)

brucek said:


> I made that exact point  several posts up in the thread. Did you miss it?
> 
> _"Then the cable from the SPL meter *(with an RCA connector)* goes to the right channel of the line-in of the soundcard......."_.
> 
> brucek


You can take a horse to water... 

Do you ever get the feeling (sometimes) that your pearls of wisdom are being ignored? :wits-end:


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## JimP (May 18, 2006)

bobmills said:


> I'm jumping alll around ,and laughing-it works and everybody that reads this it going to laugh.I've pulled my hair out for a week now trying to figure out whats wrong with my low input ,and one of my first threads asked the question is it my SPL meter.Then I got a tread from JohnM saying it was. I called Radioshack asking them if they had a 33-2055 SPL meter the one with the 1/8" jack output they say no ares have a RCA. I picked mine up and looked at it and just about passes out.Thanks again everybody for your help.Theres going to be a lot fine tuning with this ,HTS will probably be hearing from me soon.


Bob,

To clarify, the problem you had was that your first 33-2055 RCA output was dead?


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## Chrisbee (Apr 20, 2006)

It sounds as if he was trying to fit his mini jack plug into an RCA socket. Ouch!


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## Guest (Jul 7, 2007)

Glad this thread was here, I'm doing the same thing. Surprised the mini-plug fits in there actually.


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