[Vonlindenburg]

I have a very peculiar problem with the audio on my computer.

First of all; some background.

I've never had any problems with my audio before, and usually when I get a problem with my computer I've been able to fix it, but this one seems to elude me. I use my computer for making music (as a hobby), primarily in Reason 4. I recently borrowed a sound card (an old Sound Blaster Live!) from a friend to be able to plug in my midi keyboard for use in Reason.

I used the sound card only for the midi keyboard, and had my headphones plugged into the on-board audio (Realtek AC97). Immediately after plugging in the new sound card i noticed how low-frequency bassy sounds would get distorted in Reason (and ONLY in Reason, listening to music would work fine without any distortion whatsoever), and this annoyed me beyond imagination.

The next time i booted my computer, it alerted me that it had found an audio device in the high definition audio bus that needed to be installed. I thought it had something to do with the new sound card, but it later turned out to be the HDMI audio driver for my ATI graphics card that had gone missing (strange?). I reinstalled it, but that didn't seem to fix my problem.

Now, the sound distortion seems to have spread, and all sounds get distorted if the volume is high or if it's a low-frequency tone. If i listen to music the bass starts making a really fuzzy noise. I have basically tried everything to fix this problem, tested my headphones to make sure they're not causing the distortion, removed the Sound Blaster sound card, updated drivers, downgraded to previous drivers, etc etc...

If i lower my master volume to almost 0, the distortion seems to go away though. I turned down the volume on the computer, routed the sound to my surround system, cranked up the volume to max on the amplifier, and heard no distortion. So it seems that my on-board audio won't handle high levels anymore.

My computer specifications:
OS: Windows XP
Motherboard: ECS nForce-A939
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 2900 GT
Audio: Realtek AC97
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 4000+, ~2.4 Ghz

Is there any way to fix this problem, or is it a hardware failure? Could the Sound Blaster have damaged my on-board audio, or did windows somehow get confused by the new sound card?

Grateful for responses.

[AntonFZS]

1.Update your graphics and soundcards drivers.
2.Update your OS (Vista,XP) with service packs and updates either from Microsoft Download center or properly and easily from the Windows update.
3. IF it's vista it can be the problem with some compitable problems.
4.Try to take remove the card from it's slot then push it in again so it's set firmly.
5. Update your program and check if anyone else has the problem.
6.You may also have to buy a new soundcard,especially if it's Vista.
7.Can't you plug your keyboard to the Realtek board?
8.What happens when you remove the soundcard and startup,is the sound normal now?
I might come with more ideas but tell me if ANY of those worked.

[Vonlindenburg]

1. Already tried this. Also tried previous versions.
2. Have all the latest upgrades (Windows XP).
3. I run windows XP.
4. It's integrated, aka built into the motherboard. Can't remove it
5. I will try this, I doubt it will solve the problem though as my audio is distorted everywhere now, not just in the program.
6. I'm gonna wait with buying a new one until i know if it's fixable or not. I don't think it's broken to be honest, may just be some setting that's gone wrong.
7. Nope, it doesn't have a midi-port.
8. It's still distorted :/

Thanks for your reply

[AntonFZS]

Are you running with earphones/headset? tried to switch those to another pair of earphones/headset?
Is it only happening when the keyboard is connected?

[AntonFZS]

gotta go and get some sleep I'll try to sdlve and give you some tips, i hope it solves/ cheers

[AntonFZS]

And oh could you record the sound with ZD Soft Screen Recorder or a voice recorder of some sort, Are you experiencing like any errors,Blue Screens,freezez or anything else as another thing,try a virus scan.

[AntonFZS]

It's hard to solve things when there isn't any errors or reports or BSODS.
:/

[AntonFZS]

1. Switch to another pair of speakers or headset/earphones.
2.Contact the soundcard maker for further help.
3.Does the keyboard have any settings?

[AntonFZS]

XP troubleshooting help on Microsoft website link here