[PVRCNC] Soundcard install help

[kazeringue--- via PVRCNC]

OK, here are some things to take a look at. I'll reference skimmer, 
since that's the common app.

First, take a look at the windows 7 sound card stuff.  The easiest way 
to get there is to right click the volume control and select 'recording 
devices'.  I suppose for Rocky you might want to look at the playback 
devices too.

Simply installing a new card does not necessarily make it the default. 
Thats the first thing to look at.  The old/ onboard device can still be 
used if the software allows you to select it and it has not been 
'disabled'.  That would be the second thing to check, is

In my case I have a sound card installed and also use the on-board 
sound(on a dell that's a 'soundmax').  The sound card is an Asus Xonar 
dg(and 'DX' as well as 'DS').  The Xonar sound software app looks pretty 
much identical for all of this series of cards.

So, the recording device list shows a bunch of different controls for 
the different devices.  The Asus card has the most, so it the example.
Asus entries exist for:
1)Microphone
2)Line in
3)Aux
4)Stereo Mix
5) Wave

Serendipitously, I discovered just yesterday(Toying with a win 8.1 
install) that selecting the "line in" --> 'properties' --> 'advanced' 
and then setting the correct/desired sample rate I wanted for the 
associated skimmer was INSUFFICIENT.  The skimmer was not seeing the 
desired input.

On a whim, I selected each one of the Asus devices and set each one's 
sample rate individually.
(Side note fun-fact here.  I had to make each device the default before 
I could change its sample rate property.  The set the line-in as default 
again.)

I don't know which of the other devices did the trick, but once they all 
were set to the desired 96 Khz rate, the skimmer was then getting the 
input stream at the 96Khz rate.  (Assuming you already know about the 
skimmer sample rate setting.)

Also in skimmer on the 'audio' tab you should see all of the enabled 
input sound devices in the 'signal I/O device' dropdown box.

Under win7, you might find the the ini files stored in the virtualstore,
something like: C:\Users\w4kaz\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Afreet

FWIW, the Xonar DG and DS are 24 bit @ 96Khz.  The Xonar DX and a couple 
of the onboard Soundmax chips can go 24bit @ 192Khz.  The DG is dirt 
cheap, and does a good job.  The DX is better, and is great for music 
too.  But the skimmers work just as well with the onboard soundmax too.

Also depending on which sound card/softrock are paired together, the 
level settings into the sound card vary from 25% to 100%.  The lowband 
softrocks don't overload until signals get up to about 50db SNR.  The 
highband softrocks(when they work at all) are much worse, and can 
overload when signals go over 30-35db SNR. (mirror images | segami rorrim)