USB Audio Device

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 9:49 am

Hey everyone.

Remember that problem I had a while back about only one of my speakers working? Well, I think I have a temporary solution, but it's not working...

A while back, my mom bought a MiniDisc Recorder. I think we used it once. It's really bad. But it came with this USB device that has a 1/8th inch audio out jack on it and it's meant to be plugged into the recorder to get audio from a PC onto a minidisc. It should be entirely possible to plug the USB end to my computer, and the other to my speakers, right? My computer detects it as a USB Audio Device, but I can't select it as my default playback device...

Please help!
SCM

Limewater · Post by **Limewater** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 3:06 pm

I really don't know anything about your USB device.

However, you might try installing an ASIO driver.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_stream_input_output

If the device is designed to work with ASIO, then afterwards you should just have to plug it in and it should work immediately.

If it isn't, then I guess you'll know at least one thing that doesn't work.

Kurt_ · Post by **Kurt_** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 3:13 pm

Why not just buy a cheap sound card? You can get low-end sound cards for ~$30 and better ones for ~$100-200.

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:18 pm

I tried the ASIO thing, and that did nothing.

I don't really want to buy a sound card because I already have this... now I just need to make it work.

Here's some more info for people that want to help.

It's called the XITEL MD-PORT AN1.

In the "Sounds and Audio Devices Properties" window in the control panel, it appears under the "Hardware" tab, but I can't select it as my default playback device under the "Audio" tab. I Googled this problem, and I did everything it told me to do, but nothing has worked.

SCM

timmeh87 · Post by **timmeh87** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:30 pm

um... is this just a length of cable we are talking about, or is there some kind of device plugged into the other end?

if there aren't any circuits involved, then its probably just a normal USB cable (ie. no sound). I've seen headphone plugs used on serial cables before.

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 4:37 pm

No, there's a device at the end of the USB cable. It's called the XITEL MD-PORT AN1. On the top of the device it says "PCLink."

EDIT: I found what I think is the right driver, but I have no idea how to sign up on this stupid website. It asks for a lot of information, and then makes you sign up for these GREAT OFFER! scams, and I can't do it. Could someone else get me the file somehow or tell me how to sign up?

Here's the site. http://www.usb-drivers.com/companies/1162.htm

It's a different model, but I have nothing else to do.

Limewater · Post by **Limewater** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:44 pm

The device should not be your default playback device. It should produce a line-out signal even though it is not the default.

It should function in parallel with your (non-working) sound card.

Have you checked for a signal, even though it's not set to be the default playback device?

If you still have the minidisc player you might want to test it out and make sure that you can rip audio to minidisc using it just to make sure the thing still works.

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 10:49 am

Why can't it be my default? That's what it said to do in the instruction manual.

Limewater · Post by **Limewater** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 3:31 pm

Super Cameraman wrote:Why can't it be my default? That's what it said to do in the instruction manual.

I don't have the device in front of me, so I'm only going on what little I've read about it on the internet and my personal experience with similar devices. I use a similar device from Behringer to get audio into and out of my laptop.

From my reading it seems that this thing is designed to function like an ASIO device. This means that you should not have to assign it to be the default audio device.

Did you try it out with the minidisc player to see if it could record properly?

Super Cameraman · Post by **Super Cameraman** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:39 pm

It didn't record. I don't think it's broken, I'm just not using it right... Somehow.

EDIT: But why can't I use it as my default? I want to replace my line out port with this because I get very distorted audio sometimes (goes back to normal randomly) and I only get sound on the right. And this happens with whatever I plug in. (headphones, too)

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:45 pm

What program are you using? Maybe thats your problem.

EDIT: Crap, thought you were trying to record with the computer, never really read your first post til now.

project_failure · Post by **project_failure** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:39 pm

never really read your first post til now.

Wow way to represent the forums!

vskid · Post by **vskid** » Wed Aug 22, 2007 8:09 am

project_failure wrote:
never really read your first post til now.
Wow way to represent the forums!

I skimmed the first post several times, in all I probably read every word a couple times. You think I have time to remember every single thing about everybody's problems? Maybe instead of bashing someone for having a life (AKA: IMing girls I like for several hours a day) and trying to help, maybe you should try to help.

Limewater · Post by **Limewater** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 12:47 pm

Super Cameraman wrote:It didn't record. I don't think it's broken, I'm just not using it right... Somehow.

You might try a different computer and see if that makes a difference. As the old saying goes, the best type of data is more data.

Also, make sure that you are not just playing a media file and plugging the thing in while it is playing. You have to stop playing the audio and start again before it picks up. At least, that's what I read.

EDIT: But why can't I use it as my default? I want to replace my line out port with this because I get very distorted audio sometimes (goes back to normal randomly) and I only get sound on the right. And this happens with whatever I plug in. (headphones, too)

I don't think it's designed to function as your default.

That doesn't mean that it won't play all of your audio. It should. It just doesn't need to be registered as your default audio device to do it. I'm not sure it is even possible to set as your default.

It is designed to work in parallel with your sound card and output any audio that would be sent to your sound card. So, it sort of acts as if it is a default. You may still be able to use it to replace your line-out. It just doesn't need to be *set* as your default.

In this case, just think of "default" as a title. Your sound card may have the title of "default," but that doesn't mean that another device can't do it's job.