VEGANGELICA

Hi, Freebase, thank you for the information about the basic recording sound card, the MAudio Fast Track Pro (USB).

Here are answers to your questions about our computer set-up, etc.:
(1) PC SPECIFICATIONS (Dell Dimension 4600):
Processor: Pentium(R)4 CPU 2.80 GHz
Ram: 512 MB

(2) SOUND CARD:
SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio manufactured by Analog Devices, Inc.

(3) SONY ACID MUSIC STUDIO 7.0 BUFFER SETTINGS:
A. Playback buffering (seconds)–currently is set at 0.10

B. “Automatically detect and offset for hardware recording latency” is currently selected (to automatically compensate for offset between the time you initiate recording and when your sound card starts recording). The “user recording latency offset” is thus currently set at 0. Perhaps this is what I’d need to adjust, since the automatic compensation doesn’t appear to be compensating enough?

C. “Enable Track buffering” is selected (by default), and track buffering is 0.25, and I can drag the track buffering slider if I want to adjust the amount of audio that is prerendered ahead of the cursor position (though I haven’t tried this).

D. Under “Advanced Audio Configuration,” ACID says that for “INPUT” the “microsoft sound mapper” audio device (the one the software uses by default) audio buffer is on 6.

E. Under “Advanced Audio Configuration,” ACID says that for “OUTPUT” the “microsoft sound mapper” audio device does *not* have the following box checked: “Do not pre-roll buffers before starting playback” (so I assume buffers are pre-rolled before starting playback). It says the audio buffer is on 6. The “buffer size (samples)” is on “MME” (but other options range from 64 to 16384). Finally, it says “Priority–Time Critical” (which appears to be the highest setting of the ones available). I’m not sure what all that means, but thought I’d tell you just in case it is meaningful!

F. As mentioned above, ACID by default is using an Audio Device driver type called “Microsoft Sound Mapper,” which “allows the sound mapper to choose an appropriate playback device.” Two other drivers available for use (but are not currently selected) are “Windows Classic Wave Driver” (“Allows you to choose a specific audio device using a classic wavedriver”) and “ASIO” (“Allows you to choose a specific audio device using a low-latency ASIO driver”). Low latency sounds good!

(4) OUR MICROPHONE: Highball “Dynamic Microphone Unidirectional, 33-984C, made by Realistic.” I think this is quite old (over 15 years old). It certainly isn’t a fancy microphone, but it does have that metal mesh around its ball shape to reduce problems with p’s. This microphone doesn’t seem very sensitive, because anything more than several inches away is very difficult to record...sounds very faint...which is an advantage in a home with a 6-year-old not far away playing rather rambunctiously and occasionally shrieking for fun.

(5) INSTRUMENTS: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Casio electric keyboard WK-110 with touch response and MIDI, Mapex Qr series 5-piece drum set with hi-hat and crash/ride (plus a splash I haven't set up), violin, tenor recorder, flute, trombone(!), and voice. My musical background is in classical violin.

I hope this provides you with the information you need to see if you have some recommendations in addition to the Maudio Fast Track Pro sound card that might be useful for us. Also, if these recommendations are similar to ones you gave someone in a previous thread, please just let me know so that you don’t have to type out everything again (or cut and paste) for yet another person! I really do appreciate you taking time to help me with this issue and share your knowledge. –Erica