Sam Flex and SoundBlaster cards?

anybody install one in their Sam flex? did a quick search and didnt find any info so just wondering as I have a spare card Id like to try once my Sam flex board arrives

@328gts

Just get soundcard that supports the right voltage.

@328gts

Haven't tested on sam,but had sb live in my SE. So should be no problem on the sam. Just remember to check the voltage on the card? If you're unsure check the manual you got. Are shown with pictures. You'll be getting a nice piece of hw. Congrats in advance.

does the SB card need a driver to work prpoerly on the Sam running OS4.1? i noticed a sb driver on os4depot

@328gts

Yes, i think so.

@Antique

any other setup needed in uboot/startup ?

@328gts

no, just visit SYS:Prefs/AHI.

trying to get a SB Live card working in my Sam flex but no luck..I understand I have to use the emu10kx driver in os4.1 but can't get a sound out of her
anyone running a SB Live with Sam flex know what setting I should be using in AHI?

oops had the wrong frequency..changed it to 44,100 & know I have the 4 satellite speakers working great but no sub base?

another update:

4 satellite speakers working & sounding great (still no sub woofer though) for approx 3 to 4 minutes & thne the osund suddenly cuts out

well was mesing around with my AHi setting trying to get my SB Live to work properly & accidentally messed up my AHI file in my PREFS folder
now I can't even oprn up the AHI...time to get the OS4.1 CD out i guess

@328gts

Quote:
Wow, too early for that.
Just delete envarc:sys/ahi.prefs
It should be enough.

@Elwood

hehe..nah I did'nt mean to reinstall OS4.1! I just recopied the AHi file from the startup CD into the PREFS drawer & all is fine with my AHI settings again but I still get that damn crashing of all sound after 3 to 4 minutes

@328gts

I don't know what to say. A clean install is always a good way to understand if there's something wrong on the system.
You may install on a second partition and boot from there.

@328gts
It is best to stay away from SoundBlaster Live! cards as they are known to have hardware faults which messes up PCI. The problem is known to all platforms if you Google around. The real trouble is somebody will always say "works fine here" and that is likely because there are a zillion different card configurations that SB sold as the "Live!" cards so you just never know when you are getting a busted one. It is best to just stay clear of them.

As for the other SoundBlaster cards, well, they are not great quality but they are OK for most people. We have plenty of audio drivers available so don't feel restricted to just SB.

@ssolie

hmm well I know the card is fine as it has been working flawlessly in an old pc for over 3 years...got a feeling its a driver of AHI settings problem..maybe power saving issue on the Sam??...still experimenting as I'm not ready to give up just yet

problem solved! put channels setting to 32 now she's very happy

@328gts
Quote:
I take it you didn't Google around on this nasty card then. Most PCs have been hacked to force the SB Live card to 'work'. So I disagree that it is "working flawlessly" because it probably never worked correctly.

I would strongly advise to get rid of the SB Live card and use something else even if you think it is working. The reason is that we know for a fact the SB Live has a hardware flaw which causes system instability. To continue to use that card knowing it is probably broken is asking for trouble. Maybe the system will freeze some day during high system load. Maybe when you move the card to another slot. Maybe it will fail during recording. Anything can happen because the card is broken. Simple as that.

You can choose to keep using the card if you wish but why take the chance when you can easily buy another card which does not have the possible hardware fault and poses absolutely no risk at all?

@ssolie

i agree and if it gives me another problem I will get rid of it & buy another card...till then its working fine ...been on the last 4 hours playing tunes in the background while I work on a spreadsheet for work on my Sam

oh also what sound card do you recommend as being most compatible with OS4.1 & can power 4 satellites & a sub nicely?

@ssolie

Is the SB really a problem in recent PCs as well?? I would find it strange that Creative wouldn't have fixed their issues after 10-15-20 years..?

In my understanding it was specifically with the VIA686B (which doesn't exist in the Sam) it had serious issues.


@328gts

If you want to know if your SB is *really* fine, you should start playing music, then open a 3D program such as WarpView or a 3D game and stress-test the 3D performance for a long time. If you don't get a lock up, or crackling/sparkling sound, within a few hours it is probably fine.

Something else that usually locked up my (VIA686B equipped) A1-XE when I used the SB Audigy card was to load a large image (unscaled) into PicShow and drag it around with the mouse.