Pionara
So...does anyone have any other suggestions for the freezing thing?
Cheers
(",)
P
Cheers
(",)
P
Inviato Fri 05 Jan 07 @ 11:06 am
sbangs
do you have latest updates for your other devices from windows update?
Inviato Fri 05 Jan 07 @ 12:02 pm
Pionara
Update:-
Well, here goes. On the sound thing - changed to autolatency. No difference. Low pitched 'white noise' still audible over the speakers. I'm pretty sure this is because I'm using the onboard sound though so for the time being i'll just go with this.
Graphics - I downloaded the latest Direct X and graphics drivers for my 6600gt and installed them as advised by everyone. No joy. In fact, I think it's even got worse than it was before. I even tried overclocking my card and this didn't do anything either.
I didn't try the automix feature again as I'm too terrified in case it crashes out on me again.
I can't understand what the deal is. There's nothing on this machine except XP Pro, VDJ and music. There's no virus software, spyware software, office applications, no other programs apart from graphics and sound config progs. There are 4 case fans being used to cool everything down and a fan going in from the front if need be. I've tried various tweaks but nothing seems to work. I'm not saying this is a software issue, I just really can't find the hardware problem.
If it's the CPU, then fair enough, but I would've thought a 2 gig chip would've been fast enough given that there's a fair whack of memory in there, and, at the end of the day, all it's doing is playing music!!!
I'm officially stumped...help!!! :o|
P
Well, here goes. On the sound thing - changed to autolatency. No difference. Low pitched 'white noise' still audible over the speakers. I'm pretty sure this is because I'm using the onboard sound though so for the time being i'll just go with this.
Graphics - I downloaded the latest Direct X and graphics drivers for my 6600gt and installed them as advised by everyone. No joy. In fact, I think it's even got worse than it was before. I even tried overclocking my card and this didn't do anything either.
I didn't try the automix feature again as I'm too terrified in case it crashes out on me again.
I can't understand what the deal is. There's nothing on this machine except XP Pro, VDJ and music. There's no virus software, spyware software, office applications, no other programs apart from graphics and sound config progs. There are 4 case fans being used to cool everything down and a fan going in from the front if need be. I've tried various tweaks but nothing seems to work. I'm not saying this is a software issue, I just really can't find the hardware problem.
If it's the CPU, then fair enough, but I would've thought a 2 gig chip would've been fast enough given that there's a fair whack of memory in there, and, at the end of the day, all it's doing is playing music!!!
I'm officially stumped...help!!! :o|
P
Inviato Mon 08 Jan 07 @ 2:37 pm
sbangs
have you tried pluging your mixers and amplifers into a different plug socket ?
Inviato Mon 08 Jan 07 @ 2:40 pm
Pionara
Skyfxl wrote :
have you tried pluging your mixers and amplifers into a different plug socket ?
Ok, haven't tried this. However, I get exactly the same issues with both sound and graphics at home when I haven't got the machine set up in a gig situation. There are no differences in the performance of the machine between home use and gig use.
At home I'll be transferring songs between machines, or trying a bit of mixing or doing some analysing and all i'm using is a wee pair of powered desktop speakers straight from the soundcard. No difference in the sound whatsoever - so i'm convinced it's the onboard soundcard that's causing that side of things.
However, the graphics is my biggest grumble. Pretty sure it's not a monitor thing cos my monitors are both fine.
Cheers anyway...keep them ideas coming folks...(",)
Keep spinnin'.
P
Inviato Mon 08 Jan 07 @ 4:21 pm
sbangs
check the plugs and the groundings at home sounds like possible grounding / current noise interfearance
Inviato Mon 08 Jan 07 @ 4:39 pm
Partyman
After watching all the replies I stand by my original assumption. I left the Semprons for Athlon and Turion and have not had ANY problems since. Burning a CD would bring my Sempron machines to their knees. I don't know why it is weaker but just know it is.
Inviato Mon 08 Jan 07 @ 6:22 pm
Pionara
@ Partyman:
What Sempron were you using? I'm sure you've noticed I use a Sempron 2800 Socket A (462) - I'd be interested to hear what you had and exactly what you changed to?
My Sempron runs at about 2.0 ghz. Whether or not I can get an Athlon chip with the same chipset or not remains to be seen. I may have to bear with it just now until I can raise the money for a new board...and that means pretty much new everything.
I know that AGP 8 is slowly but surely fading out so I may just have to go the full hog.
Cheers...keep spinnin'...(",)
P
What Sempron were you using? I'm sure you've noticed I use a Sempron 2800 Socket A (462) - I'd be interested to hear what you had and exactly what you changed to?
My Sempron runs at about 2.0 ghz. Whether or not I can get an Athlon chip with the same chipset or not remains to be seen. I may have to bear with it just now until I can raise the money for a new board...and that means pretty much new everything.
I know that AGP 8 is slowly but surely fading out so I may just have to go the full hog.
Cheers...keep spinnin'...(",)
P
Inviato Mon 08 Jan 07 @ 7:37 pm
Pionara
Hey folks...:o)
In a bid to not be going crazy trying to buy all sorts to build a new machine with, I'm looking to some of you other computer experts for some advice.
In fairness, I didn't spend hundreds on this machine, simply because I didn't have it at the time - although I am looking in the future to really go full hog and get as much as I can.
Anyway, for the time being, here is the manual for my motherboard. Can someone please take a look and tell me if they reckon everything is ok, or if they think that anything to do with the board could be causing any of my described issues?
Also, does anyone think it would be worth upgrading this cpu to perhaps an athlon XP of the same socket type (if i can get one, of course!)???
Seriously now, and info offered will be appreciated.
Keep spinnin...(",)
P
In a bid to not be going crazy trying to buy all sorts to build a new machine with, I'm looking to some of you other computer experts for some advice.
In fairness, I didn't spend hundreds on this machine, simply because I didn't have it at the time - although I am looking in the future to really go full hog and get as much as I can.
Anyway, for the time being, here is the manual for my motherboard. Can someone please take a look and tell me if they reckon everything is ok, or if they think that anything to do with the board could be causing any of my described issues?
Also, does anyone think it would be worth upgrading this cpu to perhaps an athlon XP of the same socket type (if i can get one, of course!)???
Seriously now, and info offered will be appreciated.
Keep spinnin...(",)
P
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 11:41 am
sbangs
welcome to meet your motherboard the new show on the virtual dj channel
motherboard spec:
Socket A (462) for AMD Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron/Sempron™ processor
- FSB 333/266 MHz
Chipset - Northbridge: VIA KT400A
- Southbridge: VIA 8237
Hybrid Booster - CPU Frequency Stepless control
- CPU Multiplier
- CPU Vcore Adjustment
- ASRock U-COP
- Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G)
Memory - Supports DDR400*/333/266
- DIMM slots: 2
- Max. capacity: 2GB.
Expansion Slot - 1 x AGP8X/4X slot , 1.5V
- 5 x PCI slots( PCI 2.2 compliance)
Graphics - n/a
Audio - CMedia CMI9761A 5.1 channel AC'97 audio codec
LAN - VIA 6103 10/100 Ethernet LAN PHY
- 802.3u, WOL supported
Connector - 2 x SeialATA 1.5Gb/s connectors supports RAID,0,1,JBOD, SATA HDD_Hotplug
- 2 x ATA 133/100/66 IDE connectors( supports 4 x IDE devices)
- 1 x Floppy connector
- CPU/Chassis FAN connectors
- 20 pin ATX power connector
- Power LED connector
- CD/AUX audio in header
- Front panel audio connector
- 1 x USB 2.0 port pin header
- 1 x Game port header
Rear Panel I/O ASRock I/O Plus
- 6 x USB2.0 ports
- 1 x RJ45 LAN port
- 1 x Serial port (COM1)
- 1 x PS2 Keyboard connector
- 1 x PS2 Mouse connectors
- 1 x Parallel port (LPT1)
- 1 x Audio ports ( Line In/Out, Mic In)
BIOS Feature - 2Mb AMI BIOS with ACPI, SM BIOS 3.0, PnP
Support CD - Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software,ASRock PC DIY Demo
- SATA driver and utility
Hardware Monitor - CPU Temperature Sensing
- Motherboard Temperature Sensing
- CPU Fan Tachometer
- Chassis Fan Tachometer
- Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
Accessories - Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I/O shield
- Floppy/ATA 133 cables
- 1 x SATA data cable
- 1 x SATA 1-to-1 power cable
Form Factor - ATX, 305mm x 178mm
OS - Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP compliant
Certifications - FCC, CE, MS WHQL
which sounds alright
i learnt from more investigation that you can adjust the processor speed with the jumpers
so it would be a good idea to check the manual disk which where supplied that you have the jumpers on the best for your processor
a couple of people spoke issues with sempron processors and said they had more luck with a 3.ghz althon xp may be worth checking it out
motherboard spec:
Socket A (462) for AMD Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron/Sempron™ processor
- FSB 333/266 MHz
Chipset - Northbridge: VIA KT400A
- Southbridge: VIA 8237
Hybrid Booster - CPU Frequency Stepless control
- CPU Multiplier
- CPU Vcore Adjustment
- ASRock U-COP
- Boot Failure Guard (B.F.G)
Memory - Supports DDR400*/333/266
- DIMM slots: 2
- Max. capacity: 2GB.
Expansion Slot - 1 x AGP8X/4X slot , 1.5V
- 5 x PCI slots( PCI 2.2 compliance)
Graphics - n/a
Audio - CMedia CMI9761A 5.1 channel AC'97 audio codec
LAN - VIA 6103 10/100 Ethernet LAN PHY
- 802.3u, WOL supported
Connector - 2 x SeialATA 1.5Gb/s connectors supports RAID,0,1,JBOD, SATA HDD_Hotplug
- 2 x ATA 133/100/66 IDE connectors( supports 4 x IDE devices)
- 1 x Floppy connector
- CPU/Chassis FAN connectors
- 20 pin ATX power connector
- Power LED connector
- CD/AUX audio in header
- Front panel audio connector
- 1 x USB 2.0 port pin header
- 1 x Game port header
Rear Panel I/O ASRock I/O Plus
- 6 x USB2.0 ports
- 1 x RJ45 LAN port
- 1 x Serial port (COM1)
- 1 x PS2 Keyboard connector
- 1 x PS2 Mouse connectors
- 1 x Parallel port (LPT1)
- 1 x Audio ports ( Line In/Out, Mic In)
BIOS Feature - 2Mb AMI BIOS with ACPI, SM BIOS 3.0, PnP
Support CD - Drivers, Utilities, AntiVirus Software,ASRock PC DIY Demo
- SATA driver and utility
Hardware Monitor - CPU Temperature Sensing
- Motherboard Temperature Sensing
- CPU Fan Tachometer
- Chassis Fan Tachometer
- Voltage Monitoring: +12V, +5V, +3.3V, Vcore
Accessories - Quick Installation Guide, Support CD, I/O shield
- Floppy/ATA 133 cables
- 1 x SATA data cable
- 1 x SATA 1-to-1 power cable
Form Factor - ATX, 305mm x 178mm
OS - Microsoft Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP compliant
Certifications - FCC, CE, MS WHQL
which sounds alright
i learnt from more investigation that you can adjust the processor speed with the jumpers
so it would be a good idea to check the manual disk which where supplied that you have the jumpers on the best for your processor
a couple of people spoke issues with sempron processors and said they had more luck with a 3.ghz althon xp may be worth checking it out
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 11:50 am
Pionara
I'm pretty sure jumpers are fine for the processor speed, but of course I'll double check tonight. If I can find an Athlon XP 3ghz cpu of the same socket size i'll be laughing i think...
Does anyone know of any good places to go where I could get one?
I've tried Komplett, Pricegrabber, Amazon, MircoDirect, MeshComputers, Kelkoo, ebay, etc...anybody got any more ideas?
Cheers, P
Does anyone know of any good places to go where I could get one?
I've tried Komplett, Pricegrabber, Amazon, MircoDirect, MeshComputers, Kelkoo, ebay, etc...anybody got any more ideas?
Cheers, P
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 1:02 pm
sbangs
are you from the uk or usa?
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 1:07 pm
Pionara
I'm in the UK.
P
P
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 1:56 pm
Pionara
Ok, so I'm busting my ass trying here to work out what could be causing these problems. I'm not convinced it's my CPU because although the CPU is a Sempron, the fastest Athlon you can get for this board is only about 500mhz faster than the one I've got - and I can't see that making a huge difference. Again, I'm sure this CPU should be ok for just playing music.
Perhaps my power supply could be getting overused? I've got 4 case fans, m/board, 2 ide's, 1 cd rom, graphics card and all that plugged in there. But, if that was the case, wouldn't it just fry everything and fizzle out? Power supply fan does chuck out some pretty hot air, but it's not overheating otherwise I would expect it to clip out at some point - rather like an amplifier does when you go too loud.
So, i've got another suggestion -
Could the waveform problem be anything to do with the quality of the song I'm loading? Most of my collection is ripped from CD's using Windows Media Player. They are ripped at 192kbps so they are all pretty much CD quality. The tracks are therefore all stored as WMA files.
Interestingly enough, it's generally only WMA's that my waveform is skipping with, not MP3's - even though my mp3's are encoded at 192kbps or higher as well.
I haven't checked yet, but I'm pretty sure if I had two versions of the same song, one a .WMA and the other a .MP3, the .wma would have problems loading.
I'm trying to work on a video that I'll post soon to show what I'm talking about. This is dragging on a bit, and is becoming a real pain.
P
Perhaps my power supply could be getting overused? I've got 4 case fans, m/board, 2 ide's, 1 cd rom, graphics card and all that plugged in there. But, if that was the case, wouldn't it just fry everything and fizzle out? Power supply fan does chuck out some pretty hot air, but it's not overheating otherwise I would expect it to clip out at some point - rather like an amplifier does when you go too loud.
So, i've got another suggestion -
Could the waveform problem be anything to do with the quality of the song I'm loading? Most of my collection is ripped from CD's using Windows Media Player. They are ripped at 192kbps so they are all pretty much CD quality. The tracks are therefore all stored as WMA files.
Interestingly enough, it's generally only WMA's that my waveform is skipping with, not MP3's - even though my mp3's are encoded at 192kbps or higher as well.
- Is there an issue with VDJ reading WMA files?
- Have I perhaps got a setting wrong somewhere?
- Has anyone else noticed the waveform skip issue with WMA files?
I haven't checked yet, but I'm pretty sure if I had two versions of the same song, one a .WMA and the other a .MP3, the .wma would have problems loading.
I'm trying to work on a video that I'll post soon to show what I'm talking about. This is dragging on a bit, and is becoming a real pain.
P
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 2:34 pm
sbangs
wma files do have a higher rate of compression (less bit rate) which takes a bit longer to decode and play so if you use mp3 it would be better
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 2:43 pm
Pionara
Do you think I should rip my cd's as MP3 instead? Is it possible to do this using Windows Media Player?
I use WMP because it's really easy to use, however, I'd be happy to receive some alternative suggestions to ripping programs that are just as good (if not better).
What about your collection? Is your entire collection MP3? Or have you noticed similair issues with any WMA files?
P
I use WMP because it's really easy to use, however, I'd be happy to receive some alternative suggestions to ripping programs that are just as good (if not better).
What about your collection? Is your entire collection MP3? Or have you noticed similair issues with any WMA files?
P
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 2:50 pm
sbangs
i use 320kbs mp3 :)
as wma is lower quality aslo
as wma is lower quality aslo
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 6:53 pm
jpboggis
I'd recommend using MP3 - This is a standard and well established format that has been around for a long time and is supported by a wide variety of audio players (Both hardware and software) old and new.
You can rip CD's to MP3 format using most CD ripping software. Audiograbber is a free utility that will do this for you and is easy to use.
I'd recommend ripping to atleast 192Kbps. If quality is extremely important and you have plenty of disk space to spare, 320Kbps would be better.
I do not recommend Variable Bit Rate (VBR) - These will work fine in VDJ (Although the song time while loading will be incorrect), but some hardware devices (Such as some DJ CD Players capable of playing MP3 CD's) will not be able to play them.
You can rip CD's to MP3 format using most CD ripping software. Audiograbber is a free utility that will do this for you and is easy to use.
I'd recommend ripping to atleast 192Kbps. If quality is extremely important and you have plenty of disk space to spare, 320Kbps would be better.
I do not recommend Variable Bit Rate (VBR) - These will work fine in VDJ (Although the song time while loading will be incorrect), but some hardware devices (Such as some DJ CD Players capable of playing MP3 CD's) will not be able to play them.
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 7:03 pm
Pionara
Well...let me tell you!!! (",)
I just setup a new folder in my music drive called 'MP3 Tests' and ripped Eric Prydz vs. Pink Floyd 'Proper Education' into it as an MP3 using windows media player encoded at 320 kbps. Using the same song on both decks - one my original rip as wma, the other my new rip as mp3 - I have found that the mp3 loads up perfectly with not a single skip, but the wma still skips like mad.
The machine i tested this on is my home pc:
Celeron 1.2ghz
768mb ram
Nvidia MMX 5200 agp graphics
Soundblaster live
Loads of programs, loads of garbage, loads of the stuff that shouldn't be on a gig pc basically.
(As you can see, pretty poor compared to my gig machine)
Not a single skip from the mp3 version of the track, and at least 7/8 skips with wma version. Even with the mp3 version ripped at 320kbps, there were still no skips on that side. At last, after 9 months of wondering, I think I may have found the answer to my problem!!! Woohoo!!!!!
Now all i have to do is convert 8,500 tracks to MP3...:o|
Before I go crazy converting all the other material...do any readers of this post have a collection that is almost entirely compiled of WMA's? If so, have you encountered problems like these as well and found a fix? Please post and let me know.
Cheers...(for now)...and keep spinnin'...(",)
P
I just setup a new folder in my music drive called 'MP3 Tests' and ripped Eric Prydz vs. Pink Floyd 'Proper Education' into it as an MP3 using windows media player encoded at 320 kbps. Using the same song on both decks - one my original rip as wma, the other my new rip as mp3 - I have found that the mp3 loads up perfectly with not a single skip, but the wma still skips like mad.
The machine i tested this on is my home pc:
Celeron 1.2ghz
768mb ram
Nvidia MMX 5200 agp graphics
Soundblaster live
Loads of programs, loads of garbage, loads of the stuff that shouldn't be on a gig pc basically.
(As you can see, pretty poor compared to my gig machine)
Not a single skip from the mp3 version of the track, and at least 7/8 skips with wma version. Even with the mp3 version ripped at 320kbps, there were still no skips on that side. At last, after 9 months of wondering, I think I may have found the answer to my problem!!! Woohoo!!!!!
Now all i have to do is convert 8,500 tracks to MP3...:o|
Before I go crazy converting all the other material...do any readers of this post have a collection that is almost entirely compiled of WMA's? If so, have you encountered problems like these as well and found a fix? Please post and let me know.
Cheers...(for now)...and keep spinnin'...(",)
P
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 7:44 pm
sbangs
im afraid you will find it difficult to convert them to mp3 as you cannot put back quality once it has been removed with a lower encoding, so you may need to rip in mp3
http://www.wma-mp3.com/
gluck
http://www.wma-mp3.com/
gluck
Inviato Tue 09 Jan 07 @ 7:47 pm
