Laptop DJing

Message

platt · #286 Post by **platt** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 8:04 am

just a note

Realplayer sucks... big time

it installs like a shotgun spraying crap all over your system

oh and it has a habit of breaking windows machines

there are so many other players out there, I would skip realplayer

Mr Awesomer · #287 Post by **Mr Awesomer** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 10:09 am

You Swedes need help.

Nate Dogg · #288 Post by **Nate Dogg** » Wed Feb 23, 2005 11:45 am

platt wrote:just a note
Realplayer sucks... big time
it installs like a shotgun spraying crap all over your system
oh and it has a habit of breaking windows machines
there are so many other players out there, I would skip realplayer

Yeah, Real Player gummed up my office computer. I downloaded it to watch a video last Fall and had to uninstall it later. It was hogging resources, even when it was supposed to not be on.

I agree, avoid it if you can.

Bob the Builder · #289 Post by **Bob the Builder** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 4:52 am

So I just got my Griffin "iMic" USB external sound card. It is very easy to use on my PC. Despite what Griffin's website says, the recording software that comes with it works on PC. It's not to bad as well.
I'm one happy customer. I now can preview.
I bought it off eBay and with the cost, and postage I saved about $20.

Brian

Zot · #290 Post by **Zot** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 6:48 pm

This is an aside on the Griffin iMic but it may be of interest here too.

I've been using the iMic very successfully for doing what BTB mentions above for some months now -- that is, using its output capability to provide a second audio port for previewing. Works great.

In the last few days I've been interested in testing out its input capabilities. Now my Powerbook already has a stereo in jack and a built in mic, so this is perhaps overkill. But I wanted to see if it could do a better job.

The results are interesting. It seems to have some kind of impedence issue with the mic I'm testing so that the input level is markedly lower -- however the quality of the recording is much cleaner. I wonder if anyone else has tried this. It always struck me as strange that it's called an iMic when its most useful purpose was sending audio OUT, but anway...

Bob the Builder · #291 Post by **Bob the Builder** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 8:16 pm

I'm using a Dell laptop.
I'm finding I'm getting greater output from the laptop sound card, so I'm using the iMic for the Preview function.
I've set the defalt sound card to be the iMic and I've set one of my Winamp sessions to be the onboard sound card.
It currently is giving me the best results.

Has anyone used any of the DFX plugins for WinAmp link
The sound output is just unreal. It kicks iTunes or an iPod output in the ass. Even on old LoFi its just so much batter. It's heavy on processor power though so you would really want have a good processor.
But I've been able to run 2 sessions of winamp and an iTunes all playing with no problems. I'm running a 1.5GB processor with 1GB RAM.

Brian

Shanabanana · #292 Post by **Shanabanana** » Thu Mar 03, 2005 12:02 pm

Brian, the iMic default volume level is low, so you may have to adjust it in the sound card settings. Once I got the default setting to stick at its highest level, I had no output problems with the iMic.

WindsorSwingKid · #293 Post by **WindsorSwingKid** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 8:24 pm

[beat a dead horse]
Anyway... New Dell Inspiron 1150 laptop, SB Audigy 2 NX external sound card... I still get a high pitched sound through the Audigy line out to the in-house speaker system... I am taking a standard mini-stereo jack to double RCA cable into one of the Line In connectors on the Numark CD player...

The power source for my laptop is a three prong AC adapter... I will have to wait until next Wednesday to try the "unplugged" version, to see if I get any outside electrical interference issues... But, outside of that, I am pretty stumped... I really, *REALLY* do not want to bring in my UPS to check for filtering issues...

Next step before next Wednesday? Hooking up my laptop and Audigy card to my JVC Kaboom to try and replicate the issue away from the D.J. booth...

Does anyone have any other ideas that I am overlooking? Thanks...
[/beat a dead horse]

LindyChef · #294 Post by **LindyChef** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 11:47 pm

From earlier in the thread:

LindyChef wrote:
JohnDyer wrote:So the "internal" vs "external" soundcard debate is more about the crappy soundcards in laptops themselves then (or possibly noise interference from internal cards)?
Yeah, it's the interference from the other electrical parts in your computer. Try this as a test. Take your headphones and plug them into your laptop's sound card, have no audio source playing and crank up the volume to max. Even on the best ones, you'll hear a little hiss, hum, something ... that's poor shielding ... you're amplifying the interference along with the original audio source, which is going to sound like crap ... that's why I use my laptop's audio source as my cue and my external sound card as my output.

And FYI, that post was in relation to a Dell widescreen laptop.

wheresmygravy · #295 Post by **wheresmygravy** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 7:32 am

WindsorSwingKid wrote:The power source for my laptop is a three prong AC adapter...

Does this mean you are using a 2-prong to 3 prong adapter or not? I have seen that little 69 cent item fix similar problems several times.

WindsorSwingKid · #296 Post by **WindsorSwingKid** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 8:55 am

LindyChef wrote:And FYI, that post was in relation to a Dell widescreen laptop.

Hmmm... Standard screen here, but, the interference could get to the Audigy? I was hoping it was isolated enough to get a clean signal through...

wheresmygravy wrote:
WindsorSwingKid wrote:The power source for my laptop is a three prong AC adapter...
Does this mean you are using a 2-prong to 3 prong adapter or not? I have seen that little 69 cent item fix similar problems several times.

Nope... The actual AC adapter has a three prong connection... No need for a middle "2 to 3 prong" adapter... Still working away at it...

John...

Toon Town Dave · #297 Post by **Toon Town Dave** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 9:12 am

I think the point of the 2/3 adapter was to effectively remove the ground (3rd) pin so you are left with only line and neutral connected to the wall (equivalent of cutting off the ground conductor without damaging the plug).

The potential between ground and neutral conductors under ideal circumstances should be zero but in practice because they are (earth) grounded at different locations there can be a small but significant difference. Super-impose the small induced 60Hz AC + aplification and you get noise. I once had an A/D converter circuit mostly working powered simply by this sort of line noise in the lab ... realized after the excercise that I forgot to turn on the power

Swifty · #298 Post by **Swifty** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:15 am

John, I've got the same exact laptop but I've got a Sound Blaster MP3+ external sound card. I will be taking it on its maiden DJ voyage tomorrow night, I will let you know if I experience any of the problems you have.

Shanabanana · #299 Post by **Shanabanana** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 10:44 am

John, I had the same problem with interference, even with an external sound card. I noticed that when I unplugged the laptop, the interference stopped. So I tried the 3 prong to 2 prong adapter and it works like a charm.

LindyChef · #300 Post by **LindyChef** » Tue Mar 08, 2005 6:09 pm

WindsorSwingKid wrote:
LindyChef wrote:And FYI, that post was in relation to a Dell widescreen laptop.
Hmmm... Standard screen here, but, the interference could get to the Audigy? I was hoping it was isolated enough to get a clean signal through...
wheresmygravy wrote:
WindsorSwingKid wrote:The power source for my laptop is a three prong AC adapter...
Does this mean you are using a 2-prong to 3 prong adapter or not? I have seen that little 69 cent item fix similar problems several times.
Nope... The actual AC adapter has a three prong connection... No need for a middle "2 to 3 prong" adapter... Still working away at it...

John...

Missed that external bit ... the test is still valid though, even to see if you have a clean power supply.

FYI, just because you have a ground plug in an outlet doesn't mean you have a grounded circuit. You would need a ground tester to be sure.