Yo.

A few months ago I changed my sound-card from a shitty onboard one to a Creative SoundBlaster Live! one. I've since come to realise that it's actually one of the worst cards for trying to record audio with. I didn't buy it though, I was given it, so that's alright.

The original on-board card was never great, but it stayed in time and didn't mess up when I was recording. With this new one I'd get pops, glitches and skipping in the recordings, but they were inconsistent. Sometimes it would record a layer perfectly and then the next layer would turn into this mangled piece of shit. At the time I thought it was maybe a RAM problem, because my computer was pretty slow as well. I figured I needed the RAM anyway, so ended up buying 4GB of RAM, a new processor and a new motherboard. Wanting the RAM had a knock on effect- my computer had out-dated hardware. After some research though I found out the SB Live! is a bad choice for this kind of thing.

I recorded something the other day with all this new hardware though, just speech. There were about 3 layers and it never popped or glitched or anything, whereas before it would have. This makes me think the crappy computer was partly to blame. However, I convinced myself that the sound-card I'm using isn't suitable for recording audio so I was going to buy an M-Audio Profire 610, or something similar- just so I could record without problems. But then I saw it was an external sound card/preamp thing, and I was recording audio with a Line6 Toneport UX1, so it clicked that the UX1 is probably a sound-card too, only I don't know how the hell to make it act as one.

Prior to this, I didn't know that these things acted as sound-cards. I just knew them as a little device that let me record audio through my computer. So now I'm thinking, why should I get the Profire when this UX1 thing is meant to act as a sound-card too? It could be good enough. I'd be in the same boat as I am now if I bought the Profire anyway. I've asked around too, and the Line6 drivers are meant to be decent.

So basically, how do I use it as a sound-card?

I figure I should at least try the UX1 out before I go and throw money at the problem.

But secondly, would buying the Profire fix all my problems?

Also, thirdly... are external sound cards like, REAL all-around sound-cards, or do they just support their own recording and playback? Because I've changed every option to Line6 in the sound settings before and nothing could be heard when I played it. This is my worry in buying the Profire. I just imagine being in the same position due to my own lack of knowledge in the area.

Thanks a lot for your time anyway. Also, sorry if I put this in the wrong place.

I don't know UX1, but seems to have two analog line-outs and two analog line-ins in addition to mic/instrument inputs. It should work as a regular sound card. I am not sure what do you mean by "just support they own recording and playback".

I have M-Audio Fast Track Pro, which has two line/instrument/mic ins with preamps and phantom power, 4 line outs, headphone out, MIDI, S/PDIF, and still I use it as a regular playback only sound card. From foobar-played music to games to youtube clips - I can hear everything. As long as I turn the volume knob up :-)

Damn. See, that's what I want from mine. Do you think my SB Live! card is getting in the way?

The "just support their own playback" was my own paranoia really. I've tried making it do what yours does, but failed each time, most likely due to my own ignorance. I was wondering if the UX1 is a sound-card only when it's being used to record the guitar or whatever. As if it's "technically" a sound-card but doesn't have the complete capabilities of an internal one. I don't know... it was my misguided conclusion. I thought I'd throw it in though just in case it even was a possibility.

I checked the website, and it really looks that the UX1 is a normal soundcard capable of regular playback. Though I could not find a manual for the card itself...

You SBLive! should not cause any problems, Windows can handle many sound cards, and other OSes should be able to this as well (all my experiences are from Windows, and my advice is windowscentric). You only need to make sure that either the UX1 is selected as the default audio device in the OS (and you playing application uses the default audio device) or you specifically choose the UX1 as the output device in your playback application. I believe that some applications (IE, WMP) can use only the default audio device.

Some cards (like M-Audio) want their drivers to be installed before you plug in the card. If you plugged the card and your OS installed its own driver, uninstall that driver, install the driver downloaded from Line6 website, and only then plug-in the interface.

Apart from that I don't know what else could cause no playback - I assume that you made sure that you connected powered speakers or an amp with speakers to UX1's analog outs, and checked all volume settings in any mixers you can find: OS mixer, any Line6's own mixers, if such exist, and the analog volume knob?

Sorry if all I said is obvious to you, but sometimes people forget about things like that.

Hmm, I just read on a few sites when I was googling for explanations that the SB Live! card is like the famed antagonist of audio recording.

Yeah, I'm running Windows too, so that's cool.

Yeah, the UX1 came with its own driver disk and it said not to plug it in until the drivers were installed. I've since updated them though.

As for things being plugged in in the right place, all the wires from the speaker go into the internal sound-card. Haha, I think we might have something here. There are five 1/4" jack sockets at the back of the UX1- only one of them is used and runs off into the existing sound-card. Then there is a Type B to Type A USB wire going from the UX1 into the computer.

The wires that lead off from the speakers into the internal sound-card are 1/8" jacks, and there are two of them. So I just need a couple of jack adapters and I could use the UX1 as the sound-card?

Man if this works how I want it to, I'm such an idiot and you're so god damn helpful! Haha. I never even thought of that . It just didn't enter my head. Stupiddddd.

Yes, it looks like adapters would help.

But it may be a bit more complicated than it appears to be. Soundcards like SBLive! or internal cards use one stereo 1/8" jack for stereo signal, and this is, as I understand, what your speakers use.

But cards like the UX1 usually use one "stereo" 1/4" jack per channel, that is, two jacks for stereo. The jacks are actually not "stereo", but they use three internal connections for so-called balanced connection. (Some cards have also unbalanced RCA connectors, like my card, but apparently not the UX1). If your powered speakers accepted balanced connections via 1/4" jacks or XLR connectors, you would need two 1/4" jack to 1/4" jack (or XLR) balanced cables for stereo. Studio monitors usually take such connectors.

If your powered speakers take only unbalanced connections (I think this applies to [almost?]all consumer "computer" speakers, as well almost all consumer amps), you will need an unbalanced ("mono")1/4" jack adapter to whatever your speaker takes. Either two 1/4" "mono" (unbalanced) jack to RCA cables, or, in case of computer speakers (like, I think, yours), a two-1/4"-unbalanced-jack to stereo-1/8" adapter. Probably like this: http://www.fullcompass.com/product/233036.html

You can also try testing the UX1 with headphones, before you get your adapter.

One more thing:


I don't think you need this connection, unless you have some special reason to have it.

I see. How would I go about finding out which method my speakers use? The speakers don't use RCA cables anywhere on them, they're just 1/8" jacks again.

And also, if I do need the split adaptor, will there be enough sockets to take them all? I'm assuming I'd need two of those split adaptors because there are two wires coming from the speakers into the internal sound-card, which would mean 4 sockets being used- but there's only 2 "line inputs", and 1 "stereo/monitor in". The 2 left are "analogue outs."

How could I test it with headphones anyway?

Do you have a brand/model for the speakers? Are they 2.0, 2.1, 4.1, 5.1 or what? If you have any manual for them, what does it say about connecting them to the soundcard?


This worries me a bit, I don't know what the second speaker wire is for. With regular computer speakers there would be only one wire 1/8" connector, and you would connect it to two analogue outs with the adapter. The other wire could be for rear speakers in a 4.1 configuration, or maybe for subwoofer in a 2.1 configuration? I need to know more about your speakers.

Well it has a headphone out connector on the front, if you have headphones with a 1/4" plug you just plug them in and check if you hear anything from them while you try to play music. Just be careful about volume, I am not sure if it controlled by the output volume knob (it should be).

They're 5.1, Creative Cambridge Soundworks FPS1000 speakers. They are pretty old so I wouldn't be surprised if it was stereo through two 1/8" jacks as oppose to one. It says in the manual that the two wires are F and R. Front and Rear? And also says "if you have a stereo sound-card (one without a rear stereo minijack line output), connect the F line plug to the stereo line output minijack of your soundcard and leave R unplugged."

I just unplugged one of the wires and it went a little quieter so I'm guessing it's for front and rear speakers. It's still stereo when I do that, it's just only half of the speakers are playing sound. It's the same when I unplug the other one and leave the second plugged in.

So would it be as simple as just getting two 1/8" to 1/4" jack adaptors and plugging them both in the UX1? Or would that mean, because the UX1 is mono unless plugged in two jack sockets, I'd have two speakers both playing mono?

Lol, or should I get a 1/8" adaptor, with two 1/8" sockets to one 1/8" jack for the F and R wires, then plug that into one of those 1/8" sockets to two 1/4" splitters?


After reading the manual, it's for front and rear speakers. When I unplug one the sub and 2 satellite speakers stay on. It's the same when I leave the other plugged in and the other out, but I'm presuming it would be the other, formerly silent, 2 speakers playing .


Ohhh, I thought I'd need to be able to plug the speakers into the UX1, but yeah, I wouldn't need them. I just tested it through the headphones and they're playing in stereo. Yeah, it is controlled by the output knob.

This is what you need to do. The rear speakers won't work with UX1. It's a stereo card.

You should get one one 1/8" stereo socket to two 1/4" mono plugs adapter, like the one I linked above. Plug the black 1/4" plug into the 1/L analog out, and the red 1/4" plug into the 2/R analog out. Plug your F speaker cable into the 1/8" socket in the adapter. Leave the R cable unplugged (no rear speakers).


Well, you could also plug the F cable of your speakers using a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter, it should work too. But it's better to connect them to analog outs.

Ahh, thanks a lot. If I did what you and the manual say, would it still play sound through all speakers?

No, I predict that the R speakers will be silent.

Damn. Is there any way around it or would I just have to buy a compatible sound-card/new speakers?

You could probably try a splitter and attach both F and R cables to the same outputs of UX1. Should work, though I cannot guarantee this. But then you will get identical audio from front and rear speakers (FL=RL, and FR=RR), whereas with a multichannel card you can have separate front and rear audio. So you can hear someone walking behind your back in a movie. You won't get an effect like that from a stero soundcard, like UX1.

I've never minded about the surround sound thing, both front and rear speakers just run parallel with one another on my desk. I can't put them in a position that would enable the surround sound effect.

So that splitter idea, is it what I said before?

This- a 1/8" adaptor, with two 1/8" sockets to one 1/8" jack for the F and R wires, then plug that into one of those 1/8" sockets to two 1/4" splitters?

So it would be like, one of these http://www.myradiostore.com/p/1-8-inch-stereo-splitter.html plugged into the adaptor you suggested?

Yes, I would try this one. I am not sure why you need R speakers if you have no surround effects, but whatever.

I don't know, it just seems a waste not to use them. But then again, it's a waste not to use them as surround sound, but I can't do anything about that. I might get new speakers around Christmas anyway.

Again, thanks a lot for your help. I'll get those adaptors soon and post how it goes.

Alright, so I bought those leads today. Didn't work :/

I got these-
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=11431
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=1169
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=996

They only had a 1/4" to 1/4" adaptor, so I got the 1/8" to 1/4" jack adaptor so it fit. It was a little confusing because there were effectively the same leads, but for Mono or Stereo as well. I judged as best I could which to get.

I've plugged them in the Input, Output sockets, the "Stereo Monitor In" socket as well as the headphone socket. None yield any sound.

The headphones still work though.

Interesting. From what I see you should plug:
the 11431 into UX1 analog out L&R,
the 996 into the 11431,
your speakers' F connector into the 996 (let's leave the R connector aside for a while).

Did you unplug the headphones from the UX1 while testing speakers? Sometimes plugging headphones in may internally disconnect speaker outputs.

Yeah, the headphones were unplugged. I just tried what you said too and still no sound.

FIXED IT! The old volume control was plugged into the Sub, and it was turned off. I turned it on and I got sound. It's embarrassing what simple rules this all came down to. Thanks a lot though, once again.

It's quite puzzling that you are getting sound from headphones but not from analog outs. I am now looking at some manual I downloaded from Line6, and it clearly says "This headphone jack outputs the same signal fed to the Analog Outs on the rear panel of TonePort".

So sorry again if I am asking for something obvious, but are your speakers powered on? If there is a volume knob on the speakers, is it turned up?

By the way, I also found out that contrary to what the UX1 Specification section on the webage says, according to the manual the Analog Out outputs are unbalanced. This however changes nothing in how you should connect your speakers.


EDIT: Only now I saw you fixed it! Great!

Hey, everything is working fine since I changed the wires around, but there is a slight problem. Basically, whenever a YouTube video plays, or any internet based streaming video really, the sound cracks and skips quite frequently. Once the video has stopped buffering everything is fine though. Is there any reason why this might occur?

It doesn't bother me too much because I don't stream videos that much, and I can just wait until they've fully buffered if I really want to.

A similar thing happens when I'm on certain websites. If I have music playing through Foobar and scroll down the page, sometimes the same crackles occur. Namely Facebook and Last.fm. But only when I scroll, or the page is loading.

Things like that have been reported with certain computer configuration and certain USB sound cards. I experience it with my Fast Track Pro but only after the computer has been on continously for at least 60-70 or more hours.

One thing which possibly can help is increasing USB poll rate from default 125 Hz to 250 or 500 Hz. Google for it, there are programs to do it in XP. It possibly helped when I was on XP (I did several other things in the same time). There also ways to do it in Vista, but they are so complex I never dared to try. I just reboot every few days, if needed.

It is possible that USB2 or Firewire cards suffer less from this (Fast Track Pro is USB1.1). Other things to try is to get rid of crapware, unnecessary resident programs (think HP "helper" programs for printers/scanners), maybe disable Aero. If your video card allows for that, reducing video hardware acceleration has been reported to help. But I haven't seen a solution that would completely and for sure resolve the problem. I am wondering if upgrade to Win7 would make any change...

Here is the previous thread on the topic
http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....c=73323&hl=

Thanks man. There isn't much on my computer right now actually. I recently reinstalled Windows onto a new hard-drive. But I do leave my computer on for extended periods of time a lot. I'll try out the USB poll thing if it becomes a real problem, as I say though. It doesn't bother me too much.