PCS-Electronics

I have the MaxPro1 with stereo encoder and a slow computer (380Mhz) with a Soundblaster AWE32 sound card (ISA slot), I've been broadcasting running winamp with soundsolution and the sound is excellent, clear and clean.

Now I'm upgrading my system to a faster CPU but I have to use PCI soundcard.
I tried Soundblaster PCI 128 but now when I connect the audio to the transmitter I hear too much noise and the music sounds distorted.
I tried the onboard soundcard of the motherboard and the sound is horrible too with transmitter (computer noise in the sound and low volume).

I'm trying to find a good PCI soundcard tu use with the MAXPROI.
What SoundBlaster PCI model is similar to the old AWE32??

Which PCI soundcard (specifications) should I use to get a nice, clean and clear sound ??

Two things:

1.) Use highest possible output level on your sound card
and than close volume on max pro I (trimmer)

2.) YOu probably have ground loop somewhere, this can
be fixed in two ways
a.) Get audio isolation transformer, this can be
sometimes purchased as audio transformer, perhaps even
at radio shack. This will break the ground loop.
b.) Wait for our LIMBO II (limiter and processor) or SE4 (stereo
encoder). These both have unbalanced inputs so you can
avoid the noise from ground loops. The difference is quite dramatic.

If too much noise is a result of the computer itself you might want to consider an external USB sound card. Creative has a neat one.

I doubt that it is the card itself.

I'm afraid I already tried more than two things:

1.)More output level in the soundcard results in more noise, In fact at the highest volume the noise and hissing is higher and the music sound is still too low (even if volume is open in MAXPRO1) compared with the output level of the AWE32.

2.)Everything is correctly grounded, I have no noise when I use the old computer (AWE32) but with the new one with the SB PCI 128 the noise is present like I said.
I've tried some other onboard soundcard and is the same, even with the old PSU.

I can say that the problem is the sound card, it's like outputing noise and hissing more than music sound level and it seems it has a different output impedance too.

I've noticed that the AWE32 sound card has an amplified output, so
the sound is loud, clean and clear, and strong enough to drive the transmitter.
Those other soundcards I tried have a weak output, it's like only line out, and if I use an amplifier doesn't help cause is still noisy and distortioned.

So, Must exist a PCI soundcard with amplified sound in the output, like the ISA AWE32.

I still think its the ground loop.

Do you hear the noise when you listen to the music via speakers?


I had a chance to try AM MAX II with a PC a few weeks ago.
I've had the same problem until I used balanced inputs.
As I said the difference is quite dramatic.

Grounding doesn't help, in fact it helps create these ground loops.