maudio 410 question

singingdog · Post by **singingdog** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:08 pm

Looking for feedback about unrelated sounds coming out of the physical analog outputs from a M-Audio 410. The card is connected to a Dell Lattitude D810 laptop via sidebus slot running Windows XP pro. I'm hearing a high pitched whine at times and 'digital' non-audio sounds when performing computer operations- eg. opening or closing windows. Is this a normal occurence with firewire connections or do I have a problem. Thanks in advance for any input. -Mike Doherty

dikt · Post by **dikt** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 5:53 am

I use an M-Audio 410. I have used it with 2 different laptops and 3 different desktops with a variety of software, including SCS on my Sony laptop, and have never experienced the problem you mention. The laptops I use have built-in firewire sockets though. I wonder if this is due in some way to the cardbus interface ? Are you using the M-Audio mains adaptor or are you getting power from the laptop ? Dik Thacker.

singingdog · Post by **singingdog** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 6:28 am

thanks for the input. i've pretty much determined that the cause of the problem is b-gnd noise created by the ac for the laptop- when it is running on battery power the noise goes away. this, as it turns out, is a common problem among Dell laptop users- I'm in the process of sorting things out with them.

Barry · Post by **Barry** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 12:59 am

Yes, I had the same problem, and unplugging the power cord from the laptop solved the problem.

Just make sure you have enough battery power to last the entire show (or plug in at intermission!)

Barry

SimnaWeb · Post by **SimnaWeb** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 2:46 am

A simple ground lift adapter (three prong to two prong) works just fine for this situation. I had this problem with my dell laptop and the hum went right away. This is not necessarily the best method, but it's quick, cheap and works.

singingdog · Post by **singingdog** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 3:50 am

I too discovered that the bulk of the problem went away upon unplugging the AC from the laptop- I however still find there to be a significant amount of b-gnd. noise (a high pitched hum) in any recording I make with the Dell and the 410- considering I have made recordings with this sound card on other computers without any other noise -the Dell is the culprit. I think it is rather irresponsible of Dell to continue selling these products when known problems such as these exist. Unplugging the AC is a bandaid- not a solution. I'm holding out for a replacement or a refund- any suggestions for laptops to be used for audio? -md.

jmgordon · Post by **jmgordon** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 10:59 am

I have been using a Toshiba Satellite M30-604 for two years, and for the past year with the M-Audio Firewire 410. I have no trouble with noise from the PSU, but it is double-insulated with no ground. I cannot remember whether the 410 PSU has a ground connection, as it is stored away at present; the PSU is necessary as the Toshiba has only a 4-pole Firewire port.

JIsgren · Post by **JIsgren** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 5:21 am

The problem may lie in the power supply, not the laptop. You may want to try a different power supply such as the iGO and see if that solves the problem. There was a discusion about this on the Theater Sound mail-list -- problems with "cheap" power supplies.

singingdog · Post by **singingdog** » Mon Mar 06, 2006 6:38 am

as it turns out- Dell has finally acknowledged (at least to me) that this is a known problem with their Lattitude -and perhaps other- laptops. I was informed that a new Lattitude model is coming out at the end of March which will deal with this issue. In addition there is a built in Firewire connection as opposed to having to use the sidebus. We shall see how this plays out. I would encourage other Dell laptop owners to make Dell responsible for their design flaws as opposed to looking for band-aid solutions that often don't work and may well damage your gear. -md.

AdamMendelson · Post by **AdamMendelson** » Tue Dec 12, 2006 7:35 am

I recognize that this is an old post, but I am new to SCS and I wanted to send in my two cents. I just purchased SCS and tech'd the show from my laptop (Dell Inspiron 6000) I noticed the same problem when using the onboard sound card. We did a simple show from a speaker placement sense so all I needed was a stereo send. I thought the problem was intermittent and related to the proximity of sound card to power input. It is distressing to hear that the problem also transmits to USB and Firewire devices. Did you get any kind of satisfactory answer out of Dell? Do you think it worth the time to confront them on this issue? I plan to never buy another Dell, but...

On a side note, thank you Mike, for such an interesting product.

Yours,
Adam

singingdog · Post by **singingdog** » Sat Dec 16, 2006 6:40 am

I did take it up with Dell and they replaced the D810 with the newer D820. The b-ground noise that was being generated by the PSU is gone. There is still a significant high pitched whine when recording anything subtle. I look forward to SCS being available for the Mac platform as I would never spend another dime on a pc laptop. -MD.

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