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Topic: Connecting computer sound card to amplifiers |
Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 7 Aug 2005 10:33 am |
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| I fried my computer sound card trying to hook to two Nashville 400 amps. I was playing Bobby Flores CD and wanted to blow down the walls it was so good. For most low end sound cards, I suppose I need to build a two op-amp buffer circuit, to protect the sound card. Also with protective diodes and current limiting resistors added for protection. Looking back, what I did was really stupid. I had two small powered speakers supplying the sound. I disconnected one of the speakers and plugged a "Y" line in, that went to the amps. The amps had no sound and when I un-plugged the connection the sound card fried. OH WELL, so much for stupid mistakes! Does anyone have any suggestions? The sound card only cost $10.00. I am not interested in a expensive sound card, I put one of those in my Son's gaming computer. Thanks! |
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ed packard
From:
Show Low AZ
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Posted 8 Aug 2005 5:45 am
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| Keith; I use the BLUETOOTH (wireless)headphones by Macally to connect from the computer (or other sound sources) to the amps. I to managed to fry a sound card once long ago by direct connection. It is a bit expensive, but it sure is flexable and safe. |
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John Daugherty
From:
Rolla, Missouri, USA
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Posted 8 Aug 2005 7:59 am
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As I told Keith in an email, I do not use computer speakers. In my home studio, I connect the "line-out" of the computer, to two "line-in" on my mixer. A 1/8" mini-stereo plug is used to connect to the left and right channels at the computer.
On another computer, I connect the "line-out" of the computer to the "aux-in" on a stereo system. Some computers only have a "spk-out" jack. I have used this successfully to connect to the line-in on stereo systems. Be sure to use a stereo plug in order to connect to the left and right channels.....JD |
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 8 Aug 2005 9:40 am
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Keith, buy an inexpensive mixer board and run the soundcard's line out to it. From there you can patch to about anything.
On the flip side I have Sound Blaster Live! sound card that's giving me fits on recording. I've got all 10 tapes to Jeff Newman's 10 month PSG course and I'm trying to convert them to CD. Doggone SBLive! card is making a lot of crackles in the .wav file. I don't hear the crackles thru the monitor amp and headphones, and I've tried several different output levels (and output sources) to the line-in on the sound card. Do you gotta ground the mixer to the PC chassis?[This message was edited by Ray Minich on 08 August 2005 at 10:45 AM.] |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 8 Aug 2005 10:53 am
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The "Line Out" on a PC's sound card (or module if it's on the motherboard) should drive whatever, a guitar input, stereo, etc. I wouldn't do as Keith did with the speaker out, although the speaker out is basically the same levels as the "line out". I've seen Line outs shorted and not cause a problem in the PC's sound card.
One thought is grounds and whether that caused a problem.
Here is something I wrote up for the Dell user's forum on audio interfacing, see if anything there helps.
http://the-predator.tripod.com/dell/sec7-9.html |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 8 Aug 2005 11:20 am
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| Thinks guys for the ideas. There is no doubt some difference in ground potential. Making sure both the amps, and the computer, were plugged into the same receptical that had a good ground would be a good start. Of course, the grounds on the amp cords and the computer cord must be on the cord and working. That should put both grounds at the same potential. I still don't see why my hookup failed. I bought a copy of the August issue of Nuts and Volts magazine, and one of the readers questions involved hooking up speakers to a sound card. The article suggested the two op-amps and that sounds like one really good solution. I don't know what kind of protection these sound cards have, maybe none for the price they sell them at. My sound card only cost $10.00. I am going to buy a nother one and see if I can get it figured out. In the mean time, I bought a Sony CD player and hooked to my two Nashville 400 amps. The paint on the walls are blistered from listening to my Bobby Flores CD. The Bobby Flores CD is my favorite right now. That is the CD I play while building pedals. If you don't have one of these CD's get one, and turn everything up and enjoy. |
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Ray Minich
From:
Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra
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Posted 9 Aug 2005 7:15 am
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Nice discussion and explanation Fireberd 
Why is it I can remember and do 3 up and 5 down but can't remember for 5 minutes green out/blue in? |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 9 Aug 2005 11:02 am
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| The next logical step after getting a computer sound card hooked to the two Nashville 400 inputs, would be an guitar effects program on CD. Are any of you guys using effects programs on CD? If you know of any, what is their web site? Also, there should be some MIDI connect PCI cards out there? Does any one use or know about any of these PCI cards? If you could install a MIDI PCI card that worked for guitar, with ins and outs, you could hook to a electric piano keyboard. The most advanced and best effects are on electric piano keyboards. Thanks! [This message was edited by Keith Hilton on 09 August 2005 at 12:07 PM.] [This message was edited by Keith Hilton on 09 August 2005 at 12:10 PM.] |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 9 Aug 2005 11:28 am
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Keith, The Retail SoundBlaster cards (some) either come with a MIDI/Joystick port on the card or have a "daughter" card with that port.
Otherwise, the easiest way to get MIDI I/O is to use a MIDI/USB adapter. Musician's Friend and others sell a "MIDIMAN' unit that is about $40.
The SoundBlaster Audigy 2 line of cards have two hardware MIDI Synths on them that are very good. I use the "A" synth with Band in a Box and it's as good or better than the Roland VSC33 software synth. The Microsoft software synth leaves much to be desired.
I haven't used any of the effects software, as most of it is Direct X plug in forthe major multi-track recording programs. I use a separate hard drive recorder for my home studio. |
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John Daugherty
From:
Rolla, Missouri, USA
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Posted 9 Aug 2005 3:15 pm
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Keith, Most all of the recording or wav editing programs have effects which you can add to the recordings. I really do have to come and see you. We can have a talk and I'll bring the O'scope to you.
I do the same as Jack does for recording. I don't like to operate a mixer with the computer mouse. I use a real mixer,a rackmount effects unit and a digital recorder. |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 9 Aug 2005 6:14 pm
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| Thanks for the information guys. Jack, with a MIDI in and an out, can you connect to one of those small electronic pianos that have all those programs? |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 10 Aug 2005 2:04 am
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Keith, yes. I've connected a Casio and a Yamaha to my PC. You have to have a MIDI program to go with it.
Actually, any MIDI keyboard will work. |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 10 Aug 2005 8:27 am
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| Jack, are you going to St. Louis, we need to talk. Are you putting a MIDI pickup on your guitar? Seems like you would need a MIDI pickup. If not, it seems there would need to be something that would take analog to digital. How are you doing it? Last winter at the college I built this guitar tuner that was like a frequency counter, it read the frequency of the string and displayed it on a liquid crystal display. I used a Analog to Digital converter chip, but to clean up the guitar's analog signal I used a SCHMITT trigger chip. This ran to a Basic Stamp micro-controller. I need to know more about your set up Jack. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 10 Aug 2005 9:35 am
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Keith, I'll see you in St Louis.
But, I'm not using any MIDI with my steel. Just mentined I had hooked up a Casio and Yamaha KEYBOARDS to my PC.
I would guess you could do the same thing with a MIDI pickup assembly.
Chuck Abend (from KC) is the one you need to talk to. He's had a MIDI setup for years on his steel. Chuck is usually in St Louis and if you don't run across him I'll send him to your booth if I see him. Chuck and Lash Loughbridge (from KC, too) travel to the Convention. |
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Keith Hilton
From:
248 Laurel Road Ozark, Missouri 65721
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Posted 10 Aug 2005 12:38 pm
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| Great, see you in St. Louis. Yes, I know those two ride from Kansas City to St. Louis. I love kidding Lash and telling him big stories. By the way, I heard Lonnie Harper had a pretty serious stroke. |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 11 Aug 2005 2:51 am
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| Keith, I'll have to contact Lonnie. I'm on his joke e-mail list and get stuff from him all the time. Maybe even get to visit, as we're going to KC for a week before going to the convention. |
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