SBLive Value! - MP3 stutter problem

Coskesh · Post by **Coskesh** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:15 pm

I decided to reformat my machine recently, and prior to the process, decided to forgo the 5.1 sound with my Turtle Beach sound card opting to use my old Live Value! in order to take advantage of EAX2 capable games.

EQ2 has been the only EAX2 capable game I've played since, and I'm very happy with the results/difference (no stutter with the game). Problem is, my MP3s seem to stutter randomly, almost as if I'm listening to an LP and someone bumps the needle (it's like a high frequency scratch/sampling sound). I thought maybe it was a problem with MediaPlayer10 and grabbed WinAMP, but I'm having the same problem. I installed the Creative drivers plus the update, but no difference. I'm not 100% sure that it's the SBLive, but it's really the only thing that has changed.

Any suggestions? Besides getting an Audigy EX2 or whatever the top condender is. Rather blow the $100 on a new processor/mobo.

Thanks!

Fitzy · Post by **Fitzy** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 10:24 pm

Weird, reading your question I just realized this sounds exactly like what is happening on my wife's computer. I was listening to iTunes and it was skipping like a record every so often, it's even got the same sound card. I thought it was a bad rip since I only heard it on songs we took off of our cd's and not off the iTunes ones, but she says it's happening on both.

Sorry I can't help, it just surprised me that someone else has the same problem. Should you find a solution please post it, I plan to look into the problem later in the week, so maybe I'll get lucky

Coskesh · Post by **Coskesh** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:19 pm

Think I fixed it. Found an article on Creative's site regarding WAV files, but seems to have taken care of my MP3 skipping. I was getting skips every 30 secs to every few minutes. Have been listening for about 20 mins without a problem.

Windows XP:

If your PC configuration is Uniprocessor ACPI PC, try changing this to Advanced configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC.

Both are ACPI configurations, however, ACPI Uniprocessor PC uses so called Virtual IRQ's (IRQ's higher than 15) which can prove problematic for the Sound Blaster Live! card.
The PC configuration may be changed as follows:

1. Click Start and go to Settings. Click Control Panel and go to System. On the Hardwaretab, click Device Manager

2. Click the "+" sign next to 'Computer'

3. Double-click ACPI Uniprocessor PC

4. On the Driver tab click Update Driver

5. Select the option to display a list of known drivers for the device.

6. Tick 'Show all hardware for this device class'

7. From the list, select Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC

Relocating the Sound Blaster Live! to a different PCI slot or changing the IRQ priority of the slot are the only possible ways to enable the card use another IRQ.
Resources are allocated at BIOS level and cannot be changed within Windows.

Linky if you are using a different OS. Scroll down to Audio Output problems, then stutter/skipping WAV files.

Only difference I had with the instructions is Saying No to using Windows Update, then Update from a specific location, then Don't search, I'll choose the driver option. Said it had to reboot, then after it rebooted, it detected new hardware and asked me to reboot again.

Didn't have to swap around the card or anything thankfully. Now i remember why I switched to Turtle Beach!

Hope this helps you Fitzy!~

Fitzy · Post by **Fitzy** » Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:24 pm

Thanks I'll give it a try as soon as I can