SoundCheck V3.0 FAQ

Q. My License key does not seem to work.

Both the Username and Registration Key must be correctly entered before the software turns itself into the registered version. See this step by step guide for help.

Q. At high sample rates the output audio becomes distorted and "stutters".

This is a known problem with Windows Vista / Win7 and certain audio drivers. At this point in time the only work around is to lower the sample rate. Rates of 44khz and below should work correctly. If you are experiencing this problem and not using Windows Vista, please make sure that you have no other applications running in the background that may degrade your systems performance. Update: There is a sample rate 'shared mode' mixer setting that can be adjusted to improve playback. See this forum post about audio quality for details.

Q. Do I need DirectX to run SoundCheck.

Yes. We recommend DirectX9.0 or higher. We have not tested the software with earlier versions of DirectX. If you are using Windows XP, you already have DirectX9.0. If you are using Windows 98, Windows ME, or Windows 2000 you may need to download the DirectX update from the Microsoft web site.

Q. SoundCheck does not record any sound.

The most likely reasons for no sound being recorded from the microphone are:

  • The Windows mixer settings are not correct. See the included SoundCheck help file for more details about using the mixer.
  • The microphone is not connected to the correct plug on the sound card.
  • The wrong sound device has been selected. This can be changed from the settings / device selection menu.

Q. How can I improve the refresh rate, so I can use the "Very Fast" option without dropping data?

The following actions can be taken to lower the load on the computer and allow a higher refresh rate to be used:

  • Use a lower sample rate.
  • Use 8bits instead of 16bits.
  • Use mono instead of stereo.
  • Decrease the size of the SoundCheck window.
  • Stop any other applications running the background.

To support high data rates, you may need to lower the refresh rate instead. Remember 11kHz, 8 bit mono can be processed roughly 16 times quicker than 44kHz, Stereo, 16bits.

Q. Why does the Spectrum graph not show higher frequencies?

Higher sample rates also mean that high frequencies can be digitized and displayed on the graph. This is due to the Nyquist theory. Nyquist theory states that a wave form must be sampled twice to get a true representation. The maximum frequency value displayed is always half the sample rate.

Q. When doing a loopback, the input waveform looks nothing like the output. What is going on?

The input to your sound card is probably being overloaded and clipping high voltages. This will make a sine wave look like a deformed square wave. This is not good for your sound card. Lower the loudness of the sound that you are inputting to the card.

Q. I get an error message like, "The sound input device selected is not able to record/playback...". Why?

Some computers have multiple sound input and output devices. You should check that the correct device (your main sound card) is selected from the Device selection window in SoundCheck. This window can be opened from the Settings menu. The 2nd reason that this error can occur is that the sound format selected is not supported by your sound card. This can happen, for example, when a high sample rate is selected. Most sound cards now support sampling to 44kHz. Top of the line cards may go as high as 96kHz.