Updated 03/26/99

Windows 95/98

1.    "Is the card shipping?"

2.     "Where can I buy the card?"

3.     "Windows doesn't detect my CardDeluxe after I physically install it and boot the computer.  What now?"

4.     "How do I update my CardDeluxe drivers in Windows 95?"

5.     "How do I update my CardDeluxe drivers in Windows 98?"

6.     "If I record at 24-bit/96khz and dither down to 16-bit/44.1khz, will it sound better than if I just
           record at 16-bit/44.1khz to begin with?"

7.     "How do I adjust my monitor setup on the card?"

8.     "Why and how do I change whether unpacked 24-bit data is left or right justified?"

9.     "Can I adjust the volume of the card's inputs or outputs in software?"

10.   "Why can't I hear audio CDs through the CardDeluxe?"

11.   "Why doesn't my DirectX application work properly with the card?"

12.   "Will the CardDeluxe work with my games?"

13.   "I use Cubase VST/VST24, how should I setup VST to work with the CardDeluxe?"

14.   "How should I setup monitoring in Cubase VST/VST24?"

15.   "Are there ASIO drivers for the CardDeluxe?"

16.   "Does the CardDeluxe work in Macintosh?"

17.   "Why don't I hear my system sounds playing out the CardDeluxe?"

18.   "8-bit recording on the card doesn't sound very good.  What am I doing wrong?"

19.   "Can I use the CardDeluxe to hear audio files from the Internet?"

20.   "I have a 16 audio application, but I want to move to 24 bit, what applications should I use?"

21.   "What will happen if I use 20-bit external gear with the CardDeluxe?"

22.   "What steps  do I take to update the CardDeluxe's PROM?"

Windows NT  (Note: There are not currently NT drivers for the CardDeluxe.)

Coming Soon

Windows 95/98

1. "Is the card shipping?"       <Back to Top>
   
   Yes.  We are currently filling existing backorders and will begin shipping new orders sometime in May.

2. "Where can I buy the card?"     <Back to Top>
   
   Use the following link to access our Dealer page, which list s all of our dealers.
   
   http://www.digitalaudio.com/wheretobuy.asp

3. "Windows doesn't detect my CardDeluxe after I physically install it and
      boot the computer.  What now?"     <Back to Top>
   
   Turn off the computer and make sure that the CardDeluxe is seated properly in the PCI slot.  If this doesn't take care of the problem, contact us via email or phone.

4. "How do I update my CardDeluxe drivers in Windows 95?"     <Back to Top>
   
   First, you will need to download the latest driver from our site.  Go the "Drivers" section of the website and click  on the latest driver for the CardDeluxe to start downloading that file.   The file that you download will be a self-extracting .EXE file that should attempt to unpack itself to the floppy drive by default.  You can also change the "Unzip To" path to unzip the file to a folder on your hard drive if you wish.  After double-clicking on the .EXE file, simply type in where you want the files to go.  It should already read "A:\".  If you want to unzip to a folder, we recommend typing in "C:\Windows\Desktop\CardDeluxe drivers X.XX\", where X.XX if the version number of the new drivers.  After unzipping the file to either the floppy or a new folder, go to "Start", then to "Settings", and then to "Control Panels".  Select "System", click the "Device Manager" tab, and then double-click on "Sound, Video, and Game controllers".   Double-click on our card and hit the "Driver" tab.  Click on "Change Driver" and then click "Have Disk".  It should already say "A:\" by default.  If you unzipped the file to a folder you will need to browse to that folder from this window.  When the driver file has been located, hit "OK".  Windows should copy the new information and you will then need to close all windows and restart for the update to take effect.

5. "How do I update my CardDeluxe drivers in Windows 98?"     <Back to Top>
   
   First, you will need to download the latest driver from our website.  Go the "Drivers" section of the website and click on the latest driver for the CardDeluxe to start downloading that file.   The file that you download will be a self-extracting .EXE file that should attempt to unpack itself to the floppy drive by default.  You can also change the "Unzip To" path to unzip the file to a folder on your hard drive if you wish.  After double-clicking on the .EXE file, simply type in where you want the files to go.  It should already read "A:\".  If you want to unzip to a folder, we recommend typing in "C:\Windows\Desktop\CardDeluxe drivers X.XX\", where X.XX if the version number of the new drivers.  After unzipping the file to either the floppy or a new folder, go to "Start", then to "Settings", and then to "Control Panels".  Select "System", click the "Device Manager" tab and then double-click on "Sound, Video, and Game controllers".   Double-click on our card and hit the "Driver" tab.  Click on the "Update driver" button and Windows will walk you through the update process.   if you have chosen to unpack the driver to a new folder, you will need to browse to that directory when Windows asks you where the new files are located.  After this update wizard finished, you will want to restart the computer.

6. "If I record at 24-bit/96khz and dither down to 16-bit/44.1khz, will it sound better than if I just
     record at 16-bit/44.1khz to begin with?"     <Back to Top>
   
   As for the difference in the quality of the sound,  this is a completely subjective question that you'll only be able to answer for yourself.  However, it is definitely true that recording at 24-bit/96khz will give you a MUCH better approximation of the recorded audio.  It will mean a much more faithful reproduction of the recorded audio, which is what we're after.  A good analogy would be if you took a series of pictures of the Grand Canyon in 360 degrees.  You would get a much better approximation of what you saw using 16 pictures, than you would using 8 or 4.  The same is true with sampled audio. 

7. "How do I adjust my monitor setup on the card?"     <Back to Top>
   
   Go to "Start", then to "Control Panels".  Double-click on "System", then click the "Device Manager" tab.  Double-click on "Sound, Video, and Game controllers", select the CardDeluxe and hit "Properties".  Click on the tab labeled "Configuration".   From this window, you can select  when the card will monitor input and which input will be monitored by each output.  As soon as you "OK" the changes will take affect.  There is no need to restart the computer.

8. "Why and how do I change whether unpacked 24-bit data is left or right justified?"     <Back to Top>
   
   There are essentially three different ways for 24-bit data to be dealt with by your audio application and audio card.  They are:  packed 24-bit (no justification), unpacked 24-bit left-justified, and unpacked 24-bit right-justified.   There is no need to be concerned with left or right-justification if your audio application uses packed 24-bit data, our driver will automatically deal with it correctly.   However, there will be a slight performance decrease when this is the case.   If your audio application gives you the choice of using 24-bit unpacked data, we recommend that you do so, to alleviate this performance loss.
   
   Here's a quick (simplified) explanation of why you need to be aware of this.  Some applications deal with unpacked 24-bit audio in one of two different ways.  Audio that is recorded or played at 24-bit is actually dealt with as 32-bit data.  The following illustration shows how the 32-bit data is oriented for each type of justification.
   
   ("X" is the audio data, "0" is the unused portion of the 32-bit data)
   
   Left-justified:     XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX00000000
   Right-justified:  00000000XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
   
   So, if you are setup for 24-bit left-justified, and the audio application is trying to work in right-justified, you will not be recording or playing the data correctly.   You will need to check your audio application to see how it deals with 24-bit unpacked data, so you can set our driver accordingly.  Your audio application may also be able to make this change within its preferences setup.  Most applications, at this time, use left-justified, which is what the CardDeluxe is set to use by default.
   
   To change the justification setting for the CardDeluxe:
   
   Go to "Start", then to "Control Panels".  Double-click on "System", then click the "Device Manager" tab.  Double-click on "Sound, Video, and Game controllers", select the CardDeluxe and hit "Properties".  Click on the tab labeled "Configuration".   From this window, you can select whether the driver will handle left or right justified 24-bit data. 

9. "Can I adjust the volume of the card's inputs or outputs in software?"     <Back to Top>
   
   The only manner in which the CardDeluxe can control input or output levels directly is with the +4dB and -10dB settings on the card.   However, you will more than likely be able to setup input and output levels within your audio application.  You will also find that the Windows 9x Volume Controls will NOT work with the CardDeluxe.  This is normal.   The reason is that there is no software mixer interface currently built into the card.  If you want to control the output level of Windows system sounds, games, etc., we would highly recommend having some kind of mixer device to connect to the outputs of the card.  This could be a professional mixer, home stereo receiver, or powered multimedia speakers with a volume control.

10. "Why can't I hear audio CDs that I play in my CD-ROM through the CardDeluxe?"     <Back to Top>
    
    There is no connection from our card to the audio output of your CD-ROM.  You will be unable to hear audio CDs from the CardDeluxe. 

11. "Why don't my DirectX games or multimedia applications  work properly with the card?"      <Back to Top>
    
    You will need to make sure that you have the latest version of Microsoft's DirectX runtime files to ensure that our DirectX drivers function properly.  Also, make sure that you are running DirectX version 5.0 or higher.  Most newer games will require at least DirectX 6.0 or higher.  Note that game sounds that are MIDI based (such as music) will not be heard through our card since it doesn't have its own FM or wavetable synthesis.  For MIDI based sound events, you will need to use a SoundBlaster or compatible, or an internal MIDI interface with an outboard MIDI sound module or keyboard.

12. "Will the CardDeluxe work with my games?"     <Back to Top>
    
    See answer to #11 above.

13. "I use Cubase VST/VST24, how should I setup VST to work with the CardDeluxe?"     <Back to Top>
    
    First, you should make sure you have the latest version of VST/VST24 installed on your system.
    
    For VST24 ver. 3.65:
    
    After booting VST/24, go to "Audio", then to "System".   Click on "ASIO Control Panel", then click on "Advanced Options".  Make sure you place a check in the box next to "CardDeluxe Analog" and/or "CardDeluxe Digital" to enable these for use.  Under "Global Settings", set the the sync reference to "Sample Position - Output", and under Card Options check all selections except "Use 16-bit only".  You may select this as well, but you will NOT be able to record or play at 24-bit with this selected.  The number of buffers and the buffer size you should use will vary depending on your machine.  You should try out different values for these and use the "Run Simulation" to test your settings until you find numbers that pass the the test.  Note as well that the number of buffers and buffer size will also need to be set individually for each supported sample rate.  Numbers that work at 44, 100 may not work with 88,200, or 96,000, sampling rates. 
    
    For VST ver. 3.65:
    
    After booting VST, go to "Audio", then to "System".   Click on "ASIO Control Panel".  Make sure you place a check in the box next to "CardDeluxe Analog" and/or "CardDeluxe Digital" to enable these for use.  Under "Global Settings", set the the sync reference to "Sample Position - Output", and under Card Options check all selections. The number of buffers and the buffer size you should use will vary depending on your machine.  You should try out different values for these to test your settings until you find numbers that work.

14. "How should I setup monitoring in Cubase VST/VST24?"     <Back to Top>
    
    If you choose not to monitor through our card, you should choose "Record enable type" under "Audio/System".  Then, when you record enable a track you will hear input through VST.  Note that this will also give you a delay, since the audio must "pass through" the CPU/software, etc.  Also, if you wish, "Tape type" will work as well, however, we noticed less delays when using Record enable type". 

15. "Are there ASIO drivers for the CardDeluxe?"     <Back to Top>
    
    ASIO drivers for the PC will be tentatively released in the second quarter of 1999.   Macintosh ASIO drivers will be released with our regular Mac support later this year.

16. "Does the CardDeluxe work in Macintosh?"     <Back to Top>
    
    Not currently.  We are tentatively planning on releasing Mac support in the fourth quarter of 1999.

17. "Why don't I hear my system sounds playing out the CardDeluxe?"     <Back to Top>
    
    You need to assign our card to be the default playback and record device in Windows.   Go to "Start", then to "Settings", and then to "Control Panels."  Double-click on "Multimedia" and change the play and record device to our card and hit "OK".  You will also want to check the "Use preferred devices only" box, so the card will play at all sample rates.

18. "8-bit recording on the card doesn't sound very good.  What am I doing wrong?"     <Back to Top>
    
    8-bit recording requires your input signal to be nice and loud since the noise floor is so high.  Make sure that your input is as loud as possible without clipping.   Remember, 8-bit recording is not very good quality to begin with, so whenever possible we recommend recording at 16 or 24 bit.

19. "Can I use the CardDeluxe to hear audio files from the Internet?"     <Back to Top>
    
    Yes. We have tested the CardDeluxe with several Internet streaming software packages. You should be able to download audio files and have them play correctly through the player of your choice.  If you experience problems with this, contact us via phone or email.

20. "I have a 16-bit audio application, but I want to move to 24-bit, what
      applications should I use?"     <Back to Top>
    
    As of the last update to this FAQ, the only 24-bit capable audio applications we have tested with were Cakewalk Music Software's Cakewalk Pro Audio 8.0 or higher, Syntrillium Software's Cool Edit Pro 1.1 or higher, IQS (Innovative Quality Software) SawPro 1.6 or higher,  Steinberg Jones' Cubase VST/24 3.6 and Wavelab 2.02, and SEK'D Samplitude version 5.12 or higher.

21. "What will happen if I use 20-bit external gear with the CardDeluxe?"     <Back to Top>
    
    If you wish to use 20-bit external gear (DAT machines, A/D or D/A converters, etc.) you will need to run your audio application at 24-bit resolution.  We will simply write zeros for the last 4 bits.  This should not cause any change in the audio signal or quality.

22. "What steps  do I take to update the CardDeluxe's PROM?"     <Back to Top>
    
    NOTE: You only need to update your PROM if you are upgrading it to add new features, or have been told by
                   DAL tech support that you need to do this.
    
    First, you will need to download the latest PROM update from our website.  Go the "Drivers" section of the website and click on the newest PROM update for the CardDeluxe to start downloading that file.   The file that you download will be a .EXE file.  Once you have downloaded the file, double-click it and follow the onscreen instrucitons.  After you restart your computer, the PROM update will be complete.

Windows NT     <Back to Top>

Coming Soon