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static in headphones from on-screen movement


shpladoink
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I think I may have posted about this a while ago, and I was having a problem with the front headphone/line-out jack on my computer. When I move anything around on the screen, be it windows, or the mouse, or minimizing things or whatever, I get a buzzing sound in my headphones. I'd resolved the problem by getting an extension cord and using the rear output jack instead, since the auxiliary jacks are "usually crap" as one of you put it.

Well I return now because the same problem has become apparent in the rear jack as well. I hear buzzes when stuff moves around on the screen, and faint beeping when the little LED on my wifi adaptor flashes. I tried switching back to the front jack to see if maybe that one fixed itself, but that one is quite an amount worse.

I've been digging around online and some guy replied to some other guy with the same problem:

Turn off / down, or mute your line and microphone inputs.

Your mouse is an analog to digital converter. It transforms your movements into a string of data pulses.

The string of pulses are being picked up by the input circuits on your sound card.

If you use your microphone or line input, you need to make sure that the audio input lines and your mouse cord are as far apart as possible.

Or, you may need new or better audio cables.

Okay. I muted every input and output setting, and I can still hear these horrible horrible staticky things. There is nothing plugged into the other audio in/out jacks. If what this quoted guy says is true, then that would mean that there is some kind of noise moving around between circuits or whatever inside my computer, and I honestly have no idea what I could do about that, if anything. I don't want to try updating drivers or anything like that yet because more often than not I end up making things worse when I do that.

My sound card is an on-board Realtek AC97, which lies in an Asus P5N32 SLI motherboard. If it is of any consequence, I have just recently replaced my power supply because the old one kept blowing fuses and basically became worthless. I do not think this is relevant, though.

I have also read that this problem goes away if I get a new audio card (ie, not use the on-board one). If this is the case, would any of you be able to suggest an audio card that has at least 4 inputs for recording? I've been meaning to upgrade my computer for audio editing, and this may be the thing that makes me finally do it. If I get a new card and it still makes noise, I will be very sad.

If I do not resolve this soon, I will come to each of your houses with a nerf gun and put suction cup darts all over your car windshields until you fix my computer or buy me a new one.

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Since you have onboard audio, the interference is coming from the board itself.

The separate soundcard fix works, but if you have a powerful graphics card next to or near the soundcard this can happen too.

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How loud is the sound output on your system?

Cuz what you're hearing is normal if the volume is turned up high enough.

I suspected this was the problem at first, since I often switch between my speakers and headphones through the same jack, and have to set the output volume a lot higher for the speakers. But, as I said, everything is muted and I still hear the static and buzzing.

[quote name=''[\(-_-)/];247794']Since you have onboard audio' date=' the interference is coming from the board itself.

The separate soundcard fix works, but if you have a powerful graphics card next to or near the soundcard this can happen too.[/quote']

Is an nvidia 7900 considered powerful enough to cause disruptions?

I just find this whole thing a bit odd because these sounds just started showing up a few days ago. I don't know of anything that would have caused it to start.

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Check your motherboard's BIOS, specifically for anything involving "spread spectrum," usually for CPU, PCI and SATA. Enable them all and see if the noise lessens.

*reads up on what enabling "spread-spectrum" does*

I see...

Okay I just checked and both CPU and PCIE are set to spread, but SATA spread is disabled. I don't think this would make much of a difference since most of the recurring sounds that aren't plain static are coming from the mouse (usb) and my usb wireless adaptor.

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Doesn't matter if they're USB devices. The CPU is responsible for controlling the vast majority of USB devices.

That's why USB TV tuners and network adapters aren't that popular with techies, they consume too much CPU and aren't all that reliable.

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Just tried all combinations of enabled spread-spectrum, and the beeping and static is still there. It's especially beepy during startup of windows. I suppose because it's initializing the wifi adaptor.

Well looks like I'll be getting that audio card. Does anyone have suggestions for a good one that is under $150? I'd prefer it to have at least 4 inputs, as I'll be recording guitar and keyboard and microphone stuff, and I'd like a quality that is better than crappy monophonic $10 microphone sound.

Thanks for all the help, guys.

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[quote name=''[\(-_-)/];247794']Since you have onboard audio' date=' the interference is coming from the board itself.[/quote']

Happens to me and I have an Audigy 2. It's not apparent when using my speakers or when other stuff is playing though, like when playing a game or listening to music. Though if no audio is being played back, I can hear the electonic signals. It's kind of fun to me though, since I can hear what my computer sounds like when it does specific things, like loading text/windows thumbnails/moving the mouse all sound different.

I believe there is no fix to this at all, in fact! It is always there, but quiet enough that it doesn't bother anyone. It's done this on every computer I've used with headphones.

The easiest fix is to leave winamp open at all times like I do and listen to music constantly :)

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Just tried all combinations of enabled spread-spectrum, and the beeping and static is still there. It's especially beepy during startup of windows. I suppose because it's initializing the wifi adaptor.

Well looks like I'll be getting that audio card. Does anyone have suggestions for a good one that is under $150? I'd prefer it to have at least 4 inputs, as I'll be recording guitar and keyboard and microphone stuff, and I'd like a quality that is better than crappy monophonic $10 microphone sound.

Thanks for all the help, guys.

If you ignore all the fatality bullshit this is actually a damn nice card:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102005

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was digging around on newegg a couple weeks ago and couldn't find a single sound recording card. I figured they'd have a decent selection at least.

Happens to me and I have an Audigy 2. It's not apparent when using my speakers or when other stuff is playing though, like when playing a game or listening to music. Though if no audio is being played back, I can hear the electonic signals. It's kind of fun to me though, since I can hear what my computer sounds like when it does specific things, like loading text/windows thumbnails/moving the mouse all sound different.

I believe there is no fix to this at all, in fact! It is always there, but quiet enough that it doesn't bother anyone. It's done this on every computer I've used with headphones.

The easiest fix is to leave winamp open at all times like I do and listen to music constantly :)

Yeah it isn't a problem when I'm listening to loud music, but I listen to a lot of classical stuff too, which has more highs and lows on the volume scale than a lot of the other rock and shitty techno or whatever else I have on my playlist. It just grates on my mind to hear beautiful violins or whatever, and then *click WHIRRRR beep beep beep bzzzzzzzzRR*

I suppose what bothers me is more the fact that it was perfectly clear before, then something happened, and now it isn't.

The E-mu 1212 that was mentioned above looks like it only has two inputs, but the next step up in that series is going for around 350 US DOLLARS. http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=237&subcategory=239&product=15163

Is that what I'm going to have to pay for the kind of input capability that I want? I really know nothing about these input cards or what they normally go for, so more comments on that topic would be simply delightful. :]

Granted, the piece of hardware I linked to comes with a bunch of cool-looking software too, but most of them appear to be dumbed-down "light" versions that I would have to pay extra to upgrade.

edoot: oh, i guess the 1212 has ten more inputs than i thought it did. but what does it mean when it says it has "12 inputs and 12 outputs, plus MIDI I/O", but only two physical input jacks?

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May not necessarily be "fucked," I've always considered a bit of line noise at very high volumes to be "normal" for low-end (especially onboard) sound cards. It's just the computer's way of telling you to turn your fucking volume down. ;)

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Please refrain from recommending low-end consumer level Creative products to musicians, especially those who have expressed interest in recording.

Thank you.

[quote name=''[\(-_-)/];248667']Ah. Didn't notice that part about recording things before' date=' I just saw sound card and went looking.[/quote']

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