CardDeluxe FAQ

Q: What are the Input/Output impedances of the CardDeluxe?

Input: Z = 5.4k ohms per leg. Single-ended is 5.4k ohms and differential is 10.8k ohms.

Output: Z = 300 ohms per leg. Single-ended is 300 ohms and differential is 600 ohms.

Q: How do I control the input/output volumes? Where is the volume control for the card in Windows mixer?

A: The CardDeluxe™ does not have a volume control on the inputs, so the audio level of the inputs cannot be changed. If you need to change the input level, you must do it either before the audio reaches the CardDeluxe™, using a preamp/mixer, or after it is recorded in the software. You can use the Windows Mixer to change the output gain using the "Analog Output", "Digital Output" and "Wave" controls.

Q: Why are there are no controls available in the "Recording properties" of the Windows Mixer?

A: Since there are no input volume adjustments, there are no "Recording" controls available in the Windows Mixer.

Q: How do I install an older driver onto a computer that has a newer driver loaded?

A: To install the older driver you must:

Uninstall the current driver. You can do this from Windows Device Manager.
Select "install from a list" (do not re-install the driver automatically).
Then select "Don't search I will choose".
Choose "Have Disk".
Then browse to the folder you have holding the driver you want to install.

Q: How much output volume/gain does CardDeluxe™ produce?

A: The CardDeluxe™ puts out a standard +4 dBu or -10 dBV level (selectable via the onboard jumpers); the amount of volume will be dependent on the amplifier and speakers it is plugged into. Full scale output is +19dBu differential and +5dBV single ended.

Q: Could you give me more information on the meaning of the +4 dBu and -10 dBV settings and how they would vary with impedance matches of external devices?

A: The +4 dBu setting is used with differential (balanced) I/Os and the -10 dBV is used with single-ended (unbalanced) I/Os. Output impedance is 300 ohms per leg, so if you are interfacing with a balanced device the impedance would be 600 ohms and you would set the jumpers to +4 dBu. A single-ended device would be 300 ohms and you would set the jumpers to -10 dBV. Typically, professional devices would use balanced I/Os and consumer devices would use single-ended I/Os.

NOTE: If you find that your input levels are too low you may need to switch the input jumpers from +4 dBu (default factory setting) to -10 dBV.

Q: What settings must I change to eliminate feedback in my audio playback and recording?

A: Go into the Windows Mixer and mute the Analog input channel on the Analog output mixer. If, when you open the Windows mixer, you do not see the Analog input fader, you will need to go into the properties and enable the Analog input fader and then mute it. Or, click the "Input monitors off" button on the Configuration tab of the CardDeluxe™ configuration dialog.

Q: Will the CardDeluxe™ work with a 64-bit processor?

A: Yes, the CardDeluxe has an x64 driver designed for use with XP x64 Edition and Vista x64. To install this driver, download the current WDM/ASIO driver from our driver page. Run the Setup program and choose to do a manual installation of the driver "don't search I will choose". Point Windows to install from the "x64" folder of the driver.

NOTE: The x64 driver is not applicable to users with 64-bit processors running a 32-bit Windows operating systems.

Q: My computer has shut down and standby problems when the CardDeluxe is installed in my system. What can I do besides powering my computer off manually?

A: Sometimes IRQ conflicts between the CardDeluxe and other devices cause this type of problem. This is a notorious Dell and Gateway problem; however, other computers will randomly suffer from this too. You can check this out by going through the following steps...

1. Right-click "My Computer" and select "Manage". This opens "Computer Management".

2. Select "Device Manager" in the left column

3. At the top of the page click "View" and then "Resources by type".

4. Expand IRQ

5. Look to see if the CardDeluxe shares an IRQ with another system device or add-in card.

If the CardDeluxe is sharing an IRQ, you can probably solve the problem by moving the card to a different PCI slot and reinstalling the card. The only way to change the IRQ of the CardDeluxe is to switch PCI slots. If you have an open PCI slot this remedy almost always works.

Q: Can I connect dynamic or condenser microphones straight into the analog inputs?

A: No; you will need to connect a microphone preamp between the microphone and the CardDeluxe™ analog inputs.

Q: Do you sell car audio products or mp3 players?

A: No; we sell professional audio products and accessories for personal computers.

Q: Why is my CardDeluxe™ having record and playback problems when it is installed in a PCI-X slot?

A: The CardDeluxe™ was originally designed to work in only PCI slots because PCI-X did not yet exist when the card was released. If you have a rev D, E or E1 card, we can make the necessary modifications to update your card to be compatible with both PCI and PCI-X slots.

NOTE: PCI-X slots are not associated with PCI Express slots.

There is a US $50 fee for this service. Please fill out our RMA Application for more information.

Q: Is the CardDeluxe™ compatible with Windows 98, Windows Me or Windows NT 4.0?

A: Yes. Although we no longer support these platforms, they work quite well with the 4.05.1037 driver, which is available on our Support page.

Q: What Windows software is the CardDeluxe™ compatible with?

A: The CardDeluxe™ is compatible with most Windows software packages. We frequently test with many different playback and recording applications.

Some software applications are made to be used with hardware of a particular vendor; thus, we cannot guarantee that our products will work with these programs. Always check the audio hardware requirements before purchasing an audio software package.

Q: Is the CardDeluxe™ ASIO™-compatible?

A: Yes, the CardDeluxe™ includes ASIO™ drivers that should work with most ASIO™-compatible applications.

Q: Can I use the CardDeluxe™ to play 5.1 surround files through my home theater?

A: Yes. You can play Dolby Digital^® (AC3) encoded 5.1 audio through the digital output to the surround sound decoder in your receiver. In audio production situations, you can use a WavSync™ cable to synchronize three CardDeluxe™ cards together to create a 6-channel system.