dell/vista can only record with microphone

[keith]

okay I accept the problem is with SigmaTel and not with Dell (except that they chose SigmaTel), but I understand that my only recourse is to go to an "external" sound card. Does this mean I have some component flopping off of a USB cable, or does it mean I can use the "ExpressCard" slot? Having some loose component plugged into my USB port defeats the idea of a "portable" computer. That's unacceptable. Running a wire from my line-out port to my line-in port is also unacceptable. If an after-market sound card that permits "stereo mix" recording will fit into my ExpressCard slot, then I may decide to keep the Dell. Does anybody know if this is the case?
Thanks in advance
Keith

[alatham]

Certainly Dell should not be using Sigmatel chips, but it's never been a foregone conclusion that people would be able to recording their speaker outputs. It's simply not an issue for the average computer user. If you disagree, then by all means go with a company that uses a different chip (in fact, I applaud you for this). It appears from a quick search that HP uses the Sigmatel chips in some of their models, but not all of them (I believe this is the case with Dell too).

It also appears I was a hasty in saying that Dell isn't to blame here. It looks like Sigmatel is really just an IC manufacturer and they state explicitly that companies using their chips are responsible for the software needed to run them. That Dell isn't offering the software to fully make use of these chips is sad. I wonder how often things like this happen in the computer peripheral world...

Moving on, I can't say anything about ExpressCard slots, I've no experience with or need for laptops.

I can tell you that if you can't get the drivers to work right in Vista your only options are to wait for proper drivers to be written or to use a USB interface (which I can fully understand not accepting).

Normally you'd be able to use software like Total Recorder (which would get you higher audio quality than any sound card is capable of when recording the speaker output), but it's not yet Vista compatible. I don't know if there is similar software that Vista users can use.

[waxcylinder]

Keith,

you may wish to consider using an external soundcard - two that get mentioned favourably on this forum are the Behringer UC202 and the Edirol UA-1EX. The Behringer is a little cheaper - the Edirol has more functionality. I personally have been iusing the Edirol for several months now with good results.

OK so they "flop off a USB cable" - but note that these devices are very small - and one key benefit is that you get a portable soundcard that you can move between computers.

WC

[iguss]

Fix it.

1. http://us.lgservice.com/
2. Product Support (Red bar navigation)
3. Device Driver (left)
4. Product select "Notebook"
5. Subject "sigmatel" and press button "Search"

Four drivers are listed:

1. [Sound/Vista] LG Notebook(V1/V2) SigmaTel Sound Driver Ver 6.10.0.5286.0 V1
V2 Windows Vista Sound.zip 28K

2. [SOUND/2000/XP] XNOTE(V1) SigmaTel Sound Driver V1
Windows 2000 Windows XP SIGMATEL.zip 94,472K

3. [Sound/2000/XP] SigmaTel Sound Driver Ver 5.10.0.4866 XNOTE(LE50) LE50
Windows 2000 Windows XP SigmaTel.zip 4,601K

4. [Sound/2000/XP] SigmaTel Sound Driver (LE50) LE50
Windows 2000 Windows XP SoundLE50.zip
DBSGAUXK06.txt 20,522K 3K

Select to download the file that matchs with your operating system, in my case I used the 3rd.

After installation this un-stable operating system requires boot, after, audacity shows the correct input selections to record, in my case are:

Microphone
CD Audio
Stereo Mix

Enjoy,

Jose Valerio

Has anyone gotten this to work? Jose--how did you install the download?

[Lordmalik13]

Well guys I've done a lot of research on this problem. It seems that most newer Dell Laptops and other brands that have Vista already installed on them are going with the Sigmatel Soundcards and codecs to thwart people from downloading streaming music off the internet. Most software like Audacity, goldwave, ect.. were origionally made for musicians so that the could record their music and layer it by playing samples back and recording with them. Well musicians have let the secret out that you can record Copywrighted music off the internet without getting into trouble because it was streaming and you didn't have to download it via Limewire or torrent. Well they figure if you don't have the capability to record "what you hear" problem solved which has really screwed legit musicians. There is a few far and in between solutions to this problem. The best advice I've seen so far is is getting a double sided 3.5mm jack and plug one into your mic and one into your headphone jack as ajthegray described above but that still doesn't help you if you are trying to record with a sample recording. My advice is to either get a different sound card or if it's a laptop then "SORRY" your kind of stuck. Mine is a Dell XPS M1530 laptop with a Sigmatel High Definition soundcard and had the same problem as you guys. If anyone finds a solution, codec , ect to this problem then please eamil me at [email protected]. I say screw Vista and props XP.

[healingrooms]

I found a solution to this here: http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/01/15 ... -in-vista/

• Select sound from the control panel.
  Select the recording tab.
  Right click on the background of the tab and choose "show disabled devices."
  Right click on Wave Out Mix and click enable.
  Now it should work the same way as Wave Out Mix in Windows XP, allowing you to record any sound your computer makes.

[machstr]

Above does not offer a fix for my XPS420. When you show disabled devices, nothing more comes up to work with. Dell told me so sad too bad. I need to order an external one. I want to know why they would sell a high end station like xps420 with media center and not have a decent sound card.

[Babita]

I too have a Dell XPS 420 and I have the same problem. Dell said they couldn't do anything about it, so I thought that maybe a different sound card would solve the problem, so I purchased a Creative SB X-Fi, however I might as well have saved my money because there is no difference whatsoever. I have searched the internet and it seems that the problem is with Vista, not the sound cards. Various suggestions can be found but none work, so when I saw that Audacity was available for Vista I thought my problem was solved; but, no, it wasn't to be.

[kozikowski]

The best advice I've seen so far is is getting a double sided 3.5mm jack and plug one into your mic and one into your headphone jack

Which most times doesn't work, either. Windows PCs are designed for business communications, not entertainment. That means the Mic-In is extremely low level and easily damaged or overloaded. It has battery voltage on the connector and the sound is mono.

But outside of that...

I have a license for PC "Total Recorder." It adds a sound driver into the pathway and will record anything passing through your PC. I think it has a scheduler although I've never used it, or it's been so long I forgot. The Mac version is WireTap.

Koz