Configure USB sound card on Vista

These are the steps for configuring Windows Vista for recording from a Behringer UCA 202.
The steps for other USB sound cards on both Vista and Windows 7 are likely to be similar.
I would recommend following this list carefully step-by-step, including the “optional” steps.

To configure Recording using the Behringer UCA 202 USB:

  • Start button > Control Panel
  • (Control Panel Home not Classic View) > Click on “Hardware and Sound
  • Click on “Sound
  • Click on the “Recording” tab
  • Click on “USB Adio Codec” (so that it is highlighted)
  • Click the “Properties” button
  • (Optional) Type “UCA 202 Line Input” in the text box
  • (Optional) Click the “Change Icon” button, select the icon that looks like Line-in connectors and click “OK
  • Ensure that “Use this device (enable)” is selected at the bottom
  • Click the “Apply” button
  • Click on the “Advanced” tab
  • In the “default format” button (drop-down list) select “2 channels 16 bit 44100 Hz (CD Quality)
  • Ensure that the two “exclusive mode” options are selected
  • Click the “Apply” button
  • Click on the "Levels" tab, set the slider to 100 and click the “OK” button
  • Click the “OK” button

To configure Playback using the Behringer UCA 202 USB:

  • Start button > Control Panel
  • (Control Panel Home not Classic View) > Click on “Hardware and Sound
  • Click on “Sound
  • Ensure that the “Playback” tab is selected
  • Click on “USB Adio Codec” (so that it is highlighted)
  • Click the “Properties” button
  • (Optional) Type “UCA 202 Line Output” in the text box
  • (Optional) Click the “Change Icon” button, select the icon that looks like Line-out connectors and click “OK
  • Ensure that “Use this device (enable)” is selected at the bottom
  • Click the “Apply” button
  • Click on the “Levels” tab and set the level to 100
  • Click on the “Balance” button and ensure that both “L” and “R” are set to 100
  • Ensure that the “speaker” icon does not have a “red circle with diagonal line” on it (that symbol means that output is muted)
  • Select the “Enhancements” tab
  • Select “Disable All Enhancement” and click the “Apply” button (for recording purposes it is best to aim for “accuracy” over “enhancement”)
  • Select the “Advanced” tab
  • Select “16 bit 44100 Hz (CD Quality)
  • Ensure that the two “exclusive mode” options are selected
  • Click the “Apply” button (only available if you have made changes)
  • Click the “OK” button
  • Click the “OK” button

Contrast that with that you’re supposed to do with your Windows machine. If your laptop has a microphone and speakers, load Skype or your favorite conferencing software, get your ID and password (if you don’t already have one) load the ID of the conference room at your home office, dial and start talking.

That’s it.

The Echo Cancellation software will automatically sense your room/environment and prevent the far room voices and echoes from entering your microphone and the Dynamic Noise Cancellation will automatically and gently raise the suppression threshold so the Vice President of Sales doesn’t have to listen to the air conditioner in your hotel room.

Oh, and if you have a webcam, that will work, too, but that’s small change compared to getting the voices to work. Don’t forget to make funny faces into the web cam. Everybody does it.

Those are the two sound tools that make it impossible for many new Windows machines to record quality music. That’s the stuff hiding behind the “Enhancements” tab in the sound panel. There may be more sound tools – particularly if you bought a web cam with its own services, but it’s a good start to turn those off. If you do conferencing, it’s insanely important to turn them all back on.

Koz

Forgot one. Automatic microphone volume control is frequently bundled with the noise suppression software. They will make your voice crystal clear and level, but will destroy a musical performance.

Koz