john spencer (
[email protected]) in
(e-mail address removed):
durning music play the sound some times will jump from one song to
another or the song will skips. how do i tell if i have the lates
sound card updates? and if i don't where do i go to find them? does
microsoft have some thing i can install for better music sound? i
have the latest windows xp updates already installed. when playing
music i've been using realplayer.
I can hardly suspect the sound card for jumping songs.
However, a computer is a busy place (mine has some hundred tasks running
when "idle"), and some tasks may take precedence over others, which may
definitely happen at the cost of sound or moving pictures.
Moreover, sound cards have evolved from big cards with much dedicated
circuitry to something like a single small chip, or (in laptops) hardly any
hardware at all -just another task competing for general resources.
So you may improve playback quality by closing other tasks, especially such
that may interrupt. Disconnecting from any network (especially the Internet)
may help to defer automatic updates (and the virus checking, unpacking and
installing involved).
Finally, there are several "driver models" to get the sound from file (or
synthesizer) to the output. Talking Windows, I know at least MME and
(preferable) WDM.
But a way that may be smoother is ASIO (developed by Steinberg). If your
sound card comes with ASIO drivers, try to default to these. If it doesn't,
and your playback software can handle ASIO, get and install ASIO4ALL,
freeware at
http://www.asio4all.com/.
If you should use a laptop and have a PC Card (PCMCIA) slot available, you
might consider using a hardware sound card like the Sound Blaster X-Fi
Notebook,
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=1&subcategory=208&product=17988.
(I don't know if it comes with ASIO drivers, the Audigy2 ZS Notebook that I
have does.)
And generally, sound card drivers can be found at the web sites of their
makers or resellers.
Note: the above are remarks concerning sound in general (MP3 files,
streams). Playing MIDI files poses additional matters.
