Hi Raimund,
I have tried at least the following machines (a "white" desktop PC built
on a QDI motherboard, an Acer Aspire 1400, and a Compaq Presario 2800...
Quite different machines). Could it be that all 3 have a problem with
their USB host controller ? The Compaq has a NEC USB controller. I am
not sure about the other 2...
In any case, I have been looking around for a PCMCIA USB controller, and
as soon as I borrow one, I'll try.
And I'll try with the DMA mode activated as well...
I wonder how other Portadisc users are managing their transfers to a PC
under Windows...
Thanks,
DL
> -----Original Message-----
> From:
> Sent: 20 February 2004 00:42
> To:
> Subject: Re: [Nature Recordists] Clicks when transferring
> from Portadisc to PC through USB
>
>
> Hi Dominique,
>
> I have experienced such clicks too. There seem to exist a few
> USB host controller chips (located on the motherboard of the
> computer) that don't work reliably under certain
> circumstances. For instance, when I record directly onto my
> SONY Vaio mini-laptop CV1E via an external USB audio
> interface, I get random clicks as long as I have selected a
> reduced processor clock speed (300 MHz instead of 600 MHz).
> Interestingly, the clicks also disappear when I use an extra
> PCMCIA-based USB host controller card instead of the
> integrated USB ports.
>
> So, before you buy another computer, you might try to install
> an additional USB host controller card (there are both
> PCI-bus and PCMCIA models). The PCMCIA card I used
> successfully is the model 'ADVANCE PERIPHERALS USB 2.0
> CardBus'. It employs a 'NEC USB Open Host Controller'.
>
> As you already mentioned, it could also be important to
> reduce the overall processor load as much as possible.
> Several USB audio interface manufacturers recommend to
> activate the DMA mode option for the harddisk.
>
> Regards,
> Raimund
>
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > I recently noticed the addition of clicks in recordings transferred
> > from Portadisc to PC through the USB port. The clicks are clearly
> > audible, they appear in the sonogram as vertical bands, and
> they seem
> > to correspond to a few milliseconds of data loss. They
> appear randomly
> > but, sometimes, up to 10 of them within 10 of 15 seconds.
> Transferring
> > the same track several times, I eventually could transfer
> most tracks
> > without clicks. But that is not really practical !
> >
> > I only noticed these clicks recently, while transferring
> the recording
> > of a band concert to a PC for editing. Each track was
> several minutes
> > long (3-5 min). I never noticed them in previous transfers, but my
> > nature recordings are usually much shorter (around 1 min).
> >
> > I tried my 2 portadiscs, 3 PCs (all 3 under XP Pro, I must
> admit) and
> > both CoolEdit 2000 and Audition... Same results. I tried on desktop
> > PCs built around P3 at 450 MHz, with 384 Mb RAM, and plenty of disk
> > space. I also tried on a laptop at 2.5 GHz with 512 Mb RAM... even
> > tried on both systems using a RAM disk for store temp
> files, in order
> > to eliminate disk access speed problems.
> >
> > While transferring, I also stopped MacAfee anti-virus, as
> well as all
> > services that are not critical... I still have clicks.
> >
> > Anyone having faced that problem before ? Any suggestion
> beside buying
> > a new computer ??? Paul, is that something other Portadisc
> users (like
> > journalists) have noticed before ?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Dominique Laloux
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