Concierto / other sound related. Solutions and problems!

[Jose]

1st of all let me tell you that I've seen some old threads about a volume problem with the Concierto card. After messing with it a bunch of time, I've found that the settings you make up on the mixer only get active on the next boot after you start the mixer! This happens even if I save the settings. There must be a workaround.
There's also a volume boost option on Amplifier's mpeg settings, dunno about AmiAmp.

Now as to my problem.
I'm having trouble with playback. At 1st I though it was lack of CPU power but remembered that SongPlayer has CPU meter, checked it and it's around 50%, 60% for the more demanding MP3s. I've also tried playing back an audio CD with SongPlayer (output through Concierto DACs) and it does the same thing from time to time!
I already got mpega060.library in Libs (renamed to mpega.library mind you...) so I can't really think of anything else...
Only thing I still have to try is installing the latest software for the MKII, the one I got is from the old disks, anyone knows where the latest versions are ? But is that the cause ?

Thanks
José

[Jose]

Paula ouput on my A4000T is terribly low though, I can't almost hear it through the Concierto.

[Jose]

I'm now considering that the Concierto might be screwed up, maybe even the PIV...
Or maybe some AHI setting or something but I'm pretty convinced it's hardware...

Maybe some capacitors are dead, the Concierto doesn't seem to have any though, could it be some on the PIV ?
Today I've striped down my A4000T and 4000D machines and tried the PIV on the 4000D. Took the oportunity to try a new Zorro daughtercard on the 4000D as the PIV never worked in it. It now works!!
My results on the 4000D are the same regarding the Concierto, sometimes there's something like a hiccup or something, as if there was no CPU power available for just a fraction of a second. I have latest libraries on both, and this happens even when playing files on the ramdisk. 4000D has a WarpEngine, 40Mhz and 4000T an MKII, 50Mhz.

I'm forgetting the low Paula sound for now, tried the suggestion above but didn't work, also forgot to try Paula ouput on the 4000D, I've now put the card back on the 4000T, what an idiot...

[Jose]

..Arggghhhhh
I've just remembered to simply try out Paula 14 bit AHI output (how could I've not remembered it?!) and, eventhough the sound is even lower than the already too low 8bit output of my 4000T, there's absolutely no hiccups whatsoever.
I can't think of any software config that could affect the Concierto like this, so looks like a have a dead card

BTW latest software for it is installed, got it from LexSite.

[Jose]

Other test:
ConciertoPlayMPEGA, which bypasses AHI has the same problems.
Pretty sure the card has problems now.

[Jose]

@MastaTabs

Thanks a lot for replying. Big chip on the big socket on the middle of the PIV has "MACH220-12JC" on 1st line and "9739MPMC" on the second.
The PIV card has V1.2 printed on one of it's corners and there's a sticker on the underneath saying 9711265.

I did a quick test with AHI set to 22Khz and no stutter at all! Reverted it back to 44.1Khz and it's back, so it's that interrupt thing you describe. This is on An 4000T with a Cyberstorm MKII and 060 at 50mhz. The CPU meter on Songplayer is around 60% maximum on some MP3's. The stutter is also there in the 4000D with WarpEngine at 40Mhz and playing a CD directly (through SongPlayer), but it's slightly less frequent I think.

Can this be corrected ?

Regs
José

[Jose]

Forgot to test mono at 44Khz, just give me a moment...

[Jose]

Haven't tested thoroughly but from a quick listening 44Khz mono has very rare stutter but it defenitly appears here and there, sometimes it took 1 minute to appear or so.

[Jose]

Ups, my bad Bridge is 0x04, FlickerF 0x07.

[Jose]

Banking setting:0x7
AudioSettings:0x00
IntStatus:0x00

Operates in ZorroIII mode
Board contains CL-GD5446 Rev.B
DDC bus is disabled
....

[Jose]

@Framiga
I'm using 4.18 too.
I guess at this point I'm thinking that maybe the Concierto can't operate at all at 44.1Khz without stutter.
So the question is, has anyone actually got it working ?

[Jose]

Hi! I almost gave up but today remembered something that made a difference, still not perfect though, see bellow...

A4000D: WarpEngine at 40Mhz, 32MB ram + 8 on the motherboard external scsi DVDRW (through scsi to ide adapter). HD and DVDRW connected to WarpEngine's scsi controler. Had a Cybervision64 that I recently sold, but that makes no difference.

A4000T: Cyberstorm MKII, think it has 40MB + 16 on motherboard, ide CDRom (didn't use it to make the tests), 120GB HD connected with scsi to ide adapter to 4000T's onboard scsi controler. PicassoIV with concierto.

Software: Both have BB2 installed over a clean 3.1 install. I'm skipping the Exec rom updates on both (and nothing else).

I remembered that I wasn't using any rom maping software. The install disk for the MKII just copied rom2fast to c:. So I added rom2fast as 1st command in the startup sequence and now there's pratically no stutter at all. Sometimes I have to listen a track for about 3 or 5 minutes to notice it and it's harder noticer, very short.
BUT, using Songplayer instead of Amplifier has almost as much stutter as before.
Then I copied one of the MP3's that gives more stutter to Ram and amplifier has no stuttering at all:) Songplayer (also using ram) still has it, but it's hardly noticeable.

Question now to me is if I should use Cybermap and rom2fast, I've stumbled into a French article that listed both as utilities that could be used and didn't say to use one or the other. Does this make any sense at all since they pretty much do the same thing, except in different ways (rom2fast uses MMU to map rom to ram, cybermap I don't know).

If this is the only cause it makes sense that this happens in the 4000D too, cause the WarpEngine didn't have any rom mapping software out of the box and I still haven't bothered (been considering selling one of the 4000's for a while) installing anything.

@MastaTabs
So what didn't you have softwarewise when you had them working ? Specially regarding rom mapping stuff, I got to stop being lazy and install Blizkick one of these days...

Cheers
José