SoundSystem SiXPack 5.1 +
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Ever since I connected my sound card to my stereo system, I can hear a constant hum.
The hum (50 Hz) comes from the 220 V power supply. It is caused by a ground loop. This
loop is created when two devices are grounded by a ground wire or other wire ( e.g. an-
tenna cable), and are also connected to an audio cable. The humming will disappear if the
direct conducting connection is removed – either with a sheath current filter that is con-
nected into the antenna line (in specialty stores, approx. USD 10), or with an audio trans-
mitter that eliminates the direct coupling of the audio output (PC) and the input (HiFi am-
plifier) (e.g. Conrad, Order No. 31 14 05 and in car HiFi stores). If you remove the antenna
cable from the receiver/tuner and the hum disappears, then the sheath current filter will
help. If the hum is audible even without the antenna cable, the cause of the problem is a
doubled ground on the mains plugs and can be resolved using an isolating transformer.
Is the MIDI port on the sound card compatible with the Roland MPU-401 standard?
The sound card supports both the Sound Blaster MIDI mode as well as the MPU-401 UART
mode (not the SMART mode, this does not affect performance since most programs sup-
port MPU-401 UART mode). Programs which are set up for MPU-401 mode directly support
your sound card when a wavetable is being used.
I can't get the MacroFX effect to work.
Check the settings in the SiXPack 5.1+ Control Panel. MacroFX operates with a volume in-
crease. If you have set the controller to maximum, the card cannot increase the volume fur-
ther and the effect is barely perceivable.
Wave files played with the SiXPack 5.1 + sound distorted.
Check the settings for the wave slider in the SiXPack 5.1+ Control Panel. If this controller is
at the upper stop, this may cause the signal to be distorted. To reach 0dB the slider ony
needs to be set to about 70%.
