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No 44.1 setting on Realtek

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Chris Elliott Follow
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I have a Pc with a Realtek USB chipset
Reference 4 and Sound ID require 44.1b KHz for the mic input
My chipset doesn't have that setting - all of the settings are multiples of 48KH
I have tried uninstalling/re-installing, Latest driver updates, generic drivers, Realtek drivers, updates to, windows settings - no change
I have also tried using my Focusrite Scarlett(which does support 44.1 as the mic input, and Realtek as the speakers. Reference 4 really doesn't like that, and will not complete calibration
Do you have
a)A version of Reference 4/Sound ID that does support 48 KHz mic input

or

b)Any suggestions what I can do?

 

Thanks

 

Chris

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    Kārlis Stenders (Edited )

    Hi Chris, 

     

    Thanks for the post and apologies for missing it earlier! I've gone over your support ticket thread and it is a lot to take in several problems. It looks like you are now having some trouble with ASIO drivers. My colleague Marco has reached out to you regarding that - hopefully we will get a response from you and be able to proceed and resove the issue.

     

    Let me summarize and elaborate on the issue here for anyone else having questions regarding this. First, the basic rules in a nutshell:

     

    • Yes, the 44.1 kHz sample rate setting is absolutely necessary for the speaker measurement stage. The microphone locating signals intthe measurement software are built with 44.1k
    • Yes, for further use, it is possible to use any sample rate setting (after completing the speaker measurements)
    • Yes, is crucial for a single i/o interface to be used during the measurement stage. It will NOT be possible to use one device for input and a different unit for the output (whether it is Realtek and an external unit, or several external units, etc.). This would result in sample drift, thus not being able to locate the mic in the room ('jumping mic' issue on the computer screen during the measurements)
    • And finally - yes, the original audio setup can be reconnected in all its complexity and used as needed after completing the speaker measurement stage - a dfferent audio interface can then be used without compromising the created profile accuracy in any way!

     

    The difficult part here is using one interface for the measurement stage, and then another one for using the software later on, (which could be necessary in some cases). When it comes to this, the main concern from users is this: is the created calibration profile going to retain the accuracy if I use a different interface for output after completing the measurements?

     

    The answer is yes, absolutely! Most interfaces these days are reliably flat, even the basic and cheap ones. For the purpose of speaker measurements, this is really the only thing that matters - making sure the input signal is uncolored in terms of freq. response. For this reason, the Reference mic itself is individually calibrated to make sure there is no added coloration to the input signal during the speaker measurements.

     

    Even though most audio interfaces are flat in terms of input, there are some exceptions to look for during the speaker measurements:

     

    • Using old and vintage gear, with a lot of analog circuitry - this can potentially color the input sound during the speaker measurements. Using a basic modern interface is recommended instead. Any basic interface with +48v Phantom Power and 44.1 kHz sample rate support will do the job perfectly, without any quality loss if switching to a different device later on
    • Using an additional preamp that is specifically designed to color the sound. Modern preamps are mostly fine and introduce a minuscule amount of coloration, which is usually inaudible. But there are preamps out there that are specifically designed to color the sound - avoid those and use a basic interface instead for the measurement stage

     

    The issue with Realtek in this context is that it would be separate from the input device, which is not supported for the speaker measurement stage specifically (a single device has to be used for both input and output during the speaker measurement stage). This means that Realtek is fundamentally off the table for speaker measurements (44.1k or not, doesn't matter).

     

    In terms of frequency response, it doesn't really matter if Realtek is used for output, or anything else, because it is the speaker and room response that has been measured earlier, not the output device response. For this reason (as explained above), and the device can be used with Reference after the speaker measurements are complete, not affecting the created profile accuracy in any way. 

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