[Meatex]

Originally Posted by zeffrin

Nothing personal FadeMeatEx but... I wouldn't pay a lot of attention to this guy.

If the sounds cards +10dB does give you any trouble for any reason (which it wont) just get a pre-amp for your mic

Though you should probably get one with a pre-amp in a kit... all this stuff is cheap as chips these days.

PiG - like most gamers - doesn't have a dedicated sound card. He got himself a nice mobo which would have a decent onboard audio chip much like mine.
And I can tell you for a fact that adding a boost effect if it isn't needed is going to be a waste and introduce unwanted noise and distortion.
I have tested this a lot when setting up and despite your personal attack at me (when i am just trying to help with my experience)
Please check your attitude at the door.

If your sound card can do it with absolutely no additional noise - congrats you have the best soundcard on the planet. Granted at +10db it won't be much (near unnoticeable) but again why artificially boost if its not needed.

if you disagree give then do so but give reasons with evidence instead of turning it into a personal attack kthxbye

[zeffrin]

Originally Posted by FaDeMeatex

if you disagree give then do so but give reasons with evidence instead of turning it into a personal attack kthxbye

Fair call, but I'll preface this with the fact that I've completed almost all of the digital electronics components of my engineering degree, majoring computer systems obviously.

Most motherboards now use Realtek AC'97 compatiable chipsets like this one:
ftp://208.70.202.219/pc/audio/ALC850_DataSheet_1.4.pdf

If you think about it, it should be pretty unsurprising to know the audio chip includes amplifiers.

Therefore you realise that setting the gain via software is the natural interface for altering internal variables (via the driver) which control the power provided to one of those amplifiers. (on the mic port)

First couple of pages of that document state the same fact (page 9), though unless you read further into the document you'll have to trust me the fact the mic and line in ports can be switched to amplify signal out also indicates they can amplifier signal in.

kthxbye

edit: to your credit though your anecdotal observations are somewhat correct.... if you try more than 10dB gain with the internal amplifier the signal arriving to it (depending on your mic cable) can be too noisy... hence if it is a problem you use a preamp which is closer to the mic and passes a stronger signal in the relevant range through your cable nest to your soundcard which then amplifies the strongest parts of that signal.

Booyah