How to connect speakers and mic to 2 different sound cards?

[Mk4ever]

Hi there.

I have Creative Live! and the built-in Realtek ALC 650 (with nVidia drivers).

I'm using the creative with WinXP SP2 for gaming and other stuff while using the realtek with the WinXP x64 (I need the mixer and no creative mixer for x64, even if there was I wanna know the answer to my problem).

I got tired of reconnecting everytime I switch my OS, so I got some male and female 3.5mm audio jacks and started making my own connections when I discovered the female audio jack I got is mono, so I only made the mic connector till I get other stereo female jacks for my speakers (regular 2.0 creative speakers).

I connected 1 female jack (connected to my mic) to 2 male jacks (connected to both sound cards' mic jacks). Pretty simple, or so I thought.

For my surprise when I connct to only 1 sound card it works, but it doesn't when both are connected to both sound cards !!

Am I missing something? If not, any ideas? Am I gonna face the same problem for the speakers connectin or that will work?

Thanks in advance for trying to help.

[HardwareGeek]

I have Creative Live! and the built-in Realtek ALC 650 (with nVidia drivers)I thought that Windows disabled onboard audio if it detects a sound card?

[Mk4ever]

To answer your question:

I actually installed Windows XP x64 with AC'97 disabled and installed the creative drivers, then remembered they don't have a mixer for x64, so I enabled AC'97 and booted and installed its drivers and everything was working fine with no errors. Since it was my first time doing such thing I didn't test the audio till I disabled the creative from device manager. However, at this moment, both are enabled and I'm attached to the nVidia. No sound from the creative, not sure why and I don't care to find out (for the mixer issue).

Do u need me to check something for you on my system? Also do u know why what I did (in the first post) didn't work?

[HardwareGeek]

To answer your question ... at this moment, both are enabled and I'm attached to the nVidia. No sound from the creativeInteresting. ... do u know why what I did ... didn't work?No ideas, sorry.

[CWR03]

If you can do even the most basic soldering, you can put a blocking diode inline on each positive speaker line from the sound cards to prevent the power returning to the card not in use.

You usually won't be able to have two sound cards running at once under the same OS.

[Mk4ever]

I thought of that. But is it a guaranteed way or a trial and error thing?
Also why didn't it work? When the mic is connected to only one card it works, but with both it doesn't. Could it be a different voltage from each sound card? or what??

[CWR03]

If the polarity from one is reversed it could likely cancel out.

[Mk4ever]

Many thanks to you for discovering my stupid mistake.

I did reverse the polarity while connecting one of the male jacks.

Problem corrected thanks to you.

[thoralf]

hi,

You usually won't be able to have two sound cards running at once under the same OS.

well, that's not true. i have a audigy2 along with an el cheapo onboard card running quite fine here, under both linux and win2k.

with kind regards,
thoralf.

[mike_lee]

It's common to have 2 video cards in the pro audio world,1 for work and 1 for play. (I suggest a usb soundblaster) http://www.buy.com/prod/Creative_USB_Sound_Blaster_Live_24Bit_External_Sound_Card/q/loc/101/10381394.html however, you almost always have to disable the onboard audio. I would think it would be difficult to make that work.