A long time ago now, Mac advised me not to use the latest M-Audio Delta 66 soundcard drivers as they were not as reliable as the older versions. I notice that there is now a new Windows XP SP3 version (11/14/2009) and wondered if anyone had tried it yet. The control panel has a completely new modern look.
Delta drivers have been "reliable" forever, including this newest (5074) one in my own use for months now. Fool-proof drivers are the greatest advantage of that line of cards. As I remember it, Mac's actual point was not reliability, but that he liked the choice of settings available in an earlier GUI, probably 5057.
Since 5057, one consumer-level EQ thing (Bass Boost) has been removed, and the 384-sample setting is restored to the list of available ASIO buffer sizes.
Thank you Larry, very much.
Just one more thing. M-Audio say that whilst installing the new driver, you will get the option to uninstall the old driver, during the process (which has to be done first). This did not happen and I was left with two Windows bottom toolbar icons for the Control Panel (the new one and the old one). The old version did not work of course. Any ideas? Delete it first in the Device Manager perhaps?
I'd uninstall both, then re-install the new one if it was me, just to make sure any old files were removed and the needed new ones were there. In other words, so the new install doesn't 'keep' any older files that may not be compatible.
What I did not like about the later driver:
Selection of Pro and Consumer level made no difference.
I run my system at Pro level, +4dBu.
No matter which I selected in the Delta Control Panel,
the thing was stuck on Consumer -10dBv level.
Contacted Delta Support directly and received an email that they had affirmed this to be the case and they were the ones who told me that if I needed the Pro level then I should revert to the older driver, which I did and still use.
I don't need eye candy, I need proper operation.
Don't know if they've fixed that problem in a new release or not, my mantra has always been, "If it works, don't fix it" -- and it works just fine here.
--Mac
Thank you Rharv and Mac.
Which version are you currently using then Mac?
5057
But be advised that they may have possibly fixed that one issue by now, I don't know.
--Mac
Thank you Mac,
I think that I will e-mail M-Audio and get an update re the "Pro/Consumer Level" issue. I will let you know if I get a result.
I reinstalled the 5057 drivers since we've been talking about them, and since I have meant to do it for some time anyway. As I remembered, they are better than the new 5074, because the old GUI is more complete.
Both work fine and don't break anything, but they have left useful stuff out of the new ones.