# A problem with X-Fi Cards and ASIO

**URL:** <https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/a-problem-with-x-fi-cards-and-asio/2075>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [May 10, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/a-problem-with-x-fi-cards-and-asio/2075 "2009-05-10T02:29:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![shahin\_nasr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@shahin\_nasr](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/shahin_nasr)\
**Post date:** [May 10, 2009, 2:29am UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/a-problem-with-x-fi-cards-and-asio/2075/1 "2009-05-10T02:29:51Z")

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I have faced a problem using soundblaster X-Fi (Titanium) cards. After installing the card and also installing psychportaudio\_x86.dll I still can not control the card channels.  
  
 After initialization, I get the message that: "Found at least one ASIO enabled soundcard in your system. Good, will use that in low-latency mode!" but then when I start using the card by this command:  
  
pahandle = PsychPortAudio('Open',3 , [], 0, 96000, 1,[],[],[3]);  
  
 I face a warning that said: "PTB-WARNING: Provided 'selectchannels' channel mapping is ignored because this is not an ASIO enabled sound device." and I can only have the output on the first channel and not the other 7 channels.  
  
 Please note that I am using the card in "Audio Creation Mode" in which ASIO is supposed to be enabled.

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**Author:** ![shahin\_nasr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@shahin\_nasr](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/u/shahin_nasr)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 7:07am UTC](https://psychtoolbox.discourse.group/t/a-problem-with-x-fi-cards-and-asio/2075/2 "2009-05-14T07:07:19Z")

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Dear Mario,  
  
 Thanks for your response. Now we can work with DeviceID 8 but now we have faced a new problem! we want to play sounds on different channels independently (i.e. not simultaneously and with variable delay relative to each other). But when we use these lines to define channels 7 and 8 independently   
  
pahandle1 = PsychPortAudio('Open',8 , [], 1, SampRate, 1,[],[],[7]);  
pahandle2 = PsychPortAudio('Open',8 , [], 1, SampRate, 1,[],[],[8]);  
  
we faced this error after the second line:  
  
PTB-ERROR: Failed to open audio device 1. PortAudio reports this error: Device unavailable   
INTERNAL PSYCHTOOLBOX ERROR  
 error: PsychError\_system  
 general description: Error reported by a system call  
 specific description: Failed to open PortAudio audio device.  
 module name: PsychPortAudio  
 subfunction call: Open  
 file name: Common\PsychPortAudio\PsychPortAudio.c  
 function name: UNKNOWN  
 line number: 1496  
??? Error using ==\> PsychPortAudio  
(null)  
  
probably because we want to map line 1 of this device to line 8 when it is already mapped to line 7. However, when we use these lines instead we still get the same error (this is what you have suggested in previous posts).  
  
pahandle1 = PsychPortAudio('Open',8 , [], 1, SampRate, 1);  
pahandle2 = PsychPortAudio('Open',8 , [], 1, SampRate, 1);  
  
So, what should we do to be able to control these lines independently?  
  
Thanks in advance  
Shahin  
  
  

> --- In [psychtoolbox@yahoogroups.com](mailto:psychtoolbox@yahoogroups.com), "Shahin Nasr" \<shahin\_nasr@...\> wrote:  
> \>  
> \> I have faced a problem using soundblaster X-Fi (Titanium) cards. After installing the card and also installing psychportaudio\_x86.dll I still can not control the card channels.  
> \>   
> \> After initialization, I get the message that: "Found at least one ASIO enabled soundcard in your system. Good, will use that in low-latency mode!" but then when I start using the card by this command:  
> \>   
> \> pahandle = PsychPortAudio('Open',3 , [], 0, 96000, 1,[],[],[3]);  
> \>   
> \> I face a warning that said: "PTB-WARNING: Provided 'selectchannels' channel mapping is ignored because this is not an ASIO enabled sound device." and I can only have the output on the first channel and not the other 7 channels.  
> \>   
> \> Please note that I am using the card in "Audio Creation Mode" in which ASIO is supposed to be enabled.  
> \>