Sometimes the simple things will get you. Kinda reminds me of Jesus when he mentions using the simple to confound the wise…:)
One of the areas I have always had a keen interest in is audio. By the time i was 14 I had the first component system biult. I did not build the individual pieces(the receiver, eq, and speakers) but i did select the individual boxes so to speak. Little did i know that would set me my trek for technology in general. All through my teenage years it was audio first then i got into computers. That lead me to a US navy career as a Data Systems Technician. After that time I worked for Gateway computers in Hampton Virginia living with a friend. There I built a nearly truly high-end audio component system along with one of the fastest computers you could buy at that time. I had everything tied together. I had full 4.1 surround long before it became commonplace like it is today. It was not unusual for me to be having CD movies and then DVD’s(i jumped on that one early) in full surround..:) I had the first gen sound blaster live! that had Dolby surround and had that thing totally tuned and tied into my audio system so i could have a full immersive experience at my desk.
Fast forward to today. I have leveraged my love of technology into this business. I not only do the typical IT stuff but i still love audio. After years of not using a dedicated sound card Windows 7 with it’s “you cannot control how your audio sounds” design and the crappy sound of just about all onboard audio got me back into the sound card market. Creative has nearly all but abandoned the market. However Asus has some great sounding cards for a good price. I picked one up and my audio life was greatly improved.
About 6 months ago i sat down and was playing some music and it sounded dull, flat, muddy and extremely bass heavy. I’ve even considered getting my hearing checked. Since then I’ve checked every cable(including resistance and continuity), the ends(one was getting bad), the card, drivers, windows errors, the speakers(including internally) everything i could think of. Today i had to adjust the volume and I gave both the volume and tone controls a twist…..and there was the issue. Everyone in the house knows not to mess with my stuff as i am VERY particular about how my electronics are setup. I do, however, have a 6 year old who wants to be like everybody and wants to help things sound good. Her efforts however meant turning the tone knob all the way to bass…:) I have since returned that to it’s proper setting. My music sounds like it should again. Even the one who have spent their lives in this field will get tripped up by something simple. I admit this to show that I don’t know everything and am not afraid to admit when i make a mistake..:) Sometimes you have to think like a 6 year old.