i was able to recreate precisely the same ridiculous behaviour out of my other soundcard, indicating it's absolutely software.

i’ve stripped everything out that i possibly can. honestly. the only plugin on load-up is izotope. but it only starts doing this when the eq is a specific way that it doesn't like.

so, i'm going to have to reinstall, but do it in a step-by-step fashion. that is, install only cubase & izotope and then slowly bring in each other program until i find what breaks it.

if it's immediately broken, i haven't a clue what to do next.

but i have a hunch that it's a program called reason. yes: all this ridiculous, illogical nonsense is due to a program called reason. how so?

well, i specifically remember skipping the install on it because the...it...err...it didn't work. yet, the reinstall has brought it back. i've had it sitting in that script for years, but i really never use it. there was a time when i was planning on moving more into electronic sound design, but i just never did [i still might]. i mean, i don't want to make background noise for wallpaper, but the possibilities of these programs look fairly interesting. i've just always been able to get what i want using other methods.

i don't specifically remember if it was installed directly previously to this mess. but i do remember not installing it at some point. and it loads right into cubase.

uninstalling it and then reinstalling cubase seemed to take the bleed down a notch. not enough. but a notch.

so, that's my hunch.

but, if it doesn't null on a vanilla xp with no scripts and no extra plugins? i'm fucked, basically. i might have to start looking at "upgrading" cubase.