*sigh*. that got me nowhere. it's back to the bleeding on the m-audio card.

i'm going to take a step back and test with the soundblaster on an m-audio non-install, because i don't think it's doing this. if i can convince myself of this, i'll try leap-frogging the m-audio install and testing directly with the mixer.

i don't actually use the m-audio card for recording. i put it in the system years ago as a playback card, meant for more living room type applications. if the setup is stable without it, it's not worth fighting with it - i'll just take it out.