actually, i think i can answer that. it was fine until i reinstalled the mixer drivers, then the pci card went back to the same flat sound - and consistency remained across the cards. so, it's a driver conflict. but, then i fixed it by running the registry part of the driver install.

i'm spinning myself around in circles. if i leave the registry part of the driver install on, i get the clock fades. if i don't, i get a driver conflict. i'm going to have to hone in on that and just take out specific parts - probably just the clock driver.

mild levels of testing are still necessary, but i think this is it.

....and, then it clicked.

i'm getting the same dead tone out of both cards.

so, if i was mixing on the mixer, and i listened to it through the pci card, it would sound the same. and i'd never know.

so, out of desperation, i busted the wdm by uninstalling it, moving the driver, restarting and reinstalling.

this actually worked.

i'll have to test it a bunch more. but i think that's it: i need to bust the underlying windows architecture flat out and reinstall it.

why that might be is a different question....

it doesn't seem to be actually recognizing the device as the same device when i turn it off and on, and further experiments have just brought me back to randomness: sometimes i get the high filter, sometimes i don't. it's not the flash that's actually doing anything, or the driver reinstall. it's just turning the device off and on. it keeps adding a new unique streaming device in: sad 12, 13, 14, 15....

i think i kind of have to get that right, first. none of the other devices are doing this.

it suggests in the documentation that i should turn the device on before the machine. i never have. but, i'm going to see if it make a difference in recognizing the device as the same device or not.

it's not actually connected to the streaming proxy service, it just seemed to be. it must have been something else running under there.

i'm at somewhat of an impasse again. the flash is fixing it, which again seems to reduce it to a driver issue.

i'm running out of patience. i'm going to see if i can stabilize it on this install. if i can't, i'm going to do a final install and just flash on every use. i'm really sick of this, take no enjoyment in it and want to get back to what i was doing.