Computer Still Using Onboard Audio.... I think

So, I recently installed an Soundblaster Audigy 5 rx sound card and am using an M-track dual channel audio interface with an mxl 990 mic. Purely based on the increase in latency and the drop in quality when plugging headphones into the computer and directly into the AI, I think the computer is still using the motherboards built in sound. how do I change this? The problem is that the M-track is USB and the card has one strange square connection that I have never seen before, and no less than SIX 3.5mm jacks, so I have the USB connected and the output is set for the monitor. The sound card appears in the recording and playback menus on the windows mixer thing, but there are no levels on either and testing the one under playback produces no sound form the computer. setting the sound card as the recording device produces absolutely nothing too. On a side note, the mic is only recording one channel as well. Sound only comes out the left speaker (or earphone right now) when it is plugged into one of the channels on the AI and comes out the right when plugged into the other. Any and all help would be massively appreciated!
 
Re: Computer Still Using Onboard Audio.... I think

Update, it's an optical connection; whatever that is....

Further update, It's now decided to allow me to switch to using the sound card as a recording device, but there is no noticeable change in latency or quality which is strange as I believe the sound card is quite good quality especially compared to the sound that is likely to be on a gigabyte 990 motherboard.
 
Re: Computer Still Using Onboard Audio.... I think

So, I recently installed an Soundblaster Audigy 5 rx sound card and am using an M-track dual channel audio interface with an mxl 990 mic.

Which soundcard do you want[/] to use? You seem to be using the M-Audio, and it seems to be working correctly except that you need to find the controls that let you pan the single input you are using to center rather than fully right or left as they are now. If you have the M-Audio what is the reason for having the Soundblaster card?

Mac
 
Re: Computer Still Using Onboard Audio.... I think

The M-track is the input, the card is for processing and output, however I don't think that the computer is using the sound card to process the audio coming form the M-track which is what I want. I have looked at all the controls on the M-track for balance, but they are all just for gain and volume and switching to mono doesn't solve the problem either. It's not the software because listening to the microphone through windows produces the same result, and the fact that it changes which track it records (left or right) depending on which input the microphone is connected to just adds more mystery.