For some reason ASIO4ALL really does help laptops if you are trying to use the Laptop's own internal sound.  If I use one of my external audio devices I don't use ASIO4ALL.

I agree with the "sometimes looking for info on the forums can have you more confused than when you started". So with that in mind let take this thread summarize:
 
ASIO4 all is a "good" thing if:
1. If you wish to use your laptop for some editing while away from your main DAW.
2.You are tring to combine 2 different interfaces and wish to use ASIO.
3. The drivers that came with your interface were not updated to Vista or W7.
ASIO4all is "not" a good thing if:
1. Your interface came with the correct drivers but you are having audio problems so you tried ASIO4all  to make things better.

wormser

Maybe I'm different, but for me I check out the interface I'm considering, ESPECIALLY the drivers.

A quick look on the manufacturer's website, or forums like this are all it takes...
...
I'm referring specifically to the people for which it doesn't give good performance and then who come here and other places and complain about it.

Yes, you ARE different! If it annoys you that people "come hear and complain", how will your "quick look on forums like this" bear any fruit if people DON'T come here and complain?
 
Anyway, I'm not here to troll; I tried it out this weekend and the results were unexpected!
 
I uninstalled ASIO4All and just ran on WDM. I then experienced playback dropouts on projects that had grown large whilst using ASIO4All. I reinstalled ASIO4All and the dropouts cleared.
 
So I have reinstalled ASIO4All and everything works again.
 
Clearly ASIO4All is not just simply a wrapper. There is something going on under the hood, goodness only knows what.
 
Well, I think I'm going to stop fiddling around now. I have two bands that want an album recorded by late January. I have a working rig, so I'm going to leave as is and just get to work.
 
Once again, thanks very much to all for the excellent info and help!

You need to run the two interfaces from the same clock so if possible slave one of the other usually via something like ADAT. Having said that when I was using 2 interfaces running them clocked together via ADAT made my system very unstable.

As soon as I unplugged the digital link it all worked perfectly, including in time even though theoretically that wasn't possible. I must just have been lucky I guess......

wormser


Of course exceptions exist like when Microsoft introduces new operating systems.
Your great $400 interface that worked great with the current OS, Windows XP could easily be turned into a boat anchor when you move to Windows 7 x64.

Wait till more motherboards start using usb3. I've been reading some sound modules do not play well with it.

You will never get two independent clocks to stay in sync with each other. The manufactuering tollerances just won't allow it.
The only way to use two or more interfaces together is to have them both sync to a common (single) clock source.  That normally means word clock.

The same also applies to any digital equipment you connect to your system digitally. So if you have outboard hardware processors that have digital interfaces, ADAT, AES s/pdif then they must also be fed the common clock signal.

Karyn


You will never get two independent clocks to stay in sync with each other. The manufactuering tollerances just won't allow it.
The only way to use two or more interfaces together is to have them both sync to a common (single) clock source.  That normally means word clock.

The same also applies to any digital equipment you connect to your system digitally. So if you have outboard hardware processors that have digital interfaces, ADAT, AES s/pdif then they must also be fed the common clock signal.

Bingo.....
Good post!

Karyn


You will never get two independent clocks to stay in sync with each other. The manufactuering tollerances just won't allow it.
The only way to use two or more interfaces together is to have them both sync to a common (single) clock source.  That normally means word clock.

The same also applies to any digital equipment you connect to your system digitally. So if you have outboard hardware processors that have digital interfaces, ADAT, AES s/pdif then they must also be fed the common clock signal.

Depends on the precision required. I once recorded a continous 1 hour video shot using an old Sony Hi8 video recorder and recorded the sound digitally on a separate setup.
On mixdown I had perfect lip sync from beginning to end.
 
Multitrack needs totally perfect timing. I'm worried that in a 3-minute pop song, flanging may be heard.
 
Naturally a word clock/ADAT is the ideal, but my interfaces do not have that. Perhaps the s/pdif may work. The Tascam 1641 allows the user to select the external digital in as timing master, and I have an optical-to-electrical converter, so I can get the Edirol to work with the Tascam.

Its going to be an interesting weekend. I'm sure I'm not the only person needing more channels, so I'll post my results.
 
Edit: Thanks for the added info, FBB. Will try it the unconnected way, too.

Wormser,

I doubt anyone uses a DAW has ever installed ASIO4ALL to save money on buying an audio interface. Most of us have multiple interfaces.

But picture this--flying on an airplane with a laptop, and no other audio hardware. One has Sonar installed on the laptop, and would like to do some work on it while flying. In that case, if the built-in card works better with Sonar with ASIO4All than without it, why not use it?

That doesn't make it a substitute for a professional sound card! And certainly cannot be used for recording.  But it has its uses.

(Yes, on that plane, if one had a small portable bus-powered USB interface, that would be better, but one might not have that with one.)

That said, I just got a new laptop with Win 8 Pro X64, and 16GB RAM, core i7 CPU, and SSD. In case I was ever to use it in such a situation, without any other audio hardware, I am wondering if it might be useful to install A4A, if that even would work on Win 8 64? (Anyone know?) Also, wondering if the built-in sound cards on laptops and their drivers (using the new WaveRT drivers), although of course still no substitute for a professional sound card, might work better in WaveRT mode without A4A, than in ASIO mode with it?  (In my old XP 32 laptop, the built in sound card only did MME, not WDM, and it definitely worked better ASIO with A4A. But I don't know if that is true with modern equipment and drivers.) Anyone know?

CJaysMusic


Yea, its the Hail Marry of sound card drivers. When all else fails, try ASIO4all.
Cj

LMAO...
Good one!

One thing I don't understand is, if people are paying $300+ for Sonar, Cubase, whatever, they should be at least well seasoned prosumer type users and more than likely professionals at some level.

So why would these same people want to use a $99.00 Soundblaster or some on board audio chipset instead of a dedicated professional or semi-professional audio card which will include proper low latency drivers?

It doesn't make sense to me.

It's like buying a BMW and then putting the cheapest tires Sears makes on it.

Clue me in because I just don't get it ?

wormser