Dropouts in X2?

I'm having incessant dropouts AFTER my computer is accidentally powering off.  And yes I have my music computer on a UPS, but temporary blackouts still cut the power to my computer.  I guess I could get another UPS, but 2 other computers are hooked up to this UPS, and neither one of them power off when this happens.  A friend who is rather Sonar savvy suggested clearing the picture cache might stop this behavior.  Any thoughts on that?  Could someone explain to me how to do this?  I know where my picture cache folder is, but I want to delete WOV files, and most of the files in my picture cache are WTR files.  I don't even know what those are.  Here's the kicker:  leaving the computer and Sonar on for several hours eliminates the problem.  Still we've been having lots of storms, and these blackouts are pretty frequent.  It's disrupting my workflow and day in general.
 
Any help or advice would be oh so much appreciated.
 
Thanks.
 
Stephen

Thanks very much for the reply.  Yeah, I've tried all that and nothing works.  I'm just stuck with leaving Sonar on for about 3 hours, then the dropouts disappear.  I'm really flummoxed by this behavior.  I appreciate your instructions on clearing the picture cache.
 
Thanks again.
 
Stephen

algodon
I'm having incessant dropouts AFTER my computer is accidentally powering off.  And yes I have my music computer on a UPS, but temporary blackouts still cut the power to my computer.  I guess I could get another UPS, but 2 other computers are hooked up to this UPS, and neither one of them power off when this happens.

That must be a huge UPS. Generally a home size UPS is designed to handle one PC and the associated peripherals.

CakeAlexS
> I'm having incessant dropouts AFTER my computer is accidentally powering off.
 
...your real problem is that your PC's won't shutdown nicely after a power cut...

 
 
Thanks very much.  I'm not overly computer knowledgeable.  Recording music is mostly what I do on computers, so I certainly don't have much technical expertise.  I'll be talking to the manufacturer of my UPS to see how I can avoid these power interruptions.  I didn't even know you could hook it up to the computer to make it shut down nicely.
 
Your help is greatly appreciated.
 
Stephen

robert_e_bone
What plugins are present?  Some plugins are not meant for tracking, but for mixing/mastering.
 
What driver mode are you using?
 
What sample rate in Sonar?  What are Sonar-reported latency values (input/output/total)
 
What sample rate and ASIO Buffer Size in audio interface?
 
Bob Bone
 

 
Thanks Bob.  I'm running no plugins.  I'm tracking the drums.  All the tracks are naked for now.  ASIO driver, 48/24 sample rate.  I don't know how to access the Sonar-reported latency values.  The buffer in my sound card is set to 256.
 
Stephen

Four things with UPS..
 
Is the load correct? (Otherwise buy more batteries/UPS's).
Is it configured correctly (So PC will shutdown automatically say after a few minutes.).
Is the powercut notification software OK? Latest drivers and firmware.
Is the battery OK? Batteries often need to be replaced.

algodon

robert_e_bone
What plugins are present?  Some plugins are not meant for tracking, but for mixing/mastering.
 
What driver mode are you using?
 
What sample rate in Sonar?  What are Sonar-reported latency values (input/output/total)
 
What sample rate and ASIO Buffer Size in audio interface?
 
Bob Bone
 

 
Thanks Bob.  I'm running no plugins.  I'm tracking the drums.  All the tracks are naked for now.  ASIO driver, 48/24 sample rate.  I don't know how to access the Sonar-reported latency values.  The buffer in my sound card is set to 256.
 
Stephen

Edit>Preferences>Audio>Device Settings, then look at the bottom for Input, Output, Total latency values.
 
Bob Bone
 

> The UPS batteries are still good, at least as far as I can tell.
 
Suggest testing. Quick and dirty way to see how many minutes your gear will last off a power supply. You don't need to boot up into windows just switch on the PC and press the BREAK button then pull out the mains from the battery. Then set your stop watch, however long you get divide that by 2 and subtract the average shutdown time of your PC, and that's the time you should allow before automated shutdown.
 
Also your UPS software should have something to diagnose battery capacity issues.
 
Ta

scook
...Fortunately my UPS has all the diagnostics I need on it's display panel.

Sounds like I should pick up what you've got.  Mind telling me what it is?
 
Thanks 
 
Stephen

algodon
 
Sounds like I should pick up what you've got.  Mind telling me what it is?
 
 

It is an older APC unit that is no longer made. Here is a similar unit http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842301290 It appears the display may not be as extensive but it shows the essentials.

algodon
Thanks again, Bob.  The settings are: input 2.3, output 3.0, and 5.3 roundtrip.  Does everything appear to be in order?
 
Stephen

I used to run that 'lean', but would end up getting dropouts with latency set that low.  I now use the following settings, and have no dropout issues whatsoever: Driver Mode = ASIO, Sample Rate = 48 k, Record Bit-Depth = 24, ASIO Buffer Size = 128.
 
The ASIO Buffer Size is a setting from the audio interface.  Some interfaces use a slider and/or drop-down for Number of Samples, to control the ASIO Buffer Size.  Whichever method your interface uses, the size of that ASIO Buffer will also affect the latency.  my total roundtrip latency is just a bit under 10 milliseconds, 9.3 - I believe, and that works very well for me.  
 
Just for a test - try adjusting your ASIO Buffer Size to get your total roundtrip latency to be just a little below 10 milliseconds, and see how your dropouts are at that point.
 
It is certainly quick enough to test.  Please note that it is recommended that you power-cycle your audio interface after making settings changes, to refresh everything.  (If USB-connected, you can also just unplug its USB cable and plug it back in).
 
Bob Bone
 
 
 

Thanks for the replies folks.  Unfortunately, nothing changed as far as the dropouts.  All I can do is take solace in the fact that after about 3 hrs. of leaving the computer and Sonar on, the dropouts go away.  BTW, the reason I had my latency so low is that I use a drumKAT and several VSTs for percussion parts, and there's too much latency if I don't keep my buffer size low.  Bringing it up a bit still keeps the drumKAT working well enough, but didn't affect the dropouts.  
 
I really appreciate all of the help you guys have given me.
 
Stephen

Well - can you please detail which buffer(s) you brought up, and what you brought it/them to, and what the resulting total roundtrip latency value was?
 
There may be room to bring things up a little more, which may yet assist in reducing dropouts.
 
Also, have you run DPC Latency Checker?  It is freeware, and available at:
 
http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
 
You would download and run it, with Sonar NOT running, to get an idea of the basic ability of your computer to handle audio streaming, such as what happens with Sonar.
 
Please post back the details on the changes to the buffer(s) you made, and also please download DPC Latency Checker, run it, and post back what it reports after letting it run for a few minutes.
 
Thanks, 
 
Bob Bone