BlixYZ
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Wassup with WASAPI?
I'm glad to hear about these improvements, but I'm not sure what the application of WASAPI is. I thought someone might be able to clear it up for me.
Occassionally, with my laptop mostly, I've attempted to use WASAPI drivers, but they've never been compatible with any of my devices.
Who uses these drivers, and under what conditions? with what hardware? I've noticed that two of my 2-channel usb interfaces (Alesis iohub, and Audient iD14 both work with asio AND mme drivers!?! They can be seamlessly switched and mixed and matched with my laptop's crappy onboard soundcard. I like that. Class compliance has made huge progress in windows.
How does wasapi factor in?
James W BlixYZ Recording Studio BlixYZ Records Audient ASP800 thru Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Mackie Control Universal + C4 Yamaha HS50's plus Matching Sub, Tannoy 501a Blue Baby Bottle, AT 4050, Neumann TLM 103, etc. UA 610, Focusrite/ART/Neve 2CH. Windows 10
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Cactus Music
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/11/30 19:15:18
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gcolbert
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/11/30 19:20:41
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BIG improvement when using a laptop with an internal (realTec/IDT/etc) sound card.
Also seems to make a big difference with generic USB sound devices. Still experimenting here with a RockSmith guitar interface.
Glen
Platinum / VS-100 / 12 GB RAM / Win 10 Pro / AMD A8 / MP Touch MonitorsPlatinum / on-board audio / 4 GB RAM /Win 10 Pro / HP dm4 Laptop / stuffTHpfft!
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tenfoot
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/11/30 19:22:34
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☄ Helpfulby Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk] 2016/12/01 04:12:06
A recent driver issue lead me to discover that wasapi has come a long way and isn't just for laptop soundcards. I have 2 x32 digital mixers. The wasapi driver under Windows 10 solved a couple of issues I was having when using the supplied asio driver with the playlist feature in Sonar. Wasapi was introduced as a part of windows core audio in windows Vista in 2007 and has received major upgrades with every release since, particularly windows 10. It is vastly superior to the very dated mme driver model, and now a viable alternative to ASIO in certain circumstances.
That said, if your device has a well written and properly functioning ASIO driver, you probably wouldn't be jumping ship just yet:)
Bruce. Sonar Platinum 2017-09, Studio One 3.5.3, Win 10 x64, Quad core i7, RME Fireface, Behringer X32 Producer, Behringer X32 Rack, Presonus Faderport, Lemure Software Controller (Android), Enttec DMXIS VST lighting controller, Xtempo POK.
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BlixYZ
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/11/30 19:46:59
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thanks everyone.
I'll try it with my on board audio when on my laptop.
I'm guessing it doesn't work with most "professional" interfaces?
James W BlixYZ Recording Studio BlixYZ Records Audient ASP800 thru Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 Mackie Control Universal + C4 Yamaha HS50's plus Matching Sub, Tannoy 501a Blue Baby Bottle, AT 4050, Neumann TLM 103, etc. UA 610, Focusrite/ART/Neve 2CH. Windows 10
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bitflipper
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/11/30 19:49:48
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☄ Helpfulby tenfoot 2016/12/02 10:47:45
This is an oversimplification, but you can think of WASAPI as an alternative to ASIO as a way for SONAR to talk to your audio interface.
For me (using a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40) WASAPI works great. I can get lower latency with ASIO, but the 5ms I get with WASAPI is perfectly adequate for playing virtual instruments in real time. One reason I use WASAPI is that I can set SONAR's buffers independently from other audio applications.
Some have reported that they couldn't get WASAPI to work with their interfaces. Others report that it only works in its native sample rate of 48 KHz and flakes out with 44.1. That hasn't been my experience, though. I'm always at 44.1.
I'm guessing how well it works (or if it works at all) depends a lot on your hardware. At any rate, it's easy enough to give it a try and see for yourself. Or just stick with ASIO if it's working for you.
 All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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Cactus Music
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/11/30 21:14:49
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With my Tascam it only shows 8 inputs and 2 outputs. ASIO gives you 14 and 4 plus SPDIF.
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Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/01 04:16:16
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☄ Helpfulby pentimentosound 2016/12/02 18:41:07
How many I/O's are show in in Windows? WASAPI presents the app with "endpoints" which can be multichannel or stereo or mono. It looks like your device exposes an 8 channel input endpoint to the application.
One of the weaknesses of WASAPI is that its difficult for the host app to know how many channels are supported by an endpoint so we have to try and find out iteratively.
And FWIW WASAPI isn't a driver model. Its a layer that talks to the WDM driver itself. So there is no such ting as a WASAPI driver.
Some drivers may not play well with WASAPI if the manufacturer hasn't tested them with WASAPI.
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michheld
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/01 05:07:23
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Many thanks for this. It works on Win7/64 Lenovo TP530 internal RealTek HD
Just had to disable mastering plugins etc to avoid the delay -> don't forget to do this... ;-)
ASIO4ALL seems to be unnecessary for me now.
Would be interested in a new statistics on drivers in a few weeks...
Keep it up!
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DonM
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/01 06:35:08
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bitflipper
This is an oversimplification, but you can think of WASAPI as an alternative to ASIO as a way for SONAR to talk to your audio interface.
For me (using a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40) WASAPI works great. I can get lower latency with ASIO, but the 5ms I get with WASAPI is perfectly adequate for playing virtual instruments in real time. One reason I use WASAPI is that I can set SONAR's buffers independently from other audio applications.
Some have reported that they couldn't get WASAPI to work with their interfaces. Others report that it only works in its native sample rate of 48 KHz and flakes out with 44.1. That hasn't been my experience, though. I'm always at 44.1.
I'm guessing how well it works (or if it works at all) depends a lot on your hardware. At any rate, it's easy enough to give it a try and see for yourself. Or just stick with ASIO if it's working for you.
Bit: Very helpful, I too am using several of the focusrite interfaces, including a PF26 that I use for VI tracking. If WASAPI is reliable at low latency settings that's a plus from the feel during a session
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pwalpwal
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/02 10:29:30
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Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
And FWIW WASAPI isn't a driver model. Its a layer that talks to the WDM driver itself. So there is no such ting as a WASAPI driver.
this seems similar to asio4all, as that correct?
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ampfixer
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/02 11:22:41
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☄ Helpfulby Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk] 2016/12/02 20:39:20
I don't know what WASAPI is, or is not. I do know that I installed Sonar on a 10 year old quad core last night and the WASAPI mode has it running with 10ms latency on the Realtek audio chip. Previously I could only get 8.5 to run on that machine using MME. Junk has some value again.
Now if they could only get that ripple editing thing to happen.
Regards, John I want to make it clear that I am an Eedjit. I have no direct, or indirect, knowledge of business, the music industry, forum threads or the meaning of life. I know about amps. WIN 10 Pro X64, I7-3770k 16 gigs, ASUS Z77 pro, AMD 7950 3 gig, Steinberg UR44, A-Pro 500, Sonar Platinum, KRK Rokit 6
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rkl122
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/02 14:19:40
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Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk] ................
And FWIW WASAPI isn't a driver model. Its a layer that talks to the WDM driver itself. So there is no such ting as a WASAPI driver.
Some drivers may not play well with WASAPI if the manufacturer hasn't tested them with WASAPI.
I'm trying to understand the Win10 driver model. Perhaps someone could explain why I can see the WASAPI "driver" in Sonar (Plat) but not in Band in a Box. Same WIN10x64 computer, same hardware, same everything. Thx, Ron
i7/920 2.67GHz, 8G DDR3, Win7 Pro, MAudio AP 2496 (PCI), Mackie VLZ 1204, Kurzweil PC2X, Sonar Platinum, 10 fingers, anatomically correct/functionally recalcitrant.
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Cactus Music
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/02 18:32:35
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The software has to support it. Sonar just added support, so therefore all the hullabaloo.
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Noel Borthwick [Cakewalk]
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Re: Wassup with WASAPI?
2016/12/02 20:40:50
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ampfixer
I don't know what WASAPI is, or is not. I do know that I installed Sonar on a 10 year old quad core last night and the WASAPI mode has it running with 10ms latency on the Realtek audio chip. Previously I could only get 8.5 to run on that machine using MME. Junk has some value again.
Now if they could only get that ripple editing thing to happen.
That is one of the points of this. You can even use a subpar laptop for playback and basic tasks now. Glad it worked for you. Recycling is good :)
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