I frequently need to switch back and forth between Sonar and other programs (let's just say iTunes) for various referencing reasons, such as comparing different sounds with other songs and making sure my volume levels are ok.

I'm using an M-Audio Fast Track mkii interface, and it seems like ASIO and WDM cannot be shared between Sonar and iTunes, so I get problems when I am working in Sonar and need to use iTunes to play some songs while doing so. Basically, I need to unselect the driver from Sonar so that it can be used by iTunes, then reselect it afterwards so Sonar can use it again. This is not practical for me, since I switch back and forth very often. I could just use seperate drivers (one for Sonar and one for iTunes), however I have all my speakers/headphones/monitors connected to my audio interface, so I would like all music being played (from iTunes or Sonar) to go through the interface so I can hear everything through my speakers/headphones/monitors.

I've tried all the drivers, and it seems like MME is the only one where I can freely switch between Sonar and other programs (let's just say iTunes). This makes sense, since both Sonar and iTunes would then be sharing the onboard souncard. However, of course I would not be taking advantage of my interface's sound card, and MME is never the preferred driver for latency and other reasons.

So you are saying you are selecting the driver for the specific program (iTunes), but not for your system sounds? If that's the case, maybe setting your default sound driver in System settings would fix it? If you're using Windows, just set your Fast Track ASIO as your default sound driver from the control panel. I have a Fast Track Pro and I have it set as my default sound driver (when it's plugged in), and have had no problems going back and forth between Sonar and iTunes without changing any settings.

DJMashbot


So you are saying you are selecting the driver for the specific program (iTunes), but not for your system sounds? If that's the case, maybe setting your default sound driver in System settings would fix it? If you're using Windows, just set your Fast Track ASIO as your default sound driver from the control panel. I have a Fast Track Pro and I have it set as my default sound driver (when it's plugged in), and have had no problems going back and forth between Sonar and iTunes without changing any settings.

Yes I have Windows 7. And I did set the Fast Track as the default driver from Control Panel > Sounds, and yes I can switch back and forth as you mentioned. However, when I share the Fast Track driver between Sonar and other programs by setting it as the systems default, I get strange things within Sonar that cause me to have to disable the Fast Track as the system's default. Check out this thread I made earlier about that very problem:  http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2459922

you should be able to use both soundcards at the same time. On this lappy, I was able to run the Saffire with ASIO on the DAW while at the same time playing my mp3's with the factory card..... literally at the same time.

Guitarhacker


you should be able to use both soundcards at the same time. On this lappy, I was able to run the Saffire with ASIO on the DAW while at the same time playing my mp3's with the factory card..... literally at the same time.

See that's what I thought too... I think I should be able to do that, just like you are. But this is what happens when I try:  http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2459922

you can use both.. go into windows control panel/sound.. switch ya default card to the realtek or whatever..

it's probably set to the fast trak.


I'd use VLC player etc.. personally I find itunes etc bloated
http://www.filehippo.com/download_vlc/

Fog


you can use both.. go into windows control panel/sound.. switch ya default card to the realtek or whatever..

it's probably set to the fast trak.


I'd use VLC player etc.. personally I find itunes etc bloated
http://www.filehippo.com/download_vlc/

But my speakers and headphones are all connected to my Fast Track interface's line out and headphone jack. Nothing is connected to my laptop's headphone jack. So if I set my iTunes to use my onboard sound card, yes the driver conflict will be solved, but there will be no way for me to hear what's playing through the onboard sound card (unless I unplug my speakers from my interface and plug it into my laptop each time, which of course is not very practical).

If your audio interface has a wdm driver and an ASIO driver, you may be able to do what you want.

In Windows, select your FastTrack as the default Playback device. In SONAR, set SONAR to "share drivers with other programs," in Preferences, and in SONAR use ASIO driver Mode, in Preferences.

Now, Windows should be using the FastTrack WDM driver to play the media players audio, and SONAR should be using the FastTrack ASIO driver to play whatever you're playing in SONAR.

Does that work?

tbh vault, switching back / forth doesn't mean you'll get an exact match volume wise.. remember each app has a sep. volume control also..

you could feed the line into the fast trak.. 

but I'm confused why your actually worried about volume.. you should only be worried about that when it comes down to mastering .. as what your reference it against is a fully mastered 2 channel song , so your not comparing like for like.

I just use my laptops speakers for doing the editing of audio.. as it doesn't have to be perfect..

or why not drop the reference track into sonar ?

thomasabarnes


If your audio interface has a wdm driver and an ASIO driver, you may be able to do what you want.

In Windows, select your FastTrack as the default Playback device. In SONAR, set SONAR to "share drivers with other programs," in Preferences, and in SONAR use ASIO driver Mode, in Preferences.

Now, Windows should be using the FastTrack WDM driver to play the media players audio, and SONAR should be using the FastTrack ASIO driver to play whatever you're playing in SONAR.

Does that work?

That's the set-up I tried to do originally: set the fast track is the default sound card for my system, and play everything through it. I would use the ASIO drivers in Sonar, and set the "share drivers with other programs" option, but then I would run into the problem I described in this other thread: http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.aspx?m=2459922 If there is a way to have the set-up you described, without getting the errors I mentioned in that thread, I would love that too.

Fog


tbh vault, switching back / forth doesn't mean you'll get an exact match volume wise.. remember each app has a sep. volume control also.. 

you could feed the line into the fast trak..  

but I'm confused why your actually worried about volume.. you should only be worried about that when it comes down to mastering .. as what your reference it against is a fully mastered 2 channel song , so your not comparing like for like. 

I just use my laptops speakers for doing the editing of audio.. as it doesn't have to be perfect.. 

or why not drop the reference track into sonar ? 

You're right, checking volume isn't the primary reason I need to do this. It is mostly to compare different sounds. For example, I may have heard a synth from a song that I want mine to sound similar to, or want to make the kick as boomy as some of these other songs have. Or I may want to compare my vocal effects to the vocals of some other songs in the same genre to see if the EQ's are similar. Sometimes I just listen to different songs randomly while working on a project to get some ideas and get creative juices flowing. Or sometimes, heck, I like to take a break from working on a project and just listen to songs for leisure, or take a break and watch a quick YouTube video. The list goes on. The point is, I want to be able to play audio from other breaks and not just Sonar - for various reasons. Dropping the reference track into Sonar is certainly an option, but I constantly listen to a lot of different songs randomly that this would be unpractical. Sometimes I literally just browse my iTunes and say "hmm, I wonder how the snare in this sounds? let me take a listen..." and I may listen to a few seconds of that song, and never listen to it again while working on the particular project.