Just switched to a new computer. Windows 8 64bit. Using on board Sound Card MME32 bit. Just like my last computer. When playing back, exporting, or freezing an audio track, I get occasional (once every 30 seconds or so) drop off for less than a second, where the audio cuts out. The effects are still being processed though, so the reverb continues to echo despite the audio dropping. I don't know what's causing it, but it's bugging the crap out of me. I'm not doing anything fancy. I'm actually just working with synth to audio. Not even recording anything. Thoughts?

You really need to get a dedicated audio interface and stop relying on the factory cards.  You have been here long enough to know this. Haven't you had similar issues in the past?  Using subpar sound cards and Asio4All is just putting a band-aid on the problem..... get a good soundcard/interface.

That will solve the issue. 

The factory card can not handle the load so to keep from crashing it chooses to drop or dump the audio. That lets it "catch up" to where it should be...and you hear the drop.   The next step in the process would be a total drop of audio needing a restart of the audio engine, followed by a crash of the program.... 

Get an interface and be sure it can run the native ASIO driver and you will see a huge difference in performance. 

Guitar Hacker. I always appreciate your input... but my on board soundcards have worked for years. Yes, they cause me problems but, literally, because of you, I will not be returning to the Cakewalk forums. You're a broken record. A redundant advertisement for one thing. I understand that there are advantages to an external with ASIO... but that said, you wont shut up about it. This isn't my whole life as it is apparently your whole life. I don't dump money into my music. I'm not looking to "perfect" my system. I'm just looking to be casual. And you have but one solution, and when, as you obviously are aware, I'm not interested, you never miss a chance to chime in about it. You're not taking the hint, so I'll just walk away. I was hoping for a work around, or a quick fix... If it's going to cost over $100 to get the basic $60 program I bought to function at even basic levels, then all I did was put down $60 on a $160 program. Other programs don't have this problem, so either Cakewalk is limited... or you are. And Since Cakewalk has worked fine on my other computer, I'm guessing it's you. I had issues with midi and synths not playing on the beat... you suggested an external. I fixed it by adjusting the latency. I had a problem with cutoff, you suggested an external. I fixed it by resetting the driver (the factory installed driver). And now I'm getting drop out and surprise surprise... you suggest an external. So I'll fix this problem... not with an external. Or I'll simply give up on Cakewalk because I stand you. Which would suck because I'm usually a fan of their products. Literally, you are the only thing I don't like about them. You're a troll. A know it all. And you obviously don't even know it all. And reading anything you write makes me hate these forums.

Ok... I'm sorry. That was really really rude of me. And I apologize. I may get an external one day... what else can I do? I'll look for a work around and hope someone else maybe had the same problem. But as you mentioned having already told me a million times about the external... I'll just say it's on my list, and if you think it'll help me, then just say nothing and realize it may fix itself one day when I get around to getting an external. But if anyone has a solution or trick OTHER than that... I'd love to hear it.

an alternate solution until you can afford a recording soundcard with better drivers is to try ASIO4ALL.  ASIO4ALL might not resolve all issues, but in most cases it will help.

google it, download it, unzip it, install it
then go to properties in MC and change your driver mode to ASIO.
click apply.

this might work.

Ha ha ha... I figured it out. The VST EQ I was using was only a demo, and it muted the sound coming out of it every now and then to make me buy the full version, which is why the reverb would continue to work even when it dropped out. (which was my first clue that it wasn't the driver). I've been using a VST EQ because I'm trying to find an EQ which is also a spectrum analyzer. That way I can see the effects in real time while listening to it. This one is apparently not for me.

Google Voxengo SPAN. It's free.
Not an EQ though; just an analyzer.

Chadtindale


Ha ha ha... I figured it out. The VST EQ I was using was only a demo, and it muted the sound coming out of it every now and then to make me buy the full version, which is why the reverb would continue to work even when it dropped out. (which was my first clue that it wasn't the driver). I've been using a VST EQ because I'm trying to find an EQ which is also a spectrum analyzer. That way I can see the effects in real time while listening to it. This one is apparently not for me.

So you flame off on me and it was your own lack of understanding in using a demo version that had an anti-theft feature running that caused it?  


Don't leave because of me.... I will not respond to any of your requests for help from this point forward. It's that easy.  

I'd like to point out that your solution would not have helped me in this situation. It wouldn't have helped at all. And that should have been obvious by the fact that in the original post I mention that the reverb continues despite the rest of the audio fading out. I knew it wasn't a driver issue. When you said "That will solve the issue." I knew you had nothing relevant to offer the conversation. I had a feeling it was something simple. I was using a Voxengo analyzer/EQ, I usually use SPAN and then an EQ before it in the chain, I'd like a one stop EQ/Analyzer but I'm guessing that's not in the cards. This one is from Voxengo as well but has the drop out. So I'm probably going to return to the two phase Eq and analyzer. I don't normally like to snap on people, I don't find it to be effective. But you have yet to offer any solution to any of my problems that wasn't "stop relying on the factory cards". And funny enough, I've solved each problem with a factory card in place. And I'm no worse for wear. I feel that you've got a narrow sighted view of problems. You see one thing that isn't optimal and assume that all problems derive from that. This one didn't, nor have any problems I've encountered thus far. I've solved them all without switching from factory installed hardware. While, sure... having more expensive equipment comes with less problems, I'm not interested in buying my way around issues. Mostly because I like to understand where problems originate. I'd sooner live with a problem than buy my way out of it, even if I had the money to do so. I like to understand. My latency issue taught me a lot about drivers and issues with using direct or indirect audio interfaces. Your solution might've solved my problem, but I wouldn't have learned anything. I don't want 'purchase a solution' solutions. You don't have to stop replying to me, unless you really can't get passed the fact that I'm going to be using factory cards for some time. Had you simply said (from your post), "The factory card can not handle the load so to keep from crashing it chooses to drop or dump the audio. That lets it "catch up" to where it should be...and you hear the drop." We could've talked about it. I would've replied that I'm not losing all sound, just the original audio that I'm adjusting. And we could've moved on. We'd know that it was a software, not a hardware issue. It's the insistence that someone change before they get help that I have a problem with. You could even list upgrading the hardware among several possible solutions. But it's never the only solution. What I have in there right now is certainly better than cards were when I first started recording 15 years ago. What I have may not be "as good" but it's certainly not limiting me as much as you may think.