Hello all,
 
I'm new here and hoping someone can lead me in the right direction. I'm running Windows 7 Home edition with Sonar X1 Producer, with the Sonar X1 Expanded edition and all the updates. I was using Windows 98XP with no problems but after installing a new HD and Windows 7, I am getting a static noise on all the music I had recorded with XP. I have two M-Audio Delta 1010 sound cards, total of 16 channels. I have two separate HD's to store the music I record. I just used Windows Easy Transfer and reloaded Sonar X1 Producer with the Expanded edition. When I play back the music it plays, everything seems to be Ok except, after ten seconds I get a "terrible static noise" with the music that was not there when I was using XP. I checked all the settings and all looks ok. I registered Sonar and Guitar Gig again and that's good but still the static noise over the music.
 
Then I hooked up the old XP HD in the same PC (in a DVD slot) with the old original Sonar and rebooted that drive and just like it was before "no static" the music played great. So I figure the sound cards and all wiring is ok. It has to be something with Windows 7.
 
I'm pulling out my hair. I installed Sonar X1 Producer with Expanded edition right from Cakewalks site on the new HD with Windows 7 as the operating system. This static noise is on all the playbacks, I haven't tried recording yet. I uninstalled and reinstalled Sonar, still the static. One thing, on the old XP Sonar I did not have the Expanded edition and the update patch. The music was recorded with Sonar X1 Producer using Windows XP and I installed that same program in W7 but with the Expanded edition, , can't see what that would cause...? Help.
 
Thanks in advance,,
al

Did you download Windows 7 drivers for your audio device?
 
Brian

Couple of questions for you:
 
1.  Please list the exact model of the new hard drives.  I am wondering if they are 'green' drives, where they spin at variable rates.  These do not seem to play well with Sonar.
 
2.  What driver mode are you using in Sonar?
 
3.  What sample rate, record bit-depth, and total roundtrip latency are in Sonar Preferences?
 
4.  What driver version are you using for your audio interfaces?
 
5.  What firmware levels are your 2 audio interfaces at?
 
6.  With the new hard drives installed, do things play back properly OUTSIDE of Sonar, but still using the audio interfaces as your default Windows audio device?  (I am asking you to try this for testing only - for normal use I actually recommend keeping Windows set to use the on-board sound and letting Sonar or other music apps be the only things that use ASIO and the audio interfaces)
 
Bob Bone
 

Thanks, I'll get that info and post.
 
al

I'll keep an eye out for it.  :)
 
Bob Bone
 

In reply to Bob Bone.
Bob I'm not too familiar with posting on this forum, was trying to quote your questions.
 
Anyway, I tried to answer you questions best I could.
 
The HD I bought for W7 and SonarX1 Producer is:
 
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200RPM Sata3/Sata 6.0 GB/s 64MB (Hope that's enough info).
The XP HD was an older 100GB not sure of the brand (came with the Gateway PC back in 2007) but it used an IDE cable and the new is a SATA but one of my storage HDs uses a SATA cable and no problems with the old IDE HD (operating system HD). Have another storage HD it's an external 1000 GB  WD hard drive (USB). Both these storage drives played great with the old XP and Sonar X1 Producer.
 
All the stored music plays back on the W7 HD but so does the static....?
 
Driver mode is ASIO
 
Sample rate 44100
 
Record bit-depth is "grayed out" but under it is 24 ....? The 64 bit box is not checked
 
Roundtrip latency: Input 6.8 msec.299 samples
                           Output 6.4 msec.284 samples
Don't know what driver version but if you mean for the sound cards it's "6.0.8" M-Audio drivers. Note: I have Windows 7 32bit Service pack 1
 
Not sure where filmware levels are located or exactly what they are. Under preferences ?
 
Everything plays Ouside Sonar perfect, you tubes will play through the Delta sound cards perfect. I just go to control panel> sounds and select the SPIFF setting for the delta cards to play (I have separate monitors for playback and mixing) turn on the monitors and they play well or select my PC's sound card for the PC speakers to play. I can use the delta and SPIFF setting in Sounds to play outside of Sonar and no static.
 
It's only with Sonar I get the static.
 
If not enough info here let me know where I can find the setting you need.
 
Thanks,
al

Hey Al,
 
Have you got the Delta cards selected as your output driver inside of Sonar in Audio options?  You latency reads like you are using different devices for input and ouput.
 
Brian

Yeah, Al, thanks for the reply.
 
I concur that your latency seems like there are different devices specified for input and output.  I would have expected to see the input and output latency values be the same.
 
Another thing I would like you to post back is your Total Roundtrip Latency, as posted in Sonar.  You will see that info in Edit>Preferences>Audio>Driver Settings, right under the other reported latency values.  If you are getting a little over 13 milliseconds between the input/output, the Total Roundtrip Latency will be a bit more than that, and it is starting to get high enough to where dropouts and crackles and such could be audible.  Ideally, you want to get that Total Roundtrip Latency value to be at or a little less than 10 milliseconds, as a good balance - when recording.
 
Can you download and run DPC Latency Checker?  I am just wondering if there is some background service or device that is spiking your latency and interfering with Sonar's ability to process.
 
It is free, and you can get it from: http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
 
You would run it without Sonar running, letting it run for a few minutes, then look at what it reports and post back here with that information.
 
Thanks, 
 
Bob Bone
 

I ran that DPC Latency Checker with Sonar off but have no idea what I'm looking at. The DPC Latency Checkers three setting as it runs says:
Test interval    976
Current latency   From 23 to 177 (sometimes higher spikes) High as 1600
Absolute      177 (sometimes higher)
 
In Driver settings looks like both playback and record have the same settings:
Play back timing Master:   1. M-Audio Delta ASIO SPDIF out L Delta 1010  
Record timing Master:      10. M-Audio Delta ASIO SPDIF in L Delta 1010
 
Thanks, al
 
 

Total roundtrip latency:        13.2 msec, 583 samples
 
al