Out of nowhere I started getting dropouts while recording drums (about 10 tracks) in SONAR 8.5 64bit.  I have been using this computer for over a year now and never had this problem.  

Recently, I changed the ASIO buffer size to about 64 or so because I had a client recording violin with a VSTi and I needed to get rid of the latency while she was playing.  After that, I forgot to change the settings back so it remained at 64.  The band then recorded drum tracks for one song and I had no problems or dropouts.  However, the next time they came to the studio and recorded drums, I started getting dropouts while tracking.  I changed the buffer sizes around with no luck.
Now, I'm having a hard time getting rid of the problem regardless of the buffer size and ASIO settings.  I'm using a Mackie Onyx 1620 with firewire.  
My playback buffer settings are at 256.  My recording buffer settings are at 1024.  The ASIO reported buffer size is 256 (these are the settings I have been using for the past year with no issue...no changes have been made to the computer).  It's very random and only happens when recording a lot of tracks.  Sometimes I'll get through an entire song without one dropout, other times I'll get multiple dropouts.


I've tried upgrading the Mackie driver, but the product is discontinued and I have the latest driver they put out for the board.  


Any suggestions?

-Jonathan

Bummer, 

You might want to post your system specs, OS etc. Sometimes there are known issues with certain configurations. 

Fire wire =  Texas Instrument chip set. Without it there are known issues. 
Check your hard drive is not buggering up. 

Run the DPCLAT meter to look for background issues. 

A buffer size of 1024 should allow recording multiple tracks without dropouts, even on a modest computer. The fact that the problem has just started and is intermittent suggests that it's caused by something other than your audio system. IOW, something else is hogging the CPU and/or interrupts, perhaps some recently-installed software.

If your computer is on a network, try disabling the network adapter and see if that doesn't solve the problem. 

Cactus Music


Bummer, 

You might want to post your system specs, OS etc. Sometimes there are known issues with certain configurations. 

Fire wire =  Texas Instrument chip set. Without it there are known issues. 
Check your hard drive is not buggering up. 

Run the DPCLAT meter to look for background issues. 

Hey Cactus Music, thanks for the input.  My firewire card has a TI chipset.  My hard drive is fairly new so it shouldn't be the issue.  


I'm running Windows 7 64x
Asus M4A79XTD Evo motherboard
AMD Phenom II x4 965 BE
WD Blue 500GB 7200 RPM hard drive
G.Skill Ripjaw 12GB DDR3 1600 RAM
SIIG 2 port Firewire, TI chipset

bitflipper


A buffer size of 1024 should allow recording multiple tracks without dropouts, even on a modest computer. The fact that the problem has just started and is intermittent suggests that it's caused by something other than your audio system. IOW, something else is hogging the CPU and/or interrupts, perhaps some recently-installed software.

If your computer is on a network, try disabling the network adapter and see if that doesn't solve the problem. 

Yeah, 1024 has never giving me problems in the past.  I have a pretty decent computer (specs listed in previous post).  I did recently install a new VSTi before the problem started to occur, but it's not running while tracking so that wouldn't make sense if it's the issue.  Maybe it could be my network adapter...hasn't been an issue in the past, but it's possible.  Thanks for the help.

Yeh as Bit suggested Id look at the computer itself.

I always make sure to [DISABLE] WIFI cards and of course all the other stuff like Power Settings and Sleep Modes to "Never", Kill AutoUpdates, and Disable Antivirus.

Anything jumping in in the background trying to run can cause it

Not sure this will help but I will give my 2 cents. Usually drop outs are caused by a latency issue or where the computer can't keep up with the information it is trying to process. Good advise in other post, disable services not needed in the background. Run/msconfig, services, check hide all microsoft, then disable all, or all but some you know you need. In General do selective start up, and clear the box in services and start up items, and uncheck what is not needed in the list. For a list of what each is use this site, http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php.
 
Other things to be concerned with is the VSTi plug in being used, old SE based plug ins can prioe to 2009 can act up. I assume you starting having the issue when you use the VSTi on that track, along with the other tracks. Not sure how you recording all this, but try and make sure all are at the same rate. Ihad some tracks that were mixed at 48000 and 44100 and I never got it to work correctly. i finally deleted the entire template and started over. I have also ran into issues where I was using different plug ins from different periods, so I went to plug in manager and only allowed the newer Cakewalk plug ins and disabled third party plug ins.
 
Also go over all the programs on your PC that do auto updates and change then to manual. Try disableing the anti virus, and getting off-line for the recording. run a virus scan in "safe-mode". Many will not be found unless it is done in safe mode. Not being able to get in safe mode usually points to a virus. There is a link out the to download a zip that fixes the registry with ability to start in safe mode. It fixes the registry so that you can boot in safe mode and it is free. https://support.kaspersky.com/5405.
 
Free up as much space in the background. If you have a quad core, look in Sonar Edit Preferences, Advanced View, Configuration File, under ThreadSchedulingModule and see that as many cores as you have is entered. In the performance module on the top tool bar should be as many lines as you have cores operating. If you have 4 change it from 0 to 4. You should see 4 bars in the performancemodule now.
 
One last tip. i am having many crashes with the new X2 Producer, another story. But it is a good idea as you progress in projects to "save", and periodically re-boot Sonar to free up space in memory. Also if you have many tracks not being used at certain points, place them in folders to archive them. And I use bus sends at the mixer view to run many fx plug ins, instead of placing them right in the track. I hope some of this helps.
 
Best,
 
Free

Good advice above as I saw that you did 2 of the things I mentioned but not the 3rd,, that is to run the DPCLAT test , the link is 

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

Cactus Music


Good advice above as I saw that you did 2 of the things I mentioned but not the 3rd,, that is to run the DPCLAT test , the link is 

http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml

Hey Cactus Music,


I just ran the DPCLAT test and all was in the green.  Nothing jumped in the red to indicate there was a problem.  I've been setting up my drums configuration in Sonar and hitting the record button and cannot seem to replicate the problem I have been having.  It only happened when I was recording a client (on three different occasions)...never happened when I was by myself letting 10 tracks in Sonar record for several minutes at a time.  I hate intermittent problems!


-Jonathan

Theycallmefree


Not sure this will help but I will give my 2 cents. Usually drop outs are caused by a latency issue or where the computer can't keep up with the information it is trying to process. Good advise in other post, disable services not needed in the background. Run/msconfig, services, check hide all microsoft, then disable all, or all but some you know you need. In General do selective start up, and clear the box in services and start up items, and uncheck what is not needed in the list. For a list of what each is use this site, http://www.sysinfo.org/startuplist.php.
 
Other things to be concerned with is the VSTi plug in being used, old SE based plug ins can prioe to 2009 can act up. I assume you starting having the issue when you use the VSTi on that track, along with the other tracks. Not sure how you recording all this, but try and make sure all are at the same rate. Ihad some tracks that were mixed at 48000 and 44100 and I never got it to work correctly. i finally deleted the entire template and started over. I have also ran into issues where I was using different plug ins from different periods, so I went to plug in manager and only allowed the newer Cakewalk plug ins and disabled third party plug ins.
 
Also go over all the programs on your PC that do auto updates and change then to manual. Try disableing the anti virus, and getting off-line for the recording. run a virus scan in "safe-mode". Many will not be found unless it is done in safe mode. Not being able to get in safe mode usually points to a virus. There is a link out the to download a zip that fixes the registry with ability to start in safe mode. It fixes the registry so that you can boot in safe mode and it is free. https://support.kaspersky.com/5405.
 
Free up as much space in the background. If you have a quad core, look in Sonar Edit Preferences, Advanced View, Configuration File, under ThreadSchedulingModule and see that as many cores as you have is entered. In the performance module on the top tool bar should be as many lines as you have cores operating. If you have 4 change it from 0 to 4. You should see 4 bars in the performancemodule now.
 
One last tip. i am having many crashes with the new X2 Producer, another story. But it is a good idea as you progress in projects to "save", and periodically re-boot Sonar to free up space in memory. Also if you have many tracks not being used at certain points, place them in folders to archive them. And I use bus sends at the mixer view to run many fx plug ins, instead of placing them right in the track. I hope some of this helps.
 
Best,
 
Free

Thanks for the advice, Free.

I've set my computer up the way you suggested about a year ago when I built it.  I have nothing running in the background and no auto updates.  As for the VSTi, it's a bit irrelevant since I am not even using the VSTi when this problem occurs.  I simply mentioned it because someone asked if I installed anything recently.  Only that VSTi.  I'll try your other suggestions, but it simply doesn't make sense for me to have these settings for over a year and then all of a sudden they are troublesome.  


Thanks,


Jonathan