I'm using Sonar 8 but figured there would be more traffic on this forum.  I need advice about getting Sonar 8.5.3 x64 (running on Windows 7 Pro x64) to work with Presonus Audiobox 44VSL ASIO driver.  When I play or record, I get the message:
 
“Sonar 8.5 Producer unable to open audio playback device.  Device may not support the current project’s audio format or may be in use.”
 
I have tried everything recommended by Presonus tech support, including:
 
            Reinstalled latest driver with latest driver.
           
            Disabled Intel HyperThreading in BIOS.
 
            Disabled onboard sound in BIOS.
 
            Disabled FireWire in Device Mgr.
 
            Disconnected peripherals other than mouse, keyboard, and Audiobox.
 
            Turned off all the advanced power options in Windows 7.
 
            Set Windows audio AudioBox Playback device 1-2 and 3-4 to 24bit and AudioBox Record device 1-2 and 3-4 to 24bit.
 
            Windows Sound is configured to put the AudioBox into Exclusive Mode.
 
            Plugged 44VSL directly into computer, not thru a hub.
 
            Set Sonar Global/Audio to 24bit playback and 24bit record.
 
            Unchecked the shared mode option in Sonar Options/Audio.  
 
            Turned off read and write caching in Sonar.
 
 
All other Windows audio applications work fine - players etc.

The Presonus Audiobox 44VSL and ASIO driver works fine with Studio One, but not Sonar 8.5.3, so that seems to point the finger at Sonar rather than general audio problems.
 
Sonar 8.5.3 seems to work ok using the WDM driver.  Will using the WDM driver cause problems for me later as I try more ambitious projects?  The latency doesn't feel much different.
 
Would this problem go away if I purchased a MOTU 4pre instead of the 44VSL?

Would this problem go away if I upgraded to Sonar X2?  Sonar X2 seems to have its own set of issues, though.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 
_______________________________________________________
 
Intel Quad Core i7 950 3.07 GHz
24 GB GSkill triple channel 1333 Mhz RAM
ASUS P6X58D-E Motherboard
ATI Radeon HD 5700 fanless video
Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1
Sonar 8.5.3 x64 Producer
Presonus Audiobox 44VSL
Mackie HR-624 Mk2 monitors
1 - 200G OCZ Vertex2 SSD for OS and programs
1 – 2T Seagate SATA2 for Audio
1 – 2T Seagate SATA2 for VST
1 – 2T Seagate SATA2 for Data

SONAR Producer X2a 64bit works fine with a 44VSL using the ASIO driver 1.57.0.5194 firmware 1.05 set to 24/44.1 on my Win7 box; installed the driver, plugged in the interface, no special config required (except for USB power options). I do not have SONAR 8.5 installed on that machine, so I cannot comment about whether ASIO can work with that version of SONAR (although I would think it should). If the WDM driver works and has acceptable latency, you should be good to go. It was standard practice for years to try all the available drivers for an interface to see which provided the best performance on a particular setup.

I've got a friend using 8.5.3 and a vsl22.

So I did some digging for you read my post here 

http://forum.cakewalk.com...21&mpage=1#2766741


Turns out that ASIO is not always the best driver, It will work on one persons system and then not on another. The challenge the people who write these drivers would have to test them on 1,000's of different possible combinations of PC hardware. This is where Apple beats a PC. There's only a few possible configurations. 
One other choice is to use asio4all. which is still WDM/KS in a wrapper. 

What sort of port are you plugged into with the interface?  I have a Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, and it did not like being plugged into a USB 3.0 port - try using a USB 2.0 port and see if that makes any difference.

Also, maybe I missed it, but I did not see what your sample rates are set to.

The sample rate for the interface must match the setting for sample rate in Sonar.  If the interface is set to 44.1, then you must also set Sonar to 44.1 or you will have trouble.

Your system seems pretty beefy - try the following settings:

Interface: Sample Rate 44.1, ASIO Buffer Size 64
Sonar: Sample Rate 44.1, record bit-depth 24

That's what I use on my system, and everything is fine - if you try the above and it works, you can try changing the sample rate to 96, but I think that the Presonus interface will require a minimum ASIO Buffer of 128 at that sample rate.

Anyways, give it a whirl and post back with results.

Bob Bone

robert_e_bone


What sort of port are you plugged into with the interface?  I have a Presonus Audiobox 1818VSL, and it did not like being plugged into a USB 3.0 port - try using a USB 2.0 port and see if that makes any difference.

Also, maybe I missed it, but I did not see what your sample rates are set to.

The sample rate for the interface must match the setting for sample rate in Sonar.  If the interface is set to 44.1, then you must also set Sonar to 44.1 or you will have trouble.

Your system seems pretty beefy - try the following settings:

Interface: Sample Rate 44.1, ASIO Buffer Size 64
Sonar: Sample Rate 44.1, record bit-depth 24

That's what I use on my system, and everything is fine - if you try the above and it works, you can try changing the sample rate to 96, but I think that the Presonus interface will require a minimum ASIO Buffer of 128 at that sample rate.

Anyways, give it a whirl and post back with results.

Bob Bone

Thanks Bob, Johnny, Clint and others who replied.


My settings already match what Bob suggested.  No go for the ASIO.  It's bizarre that I have the one combination of things that won't work.  I spent so much time spec-ing the parts before buying them.  I'll bet there's a simple thing that I missed.  But if WDM does the job without limitations, it's good for me.  I guess it just gripes me that I can't figure it out.  I'm not an expert on computer audio, but from what I've read I thought ASIO was the Holy Grail.  Johnny's link shows there are other possibilities.  I just don't want to end up kicking myself down the road for buying a product that can't work with ASIO.  But time will tell.

You asked what port I'm plugged into.  Now that you mention it, I am plugged into USB 2.0.  But it's the port at the top of the case.  That might be acting as a hub??  I'll try a direct port on the back and reinstall the driver again.  I'll let you know if the USB port change makes a difference.

BTW.  I'm using the latest Audiobox beta driver recommended by Presonus tech support.  I tried all the other versions of that driver and they all sound the same and none of them work with ASIO in Sonar either.  And when I did my original driver install, it updated the firmware in my 44VSL -- I wonder if that might have something to do with it.

Just curious.  The Presonus 44VSL cost $300.  A MOTU 4pre costs $450.  My return period is still good.  Does anybody know if there is a big difference in sound quality between the MOTU and the Presonus?  And whether the MOTU ASIO stands a better chance of working with Sonar?

Thanks for all the advice.

Gary

Just curious. The Presonus 44VSL cost $300. A MOTU 4pre costs $450. My return period is still good. Does anybody know if there is a big difference in sound quality between the MOTU and the Presonus? And whether the MOTU ASIO stands a better chance of working with Sonar?

 
No clue about the MOTU unit myself, but the Focusrite Scarlett series plays nice with SONAR X1/2 using ASIO, so I'd imagine it would work OK with 8.5 too.

I'm using a MOTU 4-Pre in Sonar 8.5.3 in Windows 7 x64 using the 64-bit version of Sonar.  ASIO is working fine with low latency.

Jim

haydn12


I'm using a MOTU 4-Pre in Sonar 8.5.3 in Windows 7 x64 using the 64-bit version of Sonar.  ASIO is working fine with low latency.

Jim

Thanks Jim.  Would you say the preamps in the MOTU 4pre are on the trasparent side or on the slightly colored side?  I haven't heard a MOTU's sound.  And what do you think of it on the whole?  Your system is the exact setup I have.


Gary

stevec

Just curious. The Presonus 44VSL cost $300. A MOTU 4pre costs $450. My return period is still good. Does anybody know if there is a big difference in sound quality between the MOTU and the Presonus? And whether the MOTU ASIO stands a better chance of working with Sonar?

 
No clue about the MOTU unit myself, but the Focusrite Scarlett series plays nice with SONAR X1/2 using ASIO, so I'd imagine it would work OK with 8.5 too.

Great sound from your Scarlett.  Grey Morning Myst sounds good.  How did you get that sound level of clear in-your-face acoustic mix without distorting or muddying?  Nice job.