Thanks Bibs. I tried that already. I've narrowed it down to a Nvidia windows kernel mode driver, an Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver, and maybe a DirectX graphics kernel. How are you liking Win 8?

Good news that you are getting closer to solving it, keep us posted. 
I really like win8, its been more reliable for me than win7 was....not a lot, but enough to make the upgrade more than worthwhile.
 I would hesitate to recommend it though as it seems that some folks aren't so happy, but microsoft are handing out updates very quickly so i expect it to get some more fans in the near future.

ps props on Gangsta's Paradise, a true classic track and amazing production

Bibs

If you are tight up fer cash, and all of us are, m-audio was bought out by InMusic...  You would have to hunt for one, but the leftover brand new delta pci cards are still around...  Originally $199 - $400; I've seen em lately for $80 - $160

I didn't read your whole post(s), just the namedropping..  My point was, quit namedropping because its going to get you nowhere..


Don Henley?  I like the eagles more as a band..  But I tonight I spent the evening listening to one of my absolute loves = Miles Dewey Davis

Anyways...  Bad forum to namedrop on...  Plenty of big producers are reading the board...  

You just never know..


And microsofts security essential does not interfere with the daws too badly, so look into using that...

Also, if I install the Creative SB X-FI XtremeGamer sound card I have laying around, will that REPLACE the Realtek driver and give me some peace? Thanks in advance for any advice, y'all!  

Please take this response in the manner it was intended (constructive advice):
Trying to record/play pro level audio with the built in Realtek audio interface is akin to recording a world-class vocalist with a $5 mic from Radio Shack.

Assuming the rest of the machine is configured well (low/consistent DPC latency, etc), the Realtek drivers *are* the limiting factor.  ASIO-4-ALL is still using the Realtek's WDM driver... so you're not really circumventing the underlying problem.

Aside from the PC itself, the audio interface is the 2nd most critical component in a rock-solid DAW.
You'll never achieve a rock-solid system using the Realtek for this purpose.  That's what folks are trying to convey.


We all live within some means (no matter how meager or great).
If you're like most long-term musicians, you probably have a piece of gear or two lying around that you could liquidate to raise a small amount of cash.  ie: You could pickup an Audiophile 192 for well under $100... and that would solve the issue.  You'd have quality sound... and (even more important) a rock-solid driver.

But I tonight I spent the evening listening to one of my absolute loves = Miles Dewey Davis

Speaking of name drop:
Miles' engineer is a client of mine.
Didn't realize it at first... as he didn't make a big deal about it.
Remember him asking if I liked Miles Davis.  Said I wasn't a huge fan.    

If you always have dropouts, even during normal playback with media player, you can try boot some live Linux system (for example knoppix). If you do not have dropouts there it is some driver problem, if you do, nothing inside windows will help.

Try to disable all power saving features inside BIOS (CPU speed jumps, etc.). Also check that you are not overclocking (sometimes implicitly). Disconnect all USB devices you can.

The fact that using DPL you have narrowed the problem to NVidia driver does not exclude the possibility of other real reason.

If you try with XFi, do not forget switch the drivers into Audio mode. XFi can only help if by occasion your Realtek is on the same interrupt with something else and you do not know (or do not want to) change that.

RobertB

titetrax


Thanks for your help but I can't afford to buy ANYTHING right now which is why I came to the forum for advice on how to FIX the problem. I can't be the only person experiencing audio dropouts from the Realtek driver so I thought someone here would have a fix(remove the XXXX driver file, uncheck the xxxx button, etc.). I guess I'll try the ASUS forum since my motherboard is from them. Try to remember in the future that BUYING a new this or that, has probably ALREADY occurred to a person seeking help and OBVIOUSLY wasn't an option. 

It needs to be an option.
No system is stronger than its weakest link. The Realtek is your weak link.
You have made a significant investment in software/hardware, yet ignored a crucial component. The Realtek is not suited to the task. Period.
You cannot haul two tons of bricks in a half ton truck.
You can check the ASUS forum if you want, but there is no fix for the Realtek.

Edit:Crossed posts. You should not be having general dropouts. Are you having problems streaming from your drives, or from the internet?
If internet, is your isp Charter?

You getting any Deja Vu here Bob? 

yup.
I'll get me coat.

Linear Phase


Erykah Badu?  Wow..  Actually, I'd rather drink several bottles of apple cider vinegar, than suffer 10 seconds of listening to E. Badu.


Gangsta Paradise?   K, whatever..  You get props for that.   But Badu? = Fail.   Go buy an audio card.

Get a Roland, this is a Roland owned Company..  Here's the top of the line model

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/OctaCapture/

http://www.rolandus.com/products/details/1127/498

 
I quite like apple cider vinegar

titetrax

Ever since I built my computer in January, I've had audio dropouts from the Realtek ALC892 8-channel high definition audio codec that came on my motherboard. 

These dropouts occur on all 3 of my bootable drives. 

I doubt your drop outs have much to do with the hard drives... just about any hard drive is fast enough to do lots of DAW work without a drop outs. Your problem is likely not related to the drives.

I'm wondering if one of the driver files is checking for updates or something and THAT'S what's causing the dropouts. 

I doubt that a driver is actually checking for an online update or something, but it is highly likely that some device is checking for something within the OS and simply stalling too long so that as your Realtek's sample buffer runs out the stall is experienced as a drop out.

Do any of you have any experience with stopping these dropouts?

Yes, and it seems as if you have the right idea... you just have to go through the system and turn off any service that is causing an interrupt. It could, literally, be anything. 

Also, if I install the Creative SB X-FI XtremeGamer sound card I have laying around, will that REPLACE the Realtek driver and give me some peace

It will not replace the Realtek, you'll just end up with 2 sound cards installed. They will not run in MME at the same time so you'll have to either run one or the other and set that up for each app that plays sound. The practical option is to go in to device manager and disable the sound card you consider the extra one. That "turns it off" so to speak.

Thanks in advance for any advice, y'all!  

Sometimes a person just wants to ask a question and get an answer to the actual queston. I think I understand where you are coming from.


I hope this helps in some small way.








One aspect of the Realtek drivers is that there is almost nothing you get to tweak... so the idea that tweaking the driver may help is not really applicable.


One thing to keep in mind is that the Realtek is not so bad as to always cause the types of troubles you are having... I have recorded with a Realtek on my laptop for the past 2 days. It had 84ms round trip latency rather than the 6ms on my actual DAW, but I got around that because it did indeed actually work without drop outs.


I point this out to explain that your computer must be unhappy with it's general set up... I doubt that, at this juncture, simply buying a dedicated sound I/O device will fix your problem. Once you do find the problems, wi-fi? Power saving? etc. etc. and fix all that then a nice new sound card will bring you lots of good benefits.


I think you can make the Realtek work OK and I think you should get that happening before you spend much more money on that computer.


I hope that helps as well.






Good luck.






best regards,
mike