newbie needs hw advice

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jamesmh
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2012/02/21 15:00:27 (permalink)

newbie needs hw advice

I'm pretty new to this stuff. I bought MC5 and have been trying to learn my way around in it. I am using it on a laptop with a 1.6gh processor, 1g RAM, and a SoundBlaster Extigy audio interface. I have fairly consistent playback problems in MC--popping, static-y type stuff. I can record and play individual wave files in other software (e.g. CoolEdit) with no problems, so I figured it's just a resource problem with MC5 and have been living with it. (I've turned off AV and wireless and closed all other apps, etc., which helps but doesn't eliminate the problem.)

So far I have only been playing around with a single track. Now I'm trying to multi-track--just 2 tracks--and finding that the tracks are off sync to a degree that I don't think is all the fault of my playing. Looking around the web for advice, I found people saying that good multi-tracking is nearly impossible with WDM audio, and that one should use ASIO. Well, the Extigy doesn't have ASIO support. So I'm thinking about buying a new USB sound interface.  Any recommendations for a straightforward under-$150 device? My needs are pretty simple--I mainly just want to do 2-to-6 track voice and guitar combinations.

Cakewalk's hardware listings seem out of date. I thought the UA-1G sounded like a good possibility but it seems to have been discontinued. Thanks for any advice.



#1

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    jamesmh
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    Re:newbie needs hw advice 2012/02/21 20:11:16 (permalink)
    Hmm. I just downloaded the DPC latency checker, which I read about in another thread, and it shows very consistent low latency, nothing over 400microseconds. So maybe ASIO wouldn't fix it. I know 1g RAM is not much by today's standards but with all other apps etc. closed I seem to have plenty of free memory. I did an experiment: played one previously recorded track through my monitors, and hit record with mic on. I.e. recorded a 2nd track which should have been pretty close to identical to the first in timing. Way off. Any advice appreciated. 
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    MoodyB
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    Re:newbie needs hw advice 2012/02/22 15:27:43 (permalink)
    Roland Duo Capture or Tri Capture :

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

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


    Or maybe the Mackie Onxy Blackjack :

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

    Or Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 :

    http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Scarlett2i2/ 


    One thing to check on your laptop is the power saving settings. Make sure these are all turned off / set to maximum power.

    And also run the laptop off the mains power, if you aren't already.

    I have X1 running on a laptop & using battery power it struggles to play back a fairly basic track.

    On mains power it handles it just fine, with room to spare in the cpu usage meter.
    #3
    jamesmh
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    Re:newbie needs hw advice 2012/02/22 18:19:44 (permalink)
    Thanks much. Those look like good possibilities. 

    However, since playback is flawless in other apps and a big mess in MC with only one track, I'm really beginning to doubt that the hardware per se is the problem, and maybe it's something wrong in MC setup, or MC vs. Extigy. It isn't latency, apparently, and the CPU is idle over 90% while MC is recording. I do have the laptop on mains and it isn't supposed to be playing any power-saving games when plugged in. I tried disabling the on-board sound chip and that killed audio completely, so maybe some interaction between it and the Extigy is the problem.... Very frustrating. I just had a few days off work and was planning to really get acquainted with MC5, but have spent most of the time struggling with these problems. Anyway, thanks again.
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    MoodyB
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    Re:newbie needs hw advice 2012/02/23 15:00:35 (permalink)
    Have you tried ASIO4ALL?

    Should be better than WDM I would expect.
    It's worth a try if you feel you've tried everything else.

    #5
    Fog
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    Re:newbie needs hw advice 2012/02/24 15:34:38 (permalink)
    james the other programs you mention aren't doing the same thing as MC exactly, sure they are putting out audio , but not in the exact same ways..

    which country do you live in ? if the US , there are places like sweetwater , sam ash and guitar centre that people will help you with.

    if it's the UK, well digital village is who I use, but more like dolphin etc. 

    Your more than likely find an improvement with a decent sound card.. bring the rig to the shop even if you could.. u just unclick that SB card in audio in/out and then enable the other card.

    people often assume all audio progs route / use the audio the same way.. not really , sure they output the end 2 channels but there are differences in the programming and libraries.

    #6
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