WDM or ASIO Driver?

Re:WDM or ASIO Driver? (Jim Roseberry)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:50:26 GMT

With many newer audio interfaces, you should be able to achieve similar results with either WDM-KS or ASIO.
That said, some audio interfaces have drivers where one is clearly the better choice.
ie: Frontier Dakota's WDM/KS driver allows lower latency.

If you're having success using the WDM-KS driver... and you don't feel limited in any way... there's no need to switch. " />

Re:WDM or ASIO Driver? (CJaysMusic)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:06:15 GMT

Like they all said, What ever works best for YOU .THere is no correct one to use

Re:WDM or ASIO Driver? (bitflipper)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:57:53 GMT

Which one of these drivers should I be using for playback/recording?

There is no inherent sound-quality difference between them. For most users, it really doesn't matter which one you use.

However, a vendor might have done a better job on one or the other, in terms of efficiency. In that case the ASIO driver might be more efficient than the WDM driver, or vice versa. The only way to know is to try them both on a project that taxes the CPU heavily and see if one of them yields fewer dropouts than the other.

When comparing the two, make sure you're comparing apples and apples. With WDM you set buffer sizes in milliseconds but in ASIO you set them in samples. I suspect that some users who experience better performance with one or the other are actually seeing the effects of different buffer sizes. At a 44.1KHz sample rate, setting your ASIO buffer size to 256 samples is equivalent to setting your WDM buffer size to 5.8ms.

Re:WDM or ASIO Driver? (Susan G)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:32:11 GMT

Hi Sniper-

I've used both (MOTU Ultralite), and I like the convenience of using the slider in SONAR to adjust the latency, so I usually use WDM.

Keep in mind that the lowest latency you can get with WDM using that slider depends on the "Samples Per Buffer" setting, or whatever it's called in your soundcard's control panel. True for my Ultralite, at least.

But yes, whatever works best for you -- it's trial & error. In some cases it depends on how well the drivers were written for your particular card. I don't hear any difference b/w my MOTU WDM and ASIO drivers, so it's just a matter of convenience for me.

-Susan

Re:WDM or ASIO Driver? (papa2005)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:21:49 GMT

sniper,

When mixing you can increase the latency to avoid the pops & crackles & glitches....

Re:WDM or ASIO Driver? (strikinglyhandsome1)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:18:45 GMT

Whichever works for you

ASIO is for real men and WDM is for wimps
But don't let that influence you.

Re:WDM or ASIO Driver? (sniper22b)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:12:48 GMT

Sorry forgot to mention my Interface is a Tascam FW-1804

WDM or ASIO Driver? (sniper22b)

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 07:11:33 GMT

Hi There,

Which one of these drivers should I be using for playback/recording?

I have just notived I'm using WDM drivers at the moment but am sure before I switched from Sonar 6 to 8 it was ASIO. I've recorded loads of stuff since and only just noticed.

If I switch to ASIO driver the recording process seems to be smoother with less delays, but then it has more glitches and crackles when I load up the CPU with effects etc. when mixing.

Thanks in advamce.