Problems with pops and lag... Please help!

Posted on

John
Member Since: May 06, 2007

Hey everyone.

I have come here for help many times before, and you all here on this forum have been awesome. So I hope someone can help me again.

I pretty much have my home studio up and running. I am using Sony Acid 6 with the latest D update package. I am using the Presonus 1394 for my audio interface, and for guitar tracks I am using Line6's TonePort GX USB device, with the Gearbox software, AND I just purcahsed the gearbox plugins. For drums, I am using the EZ drummer plugin from Toontrack. The drums are all midi files for those who are not familure with it.

I currently am recording with a family member on his PC witch is a Windows XP with a 1.49 gigs of ram, and a 3.06Ghz processor.

Here is my issue...

I can run EZ drummer, and record all my tracks great. What I do is, I run the Line6 software so my guitar player can hear the desired effect he wants while he records. But his tracks are actualy recording 100% clean with no effects on it, so we can later ajust all the sounds with the actaul Gearbox plugin.

When I go to play back the recorded tracks, everything is fine until I add the gearbox plugin in. I can add it to one guitar track without issues, but once I add it to the second guitar track and the bass track, I start getting pops and glicthes in the audio.

When I turn off one of the tracks' gearbox effect, it runs ok. So I am assuming the plugin is causing the pc to slow up.

I run these tracks to thier own channel in the bus section, and add the gearbox plugin to each one. I hear about this "effect chain" thing, but not sure what I am doing is the correct process. I add the gearbox plugin to each track that needs it. What is effect chaining exactly, and can it help this issue if I am doing it wrong?

Any help would be great. Thanks guys!

John

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Member
Since: Jan 24, 2006


Sep 28, 2007 08:58 pm

I don't really know this stuff that well but it does seem you are doing things right. The one thing might be to lower the buffer settings on the plugin to cause it to use less power.

I would also suggest checking the Line6 support forum, maybe there are limitations to how many you can easily get going.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Sep 28, 2007 09:48 pm

Would using only 1 hard drive be causing issues? I know I should be using 2, one for the software and one for the recording files... but I wasn't sure if that was the soul reason for this issue?

www.TheLondonProject.ca
Member
Since: Feb 07, 2005


Sep 29, 2007 12:15 am

I've had sort of a similar problem. For me it was the bass plugin. For whatever reason it seems to me that bass modeling takes up more processor than guitar. Certain bass patches seem to have more of an effect. Maybe try to select a different bass patch and see if you can lower your cpu usage.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Sep 29, 2007 12:29 am

I figured out what most of the issue was. My processing power/ram was being sucked up because of my Sony acid audio settings.

I had all my audio sample rates at 96hz. All of EZ drummer files were loading at that rate and taking up over 500MB of my ram.

I still get a couple pops every so often when I change the audio output from the line6 toneport GX to my Presonus audio interface where my studio monitors are hooked up through. This Presonus device is a firewire port device. Could that and the Toneport be conflicting with each oither? Because I have to use them both. My toneport has to be connected to activate my gearbox plug-ins and my Presonus is what I use to record all my vocals and listen to my mix through my monitors....

Any siggestions or ideas?

Member
Since: Jan 24, 2006


Sep 29, 2007 11:03 am

It could be a problem, but I don't know. You could unplug one when not using it, for example when recording with TOneport use that to monitor. Perhaps there is a way on the Toneport driver to turn off the monitoring ?? + you can set the buffers higher so it's not using any processor. Have you checked out the buffers on the Line6 driver ??

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Sep 29, 2007 12:18 pm

To be honest, I am not sure how to set good buffer settings.

Over at the Line6 forum, they told me to switch any of the devices that were PIO mode to DMA. There was only one device running in PIO mode, and when I switched it, it help out a lot.

My concern is, I don't want to mess with a lot of buffer settings in fear of getting a lot of Latency. Especialy when recording the guitar tracks, because I don't want the tracks to be off. If there is an easy when to set these buffer settings, please let me know.

Right now, my Line6 driver is operating at 44100Hz; 16 bit (apparently I can't change this witch is no big deal, because those are standard CD quality settings), and the ASIO settings are 512 on the buffer size and 24 bit depth.

The monitoring buffer has no hard core numbers to set, just the slider bar going from extra small buffer, to medium buffer, to extra large buffer. Apparently, the smaller the buffer, the less latency occurs, but it use more cpu power. If I move it to medium or extra large, less cpu is used, but more latency occurs.

Right now, its not really the recording process that is the issue. We track just fine. Its playing back the recording when adding the gear box and other plugins to the bass, lead, and rythym tracks. Plsu when I do my mastering for EQ and final mix, I have Waves diamond bundle 5.0 witch is a memory hog from what I can tell...

Member
Since: Jan 24, 2006


Sep 29, 2007 03:18 pm

I don't have a tip just experiment with the slider bar to see if it helps. Move it all the way to the right, forget latency for a moment, and see if you're other problems go away.

If they don't then that's not the problem.

If they do then start working back gradually towards a more reasonable limit.

You have a medium high spec PC I think and running Inspire, Gearbox, Plugin, and Waves would definitely tax the system

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Sep 29, 2007 09:29 pm

Well to get rid of pops and clicks you raise the buffer setting, that will eliminate that. For playback you can set it at 256 or 512 and get rid of the pops and clicks. If you need to use it in real time for recording then set the buffer back down to 128 or 256 to avoid getting heavy latency.


John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Sep 29, 2007 09:46 pm

Thanks for the replies. I got the issue pretty much taken care of. The only thing I am worried about, is all the plugins I am going to have to use. With there being 4 to 5 guita tracks using gearbox, my Wave's EQ plugins, and my compressor, verbs, ect I am not to excited about doing this mix/master thing.

I am however working towards getting a dul core PC. I ordered it specifialy for video and audio editing, and the mother board can hold up to 16gigs of ram. I think between that and the dual core,I might not have to much to worry about.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Sep 29, 2007 11:23 pm

That is one of the reasons I use Sonar and Project 5. You simply freeze tracks once they are close to free up system resources. They can always be unfrozen if you need to tweak the track again.

John
Member
Since: May 06, 2007


Oct 01, 2007 04:25 am

I was thinking about possibly switching to a different DAWs program, but Acid is fairly easy to use, and I have been plating aroubd with it for over a year now...

I bought the presonus 1394 audio interface. Its just a small one I can lay down vocals with and amplify my studio monitors. That came with a copy of Cubase LE, but I am not sure if it would be worht learning. I attempted to work with it the other day, and it will deffinatly take some getting use to. Plus I am pusning my single core processor as it is with Acid. Not sure if Vubase wouldbe harder on it or not...

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