Multitracking/computer problems
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Posted on Nov 15, 2005 06:49 pm
Sid
Member Since: Nov 15, 2005
I have a presonus firepod going into a emachines with an athlon 2700 (2.1 GHz I believe), 1 gig of ram, and an 80 gig HD, that's about 40% full. When I record into Nuendo 2, regardless of how many tracks simultaneously, once in a while the data will skip in playback, as if a fraction of a second was simply not recorded but instead of a gap in the audio it just skips forward without a break. Obviously this is quite frustrating. I'll get the clicks and pops too, but they're all in playback, never in mixdown, so i'm less worried about those. ANy suggestions? Everything was set up properly, but it seems as if it's a problem within the computer. Seeing as this will happen just the same with recording 1 track as with 8 simultaneously, i'm not sure where the problem is. More RAM? Bigger hard drive? Smarter processor? Or is there a communication problem? My specs of 2.1Ghz/1Gram/80GB seem good enough on paper, except maybe the 80 gig HD, but would that be causing the problem? Anyway if anyone could help out that'd be great. THanks for reading!
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 15, 2005 08:10 pm Well normally you should be running a seperate audio drive, especially for recording that many tracks at once.
When you say skip in playback, do you mean during just plain playback, or playback while recording live tracks? It sounds as though the app is having a hard time writing data to the HD if it is only skipping druing playback.
Another thing to look at is if you have the most recent drivers as well.
Nov 15, 2005 08:18 pm If the firepod has its own menu, try increasing the latency when playing back.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 15, 2005 08:22 pm Ooop's, duh, I forgot about trying that. Nice catch CS
jmailjimmie neutronMember
Since: Feb 14, 2005
Nov 15, 2005 09:43 pm Have you done the Windows optimizations for audio? You might have too much going on in the computer for it to do audio...
SidMember
Since: Nov 15, 2005
Nov 16, 2005 01:32 am Wow you guys are awesome. Thanks for the quick replies. Well basically I have a studio computer and an internet computer. My studio computer is not even connected to the internet, and runs a minimal number of apps. I make sure all are closed before I have any recording sessions, and I usually restart just before in order to make sure everything running is just what I have starting up.
A seperate audio drive would help? The firepod has 8 TRS/XLR combo inputs with pres, and i'm running via firewire right into Nuendo 2.
What I mean to say about the skipping issue is that when the data is recorded there is an occasional piece missing in which the two ends with data are spliced together. I hear it in playback, but the computer tracked the information that way. It might be pertinent to add that when tracking multiple tracks simultaneously, this phenomenon occurs simultaneously on all channels being recorded, meaning any time I press record, if there is an audio skip like this and i'm tracking drums, then all 8 drum tracks will have this problem in the same places.
I know I can adjust the latency with the firepod. I believe it's set to default right now (10 ms, I think).
I remember following a step by step to optimize windows. I actually found the tutorial on the site somewhere some months ago I believe, and went through many of the steps detailed.
At any rate, if anyone could further elaborate on the need for another audio drive, or latency adjustment, or any suggestions then please help me out. Thanks again so much for reading.
jmailjimmie neutronMember
Since: Feb 14, 2005
Nov 16, 2005 06:04 am If you're getting just an ocassional glitch, it might very well be the hard drive. A 2nd hard drive will make things more efficient. Add it in as the "slave" on the primary channel with your original drive (hopefully, it's 7200 rpm ATA 66 or better). Any new drive (generally) that you purchase will come with a new cable with 3 connectors for this purpose, and usually, good instructions. Then point your audio app(s) at the new drive for the "save" location. That will speed up data transfer.
10ms seems a bit high for a FirePod to be glitching... You could try a higher latency, say 12 or 15, and see if it matters much (try going lower, even)... Another possible culprit would be the firewire port you're using. Are you using an onboard firewire, or after-market add-in card? A name-brand, high-quality firewire card is almost a necessity with audio. Most interface manufacturers will at least mention TI chipsets for the ports.
PS: be sure to defrag frequently...
Nov 16, 2005 01:40 pm Yeah, I bought a cheapo firewire card, and I'm a bit worried to see how it's going to do with recording... check the manufacturer's website to see if they recommend any firewire cards for the firepod.
SidMember
Since: Nov 15, 2005
Nov 16, 2005 02:06 pm Thanks again for the replies. The glitch is occasional. It will only happen once or twice in a take, and does not happen every take, but still enough to cause problems. I was thinking it might be the hard drive because i'm using the stock one, and i've upgraded my ram to 1 gig, which i've heard is plenty for 8 track recording with a 2.1 ghz processor and a relatively untaxed computer. I will adjust the latency and see if that helps. One thing that caught my attention as well was the comment about the firewire card. It's a card I installed, and it was the cheapest new one I could find. About $25 I think. Could that be the culprit? It seems the cheaper cards transfer up to 400 mbit/sec whereas some more expensive ones transfer up to 800. THe firepod uses the 6 pin cable, does this function with an 800 mbit/sec jack or is that just for the newer 8 pin firewire devices? I'm pretty consistent with defragmenting my drives as well. Thanks again!
Nov 16, 2005 03:00 pm It certainly could be your card, but it's not how much data it'll transfer (400mb/sec is a LOT). I'd try to eliminate other possibilities (optimize your computer for audio, for example www.homerecordingconnecti...ry&id=253), hard drives are cheap, you might try getting one and only use it for audio (match it to your motherboard's ATA speed, 66, 100, 133, etc and get 7200rpm). The firepod won't support an 800mbps transfer rate anyways, so the 800 wouldn't do you any good. 400mb/sec is plenty, but the issue is the chipset in the IEEE 1394 card you bought and whether or not it's fully compatible (ie. maintains a stable connection) with the firepod.
And no, it looks like the 6 pin cable is not compatible with the 9 pin 800mb/sec newer IEEE 1394b connections. They have separate connectors for 1394A (400mb/sec) or 1394B (800mb/sec): www.tigerdirect.com/appli...8&CatId=510
SidMember
Since: Nov 15, 2005
Nov 17, 2005 02:23 pm Do you all have a suggestion for a good firewire card? These seem to run from the $20-140 range, and, seeing as the one I have is on the bottom end of that range, I would like to address this issue and get a nicer card with a nicer chipset. Any suggestions? I would prefer to spend less than $100 but quality is most important so if there are no good cards below this amount I can spend more. At any rate, you guys have been super helpful and as soon as I find out info on my motherboard I will purchase a 7200 HD with compatible ATA speed as well. I'd rather take care of both the card and the hard drive, even if neither is causing a problem, just for the sake of reliability for the future. Thanks again, take care.
Nov 17, 2005 03:02 pm Well, for the M-audio card I have (18/14), they recommend the following cards: www.m-audio.com/index.php...87e331fe5230b28
But that's for M-audio and they may be more/less picky than your firepod. I was told to stick to Adaptec or SIIG from a computer guru. The chipsets are what you really need to look at for compatibility.
The M-audio people also said TI (texas instruments) and VIA chipsets are best for their products, but once again... this isn't a firepod.
You should be able to pick up an adaptec or SIIG 1394 controller card for under $40 no problem. But i would suggest avoiding any cards that have anything but the firewire on them (no usb/firewire combos). They also caused some incompatibilities with interfaces and such. www.newegg.com/Product/Pr...N82E16815150021 might get you going. First, I'd find out what kind of chipset you have in your current card, though.
Nov 17, 2005 03:05 pm My bad, I guess you can get adapters for the 9 pin 1394B cables to the 6 pin 1394A cables, but the transfer speed will still only be the 400mb/sec.
jmailjimmie neutronMember
Since: Feb 14, 2005
Nov 19, 2005 04:25 pm I'm still leary of VIA stuff... stick with a TI, if possible... I've got an Adaptec card, that usually runs for $50US, on sale and with rebate about a year ago for $15US... but as stated above, optimize the computer before you spend money. Then I'd probably spend money on a 2nd drive before I'd spend it on a new card... All told, with sales/rebates, you should be able to come in for under $100 for both...
