yet another delta-44 thread
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Posted on May 13, 2006 12:08 pm
n.andrew munger
we prefer "percussionist"
Member Since: Jul 21, 2004
OK, getting the new set-up set up and running, and I'm starting to wonder if I've got enough "juice" to make it happen. I'm trying to use all 4 inputs on a delta 44 to record my drums, my computer's a refurbished gateway running@800 mhz. I'm getting lots of crackling and jumpyness on both the recording and playback tracks. Am I asking too much of my compy, or am I missing something in the setup?
Oh yeah, I've had some success messing with the buffer settings, but I'm not sure what kind of range I'm dealing with there.
Suggestions?
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Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 13, 2006 02:43 pm Yes, the buffer settings are going to help make a differance for sure. How much ram have you got installed in the PC?
And what is your buffer set at by the way?
You are just trying to fly in the tracks from you other recorder arent you?
One thing you might try if that is what you are doing is to shut of the playback tracks while the drum tracks import. This will save some CPU cycles and maybe limit the noise.
But a buffer setting of maybe 512 should also help eliminate that as well.
May 14, 2006 09:33 pm I've got the memory maxed at 512M.
I can't remember what I've got the buffer at - I'll check it out when I go into the studio tomorrow. I've bumped it around a bit, but wasn't sure how far to go before I get issues.
I'm going for best case here and trying to record with all 4 ins rather than bouncing tracks - my Fostex only has 2 ins, so recording multiple mics tends to be a crap shoot. I'm hoping I can record 4 ins for drums, mix down to 2 tracks, drop those into the Fostex, and not worry about the computer while I record other tracks.
Another thought I had - I've tried demo versions of Live4 and 5 (came with the delta) and n-tracks, so far the only demo versions that let me use all 4 ins - it seems Live4 uses less resources for running the program (of course, I doubt I can still buy the full version) - menus and buttons seem to respond faster - Is that something to consider, or are they all about the same as far as that goes
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 15, 2006 06:27 pm I should ask as well, are you running the card in ASIO mode. If not, you probably should. It will perform better then the default setting. Otherwise if it has troubel with ASIO run the WDM drivers instead, dont ever run the MME drivers as those are windows emulation drivers and are crap.
Most all the software from Cakewalk will allow as many ins as your card has. I think Cubase is the same as well, but not sure about their lite versions.
IF you dont have other tracks playing back you should easily be able to record 4 tracks at once. I know my older PIII 667 can without any problems, and plays back well over 24 tracks while doing it. So your system should be able to handle that.
I would double check to make sure you have the most recent drivers for the Delta and make sure that the recording app is using the ASIO or WDM drivers.
As for the buffer setting, go to the Delta control panel and toward the lower left is the DMA Buffer Size. Start with a setting of 256 and try that. Then if it still pops and crackles move up to the next one. If you stay at 512 or under it should not induce much latency at all.
And your ram should be pretty sufficiant to pull it off as well.
May 16, 2006 09:40 pm Cool, nice to know the system should handle it. I've narrowed the problem down a bit - I now realize that it's only crackling when playing wav files!? I routed a couple of media players through the delta on a whim and noticed that if I play mp3s or cd's, it's fine, but wavs pop in every app I've tried! Weird, for sure!
I'm pretty sure I've got the ASIO selected, but I'll check it out tomorrow to be sure.
Thanks for the info. on Cakewalk and Cubase. Once I get it working on the free stuff, I'll start thinking about what to actually buy!
May 18, 2006 02:48 pm OK, I've re-read every faq on the m-audio site for the 4th time, and I've narrowed down what it's NOT, but I still don't know what it IS!
-not a device/irq conflict
-not a memory problem
the only possibilities I haven't checked - hard drive speed (I have no idea how to check that, but apparently less than 7200 is bad) and the fact that my processor is a Celeron, which seems to be a bad thing. If that's the case, I guess I'm screwed. If not, I still have no idea what's going on!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 18, 2006 03:06 pm Mine is running on an older PIII 667 and I dont seem to have any problems. But it is not a Celeron so maybe that does have an effect.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
May 18, 2006 03:46 pm especially older celerons. they didn't have any cache built into the chip (L1 or L2, i can't remember) so their processing throughput was significantly lower than a PIII, which has cache memory built right into the chip itself.
Could be a definate issue, IMHO.
Yes, a wave file takes considerably more processing than a MP3.
And CDs get processed by the sound card, not the CPU, so that will be a difference there.
May 22, 2006 01:34 pm Yup, lookin' like that's the problem. And of course, Gateway doesn't want you messin' around with thier toys, so I can't upgrade the processor.
So, I just got the latest sale flyer from TigerDirect, they've got a decent looking system going for $300 (and a $50 rebate), so I get to go broke for another month. Hopefully, problem solved. Guess I'll know in about a week (depending on how long UPS decides to take)!
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
May 22, 2006 03:00 pm My comp is a Celeron 1Ghz machine and my Delta 44 has no problems whatsoever. I get dropouts occasionally but its more related to other processes running on my machine than the hardware itself.
Another user here, OldDog, upgraded to a Delta 44 on his machine and had similar problems that turned out to be related to his multitracking app, which was Audition I think.
May 22, 2006 10:25 pm Yeah, but I tried it on everything from live to media center - it just ain't workin' for audio. I think it's because it's an older model Celeron. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway, 'cause I already dropped the cash on a new machine!
