More Gigaport woes....

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E

Ed Witles

Active DJ
Nov 6, 2008
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Gang -

I know what Rick will say, but last night, I was getting pops and and what seems like glitches in the audio stream.

Windows 7 x86 SP1.

Gigaport HD (but ya'll already know that). :)

Running ESI's drivers but using individual WDM channels for 4 decks.

After 3 hours or so, I started getting pops yet no CPU spikes or memory spikes. Audio not distorted at all, just brief pops n clicks, like a record w/ a scratch.

Every event is recorded in real time for situations like this. I played it back and sure enough, it happened. I might look over the waveform and see if it is a drop out or spike.

Just when I think all is licked, a new issue 'pops' up.

Have not set any buffers or latency on the card drivers.

<sigh>
 
Ed Witles said:
Gang -

I know what Rick will say, but last night, I was getting pops and and what seems like glitches in the audio stream.
Click to expand...

You never know what I'll say -- it's a learning experience with you Ed... ;) :D


Just curious, how are you recording?

Just to rule things out, I'd need to know whether you are recording off your hardware mixer, or doing it via software...
 
I record off the mixer tape out. Using a program called hdogg. And to date, it has never caused any grief. And been very useful in isolating audio issues like this.
 
Ed Witles said:
I record off the mixer tape out. Using a program called hdogg. And to date, it has never caused any grief. And been very useful in isolating audio issues like this.
Click to expand...

So, you are using two computers -- one for playback, and one attached to the hardware mixer out...?
 
No. Recording via mixer out to line in. Been doing this since 2005 or so. Even under Windows 2000 no issues. So I know it is not this.

Only changes I made was update to newest nvidia driver and security patches. Plus using a 4 deck skin.
 
Ed Witles said:
No. Recording via mixer out to line in. Been doing this since 2005 or so. Even under Windows 2000 no issues. So I know it is not this.

Only changes I made was update to newest nvidia driver and security patches. Plus using a 4 deck skin.
Click to expand...


It's a step by step, logical process to find the issues Ed. Never rule out anything... ;)

Here's what I would do:

Connect computer to to a pair of desktop speakers. No record, or anything else attached or running.

Run a full set. See if you can duplicate the problem. Use auto mix, as yer testing for audio glitches.

If not, introduce one component at a time (first the external sound card, then the mixer, then the line in record, etc.), and redo above, until you find the culprit.


It's time consuming, but it works. It's purely logical, and called the scientific method :)
 
There's something about playing from a computer and then sending that output back to the same computer to be recorded that makes me think it's fraught with peril?

The average PC and peripherals like the gigaport just don't strike me as devices with premium isolation?
 
Here is what I know.

- Updated the GT220 to latest driver and had Windows patch itself to latest updates.
- Used the default 4 deck skin.
- Use WDM mode from ESI's driver (seperate enumerated outputs) to assign each deck to a set of outputs.

After a few hours, I got glitches in the audio stream.

Now I went back to the 2 deck skin and assigned the 1/2 & 3/4 to deck 1 and deck 2. Assigned 5/6 to the sampler and 7/8 to headphones.

Set autoplay for 5 hours. Went back to audition the recorded track and it seems to have absolved itself. And no distortion.

But for S&G, I configured same card but instead selected ASIO for all 8 outputs but same deck configuration and will do a 5 hour autoplay this afternoon and listen after.

Yes, I know Windows 7 makes ASIO obsolete, but it does seem to behave.

Future plan - either follow Rick's 2 card plan or use the internal HD for both decks and sampler and a USB device for system line out and record in.

And the Gport is isolated from the PC via a USB ISOLATOR.
 
The USB bus *could* be starved for bandwidth per recent comments from Rick. But not sure why this would happen over time.
 
Ed Witles said:
The USB bus *could* be starved for bandwidth per recent comments from Rick. But not sure why this would happen over time.
Click to expand...


It's sorta like hardening of the arteries -- the more eggs (electrons) you feed it, the more the wires become clogged up... :D


I would also not record back on to the same computer as Bob mentioned. If you need to record the entire mix, I would do so on a separate device attached to your mixer. You're tempting fate... ;)

If I recall correctly, VDJ has a record function, that is inserted in the DSP chain at the end. That would seem a wiser move, if you don't want to use a separate device. Just remember, that as you are recording internally, the drive is writing constantly as you play. If it happens to be writing, when it should be reading -- one will take precedence = one of the two has to wait... ;)
 
Ed i use a controller with both ASIO and WDM drivers and have starting to use the WDM drivers more at gigs it just less finiky and it is easier on the cpu.
 
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