Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread
Print Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3
#71520 05/01/10 05:42 AM
RealBand
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
D
DanL Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
I've tried two different interfaces in the past few years and I've yet to get anything that didn't sound like a distorted robot. This is true for audio and synths. I thought that my brand new computer and brand new M-Audio ProFire 610 interface would certainly work, but there it is again...what the heck am I doing wrong? MME works beautifully.

RealBand
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
M
Expert
Offline
Expert
M
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
seems that for some asio works n others not.
just a stab in the dark...is the maudio set for 16 bit ??
if not , try that. 44.1/16.
if you can post a pic of your maudio control panel.
as well as a pic of your audio driver preference settings in rb.
please do so cos it helps to get comments.
if your brand new puter is W7.
make sure that the correct w7 compatible drivers are chosen.


retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
RealBand
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Well my PCMCIA Creative Audidgy 2 ZS Notebook with KX Drivers @ 8 MS works fine.
The internal Realtek AC97 card with special 3rd party ASIO drivers @4 MS works fine.
Don't use them though!


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
RealBand
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,457
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,457
Older M-Audio works here also. It's likely a setting, buffer or bitrate or such.


I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
RealBand
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
D
DanL Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
Ok, Bob and Manning1, I checked the M-Audio settings and it was the buffer...way too low at 256. It's working now! Thanks!

Dan

RealBand
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
D
DanL Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
False alarm. It was still using MME, which sounds great. I still get the bad sound using ASIO. I'm stumped now. Something's not set up right.

RealBand
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Sounds to me like you used them on another program and they were not released. Open all audio programs and unassign ASIO in all of them and try again.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
RealBand
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,157
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,157
Also try d/l'n the latest ASIO driver for your interface and OS. If that doesn't help, you may wanna experiment with the ol-ASIO4ALL driver out there in cyberspace.

ASIO is normally used for real time playback/recording of a VSTi. Otherwise, MME works a treat as well.

Trax

RealBand
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
M
Mac Offline
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
M
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 38,502
Quote:

.... I've yet to get anything that didn't sound like a distorted robot. ....




A file set to one bitrate and the soundcard set to another can do that.

Ideally, you want to set your soundcard's Control Panel such that it allows host program to dictate bitrate. Even then, you have to know what bitrate the file was recorded at and then set the host program internally to suit. This does not work as invisibly as it does with Windows Sound Drivers, which can often confuse folks who expect ASIO to work exactly the same.


--Mac

RealBand
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
D
DanL Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
Mac, I did that. I matched 16/44.1 for everything, but still got the the distorted robot sounds. So, I tried some trial and error with the settings and this seems to be the culprit:

There is a box next to the Audio Driver type that says "Allow IM effects recording (ASIO-only)." I unchecked it and now the audio playback sounds normal. Any ideas about that?

RealBand
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,457
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,457
IM means 'Input Monitor' which means the computer was trying to run the input signal thru any DX FX you had loaded on that track while it was recording it (in real time).

That puts quite a load on the system, and if FX are not loaded or not quality FX it creates even more problems.


I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
RealBand
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Yeah, another classic example of just how tricky this stuff really is. It's not anybody's fault it just reinforces the need to be a computer nerd and know the language of audio engineering to accomplish anything. It's also why so many people think a program is buggy when it's not. Trying to emulate a recording studio in your computer is not easy because the programmers have no choice but to use the language of recording studios. If you have no experience at that, then you have to read up on it in order to learn those terms or you wind up frustrating yourself.
Even though a basic PC will work, a higher end one (of course much more money) is better so when someone asks what PC should I get, the answer should be the most powerful one you can afford. The new quad core Intel i7 chip with the latest Asus motherboard is $829 at Newegg. That's only the chip and motherboard, nothing else. I'm preparing to build a new system and I just saw that yesterday but I don't think I'm going to go that much. That's more than a whole bunch of complete PC's but I'm sure it will run many tracks with live DXi effects.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
RealBand
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
D
DanL Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
Problem is, Bob I'm no newbie. I've been doing this stuff for years, using PG products and Sonar. I know what IM effects are and my computer and audio interface are pretty decent. What I don't understand is why unchecking one thing suddenly clears up the problem, when I have yet to even try recording. This is affecting playback of audio and MIDI tracks. I just want to know why it's affecting that.

RealBand
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,457
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,457
Because when that is enabled, the input is being run thru effects in realtime. I believe you can sing into the mic and hear the effects even if record is not enabled.. may have to double check that, but I think it does. Even if it doesn't they are taking up RAM and processor attention.
Look at it like It's another service running, and under ASIO which means it is requiring more attention to begin with from the system in general.

So if the computer is running those effects the whole time it IS a load on the system. Maybe switching to a different 'thread' for the processor will help, maybe not.
Only explanation I can think of.

Last edited by rharv; 05/03/10 01:53 PM.

I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
RealBand
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,691
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,691
My guess is that it is putting a load on the system. Since it is routing the signal thru the IM loop. maybe there is a effect somewhere that is having a well .... er ... effect.

One thing i have noticed is that PG programs especially yhe PTPA based stuff is sensitive to these things. I can not even get ASIO to play with mine now, and i have used it for years.


HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
RealBand
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 7,697
Trust me, I know how it is Dan. You can have years of experience but overlook something like this. Yes, live DXi effects definitely puts a big strain on your system. Maybe you never noticed it before because you only had them applied to one or two tracks but depending on your system of course, do that on ten or more tracks at once and see what happens. These sorts of details will drive you crazy sometimes.

Bob


Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.
RealBand
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
D
DanL Offline OP
Journeyman
OP Offline
Journeyman
D
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 676
I've now tried this out and tried everything. I don't get it. I have a brand new quad core system with 8GBs RAM. I have a fast Firewire interface. There's no way that IM with effects is straining my system. There's something else wrong here.

With my last, computer - a wheezing old Compaq - I used WDM drivers in Sonar and a mere 1GB or RAM. With that, I got decent latency and had no problems running multiple VST effects when IMing. That was with multiple tracks, synths, and effects running.

Now, with my new system, I can't use ASIO in RealBand with the IM effects monitoring. It won't even work when I'm just playing back tracks with no effects loaded in the mix.

There is something wrong and I don't think it's my "system being overloaded." That just can't be. If my computer is being overloaded, then how does anyone get this to work?

RealBand
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,691
R
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
R
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,691
I have problems with Rb and ASIO on my system. It runs the CPU meter in the RED, but with MME it stayt very low. So i use MME.


HP Win 11 12 gig ram, Mac mini Sonoma with 16 gig of ram, BiaB/RB 2026, Reaper 7, Harrison Mixbus 11 , Presonus Audiobox USB96
RealBand
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
Veteran
Offline
Veteran
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
I just got a new interface that's strictly for bass/guitar. It's ASIO only. Doesn't even have WDM drivers. Works great. It's a Stealth interface by IK Multimedia. Came with my Ampeg SVX Studio.


John
ESI Gigaport HD+
Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be
15.6" Monitor
"The only Band is a Real Band"
www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php
RealBand
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
M
Expert
Offline
Expert
M
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,992
DanL

in control panel under ieee on your system what fw chipset do you have ??
be aware that lots of fw sound devices like to interface with a TI fw chipset.
this is a known issue with many fw sound devices.
best bet is to ask the manufacturer of your fw sound device
what fw chipsets on the host computer it likes.
otoh this might not be your problem.
just because you have a nice quad isnt the whole story.
sometimes its how the drivers or the fw or the fw sound device control
panel is set up mate.
ive seen on various recording forums where folks have fw issues.
many times its not related to the music software used.
but just a set up issue.
please post a pic of your maudio control panel settings
plus a pic of your rb settings.


retired puter engr....powertracks on amd......NICE !
"what is the black art of audio engineering ?"
my silly songs...motagator.com/bmanning
see my tips in the tips section.
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Go To
Page 1 of 3 1 2 3

Link Copied to Clipboard
ChatPG

Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.

ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.

PG Music News
Band-in-a-Box 2026 for Windows Special Offers End Tomorrow (January 15th, 2026) at 11:59 PM PST!

Time really is running out! Save up to 50% on Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® upgrades and receive a FREE Bonus PAK—only when you order by 11:59 PM PST on Thursday, January 15, 2026!

We've added many major new features and new content in a redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.

Another exciting new addition is the new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. You can view the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to process an entire track or focus on specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

Upgrade your Band-in-a-Box for Windows to save up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade packages!

Plus, when you order your Band-in-a-Box® 2026 upgrade during our special, you'll receive a Free Bonus PAK of exciting new add-ons.

If you need any help deciding which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We are here to help!

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® Special Offers Extended Until January 15, 2026!

Good news! You still have time to upgrade to the latest version of Band-in-a-Box® for Windows® and save. Our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® special now runs through January 15, 2025!

We've packed Band-in-a-Box® 2026 with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can process an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, XPro Styles PAK 10, Xtra Styles PAK 21, and much more!

There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®.

When you order purchase Band-in-a-Box® 2026 before 11:59 PM PST on January 15th, you'll also receive a Free Bonus PAK packed with exciting new add-ons.

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows® today! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.

Happy New Year!

Thank you for being part of the Band-in-a-Box® community.

Wishing you and yours a very happy 2026—Happy New Year from all of us at PG Music!

Season's Greetings!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy holiday season—thanks for being part of our community!

The office will be closed for Christmas Day, but we will be back on Boxing Day (Dec 26th) at 6:00am PST.

Team PG

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: The Newly Designed Piano Roll Window

In this video, we explore the updated Piano Roll, complete with a modernized look and exciting new features. You’ll see new filtering options that make it easy to focus on specific note groups, smoother and more intuitive note entry and editing, and enhanced options for zooming, looping, and more.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Band-in-a-Box 2026 Video: AI Stems & Notes - split polyphonic audio into instruments and transcribe

This video demonstrates how to use the new AI-Notes feature together with the AI-Stems splitter, allowing you to select an audio file and have it separated into individual stems while transcribing each one to its own MIDI track. AI-Notes converts polyphonic audio—either full mixes or individual instruments—into MIDI that you can view in notation or play back instantly.

Watch the video.

You can see all the 2026 videos on our forum!

Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®

With your version 2026 for Windows Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

  • The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
  • MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
  • Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
  • Playable RealTracks Set 5
  • RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
  • SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
  • Android Band-in-a-Box® App (included)

Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:


  • 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
  • FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
  • MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
  • MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
  • Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
  • Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
  • RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
  • SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)

Learn more about the Bonus PAKs for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Windows®!

Forum Statistics
Forums57
Topics85,738
Posts795,573
Members39,945
Most Online25,754
Jan 24th, 2025
Newest Members
Diddlysquat, pun61, smitoz, Jonnyfartpants, Gengiz
39,944 Registered Users
Top Posters(30 Days)
MarioD 193
Noel96 117
DC Ron 116
DrDan 105
rsdean 103
dcuny 93
Today's Birthdays
brassauditions, EddieV, glauber, Holly, MyZone1958, PLS, Tobin - PG Music Inc.
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5