I'm using a Sound Blaster Audigy

So, do I need to specify anywhere for Vegas to use WDM drivers? And where can I change the latency?

You might not won't like this advice but you will probably not be able to get any decent latency results with that card. The Audigy (and all Soundblaster products) are not really designed with multitrack recording in mind. If I remember correctly, the Audigy drivers are pretty flaky and latency will always be an issue. Step up to a pro level audio card and all will be well.

Cuzin B

that's my plan, but it'll be a month or two before I can afford it. Though I read a a review of the sound card I have that was using Cubase or something similar and was able to get down to 4ms latency.

Then again, I'm also stuck using a celeron 500 at the moment, could that also be affecting latency? I'm assuming it is.

My real question, does VV default to using the WDM drivers? Or do I have to specify it?

If you are using VV3, just go to Preferences and click the audio tab. You should see at least two choices for your main driver (top of the tab) - "Microsoft something or other" and "windows classic driver". For example - with my Delta 66, I select Windows Classic Driver and set my defaults (Playback and Record) to use M-Audio Delta 66 Multichannel. These pick lists get populated by whichever driver set you choose at the top of the tab.

Again - the WDM driver model is standard with all Sonic Foundry products - you don't get to choose. WDM is registered by default as part of the Windows OS. (at least in Windows 2000 and XP)

Cheers,

Cuzin B

I actually use an Audigy and get very low latency.
It's false to say the Audigy isn't a good card for multitracking.
I get 2ms latency in cubase with ASIO drivers...
In Vegas I get 10ms latency which is more than acceptable.
Also, try using the kx drivers, they are optimized for music :
www.kxproject.com

how much would the speed of the cpu affect the latency? how bad is a celeron 500 really?

tsioc,


Latency is a combination of many things both hardware and software related. Basically - the longer your CPU, bus, RAM, mainboard, drivers etc etc etc etc....takes to complete a calculation of moving audio through your pipes, the worse the latency will be. Speed is what you need with SF Foundry (and all recording) products. I will assume your latency issues are bad enough to want to post in here for some advice. With my Delta 66, I run at 9ms latency - and never have a problem.

Trust me - if at all possible, try and find a way to step up to a decent card and all of this will go away. Getting a faster chip wouldn't hurt either.

Cheers,

Cuzin B

I am getting about 70ms.


any recommendations on a decent audio card?

I also am getting a new vid card soon so I can go back to my 1.4gz athlon.

tsioc,

70ms? Wow - I can see the problems there...that would sound like a huge delay...more than would be possible to bear while recording.

Cards? Well - big topic - there are a bunch of them out there. Names that pop into mind include M-Audio (of course...I love my Delta 66!), Echo (Gina etc), RME (great card - but pricey). Terratec has some decent stuff..etc. Probably a good way to make some comparisons is to search these forums and search the web. Ask around. Hit a few music stores...see what's out there and of course formulate a budget. In this topic - the sky is the limit...you can easily spend yourself into oblivion...

You will get a pretty good picture after a little bit of digging. Again - if I can sway ya a bit - a ton of folks do some great work with the M-Audio product. I have zero connection with the company but it's the one thing I have purchased in the last 18 months that has never let me down - it always works as advertised. I think they make good stuff, have decent driver support plus they sell their gear for prices that are reasonable....kinda runs from folks just getting into recording to the big Delta 1010 package.

Good luck.

Cuzin B

I am a bit confused here regarding the latency issue.

I use Sonar for recording audio and it includes input monitoring where you can monitor whatever you have going into the computer through the plug-ins, etc. and then back out to the same outputs (i.e. in 1/2 out 1/2).

This isn't an issue for me since I use the Delta 1010 which has its own hardware monitoring plus 8 analog and 2 SPDIF outs, so the input monitoring feature of Sonar is unused.

However, a friend of mine was trying out the Audiosport Duo which has only stereo in/out and he needed that type of input monitoring.

He is not a Sonar user, but is a Vegas user. I tried to help him get his computer set-up for recording and monitoring using Vegas, and I couldn't figure out a way to use "input monitoring" with Vegas.

So, back to my original confusion, How are latencies being reported if there is no input monitoring feature with Vegas? If there is a way to do it, please let me know.

On a side note, I do not recommend the Audiosport Duo for recording/overdubbing. Go for the Omni Studio, or the Delta 44 or 66 if you have a mixer. After much frustration, my friend is returning his Duo for the Omni.

Thanks!

EArrigotti,

I always use hardware monitoring as the latency is zero. What ya hear is what ya get. Due to the WDM driver model in Windows and it's use in Vegas, I don't think there is the ability to use Vegas with input monitoring. I know you can do this with ASIO...but I am not sure how to do it with WDM and Vegas. There are no checkboxs or options that jump out at me in VV3. But then again - I never really thought about it since I use hardware monitoring all the time.

Cuzin B

out of curiosity, what do you guys think of the Motu 828?

The general vibe on MOTU in a Windows environment is that it CAN work but not without a bit of sweat. I have never used the products myself but have worked with know some folks that have had success. MOTU is really a MAC company with some questionable driver support for Windows.

Cuzin B

hmmm, any experience or thoughts on the Aardvark Direct Pro Q10 of the Ezbus with the ez8 card?

Tsioc,

I haven't any personal experience as of yet, but in my research (and believe me, I've done a lot), I've found nothing but outstanding data on the Q10. Not only that, but their technical support is top notch. Every time I've e-mailed them, they always respond within a couple days, and I don't even own their products yet! And hey, they just upgraded their driver, so the Q10 will do 24/96 recordings now. The best thing I'd say about Aardvark is that they put a tremendous amount of energy into their drivers, which is why their latency is so incredibly low. They've even created a proprietary WDM driver, just for their cards. As for MOTU... All I found was a bunch of frustrated, pissed-off users and buggy, unenthusiastic PC drivers and support. If everything goes right, I'll be working with two Aardvark Q10's hooked into Vegas 3 in the fall. I'll let you know how things turn out if you're still undecided by then.

Hope this helps,
Nick LaMartina

MOTU 2408(and Mk2) work just fine on Vegas (- hey, it's just a straight windows device like ay other).

But WDM and Vegas ?!!! Vegas requires the "Support for MME legacy applications" ticked in the WDM driver box, because Vegas DOESN"T do full WDM.

last post here was a year ago and there are new SF products. i want if the new vegas 4.0 lives up to its promises and finally supports asio drivers. specs say so, but you never know...I have the DUO and would love to be able to monitor recording inputs. has anyone tried it...thanks!

I think you would hear a bit more of an outcry if V4 claimed to support ASIO but didn't, don't you ?

Lots of people have tried input monitoring. It works for me with the V4.0b update, though I use a real mixer for hardware monitoring.

If you have any doubts, d/l the demo.

geoff

Anyone know if Vegas will soon have FULL WDM support.

Cheers

Rob

With ASIO implementation I don't think there is much call for WDM any more. Presumably you have a soundcard without ASIO support, in which case you are stuck with MME drivers and higher latency (not that WDM would inherently help latency).

geoff