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computer and soundcard questions

hey guys. i was hoping someone can help me out here. i'm having a problem with my computer. i use reason alone and i can rarely finish a track becuase my computer can't handle everything i'm doing in a sound. the dsp meter goes into the red and sounds like shit. sometimes it just stops and says my compter isn't fast enough.

i went to guitar center and the guy working there suggested i use a sound card because all i'm using is the one i got with the computer (realtek or something). i bought the m-audio fast track hoping it would help. same problem. so i read around a bit and found out its my processor (AMD Athalon 64x2 Doul-core processor 4800+)

so it's obvious (i think) that i need to get a new one. does anyone have any suggestions on what i might need?. i don't know much about computer stuff and i don't want to gt ripped off or buy something that isn't good enough. i'm think i want something twice as good?? not too sure how much something like that cost but...

also (get ready for this noobie question haha), i was wondering what a souncard does and if i really need one. i don't have a very good set up pretty much just a comp, keyboard and some headphones. i didn't notice a differance when i used the fast track.

thanks in advance

oh yeah , i have a HP Pavilion a6030n PC
2048MB system memory
320GB hard drive
Vista home premium
and the comp is almost a year old, maybe exactly 1 year actually

thanks again

You just bought a soundcard for nothing. Well its usefull but it wont fix your problem. How much memory you have in your computer? The processor seems fast enough for what your doing. Turn off any programs that are running that dont need to be. You have more than enough memory! Strange man! Cant figure this one out right now.

i first started on a comp that was 512, then 1gb, and now 2gb and it's always been the same problem.
i just talked to a freind actually and he said to just get a new comp, which i'm gonna do. he said that there's no point getting a new processor becuase the mother board won't be able to handle it and it will over heat.
hopefully i dont run into the same problem.
also i only have reason running on this computer im talking about, thats all i use it for, so theres nothing else that should be slowing it down.

I doubt it's your processor. I'm running an amdx2 4600+ and it works just fine. Try checking your settings in Reason maybe?

You PC should easily be powerful enough. I run a AMD 3400+ and can run my DAW (Reaper) + vst/i's easily enough.

I wonder if you have a conflict or have some crap installed on your PC. If you Ctrl+Alt+Delete how many processes have you got running? Is there any HP crap loaded and running you dont need? AV, anti-spyware, messenger programs?

You defragged recently or is it not needed in Vista? XP apparently didnt need it but you do still need to do it every now and again.

Also what latency have you got on your soundcard? What drivers are you using? Have you disabled on-board sound?

The guy the shop doesn't know what he was talking about. I guess you can still use the card or take it back. The PC is fine you dont need another one.

How does the pc run when not using reason?

Yeah mate your computers a dual core running at 2.4ghz right?. With 2 gigs of RAM thats well powerfull enough to make very complex dance music.
Also soundcard will have nothing to do with your processing in most cases. Somethings not right but its definately not the lack of power in your pc.

Are you using ASIO drivers, instead of the default windows drivers, and check your latency. You can try ASIO4ALL's drivers, its free.

http://www.asio4all.com/

quote:

Originally posted by Lucidity Are you using ASIO drivers, instead of the default windows drivers, and check your latency. You can try ASIO4ALL's drivers, its free. http://www.asio4all.com/

Every now and then I read on forums about ASIO drivers but I still do not understand why/when one should use them. Would somebody please explain this to me quickly? Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by cenik Every now and then I read on forums about ASIO drivers but I still do not understand why/when one should use them. Would somebody please explain this to me quickly? Thanks.

Why? Because they're designed for low-latency, so you'll get much lower latency without any clicks/pops. How? Providing your soundcard comes with ASIO drivers, just choose the ASIO option as your output in your sequencer. The other options will be Directsound or something to do with Multimedia (cant remember the exact name off the top of my head).

As to the original question, it might be worth checking you're using ASIO drivers, but if the CPU meter is going into the red it does sound like you're maxing out your CPU. You have a pretty good CPU though, so I would've thought it would take a LOT to max it out.

Does anyone know what Reason is like with multiple-core CPUs? Maybe it's only using one of the cores, or is it capable of using them all?

quote:

Originally posted by Sanguis Mortuum Does anyone know what Reason is like with multiple-core CPUs? Maybe it's only using one of the cores, or is it capable of using them all?

Reason only allows for 1 data stream for audio, so only one core is used for synths and effects.
Though there is moderate increase in performance, since the one core handling the audio don't have to fight so much for cpu cycles with other stuff going on in the background.

First, your processor is just fine - I'm still using an old amd athlon 1.4ghz (single core) computer for audio production at home and even though I put a strain on it, with the right tweaks, it's still going strong.

DO THESE TWEAKS (I can't believe I'm actually posting this agin) - Some could cause problems (don't be scared, it's only really obvious stuff, like if you use a laptop and switch of hibernation your battery could get dead real fast etc.)

1. Set processor scheduling to background services rather than programs.
Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced Tab > Background Services

2. Set visual effects to a minimum.
Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance Settings > Visual Effects Tab > Adjust for best performance

3. Switch Off Desktop Background Image
Right Click Desktop > Properties > Desktop Tab > Background None

4. Disable Screen Saver
Right Click Desktop > Properties > Screen Saver > None

5. Disable Fast User Switching
Start > Settings > Control Panel > User Accounts > Change the way users log on or off > Untick Use Fast User Switching

6. Switch Off Power Schemes
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Power Options > Always On > Turn off monitor and turn off hard discs to Never

7. Switch Off Hibernation
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Power Options > Hibernate > Untick Hibernation

8. Disable System Sounds
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds Tab > Sound Scheme to None.

9. Do Not Map Through Soundcard
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Hardware Tab > (highlight your soundcard from the list) > Properties > Audio Devices > (highlight your soundcard from the list) > Properties, and check the "Do not map through this device" checkbox.

Applications may still try to play sounds through your "pro" soundcard, so it is recommended that you disable this.

Go to Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices > Hardware Tab > (highlight your soundcard from the list) > Properties > Audio Devices > (highlight your soundcard from the list) > Properties, and check the "Do not map through this device" checkbox.

10. Disable System Restore
Start > Settings > Control Panel> System > System Restore Tab. Tick the "Turn off System Restore on all Drives"

11. Disable Automatic Updates
Switch off Automatic Updates by going to Control Panel, System, Automatic Updates and ticking the box labelled "Turn off automatic updating. I want to update my computer manually.".

12. Startup and Recovery Options
Right click My Computer and click on Properties > Advanced > Start Up & Recovery Settings and uncheck "Automatically Restart".

13. Disable Error Reporting
Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Advanced TAB > Error Reporting > Click the Disable Error Reporting box (Tick the "But Notify Me When Critical Errors Occur" if you prefer)

14. Disable Remote Assistance
Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Remote > Untick "Allow Remote Assistance Invitations to be sent from this computer"

15. Fixed Swap File (Virtual Memory)
Select the Advanced tab of the Systems applet and then select the Performance settings button. Then select the Advanced page. In here it is possible to customise the Virtual Memory. For custom size, this is often recommended to be 1.5 to 2 times the amount of your total RAM for both initial and maximum size. Set this to a fixed minimum and maximum value according to your existing RAM

16. Speed Up Menus
You can use this tip to speed up the Start Menu in Windows XP. You can customize the speed of the Start Menu by editing a Registry Key. Click Start, and then click Run. Type Regedit in the box, and then click OK. Expand the menu in the left panel and select the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop folder. Scroll down in the right panel and double click on the MenuShowDelay file. In the Value Data box, change to default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1. Click OK.

17. Disable Offline Files
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Folder Options > Offline Files > Untick "Enable Offline Files"

18. Disable Remote Desktop
Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Remote > Untick "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer"

19. Disable Internet Synchronise Time
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Date and Time > Internet Time > Untick "Automatically synchronize with an internet time server"

20. Disable Hide Inactive Icons
Start > Settings > Taskbar and Start Menu > Taskbar TAB > Uncheck "Hide Inactive Icons"

21. Disable Automatic Desktop Cleanup Wizard
Start > Settings > Control Panel > Display > Desktop > Customise Desktop > Untick "Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days"

I have found this lot give me about 30% more out of my computer.

Also, the a new soundcard like the M-audio one you bought can actually give you (in a round about way) better processing power, as things like cheap or built in soundcards have crap hardware and badly written software resulting in processor usage innefficency. So by upgrading your soundacrd, your processor could well have better efficiency when dealing with audio intesive tasks.

Let us know how you get on!

Great post Rann!!!!

My point what that HP comes preloaded with all kinds of crap you dont need so check you haven't got services or programs starting when you dont need them to also.

quote:

Originally posted by flutlicht junky Great post Rann!!!! My point what that HP comes preloaded with all kinds of crap you dont need so check you haven't got services or programs starting when you dont need them to also.

Thanks!

Actually, you raise another point - if you are using a branded computer such as HP/Compaq, specifically for audio - I recommend that you get a new copy of XP (not the one that came with the computer!) and do a complete format and re-install.

HP (and others) are notorious at adding so much useless "bloatware", that does little else than slow down your pc. get rid of it, with a fresh install but before you do anything, back up all your files and system drivers. I always prefer to go online and make a master folder of all my computer's drivers and util software - more often than not, ones supplied on disk are usually waaaaay out of date (especially with soundcard for some reason). Allways install hardware with a driver from the manufacturers website.

Make sure you don't have any power saving functions enabled. My last computer had an AMD processor (I hate AMD!) and it had this feature where it would lower the clock speed of the CPU to save power (Lame!!). It would dynamically adjust the clock speed depending on the CPU strain.
It didn't work so well. It caused Reason to stutter at only 60%.

damn i wish i would have read the replys this morning. i just went out and bought a new comp with quad core and 3gb of ram. i'm gonna go and run out and get my old comp and bringit here. you guys have given lots of advice that i hope will help. much appreciated
brb

quote:

Originally posted by lowski damn i wish i would have read the replys this morning. i just went out and bought a new comp with quad core and 3gb of ram. i'm gonna go and run out and get my old comp and bringit here. you guys have given lots of advice that i hope will help. much appreciated brb

i would have said your old pc is more than fast enough! shame you got a new one already. this isn't such a bad thing though... dedicate one of them purely for music and the other for all your normal bullshit. best thing i ever did imo! no crashes or anything anymore

i have a gateway GT5404 just for internet. intel dual-core 64 bit processor, and 1gb memory. plus the one use just for reason (HP paviliion a6030n, dual core 64x2 processor 4800+, 2gb memory), although i have used the internet on it to download refills, i keep it just for production. both comps are withing and just over a year old.
now i have this new one i just bought today. im gonna try some of the steps advised by others to see if i can get my HP to work with out sounding like crap or cutting out and saying computer too slow to run program or whatever.

Have you actually made sure Reason is configured to use the new sound card you bought in preferences? By default it would continue to use the existing card unless you changed it manually.

Your pc spec sounds more than capable of handling Reason since Reason handles resource probably better than any other DAW.

Unless of course you're using highly complex combined instruments with overkill effects. Try downloading some demo tracks from Propeller and see how well they work.

i checked the task manager and the only thing running is reason.
i also went to preferences/audio and set up the fast track. it was a little better but still the same.

also, yes i put all of my synths is a combinator so its easier to keep track off. i also have a redrum for ever drum sample, which usually takes up a 14ch mixer +. then a 14 mixer for synths and a 14ch mixer for fx, which i only use about half of. then thoughs 3 mixers runthrough a master mixer. oh also i have my kick and sub bass going through its own mixer as well. i would say theres probably 200-300 devices by the time i've put all the parts into a song. so as you can see it's quite a bit i'm asking from the program.
i haven't set up the comp i just bought. i'm gonna try and figure out the problem with this existing one first. transfering all the files is gonna take forever and i'm not really looking forward to it hahaha

dj rann i did most off these things you said to do and now its running way worse. i can't even play a song with out it sounding like shit.

quote:

Originally posted by lowski dj rann i did most off these things you said to do and now its running way worse. i can't even play a song with out it sounding like shit.

First - you're on XP right? Pro or Home?
All of these tweaks stop (often pointless) resource hungry background tasks from running.

Did you reformat or just do it on the HP installed version of XP?

My advice if you want to get the most out of this computer, is to backup everything, download all the possible drivers for your machine and all peripheral devices (especially important to make sure you get the chipset driver for your mobo - this caught me out once and drastically slowed my computer down), do a complete format of the drive and remove all partitions, then do a fresh XP install, and then do the tweaks.

None of the those tweaks will adversely affect the performace of your machine.

Just out of interest, go in task manager, and click on the processes tab - how many do you have running there?

Also, when you say it's sounding like shit? what do you mean - sound "quality" would not be affect either (makes me think you've not got your soundcard set up correctly....

Maybe its a vista thing?

Anyone else have to tweak anything with vista on their PC?

quote:

Originally posted by music2dance2 Maybe its a vista thing? Anyone else have to tweak anything with vista on their PC?

I use vista.. no settings needed.

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