10 replies to this topic

[SOS]

Hi,
I'm brand new to forums so here goes.  I'm using Cubase LE 1.0.10 and it records for about 1-2 min then the input signal goes all distorted (like a low level hum sound with no input signal at all in it - it registers pretty strongly on the visual of the signal).  Doesn't matter if it's a guitar, vocal or drum machine input.  Hardware is a Lexicon Omega 4Bus USB and P4, 3.0GHz with 1GB RAM, and a new WIN XP installation.  Have got ASIO driver selected and 4 buffers @ 256KB (in device setup/VST Multitrack).  The version of LE that was bundled with the OMEGA worked a bit better (it still distorted though not as much, but since I downloaded this version of LE from Steinberg I seem to have nothing but trouble). I like Cubase and am interested in upgrading to Cubase4 but not if I can't get this one working.  Really appreciate any advice.
Signed,
An aussie who needs help.

[hps909]

try upping your buffer settings for starters ....    1024 samples won't give you great latency but will give you better stability...  check for updated drivers from lexicon aswell 

[SOS]

Thanks for your reply,
256kb is the highest setting I can get in "device setup/VST Multitrack" (There are buffers in the ASIO multimedia setup but I'm not sure how to set them up) so I changed from 4 to 8 buffers but that didn't make any difference. I reloaded the latest Omega drivers again also but still the same.  The Lexicon website suggested re-setting the Omega but that didn't help. I've had a look in the VST Engine Expert settings and unchecked the "Lower Latency" box but no difference either.

[hps909]

have you got any background progs running processor scheduling set to programs ?

i'm on OS X so i've forgotten a lot of the tricks to windows ( the beauty of OS X is there aren't a lot of tricks you have to worry about ) but for memory if you right click my computer and select properties there will be something in there to select processor priority or something like that and the options will be background services or programs set it to programs ...  select open from the start menu type services.msc  and go through the list and disable any unnecessary apps running or set to manual any that you use occasionally only keep essential services on automatic ir your not sure leave it coz it can stop your puta from booting if you disable an essential service ... http://www.musicxp.net/index.php  is your friend also .. you can also try and re install cubase and drivers

[SOS]

Thanks again.  I've had a look at all that.  The windows tweaks have given me more performance however the distortion issue still remains.  I've got a hunch it's related to the IRQ's windows has assigned to the USB controllers. It's using IRQ 16 for one of the USB Host controllers but IRQ 16 also handles a PCI Express Root Port, Intel 82915G/GV/910GL Express Chipset Family (on-board VGA) and a Microsoft UAA for Bus Driver High Definition Audio.  Unfortunately Windows assigns the resources automatically and gives me no option to change them.  I'm thinking that IRQ 16 is too busy and thus it loses sync with the Omega.  All I need to do is close the project and reopen it and I've got input data flowing again, but only for another 1-2 min. The vga and audio are both on-board.

[hps909]

ok i have a method that could help it's fixed major audio bugs for me in the past on windows

disable ACPI it will stop the auto shutdown function of windows but it forces IRQ's to be reshuffled  .. i've read about it fixing many soundcard related glitches .. 

C+P from an article in SOS about 8 years ago

Disabling ACPI Before Installation

Personally, I've never had any ACPI-related problems, but given that it's debatable whether sleep modes are particularly useful in a desktop PC anyway, you may want to consider preventing Windows XP from installing ACPI in the first place. Remember that if you also want to disable IRQ Steering, you'll need a unique interrupt for each hardware device. If you're confident that you have enough interrupts available, here's how to do it.

The simplest option is to disable your motherboard's ACPI functions in the BIOS, so that Windows XP doesn't detect it as an option during the install procedure. Unfortunately, BIOS options such as 'ACPI Function' seem to exist only in a few PCs. (One that you should find is 'Plug & Play O/S' which should be set to 'Yes' if you want Windows to reassign IRQs, and 'No' if you want to do it by hand in the BIOS.) However, ACPI normally only gets installed if all the components detected support Power Management, so if you have an older non-compliant BIOS or ISA expansion cards installed, you may find that XP simply ignores ACPI anyway, whatever BIOS settings you use.

During both the Windows XP and 2000 setup procedures, a few minutes in you'll see a screen that displays the message 'Press F6 if you need to install a third-party SCSI or RAID driver'. Instead, press the F5 key (there's no mention of this option on screen), whereupon you can choose either 'Standard PC' or 'ACPI System'. Choosing the former is the cleanest approach if you've decided to avoid the 'benefits' of Sleep and Hibernation modes on your PC. The only feature you may miss is the ability to Shut Down automatically using Windows, without having to use the power switch.

Removing ACPI From An Existing Installation

If you've already installed Windows XP, you can find out whether or not it's installed ACPI on your machine by looking in Device Manager (now in the Hardware page of the System applet inside Control Panel). At the top of the Device Manager entries you'll see 'Computer': if you click on the '+' next to it to expand the entry, you'll see the appropriate description, either 'Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC', or 'Standard PC'.

If you've already installed XP with ACPI enabled by default, there are a couple of ways to switch to Standard mode without reformatting and going through the entire procedure again. If you right-click on the 'Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC' description and select the Properties option, and then the Driver page on the window that appears, you can select 'Update Driver'. Choose the second 'Install from a list or specific location (Advanced)' option on the subsequent page, and then the 'Don't search. I will choose the driver to install' option on the following page. This should come up with two options, namely ACPI PC and Standard PC.

Microsoft apparently claim that you can switch from Standard Mode back to ACPI by choosing the ACPI option here and allowing the PC to reboot. However, they don't recommend it for removing ACPI functions, and some people trying this have been unable to boot their PCs at all afterwards -- so, if you want to try it, use some drive imaging software first to make a full backup.

The second approach takes longer, but is apparently more thorough and reliable. You just insert the Windows XP CD-ROM, and run its setup routine once more as an upgrade over the existing installation. XP claimed that this would take 49 minutes on my PC, but it actually took just 25. Once back at the desktop, you can disable IRQ Steering separately within Control Panel if you wish: open the properties page of 'PCI bus' in the System Devices section, and you can disable it from the IRQ Steering page.


people say that it shouldn't be necessary to do this ACPI is advanced enough with modern PnP peripherals  BUT i've had it fix first hand issues i was having with my old pulsar DSP card i was getting timing drift + clicks and pops in cubase even with massive buffer settings i disabled ACPI ( i did it during install much cleaner ) and all problems disappeared ..

[SOS]

Thanks again moderator.  I wasn't brave enough to try change the ACPI settings and unfortunately don't have the original XP disc (second hand computer with OEM software).  Reluctantly I've had to admit defeat and have gone back to using my old PC stripped bare as my recording machine.  It's a P3 Celeron @ 667MHz, with 256MB RAM running XP Pro and it baffles me that it runs LE flawlessly when it is so under-resourced by comparison. It has an older motherboard with the old blue screen bios and maybe the beauty is in it's simplicity. 

[SilverStreak]

Disabling ACPI after an install shouldn't be a problem. Try it, you can always go back and switch it back on if you really have to.

[Captain Terrific]

Quote

Thanks again moderator. 

wow, so polite. Title and everything!!

ya wouldn't see that over TSWDNSO...


ps, hps909 rox. It's always nice to know there is quality help just a mouseclick away

[SilverStreak]

^^^
Yeah,true.

Normally we're lucky if they tell us to "go fuck ourselves"

[Captain Terrific]

must be the distinct lack of flashing fluro ads and that god awful shade of blue ive come to grow sick of that keeps things 'relatively'* normal around these parts.

*airquotes