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[Fabulist]

Hello everyone,

Let me categorize my issues:

1) I've tried to use the driver ASIO and unfortunately it doesn't work, as it produced distorted sound (nothing to do with the source) to no sound at all.

2) I therefore installed ASIO4ALL, and although it works, I cannot change the ASIO Buffer Size as it is stuck to 2048 samples (the slider goes down to 64 but there's a blue line on 2048 like a limiter and the program also shows 2048 when I put my cursor over it).

3) I also discovered the problematic sound the driver's ASIO creates is identical to a problem ASIO4ALL creates when I 'switch to blue' all my sound card's options from ASIO4ALL.

In particular when "ASUS XONAR ESSENCE STX Digital" is turned on - although the sub-options of this "ASUS XONAR ESSENCE STX Digital" seem enabled.

Unfortunately I just discovered the program "Foobar" is able to play ASIO properly, while JRiver isn't, am I doing something wrong?

I am pretty desperate, any suggestions on any matter are welcome - thanks in advance!

[JimH]

ASIO4ALL is really Kernel Streaming, not true ASIO.

You could try WASAPI (both kinds).  

http://wiki.jriver.com/index.php/Audio_Output_Modes

Did the ASIO driver come from the manufacturer of your device?

Try a search for "Xonar" here.  You'll find more help.  This, for example:
http://yabb.jriver.com/interact/index.php?topic=62062.0

[Fabulist]

Hello and thanks for your response.

Yes my card is fully capable of producing ASIO at it comes from the manufacturer, but for some reason JRiver fails to produce the proper output for some reason.

I have already searched your forum and read the post you've linked to me but it wasn't any help. However after some research I found out that JRiver is incompatible with the manufacturer's drivers and had to install the UNi custom ones, probably because the manufacturer's drivers haven't been updated for a long time and have an old ASIO version implemented.

Now sometimes I launch JRiver and I get normal sound, sometimes I get sound only from one of the two speakers and sometimes I get inaudible output.

Foobar again works properly as it did before. So I am skeptical about this as it seems like a compatibility problem with JRiver.

Any further suggestions? Maybe I am missing a setting?

[JimH]

Yes my card is fully capable of producing ASIO at it comes from the manufacturer, but for some reason JRiver fails to produce the proper output for some reason.

Did you install the ASIO driver that came with it? 

Did you check the mfr for updated drivers?

[nwboater]

Did you install the ASIO driver that came with it? 

Did you check the mfr for updated drivers?

There are a few of us on this Forum that have, or had, the Essence ST (not STX) and no problems running it with MC 17 (and earlier).

I have used both the Asus drivers and the Uni drivers without problems.

How are you running the card - Are you using analog outputs, or SPDIF?

Are you sure that you have all DSP functions including Bass Management turned off in the Asus Control Panel?

What other settings do you have in the Asus Control Panel?

Rod

[Fabulist]

Hello and thanks again.

@ JimH

Yes, as I previously said I tried both the official drivers (latest WHQL & Beta) and the UNI custom drivers (which work better) and the program produces the same problem.

@ nwboater

I use analog (I guess) as I have no knowledge on how to use SPDIF or if it's better, whether I have all DSP functions disabled like; GX (the EAX emulator) and dolby, or change the PCM rates it makes no difference whatsoever.

-

Please also note that changing the ASIO's settings also make no difference on the issue, the program simply needs to be restarted a couple of times until it plays properly.

I will say this again: I have no issues on another couple of media players I've used - therefore I can only think there's a problem with my settings on the program (I tried defaults and changing them a bit) or there's some other issue I cannot identify.

Thanks again.

[Fabulist]

Anyone?

[Fabulist]

I get it from users, but why have you simply stopped responding JimH, you don't care for potential customers?

[JimH]

I'm sorry, but I don't know.  If ASIO doesn't work with MC, I must assume the ASIO driver has flaws.

Did you try WASAPI?

[Fabulist]

WASAPI works just fine - everything else does for that matter, only ASIO is giving me issues but only with this application, but I don't want to use anything else because my card has native ASIO support and it sounds better than anything else (when it works).

What else can I do to fix it on my side? I already tried ASIO 1.0, 2.0.1.0 and 2.0.7.0 and whatever version the official drivers got.

Any other ideas? Anything at all?

[Matt]

Please also note that changing the ASIO's settings also make no difference on the issue, the program simply needs to be restarted a couple of times until it plays properly.

If you reboot, and play with ASIO with Media Center from a cold start, what happens?

What if you then stop, and play again?

What if you close Media Center, restart it, and then play?

If any answer is 'it doesn't work', please be descriptive (error text, distortion you hear, etc.).

One possibility is that the ASIO driver doesn't like being unloaded (it's possible f2k doesn't do this, but we do).  More information would help clarify.

Thanks.

[Fabulist]

Hello and thanks.

The behavior remains the same in all situations:

Sometimes it plays music properly

Sometimes I get sound only from one of the speakers (distorted, very low volume but you can distinguish the music).

Sometimes I get only distortion from both the speakers (inaudible; low frequency - low volume scratching).

Sometimes nothing comes out (absolute silence).

Same goes for stopping, relaunching and so on.
With the exception of pausing; if I "Pause" I can resume it in the exact same situation it was in when I paused it.

You guys keep referring to the ASIO driver being the problem, but it seems to me like this is either a program specific bug, or a program specific problem with ASIO, I cannot see how this can be my card's problem or ASIO's problem when I have no problems whatsoever with other music players.

Thanks again.

[Matt]

Hello and thanks.

The behavior remains the same in all situations:

Sometimes it plays music properly

Sometimes I get sound only from one of the speakers (distorted, very low volume but you can distinguish the music).

Sometimes I get only distortion from both the speakers (inaudible; low frequency - low volume scratching).

Sometimes nothing comes out (absolute silence).

I had a similar problem with an Asus Xonar card a few years back.  The drivers were not good, and it wasn't just in Media Center.  Playing sample sounds in Windows to a specific speaker would play to a random speaker each test

You guys keep referring to the ASIO driver being the problem, but it seems to me like this is either a program specific bug, or a program specific problem with ASIO, I cannot see how this can be my card's problem or ASIO's problem when I have no problems whatsoever with other music players.

If it works sometimes, but then stops working, I don't think it's how we're talking to the card.  I mean, if it ever works, it means we're handling the data format correctly.

And since we have a huge number of users relying on ASIO and many on Asus cards without these troubles, it seems to point to something on your system.

Is it possible the external power connection is spotty so the amplifier is coming in and out?  How about trying another sound card or the same sound card in another computer?

[Fabulist]

I had a similar problem with an Asus Xonar card a few years back.  The drivers were not good, and it wasn't just in Media Center.  Playing sample sounds in Windows to a specific speaker would play to a random speaker each test

If that is the case, it means it's impossible to fix it on my side since I tried both the official and the UNI custom drivers. But since other programs properly use the ASIO driver, is there a chance you increase Media Center's tolerance or compatibility with the particular type of cards (Xonars) or add a feature that could increase compatibility?

If it works sometimes, but then stops working, I don't think it's how we're talking to the card.  I mean, if it ever works, it means we're handling the data format correctly.

And since we have a huge number of users relying on ASIO and many on Asus cards without these troubles, it seems to point to something on your system.

Is it possible the external power connection is spotty so the amplifier is coming in and out?  How about trying another sound card or the same sound card in another computer?

It doesn't stop working, if it works it will work as long as I let it to play, if I close the application and re-launch it, it's a question mark to whether it will work or create one of the issues I explained before.

I have a 1250W supply which properly powers very voltage hungry chips and power hungry graphics cards, disabling the cards also made no difference and changing the PCI slot for Xonar also made no difference (tried PCI, PCI-E 8x and PCI-E 16x days ago in order to further investigate). The Xonar card is supplied with a unique cable only for itself instead of shared ones like the graphics cards use, therefore it's even less probable to have issues.

I do not think this is a power supply issue as the graphics cards should already have shown symptoms in stress tests, which they haven't, again if it is; shouldn't I have problems with ASIO with other applications too?

I will switch the power cabling again in a few days, format and reset the BIOS, although I seriously doubt it will do any good.

Any further suggestions are welcome, thanks again.

[JimH]

It is probably the driver.  Please try their support.  Or use WASAPI, since it works.

[Fabulist]

I would but it simply doesn't provide me with 32-bit (native), only 24-bit.