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[dvogel1]

Hi,

I have been adjusting Windows 7 and MC settings in an effort to reduce digital noise (popping) when I surf the web or use other CPU intensive software. MC is configured for DSP filtered output to an 8 channel soundcard. The driver was ASIO. One of the first things I changed was the buffer size. The increased buffer size eliminated the popping for a short period of time but after several seconds it seemed like the buffer ran empty and the popping returned. I am sure that I increased the buffer size a couple of days ago only to find that it had reverted to "minimum hardware size". How does ASIO contend with the buffer setting in MC?

Out of curiosity I changed the driver to WASAPI with a 250 msec buffer. It initially sounded strange because the soundcard software swaps the side and back surround channels. That was easy to fix in the soundcard software. Surprisingly the popping has stopped.

Clearly WASAPI interacts with Windows and the soundcard software more than ASIO because I had to enable the soundcard in Windows and set it as the default playback device to make WASAPI work in MC. It had been disabled in Windows when I was using ASIO. Should I be concerned that Windows is altering the MC output?

Thanks

[JimH]

You shouldn't have to make changes to Windows to get perfect sound. 

There should be no conflict between WASAPI and Windows.

Try a smaller buffer size.

The "Weird Problems" thread linked in my signature might help.

Make sure you don't have antivirus software checking media files every time you play them.

The wiki has audio topics, too.

[dvogel1]

Thanks. Perhaps I should have stated at the top of my post that changing from ASIO to WASAPI has cured the popping noise. I would like to know why.

[JimH]

It could be a problem with the ASIO driver.

[kstuart]

Two things that might help the ASIO playback in that case are - 1) as Jim suggested, trying a smaller buffer, and 2) trying the "memory playback" option.

Sometimes DAC manufacturers have suggestions...

[mojave]

Thanks. Perhaps I should have stated at the top of my post that changing from ASIO to WASAPI has cured the popping noise. I would like to know why.

What soundcard are you using?

There are a couple buffers that can be changed with ASIO drivers. Both are accessible in Tools > Options > Audio > Device Settings. The JRiver buffer is under Buffering and the hardware buffer is under Tools > Open Driver Control Panel. I have found that the lower the latency the hardware has, the higher the JRiver buffer needs to be set to eliminate noise. On my Lynx AES16e card, I have to use 100 ms. With another recent card I used, I had to set it to 500 ms.

Hardware buffers can typically be set to 256 or 512 samples. Some cards use milliseconds instead of sample rate. The Asus cards, for example, let you set the rate from 1-80 ms. I use 20 ms.

JRiver should never, under an circumstance, revert to "minimum hardware size."

[dvogel1]

Thanks again. I read some of the posts Jim referred to and tried several buffer settings. It turns out that the ASIO latency setting was very low. I gradually increased it from 10 msec until the popping abated at 60 msec with the buffer set to 50 msec (recommended). I'm thrilled. That leaves an open question. I did not find a latency setting in MC for WASAPI. Is there a default setting?

[mykillk]

Thanks. Perhaps I should have stated at the top of my post that changing from ASIO to WASAPI has cured the popping noise. I would like to know why.

ASIO playback is completely at the mercy of the quality of the driver provided by your hardware manufacturer.

I did not find a latency setting in MC for WASAPI. Is there a default setting?

The default is 100 ms (which is a good default, should rarely need to change it). The setting is found in the Audio options, where it says Device Settings. It'll open a new window for WASAPI settings ad the latency is listed under Buffering.