ASIO soundcards and Windows 7

[EverythingIBM]

Alright, I've come to a sort of premonition with the newer windows versions and sound hardware. And something needs to be done.

Firstly, Windows 7 runs FL Studio like mud once, whether it's one instrument or many channels; I've tried on multiple systems running windows 7, they can be the fastest intel quad core processor, but it'll always run slow (the weird thing that the processor is bottlenecked the same regardless of what type it is). Soon as you revert back to XP, you can go back to using your CPU intensive VSTis. To a degree if you're not using ASIO.

Now, in windows 7, they actually removed the options to change MIDI devices (I have no clue why, it's so idiotic), so, I'm going to have to switch back to XP if I want to use that Roland JV-1080... either that or "get a mac."

However, a solution to speed up FL in windows 7, I'd assume I need a good ASIO soundcard (which helps process the VSTi stuff), HOWEVER, supposedly not many soundcards use ASIO 2.0 that are compatible with windows 7/vista! So it's like a weird loophole...

Any thoughts? Or is just switching back to XP the only solution for an audio rig?

PS: Windows is actually a terrible platform for audio designing:

Interface support is normally restricted to Microsoft Windows, since other operating systems (e.g. Apple's Mac OS X or Linux) do not have such mixer latency problems

My VST host is windows-only, and it's the only one I like. No sonar cakewalk or cubase for me.

[ch_123]

Depending on what sort of hardware you use to interface with your keyboard, you could run XP inside Windows 7 on a VM.

[ricercar]

I'm blowing smoke through my ass a bit, since I haven't done computer music since my 5-year old was born, but ...

M Audio interfaces always did whatever I wanted them to do, on MacOS or Windows. They used ASIO.  The driver team was awesome. They worked across the parking lot from a friend of mine: made support really easy the one time I needed it.

[EverythingIBM]

Depending on what sort of hardware you use to interface with your keyboard, you could run XP inside Windows 7 on a VM.

Lol, obviously you've never done any audio work. I hate VM; wouldn't even support my hardware and would go so slow I don't even want to think about it.

I'm blowing smoke through my ass a bit, since I haven't done computer music since my 5-year old was born, but ...

M Audio interfaces always did whatever I wanted them to do, on MacOS or Windows. They used ASIO.  The driver team was awesome. They worked across the parking lot from a friend of mine: made support really easy the one time I needed it.

I do have an audiophile 2496, for my MIDI stuff, but I don't think it's ASIO. And yeah, M-Audio is great, great prices too.

[nowsharing]

I take it that your equipment doesn't have WASAPI support? It's actually one of Vista/7's few shining features, but only relatively recent hardware will support it.

One of Vista/7's not so shining features is backwards hardware compatibility, especially the 64-bit flavors. To put it lightly.

(e.g. Apple's Mac OS X or Linux) do not have such mixer latency problems

Linux sound support is generally not something to lust over.

[ch_123]

Lol, obviously you've never done any audio work.

Enlighten us your majesty.

I hate VM; wouldn't even support my hardware and would go so slow I don't even want to think about it.

Probably if you ran it on your Pentium 4 then yeah. Your C2D will have virtualization extensions that will let it run quite fast indeed.

In some circumstances, it is possible to give a virtual machine access to the functionality of a PCI card, so I think my suggestion stands.

[ricercar]

I'm too much of a fogey to trust it without LOTS of testing, but with isochronous USB support since Workstation 5, a VMware virtual machine just might handle audio recording.

[InSanCen]

I do have an audiophile 2496, for my MIDI stuff, but I don't think it's ASIO. And yeah, M-Audio is great, great prices too.

It is ASIO. I have one, and a Delta 10/10T. Cubase+Ableton. Add in a Trinity, Prophecy, Nord Lead, M3, DX7, CS1X and a few other random synths too.

Admit it, you like Flashing lights on rack synths and single finger chord's don't you, because you sure as **** know sod-all about Audio Hardware.

It's an M-Audio, of course it's got ASIO drivers... Google it.

[ricercar]

Delta 1010 is fricking amazing. I have one too.

[InSanCen]

Delta 1010 is fricking amazing. I have one too.

I sold my 16channel Alesis mixer after getting used to it. No need with this thing.Yeah, it's spendy, but it'll last years, and takes up exactly no room on my desktop.

[ricercar]

I have an 8-channel mic pre (Presonus M80) that feeds either the Delta or an 8channel HD recorder (Emu Darwin). Who needs a hardware mixer?

[EverythingIBM]

It is ASIO. I have one, and a Delta 10/10T. Cubase+Ableton. Add in a Trinity, Prophecy, Nord Lead, M3, DX7, CS1X and a few other random synths too.

Admit it, you like Flashing lights on rack synths and single finger chord's don't you, because you sure as **** know sod-all about Audio Hardware.

It's an M-Audio, of course it's got ASIO drivers... Google it.

Well sorrEEE! I actually don't care much about aesthetics on synths. Heck, if I think the IBM 300PL looks good, there's not a lot which would look bad.
I do like the yellow-lit screen of the JV-1080 though. It's just so unique. The JV-2080 removed that.

Good to know it's ASIO, too bad M-Audio never had it listed on their website. Now... I need to find some RCA controlled speakers (I do have some, but I have no way to control external sound volume, thus they are very quiet).

Enlighten us your majesty.

Probably if you ran it on your Pentium 4 then yeah. Your C2D will have virtualization extensions that will let it run quite fast indeed.

In some circumstances, it is possible to give a virtual machine access to the functionality of a PCI card, so I think my suggestion stands.

Ah yes, mine royall seruant ch_123, go fytcheth me an IBM moduelle F AT.

The problem with VM is... you want the best performance possible. Especially with the software made today. One of my friends didn't like the east west/quantum leap stuff because of that.

I take it that your equipment doesn't have WASAPI support? It's actually one of Vista/7's few shining features, but only relatively recent hardware will support it.

Bill Gates like WASABI SAUCE?

Yeah, I didn't know about the WASAPI. And I doubt there's much that does support it, if I'm not mistaken, it's not an industry standard thing like MIDI or whatever.

[Zalusithix]

As far as high quality audio cards meant for recording go that support Win7 go, you could give a look at RME http://www.rme-audio.de/en_index.php. I haven't used any of their products (Digi-98/PAD) since the XP 32 bit era when they stopped driver support for newer OS's, but I assume they've retained the same level of quality. Granted they are probably out of the range you'd want to spend.

[keyb_gr]

The main application for ASIO is getting latency down (so you can add tracks in sync), not speeding up things. Whatever.

If in doubt, there's still good ol' API wrapper ASIO4All, which works pretty well these days. (I recently built myself an ASIO-enabled version of Audacity after managing to get it to compile, which isn't entirely trivial if all you have is a Win2k machine. Finally the SB Live! 24-Bit lives up to its name on that rig - looks like the Win2k kernel mixer is a 16-bit only affair.)

Whatever card you choose, get it from a company known for good driver support. Otherwise it may very well become rather frustrating. One would be relatively safe with Asus, M-Audio or E-MU, I guess. ESI/Audiotrak tends to be a mixed bag.