Akai EWI USB Audio Delay

[rotatingdisc]

I'm trying to set up my ewi to work with cakewalk. I connect it to my laptop via usb, am using the ARIA software for sound, and am using the ASIO4ALL driver.

Making an instrument track with ARIA as the VST plugin seems to work, but there's ever so slightly more delay between when you play and when the sound comes when ARIA is used in this way over when it's used without Cakewalk. It's too small to be that blatant, but just big enough to be noticeable. It's driving me crazy! Is there anything I can do about it?

Edited September 30, 2022 by rotatingdisc

[Byron Dickens]

Get a real audio interface with a real ASIO driver.

 

ASIO4ALL is not a proper ASIO driver.

Edited September 30, 2022 by bdickens

[msmcleod]

The best performing audio drivers in order are:

• ASIO (lowest latency [i.e. smallest delay])
• WASAPI Exclusive
• WASAPI Shared
• WDM
• MME

ASIO4ALL is simply a wrapper around WDM to make it look like an ASIO driver, but it's basically using WDM under the hood.

If the manufacturer of your audio interface has a real ASIO driver, then install it and use that, otherwise try WASAPI Exclusive or WASAPI Shared.  If you're using the on-board audio device in your computer, you definitely should be using one of the WASAPI modes - avoid the Realtek ASIO driver - it doesn't work.

Lowering the buffer size in Preferences->Audio->Driver Settings will reduce the latency, but increases CPU usage.  If the CPU usage is too high, you'll get pops & clicks and/or drop-outs. If the buffer size is too high, you'll get increased latency - in other words delay between playing a note and hearing it.   

For recording/playing in real-time, you want the output latency less than 10ms, ideally less than 5ms.

But unless you absolutely have no other option, you should uninstall ASIO4ALL.