Some technical Issues Arising Recently

[Stephen Power]

I've had Some weird technical stuff going on with CbB recently. I have a Windows 11 PC, with 32GB RAM, i5 processor and NVIDIA HD Audio sound card.

1.  Cakewalk regularly will not re-open once closed, no matter how long I leave it closed, and I have to go into Task Manger to END TASK (I've seen other mentions of this online).

2. Since then, after I export audio, I can't hear any sound when I play the tracks again, until I close it down and re-open (using the method in 1).

3. I also then get pops and clicks when I use the mouse, even when closing it down.

Thoughts are welcome. Thanks for any help.

[David Baay]

These are all symptoms of inferior audio drivers and firmware in cheap onboard sound chips. I have some of the same issues (and others) on my laptop when using Realtek/WASAPI output. You will need to get a standalone interface with native ASIO drivers from a respected manufacturer to fully eliminate these issues. Buy used if money is an obstacle.

[Stephen Power]

19 minutes ago, David Baay said:

These are all symptoms of inferior audio drivers and firmware in cheap onboard sound chips. I have some of the same issues (and others) on my laptop when using Realtek/WASAPI output. You will need to get a standalone interface with native ASIO drivers from a respected manufacturer to fully eliminate these issues. Buy used if money is an obstacle.

Thanks for the feedback. So, does this apply if I'm not recording external instruments - only using VST's played with controllers (keyboard and wind). I did look for a midi interface with external drivers, and was advised (in another forum) that they are redundant since the advent of USB midi.

Edited April 16, 2023 by Kerryman

[David Baay]

Yes, it's about the interaction of CW with the sample clock and control of the output port. Plus there's apparently some crosstalk between the audio and video hardware that should be eliminated by moving the audio chores to a separate piece of hardware. You can get an audio interface that doesn't include MIDI DIN ports, but they are a good thing to have in case you eventually acquire an older piece of gear that doesn't have USB MIDI.

EDIT: Also, both the D/A converters and analog sections of a dedicated interface will almost certainly sound better and have a lower noise floor.

Edited April 16, 2023 by David Baay

[OutrageProductions]

You will be much happier down the road if you invest in a reliable external HW I/O. 

For years I did location recording with a Presonus Audiobox (2x2) on my laptop and never had any issues. Plus it has 1x1 MIDI ports.

Focusrite has compact I/O units that are great.

@David Baay is absolutely correct; Ninvida HD drivers are notoriously weak and you should unload the task of ADDA from your i5 proc/chipset.

Edited April 16, 2023 by OutrageProductions

[Stephen Power]

1 hour ago, OutrageProductions said:

Ninvida HD drivers are notoriously weak and you should unload the task of ADDA from your i5 proc/chipset.

And learn some new abbreviations and jargon, while I'm at it.

[Craig Anderton]

I highly recommend disabling Nvidia's audio-related drivers. 

[John Vere]

I totally agree that Cakewalk seems the happiest when paired up with a  good quality ASIO audio interface.
definitely worth the investment. 
 

But if you’re not recording audio you should be fine using the on board sound card . 

I have used the Realtek audio using WASAPI shared mode on spare computers  I use only for playback or midi editing with out issues. One has the Ninvidia as an option for audio which I disable in sound settings. The other is just a cheap laptop. But they work fine even with larger projects. 

[Bruno de Souza Lino]

One thing to note is nVidia software often likes to do random tasks in the background which are unrelated to whatever you're doing. Their audio drivers, much like every other HDMI one from a graphics card, were not meant to be used for professional audio and have weird quirks to them which could cause issues with any DAW out there.