Problem with FLEXASIO and Cakewalk

[Sven]

  I had everything working in January using FLEXASIO, Cakewalk, and Zoom at the same time to share my Cakewalk session with others.  Today there seems to be a problem.  Cakewalk is up to date.

  I uninstall FLEXASIO when I'm not using Zoom to simplify things in Cakewalk.  When I want to use Zoom with Cakewalk I install FLEXASIO then start Cakewalk and uncheck my AudioBox USB 96 audio device.  That would normally ungray the FLEXASIO audio device checkbox and I could then choose that instead and everything was fine.

  Today for some reason when I start Cakewalk there is some kind of pulsing static like sound every second or so and the mouse pointer never settles down.  It shows the arrow for a brief moment then shows a light blue 'waiting' circle and keeps rotating between the two over and over.  I couldn't do any work so I uninstalled FLEXASIO and cancelled my Zoom session because they wouldn't be able to hear Cakewalk.

  Has anyone else had any problems like this recently?  I'm using FLEXASIO version 1.9.  Again, everything was working perfectly in January.

Thanks.

[John Vere]

The real solution is to use an Audio Interface that has a Loopback feature. Most new interfaces do.
This way you don’t have to change anything with Cakewalk which will be happy it is using the ASIO driver and the interface.  
Then the streaming app will use the Loopback as its audio source no problem.  
In OBS I can even have 2 level controls to adjust the balance between my narrative mike and Cakewalks playback.  
The demand for streaming set ups and podcasting tools is why this feature has now become common. 
It’s also a handy feature to gab audio from the internet and record it using Cakewalk or any Wave Editor. 
It’s only asking for trouble to mess with audio drivers that were not made for your device. You might want to delete them in the Reg Edit App.  

Edited May 19, 2023 by John Vere

[Lord Tim]

It won't be a Cakewalk update issue too, since there's been no changes since November, so can you think of anything you've gotten since then? Possibly a Windows update that's changed a power setting or something?

You might want to try renaming your aud.ini file to aud.old (make sure Cakewalk is closed when you do this) and have it rebuilt itself to see if something hasn't gotten corrupted somehow. You'll find that at:

%appdata%\Cakewalk\Cakewalk Core

(paste that into Windows File Explorer and it'll take you to the right directory)

[Sven]

Hi John Vere,

  I've never used the feedback loop back feature but am open to exploring that option.  My old Win  7 machine has a PreSonus AUDIOBOX USB96 and my newer Win 10 machine has a MOTU M4. 

 Would either of these two interfaces do the trick?  I believe the MOTU has this feature.  Is it easy to configure them for this purpose.  This is not an exercise I need to do often.  The FLEXASIO solution was nice and easy while it lasted even if it isn't the preferred method.

Thanks.

[John Vere]

It might depend on the streaming  app but in OBS the Motu Loopback is an option as the desktop audio input. There’s a Loopback and a Loopback mix. Try each one. 

[Sven]

Thanks,

  I'll try both.

 

[Sven]

John Vere,

  The streaming app is Zoom.  It will let me choose my own audio input. 

  If Cakewalk is using Motu as usual in ASIO mode I need to know how to have Zoom see the Motu device as an optional audio input.   That's the only new part to me.  Right now it's using Windows default audio device.   If Cakewalk is using the Modu device in ASIO mode Zoom users can't hear it.   That's what led me to trying FLEXASIO as a solution.

Thanks.

 

 

 

[mettelus]

For the MOTU, you would need to set that as the default Windows device in Sound Settings->Sound Control Panel. Then right click the MOTU->Properties. On the "Advanced" tab at the top of that, uncheck "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device." The hurdle with doing that is that the first application to access the MOTU is going to lock its sample rate, so you are going to need to use one recognized by Zoom (if applicable), and not have other software running that would access it on you.

[Glenn Stanton]

-- never mind--

Edited May 20, 2023 by Glenn Stanton

[John Vere]

Yes as @mettelushas said get rid of all other audio devices. Open windows settings/ sound / manage sound devices and disable all but the Motu.

The only other issue  might be is that Zoom is not set up to recognize ASIO. I’ll  try it later. Just off to set up for a gig. 

Edited May 20, 2023 by John Vere

[Sven]

I'm going to test the feedback mode idea with a friend soon, thanks!

Can this device also do that?:

AudioBox USB 96 

That one is connected to the machine I want to test with Zoom.  If not, I'll use the MODU.

[mettelus]

Loopback is the feature you are looking for, and I do not see it referenced in the AudioBox USB 96 manual. Some interfaces have the feature internal to the device, but not all have safety nets in place to prevent a positive feedback loop occurring, which can damage the unit, speakers, headphones, or worse your ears.

Warnings with this setup, especially if you are unfamiliar with the unit:

1. Always put a LIMITER on the master buss output to the audio interface just in case. Because not all limiters are "brickwall" limiters, set it to -6dB to ensure it is caught before the interface can see it. Protect your equipment and hearing. You can always adjust this once you get it working properly.
2. If the input being looped back is a track inside the DAW, muting that track will still make it heard in the mix, but prevent it from being compounded into a feedback loop.
3. Work with low volumes (especially the headphone/monitor outputs) on the audio interface until you know the signal path is correct. If the master buss suddenly pegs with input, do not hesitate to kill the audio engine in the DAW.
4. The above is especially true if you ever use a "physical loopback," where you run patch cables from an interface's outputs back into a set of inputs on the same unit.

[John Vere]

Before I had the Motu my workaround was very clunky. I had to use a small mixer and could only use WASAPI shared mode. That always sucked to have to change from ASIO and reconnect my mike etc. The loopback is a simple solution to bring Cakewalks output back to other software without leaving ASIO mode or making any changes to you whole set up. There is always a possibility that the software you are using is limited in features and the loopback can create a feedback loop. This hasn't happened to me in OBS.  

And looks like Zoom fully supports my Motus features. 

Edited May 22, 2023 by John Vere

[azslow3]

Note that all applications and Windows itself should use the same sample rate. Some applications don't show it, but they are obviously also using some value.
Interfaces are normally flexible to set any sample rate they support, but once set an application is using the interface it can't be changed. F.e. if you start Firefox and browse YouTube, it opens audio device with some particular sample rate. If you then start any application in any mode with different rate, even so it can "successfully" open the interface with that other rate (interface/drivers dependent), that is not going to work.

I have observed many related troubles with that and soft loop-backs. Especially when you have more then one device attached, apps and Windows tend to change there mind about rates, producing all kind of strange results ("child voice" in Zoom, silence, clicks and pops, unusual noise, periodic pauses, etc.). While one interface with own drivers normally "works or doesn't", in the soft loop-back chains "automatic" conversions can produce "partially works" results.

Also note that "loopback" feature of most interface is limited. To have the flexibility of soft loop-back inside interface drivers you will need RME...

[John Vere]

This is why for the longest time I’ve used only 48.
44.1 should be mothballed. It serves no purpose in recording anymore.  
And don’t tell me because of CD’s. I drag and drop my 48/24 wave files into Nero and it converts and burns them no problem. 

[Sven]

Thanks for your help!