? Cannot hear sound from soft synths

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After switching to new multimedia speakers, I cannot hear any sound from soft synths in Cakewalk. The details are:

My configuration

• OS  ·  Windows 10 Pro (x64)
• Motherboard  ·  ASUS Prime Z390-P, the onboard sound card disabled in BIOS
• Discrete sound card  ·  Sound Blaster AE-9
• Speakers  ·  Edifier R1280DB

The software (the OS, sound drivers, Cakewalk by Bandlab itself) is up to date.

The speakers can connect to the sound card in two ways:

• 2×RCA to 2×RCA audio cable
• Fiber optic cable

Media apps, such as video and audio players, produce their sounds perfectly either way, but CbB does neither when VST instruments are involved.

In an example shown on the attached images, I’ve created a project with two tracks: the first one is routed to Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, and the second one to the native Cakewalk TTS-1 soft synth. During playback, the green meters are waving as if both tracks are playing normally, but only the first one is actually heard.

The example refers to optical cable, but it’s all the same with RCA connection. I’ve scoured all the preferences both in CbB and in the system in circles, but to no avail.

Before that I had got cheaper speakers with a single AUX (phone jack) audio input, and they had no issues with soft synth in Cakewalk. I couldn’t even imagine that I won’t be able to configure soft synth output with much more advanced speakers.

Please help me out with this debacle. But, please, avoid suggesting wild stabs in the dark; that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for a week and I wasn’t successful at that.

Please look at the images; I’ve tried to capture everything that might matter to the situation.

[John Vere]

In my signature is a link to my tutorials Watch the one on using on board audio. Even though you’re using the ASIO sound card the info is the same. There’s also the one on ASIO which will explain that side of the issue and tips on troubleshooting 

I noticed that you chose 64 bit process. You don’t need that 

Also try MME mode for midi driver 

Also uncheck MS Wavetable  you don’t want to use that pos this will also allow midi files to open using the TTS 1 

My guess is your master bus is not set to the correct output 

Edited April 10, 2021 by John Vere

[John Vere]

18 minutes ago, User 905133 said:

Again, my legacy Creative driver for my legacy PCI E-Mu DAS was tops and worked fabulously well with Windows 10 for years until about 6-8 months ago when a Windows 10 update made the otherwise excellent ASIO drivers useless.  Clearly you had a bad experience with your first sound card (Creative SB Audigy) but you seem to use every opportunity to indict all Creative drivers.

OK fair enough. My issue was with a product from 2002 and I would hope they made improvements. But over and over on the forum for as long as I've been a member there have been a lot of threads with driver issues related to Creative. I don't think any serious studio rigs would include a Sound Blaster. They have always been avoided by studio musicians. My favorite all time post here was from @CJ Jacobson  who's sage advice to a Sound Blaster user was to take it to the tallest building in town and toss it off. So I'm not alone in my quest to rid this world of those cards. 

 I only have limited data in my brain on the subject and all of it has been negative. You are actually the first person I have heard a positive review from.  I actually still have the Audigy in a box somewhere. It's issue was the sync would drift around in any mode. Every loop back test came back different. Basically the clock and the driver sucked.  

I returned to using my Yamaha MD8  deck and only using Cakewalk for Midi.  Later on the second attempt bought a M Audio fast track pro ( I still have it) and generally never looked back. It worked without issues and I could finally use ASIO properly.   

You can understand why when I see someone having issues and they are using a Creative card why I will recommend they purchase a proper audio interface made for recording. 

[John Vere]

1 hour ago, Carpincho said:

To that end, I’m experimenting with soft synths to get the more realistic sound than Wavetable MIDI. Using Melodyne was a part of this experimenting.

OK just wanted you to be aware that you don't put Melodyne in an effects rack. It is used as a regional effect. And it would be odd to  pitch correct a VST instrument anyhow. 

 

1 hour ago, Carpincho said:

P.S. I’m probably going to return this sound card and buy two devices instead: one not so tricked-out PCI-e card for ordinary tasks like watching cat videos on YouTube, and another portable one for music production with Cakewalk at my amateur level—perhaps Clarett 2 Pre USB?

There's no need to buy sound cards these days. On Board audio is very good for just about everything. You can even do a lot in Cakewalk with on board audio. Only thing that is difficult is recording because computers don't have proper connections and without ASIO your tracks won't sync. I cover all this in the videos. 

The Claretts are top quality interfaces, a lot more price wise for the better pre amps than the Scarlett line. I like Focusrite product so you got my thumbs up on that move. And you can actually use your Audio interface to play anything. I only use my interface on my main daw and I can play movies etc. 

[·⛤·]

13 hours ago, scook said:

Try the WASAPI driver modes.

This unfortunately didn’t help. I already went through all configurable preferences (both in CbB and Windows) before posting to this forum. I even tried two different optical cables and several audio cables.

[·⛤·]

22 hours ago, John Vere said:

In my signature is a link to my tutorials Watch the one on using on board audio. Even though you’re using the ASIO sound card the info is the same. There’s also the one on ASIO which will explain that side of the issue and tips on troubleshooting

Thank you @John Vere for your suggestions and videos. The tips about adjustments for latency were particularly helpful for me. I must unfortunately acknowledge they didn’t help to bring my Sound Blaster to its senses.

But here is what did help in my case, albeit partially, after a week of trial and error:

1. Turned off Fast Boot in BIOS and Windows. (Suddenly, this matters for SB AE-9.)
2. Left the onboard sound card turned off in BIOS.
3. Shut down the computer and physically disconnected the sound card altogether.
4. Also physically disconnected all devices with sound capabilities: a webcam, an USB mic, a digital piano, etc.; even the main desktop monitor that has terrible speakers for some reason. Diconnected other peripherials like printer/scanner, just in case.
5. Did a clean reinstall of Windows 10.
6. Installed the latest Sound Blaster Command from Creative website and updated it from within itself. (The update was a little tricky without connecting the card at this point, but I did it.)
7. Shut down the computer and plugged the Sound Blaster card in. Connected it to the speakers with an optical cable.
8. Turned everything on and prevented Windows from obligingly installing the antique SB Recon3D PCIe driver.
9. Verified all audio-related settings in Windows and Cakewalk.

After all this magic, I finally managed to hear sound from VST instruments in every driver mode but ASIO. I still have no idea why this mode isn’t working, given all my hopes pinned to ASIO while buying the sound card.

I’m a bit confused by the suggestion that my master bus might not be set to the correct output. For my OP, I deliberately chose No Tracks or Buses template when I created a new project. It’s remaining with only two manually created tracks, and now I can hear the right sound from the instrument track.

I also work on another actual project where routing to the master bus was configured—see the image attached to the post. Now the sound here is fine, too, and also not in the ASIO mode.

A bird in the hand is certainly better than no sound at all, what doesn’t mean, however, that I’ve abandoned my hopes on solving the ASIO mystery.

[John Vere]

May I ask why you have Melodyne in the effects rack of a VST instrument track? 
 

My first sound card was a Creative SB Audigy It never worked for recording. Was great for playback and games. The problem is Creative has the worst audio driver on the planet. I guess that has never changed   
All I can say is you will be chasing your tail until you get a interface with a ASIO driver. If I remember correctly I found out Creative doesn’t use ASIO but a wrapper for WDM mode. Like ASIO4ALL. 
that was 10 year ago so things might have changed 

[·⛤·]

2 hours ago, John Vere said:

May I ask why you have Melodyne in the effects rack of a VST instrument track? 

While this bears little connection with the original post, I’d be happy to answer. I’m a performing artist, but I’ve little expertise with DAWs, using Cakewalk as a sort of music Notepad. MS Wavetable is generally enough just to write down the notes for my band to play live later. This time, though, I accidentally composed a long passage of pinch and tapped harmonics for bass guitar, and I’d like to check them by ear before making our bassist strain to learn them. To that end, I’m experimenting with soft synths to get more realistic sound than Wavetable MIDI. Using Melodyne was a part of this experimenting.

2 hours ago, John Vere said:

If I remember correctly I found out Creative doesn’t use ASIO but a wrapper for WDM mode. Like ASIO4ALL.

Their official product page says that modern Sound Blasters have ASIO 2.3 support. Or they haven’t?

P.S. I’m probably going to return this sound card and buy two devices instead: one not so tricked-out PCI-e card for ordinary tasks like watching cat videos on YouTube, and another portable one for music production with Cakewalk at my amateur level—perhaps Clarett 2 Pre USB?

Edited April 11, 2021 by Carpincho
fixed a typo

[User 905133]

2 hours ago, John Vere said:

The problem is Creative has the worst audio driver on the planet.

Again, my legacy Creative driver for my legacy PCI E-Mu DAS was tops and worked fabulously well with Windows 10 for years until about 6-8 months ago when a Windows 10 update made the otherwise excellent ASIO drivers useless.  Clearly you had a bad experience with your first sound card (Creative SB Audigy) but you seem to use every opportunity to indict all Creative drivers.

[scook]

If I had to guess why the audio from the DAW is not working it may be due to the choice of ASIO driver mode in the DAW and the SB ASIO driver.

Try the WASAPI driver modes.

The MS GS Wavetable works because it is an external hardware synth driven by MIDI from the DAW and is not dependent on the audio configuration in the DAW or the SB ASIO driver.