Audio Engine Stopped

[Jim Oliver]

I recently upgraded to Win 10 Pro on an SSD. My "start work" template is ~ 50 tracks of MIDI and audio. Previously with Win 7, I could record for 2 or more hours. Currently I can only record a few minutes before I get a error message - Audio Engine Stopped. Reducing the number of armed track extends the recording time but only to 10 ish minutes. Suggestions please. 

[David Baay]

New machine or just a new O/S on the old machine? If a new machine, I would start by checking DPC latency:

https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

And what do CPU and disk usage look like on the Performance tab of the Task Manager (or Resource Monitor linked at the bottom of that view)?

[bitflipper]

First, the good news: Windows 10 is just as good at audio as Windows 7. You'll be able to get back to your accustomed performance with a little tweaking.

On initial installation, Windows is going to set generic defaults that will work for most people with the fewest problems. Unfortunately, they aren't always best for a DAW. Sometimes, even Windows updates will reset things without asking. (One update killed my audio completely by changing my default audio device back to the motherboard's integrated audio that wasn't hooked up to anything.)

There are many Windows 10 optimization guides around that can help, although some give outdated or even dangerous advice. Don't make a whole bunch of changes all at once, and test each change before moving on to the next one. Some of the most reliable guides are from interface manufacturers, such as the ones from Presonus and Focusrite. IIRC, RME and Avid have similar guides.

If your computer has a Wi-fi adapter, make sure it's disabled. Windows likes to enable it by default, and it kills DPC latency. Grab LatencyMon as recommended above and see how your computer's doing in terms of DPC latency. There is good documentation on the Resplendence site for interpreting what LatencyMon tells you, and what to do if it reports bad numbers. If DPC latency is low, then your issue isn't with interrupts but rather some background process(es) that need to be disabled.

[user 905133]

2 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Sometimes, even Windows updates will reset things without asking.

Thanks for the link to the optimization guide and your additional suggestions and tips. Also, IMO the above  line cannot be emphasized enough.

Edited August 21, 2019 by MusicMan11712 (aka Dr. Steve)

[Jim Oliver]

Hi guys,

No wireless adapter in the computer.

My computer is a 5 year old purpose built PC from Jim Roseberry/StudioCat.Purrrfect audio. It is 6 cores with hyper threading, 32 GB RAM. The  OS drive is SSD Windows 10 Pro V1809, Audio drive is 2TB HD, Backup drive 2 TB HD, Samples 1 TB SSD. All drives benchmark test aok. DPC latency is 132 max. 

At the same time that I did the Windows 10 Pro upgrade, I also upgraded to an NVideo 1660GT card. Jim Roseberry asked me to put the original NVidea back in and try another PCI slot. I'll get the model numbers tomorrow. Jim went through the machine when I did the upgrades and then again  Monday when I discovered the recording/audio engine stopped problem. Jim R did a bunch of additional tweaks, and updated the chipset software.  I have 2 each MOTU 24 I/Os  with a PCIe 424 card, 2 each MOTU Midi Express XTs, 13 midi synths. I do not use USB midi - I have better success with the XTs and midi cables. I have a decent/modest computer technical knowledge. Music making is more of my specialty...