Instruction Manual

871
Improving Performance with Digital Audio
Improving Audio Performance
no audio data in the project), but this is a different matter and is not covered
here.
All of these audio problems are the result of audio information not being
sent to or received from your sound card fast enough or reliably enough.
During recording, the sound card sends incoming audio data to the sound
card driver, which in turn sends audio data to SONAR to store on hard disk.
When playing back, SONAR reads audio data from the hard disk and feeds
it to the sound card driver, which in turn passes it to the sound card for
audible output. If these activities can't be completed fast enough, or if the
communication between SONAR and the sound card driver is broken in
some way, recording and/or playback will be disturbed.
Causes and Cures
The exact cause of your audio problem will vary depending on the
configuration of your computer and/or the content of the project file you're
working with. The majority of audio problems are caused by one of the
factors listed below. Read each of the topics below, in the order shown, and
follow the recommendations provided:
The CPU is being interrupted by "background" activities having nothing to
do with audio
Cakewalk doesn't properly “recognize” your sound card
The "I/O Buffer Size" may not be well matched to your hard disk
Mixing latency may be set too low
Your hard disk may be excessively fragmented
Your project file may be excessively fragmented
Your sound card's driver may be obsolete
There may be a conflict with your video card or other multimedia streaming
card
Your sound card may have a conflict with another device in your computer
Your project may simply be too "complex" for your computer
Upgrade your computer hardware: More RAM, a faster CPU, and a faster
disk drive
The CPU is being interrupted by "background"
activities having nothing to do with audio
Turn off these other activities, so your CPU can process audio without
interruption:
• Turn off the Microsoft Office FastFind option if present on your system.