Instruction Manual

872 Improving Audio Performance
Improving Performance with Digital Audio
• Don't use any scheduled background tasks (e.g., tasks which are part
of the Windows Plus package, or which you have scheduled yourself
using the Windows Task Scheduler utility).
• Discontinue use of any networking or communications applications on
your computer. For example, don't run e-mail programs (like Microsoft
Outlook), Web browsers, or AOL client software while you are running
SONAR. These programs send and receive chunks of information over
a modem or a network connection; when one of these data chunks is
sent or received, your CPU may be unexpectedly interrupted from
SONAR audio processing to deal with the modem or network data.
That interruption can disrupt the smooth processing of audio data,
causing a dropout or glitch. If possible, you should disconnect your
computer from a local area network, and/or disconnect from any dial-up
telecommunications while recording or playing back audio in SONAR.
• Turn off your screen saver (if present).
• Turn off the Auto-Notification option for your CD-ROM drive. If it is
turned on, the insertion of a CD-ROM can interrupt audio processing.
To disable it, open the System applet in the Control panel, click on the
Device Manager tab, expand the CD-ROM list entry, double-click on
the listed CD-ROM device, click on the Settings tab, and uncheck the
Auto Insert Notification checkbox.
• Disable any kind of virus scanning program that might be running in the
background. To find out what programs are currently running, press the
Ctrl-Alt-Del keys simultaneously to display the Windows Task Manager;
if you see an anti-Virus program shown on the list of currently running
tasks, select that program and click End Task.
• If SONAR's Auto Save feature is enabled, disable it.
• Remove all programs from the Windows Start Up folder
(\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Start Up).
Cakewalk doesn't properly “recognize” your sound card
Re-run the SONAR Wave Profiler, which will attempt to analyze your sound
card and establish proper settings for it:
• Choose Options-Audio, then click on the General tab. Click on the
Wave Profiler button at the bottom of the dialog box.
• If Wave Profiler offers you the chance to use "default settings" for your
sound card, accept the defaults, close the Options-Audio dialog box,
and check audio playback/recording.
• If problem(s) continue, re-run the Wave Profiler, but this time do not