Reference Guide

1124
Improving audio performance
Improving performance with digital audio
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” on page
1124
“Cakewalk doesn't properly “recognize” your sound card” on page 1125
“The "I/O Buffer Size" may not be well matched to your hard disk” on page 1125
“Mixing latency may be set too low” on page 1126
“Your hard disk may be excessively fragmented” on page 1126
“Your project file may be excessively fragmented” on page 1126
“Your sound card's driver may be obsolete” on page 1127
“There may be a conflict with your video card or other multimedia streaming card” on page 1127
“Your sound card may have a conflict with another device in your computer” on page 1129
“Your project may simply be too "complex" for your computer” on page 1130
“Upgrade your computer hardware: more RAM, a faster CPU, and a faster disk drive” on page 1130
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.
• 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 email 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 check box.