Reference Guide

1192 Improving audio performance
Improving performance with digital audio
“Queue buffers” on page 1193
“CPU meter/Disk meter/Dropout indicator” on page 1194
Mixing latency
SONAR has a Buffer Size slider in Edit > Preferences > Audio - Driver Settings to set mixing
latency. Mixing latency is the amount of time SONAR allocates to prepare a buffer full of audio data
for playback. Lower latency settings add processing time because of the need to refill the smaller
data buffers more often. You may need to use the slider to increase mixing latency under the
following conditions:
• You use lots of real-time effects, and you hear dropouts. Check the CPU meter for high readings;
try increasing the latency.
• Your sound card does not function well at lower latency. Some sound cards just do not function
well at lower latency settings. Even though SONAR’s CPU meter and Dropout indicator report no
problems, if you hear dropouts try increasing the mixing latency.
Sound cards differ in the precision of their timing, what size audio buffers they require, and other
characteristics. SONAR has a utility called the Wave Profiler that can usually automatically detect
the type of sound card that you have installed and configure its settings for best performance. If your
sound card is a well-known model, you can usually use SONAR without having to change many
audio settings. However, if you experience synchronization problems between MIDI and digital
audio, like to use different sample rates and bit depths, or want to experiment with mixing latency,
you need to do some optimization yourself.
See:
“The Wave Profiler” on page 1182
“CPU meter/Disk meter/Dropout indicator” on page 1194
ASIO drivers
SONAR supports ASIO drivers. You are limited to a single sound card when using an ASIO driver.
To use an ASIO driver
Use the following procedure to enable SONAR for use with an ASIO driver.
1. Go to Edit > Preferences > Audio - Playback and Recording.
2. Click the Driver Mode list and select ASIO.
SONAR re-profiles your audio hardware.