POWER USAGE WINDOWS 10

[Rolling Estonian]

Check to see if you have any video card updates too, that can mess with stuff.

M

[warhenk@yahoo.com]

Thanks all. Things are settling down some. Dell had several updates waiting, which are now installed. I also have an older driver from Focusrite that I want to try for the heck of it. I still get disconnects from the Focusrite. No interruptions while working in MixCraft, but if I leave the DAW open with the project loaded, the audio drops away overnight, sometimes after only a few hours. I haven't diagnosed it yet because all USB ports are set not sleep, nor does the PC. The project is on a mechanical drive, so I've moved it to the primary SSD and will check that.

In Preferences, where Mixcraft says 'use device's preferred settings,' does that simply mean that it will sync with whatever the interface is set at, externally?

[warhenk@yahoo.com]

Guys, I am still struggling with audio dropouts with the new Dell XPS 8930. It's definitely not Focusrite Scarlett related. I had to take it out of the mix to diagnose. Jack Cole at Focusrite has been great. I've seen known issues online with Windows ISR dxgkrnl.sys - DirectX Graphics Kernel, Microsoft Corporation, DPC Wdf01000.sys - Kernel Mode Driver Framework Runtime, Microsoft Corporation, and Hard Pagefaults- msmpeng.exe Microsoft Corporation, and that's what LatMon shows as well. I have to believe Mixcraft Pro Studio 9 is fine because it worked so well on the old Windows 10 machine, but there's something going on between it and this machine. The BIOS, Firmware and OS have all been updated. Very frustrated!

[Brother Charles]

Focusrite USB interfaces are ok for inexpensive sound cards, but I highly recommend another brand when/if you can. The 2i2 is pretty inexpensive so you’re not out $400 or $500 ... For around the same money, an ESI 22XT is a dandy, simple interface. Rock solid drivers and extremely low latency.

ESI U22XT Review

Definitely connect it directly to a USB 2.0 port! No hubs.

Go into the Windows device manager and temporarily disable the nVidia audio and/or networking devices. If your system has built-in Intel graphics, try temporarily disabling your nVidia GPU as well, if you have one. Nvidia devices typically SUCK where real-time audio and DSP latency is concerned. Go on your search engine and get ahold of “LatencyMon”. Run it for 5 or 10 minutes to determine which driver(s) might be responsible for the poor performance.

While using Mixcraft, run your system in “High Performance” power mode - not “Balanced” mode.

Temporarily disconnect from internet and DISABLE antivirus while using Mixcraft (or any other DAW).

If you do all the things I’ve suggested, me suspects that your Mixcraft experience will be much more satisfying.

[warhenk@yahoo.com]

Thank you Brother Charles! I'll address your comments below...

For around the same money, an ESI 22XT is a dandy, simple interface. Rock solid drivers and extremely low latency.

I was under the impression that the Focusrite Scarletts were well thought of. I'll look forward to reading the review of the ESI U22XT!

Definitely connect it directly to a USB 2.0 port! No hubs.

Correct

Go into the Windows device manager and temporarily disable the nVidia audio and/or networking devices. If your system has built-in Intel graphics, try temporarily disabling your nVidia GPU as well, if you have one. Nvidia devices typically SUCK where real-time audio and DSP latency is concerned. Go on your search engine and get ahold of “LatencyMon”. Run it for 5 or 10 minutes to determine which driver(s) might be responsible for the poor performance.

I've run many LatMons, which calls out ISR dxgkrnl.sys, Wdf01000.sys, and msmpeng.exe as latency problems. I've disabled all other audio devices. I do appear to have a native Intel graphic option. I'm also an image processor but not a gamer. Is this going to be sufficient?

While using Mixcraft, run your system in “High Performance” power mode - not “Balanced” mode.

This has been done, also no USBs are allowed to be turned off. Also disabled unnecessary desktop things like Bluetooth and Wireless adapter.

Temporarily disconnect from internet and DISABLE antivirus while using Mixcraft (or any other DAW).

PITA but will try if necessary. Thing is, MC and Focusrite just worked on the old PC. :<(

Thanks again, Charles!

[citrite]

Warren, Not sure if you were able to get this resolved but in one of your earlier posts you mentioned that "Dell had updates waiting."

For the record Dell is fond of bloatware and will use your CPU cycles to run their programs and services that are generally nonessential and most certainly will get in the way of running Mixcraft; I uninstalled the Dell Feature Pack (Windows 7) a while back which helped with some of the problems I was seeing.

Dell (speaking as a former employee) doesn't create a whole lot of PC hardware outside of mice, monitors and keyboards - most of their growth has been through acquisitions so if you can't find it listed in the Windows Device Manager (ie. network adapter, video driver, storage controller) then you probably don't need - especially if you see it running in the Task Manager, I would remove/uninstall anything that says Dell on it if you see it in the control panel under programs\programs and features.

Most of the hardware in my Latitude was developed by 3rd party vendors ie. Intel and NVidia which is mostly like the same with the XPS you have (Alienware - another acquisition).

Hope this helps.
Bill

[warhenk@yahoo.com]

Hey Bill, yes- resolved! Thank you! And I should have posted here as I did to Sound On Sound, PG Music, and Dell forums. Although I learned a ton thru the process and disabled many items, including a second video card, audio sources from both video cards, Bluetooth, etc., in the end, it appears that the issue lay solely with Dell bloatware, especially the Dell Support and Support Remediation services! Here are a few Windows recommendations in one place that I learned about:

• Be sure that your PC’s BIOS, OS, DirectX, etc. are up to date
• Check in Device Manager, that devices have current drivers. You may find System Firmware, Network Adapters, etc. could be updated
• Windows’ generic HD audio driver is superior to the Realtek driver for WAVE or WaveRT
• For ASIO audio interfaces, plug directly into a USB port, not a powered hub. If a USB 2.0 device, plug it into a 2.0 port (best to avoid 3.0). Be sure your USB cable is healthy
• Set audio to 44.1K 24-bit
• A 256 samples buffer size should suffice on modern PCs for recording and initial mixing. Increase to 512 MB towards mixdown if needed
• Be sure your DAW settings match your interface’s and Windows’ settings
• Use a High-Performance power scheme, being sure that no drive(s) in use can sleep or compress
• In Device Manager, be sure that no USB port can sleep
• Uncheck ‘Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device’ anywhere it appears (Properties)
• Consider disabling unused audio devices (i.e. audio on graphics cards [NVIDIA, Intel])
• Consider disabling any used GPUs (graphics cards [e.g. if you have more than one card for gaming])
• Remove or disable your PC manufacturer’s ‘bloatware.’ While a diagnostic might be useful at times, they can negatively impact a recordist. Classic suspects are Dell’s SupportAssist and SupportAssist Remediation services, which can be disabled in the Task Manager
• In Task Manager, limit the apps that start up automatically. If you don’t need them at startup/reboot, set them so that they must be opened manually when needed
• Known resource ‘hogs’ include NVIDIA GPUs, Skype, etc. NVIDIA suggests using their high-performance mode
• Many recordists will disable their network adapter and antivirus while recording/mixing
• Install LatencyMon (LatMon) from Resplendence to check your system’s latency: dxgkrnl.sys, Wdf01000.sys, msmpeng.exe, and nvlddmkm.sys are drivers commonly called-out by LatMon as problematic