Can't get Delta 66 to "perform" at 88.2k

[Kelp]

Any ideas on how to optimize a system for good performance at 88.2k? My system rocks at 48k but recording at 88.2k generates the dreaded zippering/tearing noises. I've tried this with my Delta 66 set for both internal clocking and external clocking via S/PDIF (dbx386 digital preamp), at buffer settings maxed out, in both M-Powered and Cubase (single mono track in a fresh session). My 66 does appear to be sharing IRQ23 with my USB and FireWire Host Controllers. When using S/PDIF it does lock.

Thanks!

[Hmmm... Can't figure out why my signature isn't posting...]
Desktop : Asus P5B / Intel P965 / Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 @ 2400 MHz / 2048 MB (2 x 1024 DDR2-SDRAM )
Video : Radeon X1600/1650 Series
Hard Disk : (2) WDC (160 GB)
CD : LITE-ON LTR-52246S / DVD : LITE-ON DVDRW SOHW-1673S
Network : Realtek Semiconductor RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet NIC
OS : Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition 5.01.2600 Service Pack 2
DirectX : Version 9.0c
M-Audio : Delta 66 + Omni I/O, driver 5.10.0.5065
Digital Preamp: dbx386

[JA]

AudioForums has a guide for Optimizing Windows XP (http://www.audioforums.com/resources/windows-xp-optimization.html).

Do you have any FireWire devices? Do you have any other PCI cards installed in the system?

[Kelp]

I'm not following that guidance in 3 areas -- 1) Write-caching is enabled; 2) AVG Free and Windows Defender are running; 3) on-board devices are active. I've been familiar with these tweaks for some time and have only applied them on an as-needed basis. I'll guess I'll start knocking them down one by one. I had no other FireWire devices running but may have had a USB printer or external drive connected. The only cards in my system are the Delta 66 (PCI) and my Radeon video card (PCIe). I was hoping for something real obvious. Time to dig deeper!

[JA]

Have you tried moving the Delta 66 to a different PCI slot?

[Kelp]

Now there's a capital idea! Thanks! I'll post my findings in the next couple of days.

[Kelp]

Grrr... Still haven't gotten this working. I've disabled all non-essential devices in the Device Manager (including network stuff) and turned off all my anti-virus and anti-spyware stuff. And I've moved the card to a different slot. It's now "alone" on IRQ23. Any other suggestions? Playback is fine; it's just recording that's a problem.

Thanks.

[Kelp]

I just found the M-Audio pages on troubleshooting PCI and IRQ issues. I clearly haven't done enough yet! :) Time to roll up the sleeves...

[Kelp]

I've spent many hours on this now and can only manage to get the 66 on its own *virtual* IRQ -- currently at 21. I've disabled everything I possibly can and still function (USB, PCIe, LAN, COM, 1394, Audio) -- basically just PS/2 and SATA! Still, despite several IRQs showing up as unassigned I can't get the 66 to one under 16. All unnecessary startup programs, services, anti-virus, anti-spyware, etc are disabled. Anyway, even in this stripped down configuration the problem persists -- I cannot record cleanly at 88k or 96k. What's my next step? Do I reinstall XP as a Standard PC and hand-manipulate the IRQs? I'd be happy to do that if I was certain that was the solution. Lookin' for a silver bullet here. Any more advice? Thanks.

[JA]

I don't think it's recommended to run Standard PC mode on newer systems. Have you tried lowering h/w acceleration for your video card (http://www.m-audio.com/index.php?do=support.faq&ID=4229936b3bfc6ea6f6a92af04c4dc0d2)? Have you checked for BIOS/Chipset updates for your motherboard? Are you recording to a non-system driver? Is it a 7200rpm drive?

Download the DPC latency checker (http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml) and see if you're getting latency spikes when recording.

[Kelp]

I've actually got a fresh, stable install of XP SP2 with ACPI working at 96k. SATA, IDE and PS/2 are enabled; USB, floppy, on-board audio and LAN are disabled. The Delta is on its own Virtual IRQ and shows up on IRQ5 on the boot message screen. Now I have to carefully start enabling things and checking performance. I'm most frightened of USB since there are so many ports (6)and they all seem to plow into the same upper Virtual IRQs. I tend to use 5 of the ports quite regularly.

My question... Is there a performance advantage in having all my USB devices plugged into a powered hub that is plugged into a single port on the motherboard (many-to-one) versus the devices being plugged into their own ports on the motherboard (many-to-many)?

I'm finding this process both fascinating and educational...

Thanks.

[JA]

Glad to hear you've made progress! Depending on what USB devices you have, there could be a performance disadvantage by connecting all devices to a hub and then to a single USB port. All devices would have to share the same amount of bandwidth and there is a potential for bottlenecking, especially if you have something like a USB hard drive.

You can also swap devices between ports. In the Device Manager, you can go to the View Menu and choose devices by connection to see which devices are connected to which USB controllers.