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Old 10-17-2018, 05:45 AM   #1
sjs94704
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Default RE: Sound - Has anyone ever had this issue?

I have a WIN 10 PC. Recently just after the first of this year I had a computer custom built with the latest and greatest of hardware.

What's happening is I can open and use Reaper without issue. BUT, if I exit Reaper and then open Google Chrome and then try going to either my Pandora or YouTube, my PC will NOT play!!! The only way to get anything else to play is to restart my PC altogether !!

As far as I know I should not have to do this.

Now, I had this same issue on my previous computer and when I had the new PC built, the guy simply cloned the C:\ system drive and I inherited the problem on my new PC.

My gut tells me that the problem is that somehow when I had my old PC that some setting somewhere in Windows itself got messed up.

Or, do you think that it is possible that there is a setting in Reaper somewhere that is causing a problem?

Also, when I change from Reaper to Chrome and back again I get some popping sound in the speakers.

One of my BIGGEST issues is that when I first purchased Reaper, I had a MAJOR issue with Latency on my MIC. I finally got someone who knew what they are doing to come over to fix that and I am scared to death that if I do a fresh install of Reaper that I will have that issue all over again!

Suggestions? Do you think this issue is being caused by Windows or Reaper?

HELP !!!!!!
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Old 10-17-2018, 05:52 AM   #2
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This is very unlikely to be a setting in Reaper and far more likely to do with your audio card driver which you already know you had problems with, from other threads where this was discussed.

Do you remember the last time I gave you some advice on what to try? I asked that you switched drivers in Reaper, to try WASAPI. We never got past that point because you refused to do it.

If you have not done that already that I don't see how you can be helped.

Telling Reaper to use another driver temporarily will not mess anything up. People do it all the time. This is not even a matter of installing another driver. It is a matter of just changing a setting temporarily because the other driver is already installed in Windows. If you want some guidance in this let me know.
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Old 10-17-2018, 07:27 AM   #3
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What Soundcard/Audio Interface are you using?

Are drivers up to date?


As suggested you can try setting Reaper to use the WASAPI protocol instead of ASIO, and see what happens.

WASAPI can be more compatible when the device is shared between programs,
or when those programs try to change the Sample Rate..

However (in my experience) it will have more Latency if the project is really big/loaded.


Alternatively if your soundcard doesn't have proper ASIO drivers you could try installing the ASIO4ALL driver,
which is a very nice bridge program that will let you use ASIO with any soundcard.
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Old 10-17-2018, 11:33 AM   #4
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I understand that Windows seems to have extra limitations on using multiple audio apps together. That aside, pay attention to the sample rate devices are set to as well as what the audio is recorded at.

Audio apps make a sample rate request to the audio interface you point your system to. DAW apps, media player apps, internet browser apps (since they handle audio), etc.

If you open an app that isn't robust enough to send the appropriate sample rate request and/or not robust enough to handle converting on the fly, and your system is set to a different sample rate (from the last app you used - like Reaper), you get silence!

After quitting Reaper, open your OS audio control panel (ASIO or ASIO4ALL in Windows I think) and set the sample rate. If it appears to already be correct, set it (the same) again anyway to force the issue (ie send a request).

That's the starting point to troubleshoot.

You may find that you always have to "manually" reset your OS audio that way in certain scenarios. But at least you'll have a known workflow and not need to fully restart the whole system.

Worst case might be that something crashes a 3rd party audio device driver (or even the class compliant driver built into the OS). If this is the case and it happens no matter what order you try things, it just might be a required workaround on your system. This would be all about the audio device driver in question and not Reaper.

If you have multiple audio devices in an aggregate device configuration, sometimes one or more of said devices do not see a sample rate request. (I have this happen with Soundflower + hardware sometimes where Soundflower doesn't see the sample rate request.) Said device will silence itself because the samples don't line up. You have to go and "manually" change the sample rate on the device that missed it and it will switch back on and pass audio again.


This can be confusing and maddening until you see the pattern! Once you know your system there might be a couple PITA quirks but it's known and just SOP.
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Old 10-17-2018, 12:39 PM   #5
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Sounds like you have Windows defaulting to your audio device. In this case it will always choose the first two ASIO channels. To use Reaper at the same time, you need to assign it different output channels. How you add more channels is different per device, so consult your device manual on how to add more ASIO output channels. In Windows these channels cannot be shared, so all apps need their own. So in Reaper audio device preferences you can set the output range to ASIO 3 and 4 or anything above 1 and 2, which Windows apps will default to.

You should not need any 3rd party software like ASIO4All. Use that only as a last resort.
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Old 10-18-2018, 07:21 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamesPeters View Post
This is very unlikely to be a setting in Reaper and far more likely to do with your audio card driver which you already know you had problems with, from other threads where this was discussed.

Do you remember the last time I gave you some advice on what to try? I asked that you switched drivers in Reaper, to try WASAPI. We never got past that point because you refused to do it.

If you have not done that already that I don't see how you can be helped.

Telling Reaper to use another driver temporarily will not mess anything up. People do it all the time. This is not even a matter of installing another driver. It is a matter of just changing a setting temporarily because the other driver is already installed in Windows. If you want some guidance in this let me know.
Yes, I remember. My biggest issue is Latency for the MIC because that is the main use of the program I have. My biggest point of nervousness is that is if something goes wrong which it sometimes can that I might not be able to restore it because I am not real familiar with all the settings portion of the software.

As I recall, I did ultimately try your suggestion but just did not report back. If I did do it, it did not work. So, assuming I did and it did not work, what would my next move be?
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Old 10-18-2018, 07:36 PM   #7
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I second the WASAPI test. This sounds like your driver isn't getting released properly on Reaper close. ASIO is an exclusive driver. Only one app at a time can use the device. You can try recycling the device rather than than the computer if it is an external interface, otherwise look in the CP and see if there is a way to stop the driver and restart it. You'd probably have to look in device manager for that and go to advanced properties or something where you can update/roll back driver. Which brings me to the next thing... are you using the latest driver from the manufacturer? Or something Windows provided? It's been my experience that Windows doesn't always to the best job of driver installation through Windows update. Better to use the latest driver from the manufacturer. If that doesn't work, look to see if there is an older version you can roll back to.

One last thought. Try opening Reaper WITHOUT any plugs. You can do this by loading your project and ticking the recovery box that loads the project without FX. Then immediately close Reaper and check to see if the driver is released. If it is then you may have a plugin that's not exiting properly and hanging the driver.

Also look in your Windows event logs for any clues there.
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Old 10-18-2018, 07:53 PM   #8
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Let me further clarify. At the moment I am not refusing to do it. It is simply a matter of if somehow something goes wrong I would not know how to restore it because this part of configuring software is just not my thing and makes me nervous.

Let me ask you guys this .... Regardless of how simple this task is, would someone be willing and able to create a short video that shows me what I need to know so that I am sure I am adjusting the correct setting and what to do if it bombs out.

If someone can do this I would be grateful...
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Old 10-18-2018, 07:58 PM   #9
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You can also try setting Windows to a different audio device than what you use for Reaper. Just right click the speaker icon on your taskbar and go to "Playback Devices" to set the defaults.

Don't be afraid. You can't break anything with any of the suggestions here. They are all about changing minor settings which are easily changed back.

Seen this problem countless times...
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Old 10-18-2018, 08:20 PM   #10
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you copied your c drive from a system giving you problems and you wonder why your new pc has the same issues?
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Old 10-18-2018, 08:30 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sjs94704 View Post
Yes, I remember. My biggest issue is Latency for the MIC because that is the main use of the program I have. My biggest point of nervousness is that is if something goes wrong which it sometimes can that I might not be able to restore it because I am not real familiar with all the settings portion of the software.

As I recall, I did ultimately try your suggestion but just did not report back. If I did do it, it did not work. So, assuming I did and it did not work, what would my next move be?
What do you mean when you say it didn't work? If you had a WASAPI option, the interface would work with it. If the latency were too high, the buffer setting could be adjusted. You set it lower, and try again. Once you know how low you're able to set it (how stable Reaper is with a lower buffer setting, and where that limit is), you'll then know what your lowest latency will be. At that point you'd know if it's acceptable or not. It's a shame you didn't report back at the time because I could've quickly made a video on my main computer to show you what to do (and/or screen shots).

Anyway, there's no worry in this case. The setting can be restored in a few seconds. Whatever you're doing in WASAPI for its settings in Reaper, it doesn't change anything in your ASIO settings anyway. Want to restore your settings? Change the driver back to ASIO, done, it's exactly the way it was before. This isn't like cloning your system drive or changing a bunch of Windows settings in control panel etc., this is the easiest thing you can do and it's safe. It's not even a Windows setting at all, it's just switching from ASIO to WASAPI in Reaper itself, from a drop-down box. Nothing's being installed or removed, and everything is reversible. Worst-case scenario: Reaper crashes one time (most likely though, you'd hear some breakup in the audio). Then stop and change settings again.

I could try making a video on my laptop which still has Windows (using its onboard sound). I use Linux on my main computer now, which is my Reaper computer. So those audio device drivers don't exist.

Last edited by JamesPeters; 10-18-2018 at 08:36 PM.
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Old 10-18-2018, 08:42 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Bazzbass View Post
you copied your c drive from a system giving you problems and you wonder why your new pc has the same issues?
And yes, what Bazzbass said. Simply cloning your system drive and plopping it into a new computer is a recipe for problems. With some luck Windows would have recognized that your system devices have changed, and prompt you to install the appropriate drivers, but any time someone I know has done that it's met with some kind of problem eventually (even if it were fixable). I'd hope that the guy at least did his best to remove all the old drivers completely and install all the new and correct drivers for the new devices. And when I say devices I mean that your mainboard in the computer has a lot of devices responsible for a lot of different things; I'm not referring to a new mouse, audio device, keyboard and monitor (which are actually a lot easier to swap out without problems, compared to mainboard device drivers).

For all we know, the problem you're having could be related to your old USB port drivers (the drivers that control how your USB system on your computer works) being incorrect for your current system and your audio device is having problems as a result. Not that I'd know, but off the top of my head I can say it's a possibility.

Last edited by JamesPeters; 10-18-2018 at 08:50 PM.
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Old 10-19-2018, 03:06 AM   #13
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1.- Download the most Updated Drivers for *ALL your devices.
2.- Backup your personal/work files, and the drivers.
3.- Reinstall Windows (not a bad idea to go back to 7)
4.- Reintall all the Drivers and Programs
5.- Restore your files

Does the problem persist?


I know it's a Bummer, but think about it,
the more times your hands get Dirty with this matters, the more Experience and Understanding you'll have..

And since all of this is basically Software, there's literally No Risk taken.

If the programs and drivers are good and updated, there shall be no problem.


If one of your devices is of bad quality, or has shit drivers..
Well, it's time to change that device.

But doing things properly will help you Isolating any problem,
(be it: a bad microphone, a bad driver for the microphone; a bad soundcard/audio interface,
a bad driver for that soundcard, or whatever other problem/inconsistency)


Otherwise it's always good to know more,
or solidify your understanding of how all this works.

Specially if you want to work with it,
be it a hobby or professionally.


(*And don't forget the Motherboard Drivers (Chipset, SATA, USB Controllers, Audio, LAN..)
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Old 10-19-2018, 03:34 AM   #14
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Also if you want proper help,
it wouldn't hurt if you told us more about all the the Software, Hardware configuration, or Devices that you're using..

We still don't even know which Soundcard/Audio Interface you are using, right?
So we don't know if it's good enough for the task, or if it has ASIO capability, or proper Drivers, etc.

Same goes for the Microphone, the Motherboard, the CPU, how much RAM, everything.

We're not Fortune tellers, right? :P

Last edited by ernzo; 10-19-2018 at 03:39 AM.
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Old 10-19-2018, 04:34 AM   #15
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'The latest and greatest of hardware'. Not POTUS are you?
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Old 10-19-2018, 04:43 AM   #16
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"..We choose to be into Music Composition/Production, Reaper, Walter and other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.."

Potus or Hocus Pocus?
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Old 10-19-2018, 07:32 AM   #17
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Booting a different set of hardware from a system built for a different configuration can obviously risk conflicts with incompatible drivers. Or maybe not obviously? OSX used to have this ability as a feature so it might be a goto for older OSX users. That stopped when Apple stopped being Apple (IMHO) a few OS revisions ago though and Windows machines have so many configurations available it was never considered.

However, a clone of your current system as a backup is the easy way out of trouble! Make sure your backup clone is current before you try anything experimental. If you screw something up, you don't have to figure out what you did at all. Just boot into the clone and then clone back the other direction from the backup volume to the primary. Instant magic restore button!

This sounds like something you should do for piece of mind sjs94704.
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Old 10-19-2018, 10:45 AM   #18
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I've shared some likely solutions, but wanted to add that the onboard sound for your computer can easily be in conflict with your audio interface, so it's a good idea to disable the sound for your motherboard in the BIOS. If you configure your device to provide ASIO channels for multiple apps, these problems should disappear.

Not too sure why such extreme advice is being given for a common problem with a pretty easy fix...but good luck.
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Old 10-19-2018, 10:45 AM   #19
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Quote:
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You can also try setting Windows to a different audio device than what you use for Reaper. Just right click the speaker icon on your taskbar and go to "Playback Devices" to set the defaults.

Don't be afraid. You can't break anything with any of the suggestions here. They are all about changing minor settings which are easily changed back.

Seen this problem countless times...
I have family and friends that are so paranoid about computers that they even call me and ask if it's okay to allow a program to up-date, even Windows.
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Old 10-20-2018, 10:17 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bazzbass View Post
you copied your c drive from a system giving you problems and you wonder why your new pc has the same issues?
Let me be clear here ..... I had someone build my new PC for me and he was the one who cloned my C drive .... I had no idea that it would be a problem. I am not a hardware guy. And, at the time my new PC was built I had no idea what the root of the problem even is.

But, now that it is I'm gonna have to do the best I can to deal with it!

UPDATE: I have found someone who has experience with Reaper who is local to me and whom I am arranging to drop by and fix things up for me.

I am hopeful that he will not only be able to help me with this issue, but, to provide me with help on the Reverb issues I have been having and him showing me how to properly set them up.

It is one thing for someone to post on here what to do, but, for someone to show me in person and have that opportunity to ask questions, etc is a HUGE advantage.

I will let you know how things work out!!
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Old 10-21-2018, 02:05 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sjs94704 View Post
Let me be clear here ..... I had someone build my new PC for me and he was the one who cloned my C drive .... I had no idea that it would be a problem. I am not a hardware guy. And, at the time my new PC was built I had no idea what the root of the problem even is.

But, now that it is I'm gonna have to do the best I can to deal with it!

UPDATE: I have found someone who has experience with Reaper who is local to me and whom I am arranging to drop by and fix things up for me.

I am hopeful that he will not only be able to help me with this issue, but, to provide me with help on the Reverb issues I have been having and him showing me how to properly set them up.

It is one thing for someone to post on here what to do, but, for someone to show me in person and have that opportunity to ask questions, etc is a HUGE advantage.

I will let you know how things work out!!
Nothing like hands on tuition! I'm sure that once you get to a certain level of competence/confidence with reaper and your computer the rest of the problems will melt away. Good luck
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Old 10-21-2018, 12:26 PM   #22
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QUESTION:

As you all know, when we get a crap load of our stuff on our PC it would be a real hassle to format a hard drive and reinstall windows and then all our software.

But, with this issue, being real honest, what percentage would you all say it would be if I did do that to solve this issue of having to restart Windows in order to use Chrome to play videos?
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Old 10-21-2018, 12:30 PM   #23
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Forgot to say too .... (See Previous post) ...

I had struggled a lot to get ZERO latency on my MIC when I first got Reaper and it would at least for me be a nightmare if I had to deal with that all over again.

Is there a way I can save ALL of my preferences and then just restore them to the way they are now?

Or, what is the best strategy to make that part as painless as possible?
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