Changing buffer size: garbled playback

juan_r · 08-26-2020, 11:31 AM

I recently brought my RME Fireface at a friend's, and I wanted to introduce him to Reaper. So I installed the appropriate 32-bit RME drivers, as well as Reaper, on his old Windows XP laptop.

We made a couple test projects just for fun, small ones with just few plugins, and it worked smoothly even if that computer is, as you can guess, quite old and not powerful.

The problem began when trying to switch buffer size from 128 to 1024: playback became garbled and mangled beyond recognition. We did some quick searching, but no relevant results were found. I tried changing from Reaper preferences and from ASIO Control Panel (the drivers UI), no difference.

Is there something I'm missing or some trick to change buffer size?

martmix · 08-26-2020, 12:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juan_r

I recently brought my RME Fireface at a friend's, and I wanted to introduce him to Reaper. So I installed the appropriate 32-bit RME drivers, as well as Reaper, on his old Windows XP laptop.

We made a couple test projects just for fun, small ones with just few plugins, and it worked smoothly even if that computer is, as you can guess, quite old and not powerful.

The problem began when trying to switch buffer size from 128 to 1024: playback became garbled and mangled beyond recognition. We did some quick searching, but no relevant results were found. I tried changing from Reaper preferences and from ASIO Control Panel (the drivers UI), no difference.

Is there something I'm missing or some trick to change buffer size?

does it run fine @128 ?? you make your setting-under preference-device

juan_r · 08-26-2020, 01:02 PM

Thanks for your answer, martmix. What I referred to as the ASIO Control Panel is accessed exactly with the button you highlighted in Reaper's preferences. It can also be accessed differently, but it's the same dialog box (straight from RME drivers).

Yes, at 128 everything worked fine. Even at 1024, as long as that setting is in effect before Reaper starts. Or more precisely IIRC, if the system is booted with the soundcard buffer already set at 1024, everything is fine. What seems impossible to do is to increase the buffer size and have the setting make sense to Reaper without restarting Windows. Restarting Reaper didn't seem to cut it.

martmix · 08-26-2020, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juan_r

Thanks for your answer, martmix. What I referred to as the ASIO Control Panel is accessed exactly with the button you highlighted in Reaper's preferences. It can also be accessed differently, but it's the same dialog box (straight from RME drivers).

Yes, at 128 everything worked fine. Even at 1024, as long as that setting is in effect before Reaper starts. Or more precisely IIRC, if the system is booted with the soundcard buffer already set at 1024, everything is fine. What seems impossible to do is to increase the buffer size and have the setting make sense to Reaper without restarting Windows. Restarting Reaper didn't seem to cut it.

you have to find the "sweet" spot what work best with your system,
recording vs mixing.

if i want to change the buffer of my soundcard,i make it under (reaper-preference-device-asio-configuration(so that reaper "recognise" it,now)

cheer
martin

juan_r · 08-26-2020, 01:53 PM

The trouble on that system was trying to mix at 1024 after tracking at 128. It was just a teaching run, but even on my system (much better than that!), I need to increase the buffer size for mixing big projects if I start adding too many plugins.

martmix · 08-26-2020, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by juan_r

The trouble on that system was trying to mix at 1024 after tracking at 128. It was just a teaching run, but even on my system (much better than that!), I need to increase the buffer size for mixing big projects if I start adding too many plugins.

on my computer i dont need to change the buffer-size between record & mixing
im "running" @128 a roland-quad-capture (mixing about 30 tracks with about 40
plugins)

i dont know much about RME soundcard,but im shure they have good-drivers...

poetnprophet · 08-27-2020, 12:11 PM

Hi there, I have also experienced that many times. The response to find the "sweet spot" is true, but also and more importantly it could be a plugin in your project that does not like the buffer change. For me, it was Izotope Maximizer that I found didn't like anything above 512 on my system. If I removed that plugin, it would play fine, if I enabled, it would play like it was the wrong sample rate or something strange like you describe. There are certainly other plugins that may cause this, that was just my own experience and example. So in my case, below 512 was the sweet spot.

Like you, I mostly go from a low to high buffer during a project, from tracking to mixing. But, I have not actually tried to use a higher buffer like 1024 after closing and restarting with that setting.

martmix · 08-27-2020, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poetnprophet

Hi there, I have also experienced that many times. The response to find the "sweet spot" is true, but also and more importantly it could be a plugin in your project that does not like the buffer change. For me, it was Izotope Maximizer that I found didn't like anything above 512 on my system. If I removed that plugin, it would play fine, if I enabled, it would play like it was the wrong sample rate or something strange like you describe. There are certainly other plugins that may cause this, that was just my own experience and example. So in my case, below 512 was the sweet spot.

Like you, I mostly go from a low to high buffer during a project, from tracking to mixing. But, I have not actually tried to use a higher buffer like 1024 after closing and restarting with that setting.

thank you to share