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Bug Reports / 3.1.6512: distortion when playing audio with much different samplerates via ASIO
« on: December 18, 2017, 01:17:25 PM »
UPDATED 21.12.17:
- removed the old text, as I have made some more findings on this issue
- so you have the latest status here
Hi Steven,
how are you ? I am still very satisfied with MusicBee and using it now since many years. I hope you can help me with the following issue.
I upgraded already to the last version of MusicBee, which is 3.1.6512. But the problem is still there.
I have problems with the playback of audio files via ASIO driver when the sample rate differs much to each other.
BTW .. its out of question whether to workaround with WASABI or ASIO4ALL, I want (and need) to use the ASIO driver.
EDIT: also I can see that MusicBee changes the sample rate properly in all cases. The RME driver settings dialog shows me this.
Whats always possible and works nicely: playback of FLAC files with 44.1 or 48 kHz sample rate, where the sample rate change are only little. But as soon as I playback audio content with differs much in terms of sample rate, then I get kind of asynchronity which resultes in distortion / noise through the speakers.
1st I thought MusicBee has a general problem playing music content with higher sample rates than 48 kHz.
This is luckily not the case !!
But to be able to play a song in i.e. 44.1 or 48 and then play another in 88.1 or 96 then I have to:
1. terminate MusicBee
2. set the new sample rate manually in the ASIO driver, like i.e. 88.2 kHz
3. then start MusicBee
Further testing shows: that I can play songs with different sample rates which do not differ too much, i.e.:
1. Close MusicBee
2. and then set ASIO driver to
- 44.1 kHz, freshly start MusicBee: plays music well with 44.1 and 48 kHz, distortion when trying to play a song @88.2/96/192 kHz
- 88.2 kHz, freshly start MusicBee: plays music well with 88.2 and 96 kHz, distortion when trying to play a song @44.1/48/192 kHz
- 192 kHz, freshly start MusicBee: plays music well with 192 kHz, distortion when trying to play a song @44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz
I see here certain similarities / a pattern: inside of the three different sample rate blocks "44.1/48", "88.2/96" and "192" MusicBee can successfully change the sample rate. But if fails when the sample rate changes "too much" between i.e. "44.1/48 and 88.2/96" or between "88.2/96 and 44.1/48".
This rings a bell .. maybe the problem has to do with this:
44.1/48 kHz content uses the same ASIO buffer size, which I have set to usually 128 samples (btw .. can be from 32 to 2048 samples).
88.2/96 kHz doubles the data rate uses a higher bandwidth, thus the ASIO driver automatically changes to 256 samples buffer.
176.4/192 kHz again doubles the data rate, thus the ASIO driver automatically changes to 512 samples buffer.
Its definitively not related to the "ASIO buffer size", in the special sense "you need to use a higher ASIO buffer size, as your HW/driver is unable to work reliable with a lower one". I have the same issues when using higher ones up to 2048.
Also I can exclude "USB transport errors", as the RME ASIO driver is very advanced and has an USB dignosis function which I had running in parallel. So I can exclude cable / USB transport errors and also improper use of maybe too low ASIO buffers.
I cross-checked with another application Foobar2000, there such problems do not occurr. With foobar2000 I can play audio content completely independend, which sample rate the content has. By this I could exclude a device, cable or driver problem and am convinced that this is indeed an application issue.
In a good case of luck its only a very small problem which hopefully could be fixed easily with not too many efforts, perhaps:
- different initialization when a new title starts or
- different parameters to ASIO library calls that you use
BTW thanks: last time you solved another issue in the area of ASIO driver, to fix the display/selection of output channels, when a device has plenty of channels. This was excellent, as my current devices have plenty out outputs
Of could I can help with testing new code.
Once it works I am also happily willed to do a money contributing to your project via paypal.
My hardware:
Audio Interfaces (tested with both):
- RME UFX+, http://www.rme-audio.de/en/products/fireface_ufx-plus.php
- RME ADI-2 Pro, http://www.rme-audio.de/en/products/adi_2-pro.php
Both devices use the same (last) RME ASIO driver: driver_madiface_win_09616.zip
Usually I use the UFX+ for playback on near field monitors.
The ADI-2 Pro is then connected via AES as pure headphone amp.
But I tried the ADI-2 Pro also isolated, soleyly connected to my PC via USB.
All the same, foobar works, issues with MusicBee.
PC:
- Windows 7 SP1, Ultimate
- CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1650v3, socket 2011-3, Supermicro X10SRi-F (server mainboard)
- USB3 card: Sonnet Allegro Pro (4x FL1100 USB3 controller), for each recording device a dedicated and by RME supported USB controller
- Windows High Performance Energy Profile
- removed the old text, as I have made some more findings on this issue
- so you have the latest status here
Hi Steven,
how are you ? I am still very satisfied with MusicBee and using it now since many years. I hope you can help me with the following issue.
I upgraded already to the last version of MusicBee, which is 3.1.6512. But the problem is still there.
I have problems with the playback of audio files via ASIO driver when the sample rate differs much to each other.
BTW .. its out of question whether to workaround with WASABI or ASIO4ALL, I want (and need) to use the ASIO driver.
EDIT: also I can see that MusicBee changes the sample rate properly in all cases. The RME driver settings dialog shows me this.
Whats always possible and works nicely: playback of FLAC files with 44.1 or 48 kHz sample rate, where the sample rate change are only little. But as soon as I playback audio content with differs much in terms of sample rate, then I get kind of asynchronity which resultes in distortion / noise through the speakers.
1st I thought MusicBee has a general problem playing music content with higher sample rates than 48 kHz.
This is luckily not the case !!
But to be able to play a song in i.e. 44.1 or 48 and then play another in 88.1 or 96 then I have to:
1. terminate MusicBee
2. set the new sample rate manually in the ASIO driver, like i.e. 88.2 kHz
3. then start MusicBee
Further testing shows: that I can play songs with different sample rates which do not differ too much, i.e.:
1. Close MusicBee
2. and then set ASIO driver to
- 44.1 kHz, freshly start MusicBee: plays music well with 44.1 and 48 kHz, distortion when trying to play a song @88.2/96/192 kHz
- 88.2 kHz, freshly start MusicBee: plays music well with 88.2 and 96 kHz, distortion when trying to play a song @44.1/48/192 kHz
- 192 kHz, freshly start MusicBee: plays music well with 192 kHz, distortion when trying to play a song @44.1/48/88.2/96 kHz
I see here certain similarities / a pattern: inside of the three different sample rate blocks "44.1/48", "88.2/96" and "192" MusicBee can successfully change the sample rate. But if fails when the sample rate changes "too much" between i.e. "44.1/48 and 88.2/96" or between "88.2/96 and 44.1/48".
This rings a bell .. maybe the problem has to do with this:
44.1/48 kHz content uses the same ASIO buffer size, which I have set to usually 128 samples (btw .. can be from 32 to 2048 samples).
88.2/96 kHz doubles the data rate uses a higher bandwidth, thus the ASIO driver automatically changes to 256 samples buffer.
176.4/192 kHz again doubles the data rate, thus the ASIO driver automatically changes to 512 samples buffer.
Its definitively not related to the "ASIO buffer size", in the special sense "you need to use a higher ASIO buffer size, as your HW/driver is unable to work reliable with a lower one". I have the same issues when using higher ones up to 2048.
Also I can exclude "USB transport errors", as the RME ASIO driver is very advanced and has an USB dignosis function which I had running in parallel. So I can exclude cable / USB transport errors and also improper use of maybe too low ASIO buffers.
I cross-checked with another application Foobar2000, there such problems do not occurr. With foobar2000 I can play audio content completely independend, which sample rate the content has. By this I could exclude a device, cable or driver problem and am convinced that this is indeed an application issue.
In a good case of luck its only a very small problem which hopefully could be fixed easily with not too many efforts, perhaps:
- different initialization when a new title starts or
- different parameters to ASIO library calls that you use
BTW thanks: last time you solved another issue in the area of ASIO driver, to fix the display/selection of output channels, when a device has plenty of channels. This was excellent, as my current devices have plenty out outputs
Of could I can help with testing new code.
Once it works I am also happily willed to do a money contributing to your project via paypal.
My hardware:
Audio Interfaces (tested with both):
- RME UFX+, http://www.rme-audio.de/en/products/fireface_ufx-plus.php
- RME ADI-2 Pro, http://www.rme-audio.de/en/products/adi_2-pro.php
Both devices use the same (last) RME ASIO driver: driver_madiface_win_09616.zip
Usually I use the UFX+ for playback on near field monitors.
The ADI-2 Pro is then connected via AES as pure headphone amp.
But I tried the ADI-2 Pro also isolated, soleyly connected to my PC via USB.
All the same, foobar works, issues with MusicBee.
PC:
- Windows 7 SP1, Ultimate
- CPU: Intel Xeon E5-1650v3, socket 2011-3, Supermicro X10SRi-F (server mainboard)
- USB3 card: Sonnet Allegro Pro (4x FL1100 USB3 controller), for each recording device a dedicated and by RME supported USB controller
- Windows High Performance Energy Profile
