Please help with Crappy Windows Media edition and recording!

[FatalVision]

Hello,

Blue 2 Blue, I have read your posts on windows xp media edition and recording and have found them very informative. I just bought a new dell laptop and had no idea that media edition was such a piece of crap. Anyway, I always used to do simple recording on my desktop with the build in sound card, but on the laptop its just not cutting it. Anyway, it was time for the jump into a good interface anyway. I was horrified to discover that there are so many problems with media edition. The firepod, which I was going to buy, has a warning on the presonus website stating that there are known problems with media edition and not to use it. This is very upsetting, I don't understand why it is such a crappy operating system. Anyway, I have been e-mailing companies to try and find out if there are known problems with their interfaces and media edition. I was specifically looking into either the MOTU traveler or ultralite, and was hoping that you could tell me if they are compatible with media edition. I have a dell inspiron e1505, dual core 1.83, 2 gigs ram, 100 gig 7200 rpm hd, and use nuendo as my primary recording program. I would really appreciate some help with these issues. I have read all the tips you suggested about optimizing the computer for recording by disabling things, etc, but If I get an interface that is not meant to work with media edition it all seems pointless and frustrating to me. I would really appreciate and help you could give me! Thank you!

[seaneldon]

...uninstall media edition and buy a copy of xp pro. $149, i believe.

[Will Chen]

 

Please help with Crappy Windows Media edition and recording!

 

 

A very important lesson learned. It pays to do a little research and invest a few bucks up front than the headaches of figuring out workarounds.

 

Windows XP Pro is the way to go...

[blue2blue]

I think it may be premature to go out and buy a new OS.

 

The manufacturers generally feel that they have to test an OS thoroughly before they say they support it. That's understandable. If there IS a problem (and I'm not saying there's NOT, mind you) and they're premature at promising support it can be a NIGHTMARE for them.

 

 

That said, after removing the Windows Media Edition services -- and the MOUNTAIN OF CRAPWARE [AOL offers, MacAffee BS-ware, RealPlayer, wizards, helpers, ads, etc, etc, etc -- I SERIOUSLY turned off 42 services!] installed automatically -- I've been running fine with my built in mobo sound card (SigmaTel "SoundBlaster"), my MOTU 828 mkII Firewire interface, AND my Echo Mia PCI card. Oops... and my Samson USB mic. So, that's FOUR interfaces, right there. (That, of course, leaves hundreds I haven't tested. )

 

That's NOT to say that every conceivable device out there will work with WMCE -- but I have found it to be in all respects that I've explored, with the exception of Service Pack 2 features, to be for my purposes pretty much identical to Win XP SP1 in operation, load size, etc. (I hope that's enough qualifications and provisos to render that statement all but meaningless! )

 

 

As I noted in my lengthy posts in other threads you've apparently read, I DID indeed remove the MCE-specific services from my boot profile. (The details of that are in one of those posts.) That, I'm thinking, could be a key to compatability. But that's just a guess.

 

 

One reason I wrote so much about WMCE is because there was so much alarmist BS being spewed at the time by people who were clearly NOT informed and yet appeared to find it their "moral duty" to shoot off their mouths even though they clearly didn't know what they were talking about.

 

 

But THAT is not to say that your problems are not real or that others may not face real problems.

 

It's just that there was a LOT of uninformed bull{censored} flying around in the aftermath of WMCE's release.

 

 

Frankly, my machine has been running great, and has been pretty much zero trouble so I have forgotten pretty much everything else about setting it up.

 

(After 20 years of working on my own and -- more to the point -- other people's (usually thoroughly FU'd) computers I make it a point to forget all the nasty little details since chances are they'll all be different next time.)

 

 

So, you'll probably do best reading my previous posts on the subject, since I was in the middle of it then.

 

But, if you have other, specific questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them to the best of my ability.

 

I KNOW how frustrating some of this stuff is and I know one can feel like just smashing the whole business off some cliff. But, I'm thinking, don't do it 'til you're sure...

 

 

 

If you need to contact me you can PM me here but sometimes I don't see the notifications (apparently). Or you can use my contact page:

 

www.tkmajor.com/contact/

[FatalVision]

Hello,

Thank you for the quick responses. For those of you who suggested upgrading to XP pro, I appreciate the help, and I may have to resort to that, but I hope you understand that its a real pain in the ass to have to not only purchase a new OS, but also having to go through all the motions of installation, and then re-installing all the recording software it took me days to install in the first place. However, I may have way more problems in the future when it is too late, so I guess I will have to figure that one out.

blue2blue, thanks you once again for providing me with valuable information. I have read your posts and they are helpfull and very detailed. I have not started to do anything to my computer yet because I just stumbled upon the MCE problems a few days ago and have spent most of my time searching the internet trying to get answers. Anyway (i think i overused that word in my last post), I will check out your posts when I am ready to start work on optimizing it. On a brighter note, I recieved an e-mail from presonus responding to a question about MCE and the firepod, here it is:

 

hello,

 

I was planning on purchasing the Firepod or possibly the Firebox firewire recording interface in the near future and had some questions about compatability with my laptop. I am using a Dell inspiron e1505, intel dual core 1.83, 100 gig sata 7200 hd, 2 gigs of ram, and running windows xp media edition. The main recording program i use is Nuendo 2. I have read about known compatability issues with other recording interfaces and windows xp media edition, as well as with using the 4-pin 1394 firewire connection on the laptop with the 6-pin connection of the interface. I would really appreciate your assistence with these question as soon as possible so I can make an informed purchase.

Thank you very much for your time,

 

 

The 6-pin to 4-pin connector is absolutely no concern, because the only thing the extra 2 pins carry is FW bus power (which is only available to Apple laptops).

 

Windows XP: Media Center Edition could pose a problem. I say "could," because XP:MCE is not a guaranteed incompatibility. With the right amount of optimization, it's possible to run the FirePod on Media Center without any further problems. However, there have been cases where no amount of tinkering and toying could resolve the issues with Media Center.

 

The only cost you may incur during the troubleshooting would be on a FW400-only PCMCIA card with a Texas Instruments chipset. (The Adaptec 1430V and CoolGear Ruggedized both have a TI chipset if you want to check them out early.)

 

In the end, I recommend picking up the FirePod and trying it out. In the absolute worst case scenario--when the retailer refuses to take it back after your week of testing, you spend an extra $75 on an OEM copy of XP: Home.

 

 

Lemme know what you decide ...

 

 

 

So it seems that the firepod may work, but it still sounds like everything would be better off with a normal edition of XP. Why the hell did dell push this crappy operating system on me? I really didn't think that there was so much of a difference between them, so frustrating. Anyway, thanks for your help, let me know what you think and if you have any further advice. Oh, and I was looking into the MOTU traveler or Untralite, it seems that the 828 works well with MCE, so maybe i would be better off with MOTU? Thanks.

[blue2blue]

I'm agnostic on the interfaces (no experience with other FW units besides with my 828mkII)... the response from Presonus looks quite sensible. I think, if I had it to do over again, I would certainly be looking at their products (which were not out when I bought my MOTU). But I have been satisfied with my MOTU (with the exception of, for me, overly "dark" mic pres).

 

I've used my MOTU with a Dell Centrino laptop (Inspiron 8600) with its onboard FW (no real probs that I know of*).

 

And when I bought my cheapo, refurb Dell econobox desktop, I made a point of seeking out the TI chipset for my FW adapter card. No probs there.

 

*(The one issue I DO have with the laptop is a somewhat perplexing -- but carefully isolated and completely repeatable -- and "workaroundable" -- "navigation noise" issue that I suspect is an elaborate ground loop involving the built in audio interface, my MOTU, and, likely, the video chip. It ONLY happens when my lappie's internal audio is connected to my power amp at the same time as the audio output from my MOTU. This "navigation noise" seems to happen when I mouse click, change browser pages, and that sort of thing. It appears to happen on BOTH audio interfaces simultaneously. Disconnecting EITHER interface from the power amp eliminates the problem. Disconnecting the MOTU FW cable also eliminates the problem from the internal card. It's weird -- but it's pretty easy to work around. My desktop does NOT have this issue with an otherwise similar hookup.)

 

 

I say try to make MCE work. Make sure you turn off the WMCE services you find using MSConfig (I noted them somewhere -- if you have probs contact me). You'll need to turn them back on should you decide to use the MCE add on -- but that doesn't sound too likely... And make darn sure you get rid of all the CRAPWARE that comes preinstalled.

 

(Honestly, I was able to go into MSConfig's startup tab and unclick everything but my MOTU drivers and my Wireless Config. THen I went to Services, clicked "hide Microsoft services" and just unclicked everyhting that remained. I then unclicked "hide MS" and looked for anything with "Media Center" in it and unclicked that, too. That brought the load size down enormously, from over 190 MB to something around 120... I did some more optimizations from MusicXP.com and maybe a couple of the conservative tweaks from TweakXP.com and got it down to around 112 MB. (Since plumped up a bit by some MS Visual Studio stuff, but still less than 130.)

 

 

It's also my understanding that the core of WMCE is basically XP Pro (without the IIS network server functions -- for which there IS now a workaround for those using MS Visual Studio to test server apps on their local machines, anyhow.)

 

And, in my experience, with slightly dissimilar machines (desktop and laptop) I was able to get the boot profile of WMCE down to the same basic shape and size as with XP SP1. There may, indeed, be situations where WMCE can't work with some hardware, but it's well worth giving it a shot, since you already have it.

 

I've run into others with similar good luck with WMCE. But I have to say that some (as in NOT ALL, so save your cards and letters of protest) of the folks I've run into who said they gave up on WMCE impressed me as not having done their homework.

[FatalVision]

blue2blue,

 

Thanks so much for your continued support and information! I am going out of town till monday, so I will not have time to get into prunning my computer until i get back. However, I just want to make sure I get everything you did in one place so I can refer to it correctly in the future. Here is a collection of things you did from your posts:

 

* windows online update - reboot

* uninstall unwanted programs, come-ons, wizards

* remove unnecessary processes from Startup (in my case all but one) in msconfig

* carefully remove unnecessary services from msconfig (you can always come back)

* (for MCE) remove Windows MCE services from msconfig

* follow some or all optimization tweaks at www.musicXP.net

 

 

Here's what I unchecked in MSConfig (that was easily identifiable as a WMCE service and which -- on my machine -- have not had any bad consequences except I can't run the MCE application which I didn't want to anyhow...)

 

From MSConfig's Services tab:

 

Media Center Receiver

Media Center Scheduler

 

I also unchecked a couple of Creative Labs services. I have a built in SB chip on my mobo -- and it continues to work fine. I don't/haven't run any of Creative's entertainment-oriented apps, though I suspect they would probably still run okay.

There's a handy "hide all Microsoft Services" checkbox outside the services window which can help you zero in on third party stuff that you may or may not need.

One thing I DO turn off is Windows Auto Update. That means I have to turn it back on in order to do the Windows online update (very important for security updates) but that's no biggie. About half the time I forget but the Windows update tells me it's turned off so, you know, I just turn it on and turn it off when I'm done.

I also turned off Windows Fax, per, if I recall a specific tip at musicXP.net.

 

Under Startup, I was able to uncheck everything but my Wi-Fi Wireless Configuration app (proprietary) and my MOTU driver (which I actually installed later).

 

On System.ini, Win.ini, and boot.ini I was able to uncheck all the items with no problems. Depending on your set up that may or may not be possible.

 

 

 

 

As far as spybot and adaware are concerned, I am running spysweeper, does that do the same stuff or do you suggest using those specific programs?

 

Also, when I make these changes to msconfig, should i be creating system restore points or anything? I know that those are mostly used for changes in the registry, but should I be nervous about playing around unchecking things, even if I can re-check them?

Finally, when you say crapware and bloatware (I don't mean to sound stupid and ignorant) but what should be deleted and what will make a difference. I got rid of aol last night, and I unchecked the startup for quicktime and some other stupid programs like quickrecord and net waiting. Should I de-install the programs even if they are not being loaded during startup? Also, things like the games that come pre-installed through some internet service called wildtangent game channel? I guess I am asking why de-installing programs that are not running anymore is essential to making the system run faster, besides freeing up hard drive space. I will go to musicxp.com and do what they say there too and then hopefully I will be in good shape. Perhaps between the two of us we can create a final post that will have a detailed list of what exactly should be done to optimize WMCE and help hundreds of poor souls like me who got screwed by not knowing any better. Thanks in advance for all your help!

[blue2blue]

System Restore points are always a good idea when you're fooling around.

 

They are NOT foolproof (it's possible to corrupt program files or remove them, etc) but System Restore has saved my backside a lot of times. (I DO have it set so that it's not running all the time but I keep thinking about switching it back to something like daily.)

 

 

With regard to actually un-installing stuff like Quicktime -- you don't have to. The most important thing is getting its "helper/loader" app out of your background services so it's not sucking down resources. (A big offender on my machine is MusicMatch. Its "loader" actually slowed down loading. But even now when I run it, MM leaves a bunch of crap behind. So I usually reboot before doing serious heavy audio lifting.)

 

I DO uninstall stuff like AOL offers because I'm NEVER EVER gonna have anything to do with it. RealPlayer went, too. (I installed RealAlternative to access RealMedia.) Quictime I would PROBABLY have aced out, as well, but I actually own QT Pro which I need for vids from my cam... but it is certainly, in many ways, a very frustrating and lame piece of software. I guess they forgot to apply their famous Apple human engineering to it. But there IS a Quicktime Alertnative. However it has some of the same limitations and problems as QT since it uses the QT engine, apparently. Even though I have a payfor version of QT Pro, I found that it can't be upgraded (without buying it full price all over again) to play the latest QT media like Mp4. Unbelievable, huh? Anyhow, I got the free VLC Media player which does it and does it better (or at least more intuitively).

 

Hmmm... did I answer your questions?

[Phil O'Keefe]

Some hardware will just NOT work on Media Edition... so make sure that your hardware will work with your computer before making any purchasing decisions.

 

Windows Vista isn't too far from release now, and is sure to have its share of bugs and delays while the MI and Pro Audio companies get the software updates and drivers ready to go - not to mention Microsoft getting it stable and killing their bugs. For the moment, either XP Home or XP Pro is the way to go on a Windows computer - reliable, mature and stable, with plenty of audio industry support. As much of a hassle as it is to reinstall a OS and then all your programs and so forth, IMO, that is your best option at this point in time. Media Edition is really a consumer product, and it is highly unlikely that this late in the Win XP lifecycle that audio companies are going to scramble to support it.

[seclusion]

Think of Window Media Edition as a beta for Vista, get all the consumer stuff checked out eary. IE 7, Media Player 11 are all released early as a beta and a tease to upgrade to Vista! Just like Windows Me and Win XP, got everyone hooked on the newer stuff!

LATER

ya XP pro is still the norm, I'd like to wait until 64 bit addition drivers are more popular then goto a new system all together!

[blue2blue]

No.

 

It is absolutely NOTHING like Vista is reported to be.

 

There might be some of the MCE components that end up in Vista, along with other familiar components.

 

MCE is basically Win XP Pro SP 2 with IIS services stripped out and some added media applications (soft DVR, etc) running on top of it.

 

If you don't run the MCE apps and you turn off the MCE related services it looks VERY MUCH like XP SP2. (I don't mean cosmetically; it's actually a fairly handsome and elegant default skin/theme.)

 

 

It has, essentially all of the current XP features and none of the non-XP features promised/threatened by Vista.

 

 

It is certainly not officially SUPPORTED by a number of hardware and software makers for fairly obvious reasons -- it's very expensive to test an OS thoroughly and if you don't test and you promise compatibility you could end up screwed.

 

 

That said, I'd be quite interested in seeing a list of hardware and software that is confirmed not to work with WMCE when the MCE components are not turned on.

 

 

Basically what I'm saying is, if you have a choice, sure why not get XP Home (if you can even find it) or XP Pro.

 

But if you already HAVE WMCE -- given its joined-at-the-hip relationship with XP home/Pro -- it makes sense to go through the couple of extra steps it takes to optimize WMCE over WinXP and just see...

 

 

But if you watn to keep WMCE and you're looking for pro gear (ie, not consumer economy of scale) that does offer certified WMCE compatability... I'm thinking you might have a rough search.

 

I just don't think folks will go through the cert processes for the supposedly short shelf-life of WMCE...

 

[Me... I think it's gonna be a long time before most folks get switched over to Vista... I think it's gonna be a rough ride for the computer biz.]

[FatalVision]

Hello everyone, I am back from my trip

 

I sent an e-mail to MOTU asking them a few questions, here it is:

 

hello,

intel

connection

 

 

The UltraLite is compatible with Windows XP Media edition. It is

compatible with Nuendo. However, we have seen problems with the

built-in Firewire ports on the the Inspiron series of computers.

Therefore we recommend a PCMCIA Firewire adapter card. Tested card

brands include ADS and Keyspan.

The PCMCIA card will not provide adequate Firewire bus power, so you

will need to power the UltraLite with the included DC power adapter.

 

I look forward to answering all your technical questions.

 

If I can be of further service, please let me know.

 

Dave Roberts - MOTU

 

 

So there you go, The MOTU UltraLite is compatable with WMCE. Can't argue with that. Clearly other companies have just not taken the time to make their poroducts work with MCE, which is a mistake on their part I think, but whatever. I have actually gotten my hands on my friends firepod to test it out and see if all is good. I installed the drivers today and hooked it into Nuendo and everything seemed to be in perfect working order. I am planning on doing further testing, utilizing all 8 inputs at once and so forth, even the firewire port they said might have trouble is working fine, for now. I will keep you updated. I have started removing programs and little startup programs and tray icons, so I think its just a matter of time before I can get the machine running smoothly. How do I check my "footprint" in the windows task manager?

 

I had another question about Pro Tools and MCE. I read on other posts that Pro Tools does not work with MCE. Is this true? I personally don't like the program and can't afford it, but it is possible that I may have to use it in the future and was just wondering about that. I know its probably just another reason to upgrade to xp pro, but I thought I would just ask,

Thanks in advance!

[yoitsme]

I just wanted to add that i have also been using media edition with no issues - that include a Yamaha i88x which is known to have issues. I did get rid of all the junk that came with the computer so i would say i'm running a stipped down version of media edition. It is VERY important to delete all the junk from the computer.

[FatalVision]

When you say "junk" do you mean all the stuff we have been talking about in the above forums? I got rid of every crappy useless program I could and disabled them from starting up just by going in the program and deselecting those options. I have not disabled the media center edition tabs using msconfig yet, but I just had a recording session using my friends firepod, and used all 8 channels with no issues whatsoever. So, everything is ok so far. If you anybody could post some more helpful tips that would be great! The more the better! Also, I went through tweak xp and damned if there isn't a milion tips, so which ones should I use? Blue 2 Blue, I think you could answer this the best. Thanks everybody!

[the stranger]

 

Originally posted by Phil O'Keefe Some hardware will just NOT work on Media Edition... so make sure that your hardware will work with your computer before making any purchasing decisions. Windows Vista isn't too far from release now, and is sure to have its share of bugs and delays while the MI and Pro Audio companies get the software updates and drivers ready to go - not to mention Microsoft getting it stable and killing their bugs. For the moment, either XP Home or XP Pro is the way to go on a Windows computer - reliable, mature and stable, with plenty of audio industry support. As much of a hassle as it is to reinstall a OS and then all your programs and so forth, IMO, that is your best option at this point in time. Media Edition is really a consumer product, and it is highly unlikely that this late in the Win XP lifecycle that audio companies are going to scramble to support it.

 

 

I wonder what's the possibility of this guy getting on the phone with Microsoft and telling him he can't use the Media Edition and try to get them to send him a copy of XP?

He did purchase the OS, and does have issues that could be rectified by Microsoft making the exchange.

 

Just a thought...

[the stranger]

 

Originally posted by FatalVision If you anybody could post some more helpful tips that would be great! The more the better! Also, I went through tweak xp and damned if there isn't a milion tips, so which ones should I use?

 

 

I bumped this other thread for ya!

[blue2blue]

Originally posted by FatalVision When you say "junk" do you mean all the stuff we have been talking about in the above forums? I got rid of every crappy useless program I could and disabled them from starting up just by going in the program and deselecting those options. I have not disabled the media center edition tabs using msconfig yet, but I just had a recording session using my friends firepod, and used all 8 channels with no issues whatsoever. So, everything is ok so far. If you anybody could post some more helpful tips that would be great! The more the better! Also, I went through tweak xp and damned if there isn't a milion tips, so which ones should I use? Blue 2 Blue, I think you could answer this the best. Thanks everybody!

 

Hey... sorry I haven't been around to see this thread back up before now...

 

I would say the tweaks at www.musicXP.com (last time I looked) offered a good balance... not so aggressive that you'll be spending time removing things that don't add much overhead but I think they tend to get the biggies.

 

With regard to checking what I've called the "RAM footprint."

 

I typically do it after booting when I've been making changes -- but it's interesting and informative to see which of your programs release memory properly and which put a big hole in it that doesn't come back until you re-login or, often more effectively, reboot... (some memory fragmentation/unrecoverability is "normal," of course... but I do find some bad actors... for me the number one bad guy among my typical programs is the MusicMatch Jukebox. I have MS Config set up to NOT load any of MMJB's "helpers," "loaders," etc. It actually loads faster at times because they're NOT in the boot profile. Go figure. But once it's run, it makes a big ol mess of ram, sometimes leaving as much as 80-100 MB of memory more or less missing in action. Logging off and back in usually takes it down to a point where there's only around 40 MB missing. Rebooting, of coruse, takes me back down to where I like to be.)

 

(Also, I've been doing some .NET developing and have been running the "personal" version of the MS SQL Server, which, as a background process oriented to high perf databases, expectedly takes some resources. But I did go into System Services and turn the SQL Server background processes to "Manual" from "Automatic"... that keeps them out of the boot profile until I need them. [Of course, what typically happens is I forget I do, I try to run a database page locally and it fails so I slap my forehead and turn them on.)

 

I just give the ol' three finger salute (ctrl-alt-delete) which brings up the Windows Task Manager. The Services page has a list of running services as well as the amount of RAM being used, the size of the pagefile, etc. If you go to the Performance tab you get an animate d graph of system resource use, which can be helpful, as well.

[FatalVision]

Well Hello there!

its been a long time.

I have been learning a lot about tweaking my computer and what not, and had some good times and bad times doing it.

I unchecked some stuff from msconfig, but I didn't want to go too crazy cause I am using my computer both as a DAW and for regular stuff. I unchecked the 2 media center items you mentioned, as well as the ipod service from itunes, and the windows fax. Like you said, media center doesn't work well now. I put in a dvd and it auto played in there cause I never changed the autoplay settings, and everything was cool, until I tried to quit. Everything pretty much froze up and it took a while to get out of there. I got an error message saying the Windows XP Media Center Edition had to close, which is bad. I guess if I don't use it then I should be ok, but its just kinda scary to me. Do you think it really makes a huge difference to uncheck such things?

 

I bought myself a firepod and have been using it for the last few days. I was borrowing a friend of mines and did a recording using all 8 channels about 2 weeks ago. I was rec. at 24-48 and 7 to 8 channels at once, all being monitored through nuendo. All the tracks were cool except for one where there was some "popping" noise. Its a shame too cause that was a good take. I had not done much to optimize my computer at that point except get rid of the extra programs and task bar startup things and uncheck what you told me. So I wrote to presonus for answers, as well as looking at musicxp as you suggested. Music Xp has some great tips, I have a few questions about them, but first I want to share what the tech at Presonus sent me in order to possible fix my problems:

 

Here are a few basic optimization settings I suggest:

1.) If you had anti-virus or anti-spyware software active during installation, disable them & reinstall the most recent PreSonus drivers (available on our Web site @ [http://www.presonus.com/downloads.html]).

--) Feel free to reactivate your A-V/A-S software after completing the driver installation process.

2.) Right click on the FirePod/Box icon in your system tray just to the left of the date/time. Set the CPU setting to HIGH. If HIGH setting does not work, try LOW.

2b). Double-click the FirePod/Box icon in your system tray. Set the Latency to 10.0 ms.

--) (The above settings do not apply to the Inspire1394.)

 

3.) Right click on your My Computer icon > select Properties. Click the Advanced tab; click the Settings button under Performance; click Advanced tab,

then set to Background Services under Processor Scheduling.

 

4.) If you have Service Pack 2 installed:

 

--) To determine which Service Pack you have: Click Start menu > Control Panel > System. In the General Tab will be your version & SP info.

 

4a. Click Start menu > Control Panel > Windows Firewall. Click the Advanced tab and deselect the 1394 Connection. Click OK.

 

4b. Visit this link, then download & install the recommended patch: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885222

 

5.) Click Start menu > Control Panel. Double click into Power Options and set the Power Scheme to Always On. Set the other stuff to NEVER & click APPLY. Then click the Hibernate tab and deselect hibernate; then click APPLY and OK.

 

6.) Click Start menu > Control Panel and double click into Network Connections. If you have a Wireless Network Connection, right click and disable this while you are running the FirePod/Box or Inspire 1394.

 

7.) Within Cubase LE, click Devices menu > Device Setup, and select VST MULTITRACK. Set the "number of disk buffers" to 10 and "disk buffer size" to 128 or 256. Click "Apply". Also, ensure you are set to the PreSonus ASIO FirePod/Box drivers. Then click the "Expert'" button and set "Audio Priority" to VERY HIGH. You may also want to increase any related settings within other recording softwares.

 

--) (Though this step is specific to Cubase LE, every DAW software has a process buffer. It is usually located within an audio/options menu.

 

--) If you are not using Cubase LE, it is often a valuable troubleshooting step to experiment with different DAW software platforms to check the possibility of this being a software-specific issue.)

 

8.) Finally, right click on My Computer > select Properties. Click the Hardware tab, then click "Device Manager" button. In here, extend the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers; double click on the Primary and Secondary IDE Channels; click Advanced Settings. Here you will see Device 0 and Device 1, you will see "Transfer Mode" (which is usually set to DMA if available) and you will see "Current Transfer Mode". Current Transfer needs to be set to UDMA(Ultra DMA) mode. If either Device on the Primary or Secondary Channels are set to PIO mode, this could be your problem. (PIO mode is a slower, legacy transfer mode for older HD's.) If either is set to PIO mode, enter the BIOS and set the IDE Controllers to 'Auto'. This should enable you to change the "Tranfer Mode" to DMA if available". You can alternately return to the Device Manager, right click on the Primary/Secondary IDE Channel listed then "Uninstall" it. Once uninstalled, rebooting your computer will refresh it.

 

 

I tried to follow some of the steps he gave me, except I have not downloaded the patch for the firewire port yet, and when I did the cubase one, (but in nuendo), it crashed constantly and it took a while to get it open so I could reset the default. I also have not re-installed the drivers with the anti-virus and spyware off yet, and when I asked him about it, he said it was a good idea to do.

 

I set the procesor scheduling to background scheduling, and noticed that my programs are all going way slower, but I guess that setting is to be used for recording, so I can switch between the 2 when I need to. Also, I am using Classic Windows since it is supposed to use less energy.

 

I have read the tuning tips in music xp well, and I think those might be enough to help. What do you think? Maybe you can just make a quick list of the tuning tips that helped you. I guess I could just try them all, but I don't want to make changes that are gonna have minimal results.

 

I think I have covered everything I wanted to say here. I feel very disorganized, its late and I'm tired...

Let me know if we can somehow get that list of the best tweaks to do to make all our recording needs run better.

Thanks in advance!

[blue2blue]

Honestly, I'm not sure how big an impact the Media Center services have, but, what the heck, trying putting them back in your boot profile and see how things go.

 

I have a few things that I switch on and off depending on what I'm doing... (I do business development work so sometimes I have to have MS SQL Server running... as you might expect, a just-above-OS level database backend can suck up a couple MB of RAM (not all that bad, maybe 30 or 40 MB I think but I'm a bug about these things)... I use the Services interface to switch it on when I need it (it remains unchecked in MSConfig, though, and as a "manual" startup in the Services interface.

 

 

Anyhow, give it a shot and see if the WMCE services make a big impact or perhaps interfere with your audio drivers, yadda yadda.

 

 

Now, I'm gonna get some more coffee and tear into the main part of your post and get back to you here in a few minutes...

 

 

 

___________

 

PS... my philosophy on problems like your DVD playback issue is... if I can reverse/undo it, I don't sweat.

 

I like to set a restore point when I know I'm going to be making iffy changes... System Restore's saved me some worrying more than a couple times. (And then there are those times I didn't have a restore point set... ah well. You CAN set it to do a restore point once a day, if you want... at some point in my optimization process I turned that off so now I essentially have to set them manually. I've thought about changing ti back. If I was doing a lot of changes, I might.)

 

Back in a few...

[blue2blue]

Okay... I read the rest... the Presonus guy gave you a pretty big list of potential changes. And that's good. Although it sounds like a few were problematic.

 

 

USUALLY, pops and crackles come from too-small buffer settings... hence the advice to increase the size of hardware and software buffers.

 

I'm a little surprised the background/foreground processor utilization change is so noticeable. (You probably know that the reason most audio apps suggest switching it to background priority is because disk and driver processes are "background" processes. [Also, if I recall correctly, I think virtual instruments and plug in FX are background processes, too. Don't quote me.])

 

Just out of curiousity -- and with the understanding that all systems are different and different set ups require different... uh... set ups... but after you first boot up and the machine has stabilized (everything is loaded, disk accesses have stopped, etc), how many services do you have running and how much RAM is being used? (You can get that info from the Task Manager Processes tab and a little more detail on the Performance tab.)

[FatalVision]

Ok, I will have to finish my new tweaks and test out the ram usage and what not for you, and for myself as well. I noticed that my computer was getting really hot and the fan was running all the time and my battery's life went to {censored} after doing the changes the presonus guy gave me. So I figured it was the changes to the power scheme, and sure enough, it was. I switched it back to the portable/laptop setting because I am not going to be recording all the time, so when I am just sitting here on the internet I don't appreciate hot wind coming at me and the bottom of my computer burning my legs and my battery being crap. I was also running classic windows, but lets face it, it looks like {censored}, so I took the advice of the MusicXp tip and changed the setting to "do whats best for performance" and kept the last tab that still uses the new scheme for windows and what not. I don't know how much of a difference this will make in the ram usage. I will have to do a test. As for the background service switch, I can really tell a difference. My Trend Microvirus PC Cillin used to updat when I connected to the internet and be lightning fast. Now when it updates it is rather sluggish. However, like I said above, the excessive heat and overworking of the computer was coming from keeping everything on all the time in the power settings.

 

I figure I will just have to switch things on and off for recording.

Here is a list I can think of. By the way, I am just going through all this crap to help others who might stumble upon this site, and also as a kind of record of my actions, cause one day I am scared I'm gonna turn on my computer and its gonna be all messed up and I won't even remember what the hell I did to it.

anyway...

I made a shortcut on my desktop for the system and power options, so when I want to record, I will just go to the always on scheme.

As for the system, I will change the processor scheduling to background services (if I choose to switch it to programs for normal use). since I got rid of all the graphics, but am still using the Media center Xp display since it looks cool, I will have to switch to classic windows on the start menu and the desktop. Then I will of course switch off my wireless connection. At this point I will just restart and everything should be optimized for recording!

 

Did I forget anything?

I still havn't turned off automatic updates, but I guess I will try that out. I did turn off hibernation, cause that is pointless to me anyway, and I am planning on turning the remote services off.

 

Does this sound like a plan?

 

I will test out my restart method and see what my PF and process is at for comparison. Have a good day, and I will repost soon!

 

By the way, do you happen to know what the best power setting would be for normal laptop use? When I got my notebook, it was set on the portable/laptop setting, so that is what I put it back on cause it works well, but maybe there is an even better method? If you know about this I would appreciate it. Thanks!

 

I keep forgetting things to ask about! Damn.

 

Anyway, about the buffer size...

I am using Nuendo, so I figured Cubase was the same. I could not find a buffer setting, but I set the audio priority from the default high to Very High. As soon as I did that it crashed. Then everytime I tried to open something up, it would crash again. When I tried to change the setting back to default, it would freeze and crash again. Finally I was able to open up a project and change it back without it crashing. That was a very intence couple minutes. So, I am not ever gonna mess with that crap again, cause I would have be in some real trouble, since I had someone coming over later in the day to lay down some tracks.

 

About the buffer for the firepod:

There are 3 settings, High, Medium and Low. I have it set to Medium (default) and the Presonus guy told me that I should try High? That makes no sense to me, and I told him so:

 

"It says in the manual that you should choose the speed according to your cpu power. I have mine on the default medium because I have dual 1.83's, and it says in the manual that if there is any dropouts or problems to set it to low, so I guess I don't understand why setting it to high would make it run better. I am using the 6ms latency setting because for layering recording it sounds much better, but I suppose for a live setting the latency can be put back to 10ms, right?"

 

The Response:

 

"There really is no tried-and-true rule for selecting your CPU and latency settings. Basically, set them to whichever works best and leave it."

 

So there you go. I guess I am just gonna leave it on medium. I still don't get why he would suggest putting it on high (the buffer that is) when my computer is having a tab bit of trouble.

 

Ok, I'm done for now, finally, talk to you later!

[blue2blue]

Fatal...

 

You may be the only guy who writes longer posts than me...

 

 

On the power-saving battery/fan stuff...

 

Yeah... you certainly don't want it running hot all the time.

 

I do have the fan on my Centrino laptop kick into high when I'm doing heavy CPU stuff (which CAN include audio with lots of plugs and or CPU-sucking virtual instruments) or some graphics-intensive stuff.

 

But I'd try to avoid running it hot.

 

I still haven't read your whole post but I wanted to point out one thing -- sometimes when you're making a bunch of changes to your system it's a good idea to do them in stages so if there's an undesirable side effect it's easier to isolate.

 

Back soon with more...

 

---------------------

 

 

On the themes/skins thing... yeah, I ran Classic Windows for a long time but then I realized I could run XP silver (this was on my laptop which doesn't have MCE) with little increase on CPU drag if I turned off a lot of the silly stuff that you really don't need or even notice -- with he added benefit that Windows actually can seem to perform faster -- and I mean things like "animated" menus that slowly roll out... I NEVER understood that one... I remember the first time I played with a version of Windows that had that (was it 98?) I thought -- whoa... this is so slow... then I realized it was just the "animated" menus leisurely rolling out and slowing everything down. I turned that off and -- I don't know what it did for the CPU but it definitely sped up Windows apparent speed when it came to going through pull down menus, etc.

 

Other features, like shadows under menus... cute but possibly not worth the CPU hit. Cursor under the mouse icon... I like that one... still one time when I measured it, as best I could, it seemed to take about 1% of CPU usage as measured by the CPU usage meter... 1% is a lot for a tiny shadow... but it does make the cursor easier to see. Still, you can swap out the cursor to something bigger/ bolder and... anyhow.

 

__________

 

 

I was never a fan of blue and tan XP... silver was ok... but I REALLY like WMCE's native blue skin that mine came with...

 

 

I turn off Auto Updates. You have to turn it on when you go do a Windows update, but that's no big deal. It saves a couple MB (load size doesn't directly correlate to CPU usage, of course, but I use it as a very rough guide).

 

I don't personally use a background anti-virus program, but I'm always behind a firewall (out in the world I use ZoneAlarm; at home I have a hardware firewall for both machines) and I do periodic scans using Trend Micro's HouseCall.

 

A recent study showed that 80% of new viruses are missed by the major AV programs (the serious blackhats do not consider a virus to be ready for primetime unless its can beat Norton, Macaffee -- and probably Trend Micro, too. ). Still, running without AV is not for everyone. If you're inclined to click on pop-ups that say "You may be infected!" -- you may be.

 

------------

 

On the buffer thing... I guess it ALL depends on what "high" and "low" mean in this context.

 

Obviously if "high" means a bigger buffer that gives you more slack to play with and should produce less glitching (NO glitching is the only real acceptable thing, of course but sometimes life is a game of inches) but, of course, it will produce longer monitoring latencies.

 

If, OTOH, "high" means shorter/smaller buffers (as in "high performance/short latency" I'm guessing) then it would produce quicker through the box monitoring but at the risk of increased glitching/clicks [no through the box monitoring is quick enough for me, though... but when you're playing virtual instruments you're gonna have to put up with the output leg, no matter what].

 

 

Kinda surprised Cubase doesn't have a more nuanced approach to buffer size. High, medium, and low seems kinda odd... as though it cost them less than just putting a continuously variable buffer setting -- and as a programmer I'm not sure that makes any sense.

 

Anyhow, it sounds like it's getting there.

 

An excellent idea to document all this.

 

I can't tell you HOW MANY TIMES I've thought -- for sure -- that the pain of some process like what you're going through would keep the details burned into my head FOREVER only, six months or a year later, to find that sure enough, the post traumatic stress disorder that kept the details fresh in my nightmares for months finally let it all fade away... just in time to have to recreate the whole learning process again....

 

Bookmark the thread -- but save it on your hard drive, too. This hard-won knowledge may be too valuable to let blow away through the vicissitudes of BB land...

[FatalVision]

So it continues...

haha, I can't get enough of this crap, its like its occupying every thought I have until I get it all settled. Everything is working ok, but there is always that desire to get it working the best possible.

 

First issue, the power saving thing. The more I think about it, the more I realize that yes, why would I want my computer to be overloaded all the time, and getting super hot? I guess its good for recording because the guy from presonus and music xp say to do it, but I think I am gonna reserve it for special times when I am tracking a whole bunch of tracks for long periods.

I switched the settings on the "always on" scheme to never, as instructed, but don't remember what the default settings were. Do you know?

I have gone back to using the original power scheme that it was set on when I got it which was "portable/laptop." When the computer is plugged in it says to turn off the monitor never, turn off the hard disc after 20 minutes, and go to system standby after 25 minutes.

When it is on batteries, it says to turn off the monitor never, turn off the hard disc after 30 minutes, and go to system standby after 20 minutes.

I really like this power scheme because I get about 6 hours out of my battery, the computer stays pretty cool, and the fan is not going nuts.

Now, can you perhaps suggest the settings that would be best for everyday use, and the settings that would be acceptable for recording that are not with everything switched to never. I was just gonna use the never settings when I was recording, but now I think I will only reserve that for really heavy recording, as I stated above.

This is a huge concern for me because I want to get the most life out of my laptop as possible, and I don't think that overworking it is a good way to do that. What settings do you use?

I really would like to find a happy medium where I get a lot out of my battery and a cool computer, and I recording will not be messed up.

On music xp, the power scheme tip is number 6, so maybe it is not as important anyway.

 

I diabled the background image too, I think I will live, but I have reservations about the screensaver. What is the problem there? Perhaps if you are recording and it comes on in the middle of it? What do you think?

 

I disabled remote assistance and remote desktop because I will never use that, nor do I want to. And I will have to try turning off auto update. I think thats about as much tweaking as I am willing to do.

 

I think the high setting on the buffer is for higher cpu speeds, and the lower is for slower computers, if that makes sense. So I would just stick to medium i guess, maybe low. But heck, I could try high and see what happens, the worst thing that could happen is my computer will blow up!

 

I am using Nuendo, not cubase (same thing I guess) but I didn't see any buffer menu in there unless I missed it. I don't even want to try after my last experience, haha.

 

I am gonna save all this stuff, mostly for my own refernce. It will be great stuff for when I can afford to have a DAW that is dedicated to only recording. I just got a G4 mac for free. Its just sitting here. I don't know what to do with it, maybe it will make a nice lamp. I could use that for the internet in the future, then I wouldn't need any antivirus software!

 

Thanks for helping me out, specially with the power stuff. It seems pretty simple, but I think it can really extend the life of your computer if you set it right.

[blue2blue]

With the power settings, I'd do what seems to work, I guess that's an easy answer but it's what I'd do.

 

The screen saver (or any sudden use of system resources, of course) could conceivably cause a glitch if it occurred during recording but unless you're recording really long tracks or have your screen saver set to kick in real fast, that shouldn't happen. I do find that mine (which is almost always set to something) kicks in when I'm practicing keyboard from time to time but that's not really a problem... my MIDI and soft synths keep working, I just need to re-log in when I need to change something, etc.

 

I did have my screen power shut down after a while on battery on my laptop but I think that was pretty long, like 20 minutes. The display on mine is apparently one of the big drags on power.

 

I agree that avoiding the fan is probably a good thing, in the sense that you're avoiding the heat conditions that necessitate it and heat is not great for the components. OTOH, we hope the fans are designed well enough to keep things properly cool.

 

The only time the fan really concerned me was in some process where it came on and stayed on... since, at that point, you're not sure that it's even getting the internal temperature down to reasonable levels. (I figure if the fan comes on and goes off, fine, it got the temp down. If it comes on for a few minutes later and goes off, I figure that's a sign things are working and not overheating. If the fan comes on and stays on, OTOH, that makes me nervous. (The main time that happened -- and it did go off some -- was rendering some Quicktime files for DVD video... the algorithm must have been a real crummy one, 'cause that fan was kicking into high on and off for hours just to render about 40 minutes of video. THAT was not fun.

 

Sometimes when I'm using Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet to transfer GB's of files, the fan starts kicking in, too. But it kind of comes and goes, so, again, I try not to sweat it too bad. So to speak.

 

[metaorphic]

stumbled on this thread just now...curious being as I will soon be receiving an E1505 with WMCE, for recording sequencing etc. I was considering the Inspire 1394 or other firewire boxes also, so I'm grateful for all the expertise found here.

 

If I had one question it would be:

 

Should I be concerned about daisychaining 2 or more firewire interfaces, enough so that I should buy ONE unit with the XLR preamps I need (about 4)? If I can daisychain without a problem, I'll get one with two XLR channels, and daisy chain additional units.

 

THX GUYS