New ASIO driver: issues, bug/problem reports, etc., 2012-01-02: version 2.1 Options

[A_Man_Eating_Duc...]

@keijo

Have you upgraded to the very latest drivers m-audio drivers from THIS thread?

[Peter]

ASIO output doesn't work here yet with this 2.03 version either. After installing it Foobar asks if it is ok to restart program, and when it does it gives just error message "Internal error - one or more of the installed components have been damaged".
Then it is needed to start Foobar in safemode and remove ASIO output driver.

Open the components preferences page and install the whole zip you downloaded, not just the DLL alone.

[kraut]

I just went to preferences, components page, and selected: get updates, then apply and restart.

[mikk]

Version 2.0.3 was just uploaded. It fixes issues in 32-bit ASIO host and won't use 64 bit version unless user manually selects it. kX drivers should output sound with this one now.

Hi, this version is working again, thanks.

+ Info:
My kx driver version is 3551, this is latest (beta) driver with win7 support.
My system is Win7x64. I use kxmixer x86 version, because many kx plugins is only x86 compatible. When windows is starting, kxmixer x86 version is started automatically, instead of kxmixer x64 version.
Now I thinking, and after I try start kxmixer x64 version. Well, ver 2.0.2 Asio plugin is working. lol.
After windows is started, and kxmixer x86 version is loaded, ver 2.0.2 Asio plugin is working... Certainly 2.0.3 is working (32 or 64 bit).

This post has been edited by mikk: Dec 19 2011, 10:24

[Peter]

Problems with 2.0.3: Almost working, but some streams I have to start twice before they sound right. First time: intermittent, chugging, and wrong speed. Second time: sounds great. Can't see a pattern as to which kind of stream (AAC, MP3, Vorbis) affected. I am using a plenty big buffer (same as with previous driver).

Would be very nice if you could provide a recording of this.

[Seeking_Lossless]

I'm using Lexicon Lambda with Foobar version 1.1.10. Works fine here via automatic update (ASIO 2.0.3). Anyway, thanks Peter for still developing this plug-in.

[Nordfinn]

Problems with 2.0.3: Almost working, but some streams I have to start twice before they sound right. First time: intermittent, chugging, and wrong speed. Second time: sounds great. Can't see a pattern as to which kind of stream (AAC, MP3, Vorbis) affected. I am using a plenty big buffer (same as with previous driver).

Would be very nice if you could provide a recording of this.

Will give it a try. Will have to teach myself how. Thanks.

[a3aan]

The new asio driver (up to 2.0.3) sometimes causes some sort of sync issue. This results in a lot of added noise. After hitting pause and play all is fine again. I think the old driver had the same or similar issue, but *much* more rarely. I'm using Win7/64 and a Emu 0404usb with latest beta drivers.

[Nordfinn]

Would be very nice if you could provide a recording of this.

Sorry, Peter. Cannot find a way to do so (can't find a way to point Audacity to the ASIO driver as source; will only record Asus driver). However, see last post by a3aan. Sounds like the same problem. Thanks.

This post has been edited by db1989: Dec 19 2011, 14:33

Reason for edit: fixing quote tags

[Case]

If you have a loopback cable to connect the speaker output to line-in you could make an analog recording. That should be good enough.

[Nordfinn]

Problems with 2.0.3: Almost working, but some streams I have to start twice before they sound right. First time: intermittent, chugging, and wrong speed. Second time: sounds great. Can't see a pattern as to which kind of stream (AAC, MP3, Vorbis) affected. I am using a plenty big buffer (same as with previous driver).

Would be very nice if you could provide a recording of this.

Ok. Managed to record a sample. Thanks Case. If someone could please let me know how to attach the file to one of these posts, or where to post the file elsewhere, would be appreciated. (I do not see an attachment option here.)

[db1989]

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=35

[Nordfinn]

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index.php?showforum=35

Thanks. Posted to Uploads thread. Topic "Problem sample for new ASIO driver"

This post has been edited by db1989: Dec 19 2011, 19:37

Reason for edit: adding link

[Peter]

New update attached - may or may not help.
There have been fixes specific to bugs found on machines with X-Fi cards (last Xonar "fix" broke X-Fi instead).
Please report if it makes things better/worse on Xonars. I've not yet done anything to specifically address the issue Nordfinn is having, but I've changed initialization function call order to more closely mimic the old component, so maybe certain oddball issues that didn't happen with foo_out_asio 1.x will now go away.

Attachment removed - newer version up on the site

[Nordfinn]

This is working for me. Problem solved: everything opening cleanly.
Thanks, Peter.
Nordfinn

This post has been edited by db1989: Dec 19 2011, 22:10

Reason for edit: removing full quote

[Peter]

Version 2.0.4 released.

For anyone else writing ASIO software, here's the apparent standard for ASIO initialization call order (do it differently and Asus/Creative drivers will explode in your face):

canSampleRate(); // Not sure if needed
getChannels(); // Necessary before getChannelInfo() even if you already know the channel count or else Creative will hate you.
setSampleRate(); // Necessary before createBuffers() or else Asus will hate you. Doing it before getChannels() isn't good either.
getChannelInfo();
getBufferSize();
createBuffers();


I'd like to mention that Asus Xonar drivers are responsible for 50% of all ASIO related crash reports that I've received for the old ASIO plug-in. The new plug-in is now capable of surviving these without taking foobar2000 down, but audio playback will still be interrupted. For this reason I do not recommend using ASIO for playback as despite of my best efforts it's likely still buggier than regular DirectSound, at least with cards such as Xonar.


Addendum - on device control panels:
Some drivers (M-Audio) fail to call InitCommonControls() before spawning their dialogs and their dialogs don't work if your app hasn't done InitCommonControls() before.
Idiot award goes to ASIO4ALL which spawns a modeless dialog without giving the calling context a sane way to know whether the dialog is still running. Also hangs in CoUninitialize() - AFTER closing the dialog - on my WinXP VM.

[helohe]

with the old plugin, I used to get a BSOD when playing music in a playlist and some files have different sampling rate and bitrate. for example
I play 16 /44.1 files and then the next file is 24/192 or 24/176.4. when the switching occours I got bsod. I have a "buggy" asus xonar essence st card, with newest asus drivers. the bsod message with the old plugin was some error in cmudaxp.sys :

Source
Windows

Summary
Shut down unexpectedly

Date
‎28.‎10.‎2011 01:52

Status
Report sent

Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BlueScreen
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.1
Locale ID: 2055

Extra information about the problem
BCCode: d1
BCP1: 0000000000000798
BCP2: 0000000000000002
BCP3: 0000000000000001
BCP4: FFFFF880044532AD
OS Version: 6_1_7601
Service Pack: 1_0
Product: 256_1
Bucket ID: X64_0xD1_cmudaxp+272ad
Server information: 4c7d45a6-8171-48da-a430-6633e3c34bee

I haven't tested your new plugin yet, because I prefer to avoid bsod again
I switched to WASAPI because of that problem. but wasapi doesn't automatically set the sampling rate, I have to set it for each (different) file manually in the asus controll panel. also even though WASAPI in exclusive mode mutes other sounds well, each time there is another sound playing, like a beep in windows or whatever, there is a short interruption of playback. also wasapi exclusive mode doesn't work for 16/44.1 files.

[Peter]

I'm having trouble understanding why Xonar is so popular - it comes with ridiculously buggy drivers, it has already wasted countless hours of my development time, and it sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth for its users.

[Nordfinn]

Helohe--Just to say that I have exactly the same card and drivers (running XP), and have never experienced any of these problems, and I switch sample rates often (but note that the card does not support 176). Possible you have bad hardware? I have found Asus responsive, when I've dinged them.

2.0.4 driver working great so far.

[Kurtegikov]

Hello, I have a question about ASIO behavior: I understand that it is supposed to block other system sounds and sounds from other sources like other players, browsers etc. But i noticed this strange behaviour: when i play music with foobar2000 using ASIO output other programms like for example Firefox browser having troubles opening html documents, i have saved html document and when i try to open it with firefox, it will be opening for like 50 seconds instead of 1-2 seconfs if i use any other output, or for example if i press open containing folder in foobar2000 it would freeze foobar2000 interface and will be opening it for like 40 seconds to 1 minute instead of doing it instanly, or if i use Foo_run script to open a link in firefox from foobar2000 it would again freeze foobar2000 interface ( music would continue playing OK) and will be opening the link for a minute or so.


Is there any way to fix it, anyone know what the problem is or is it a normal behaviour for this protocol?

System is 32 bit XP SP 3 and soundcard:ASUS XONAR Essence ST with latest drivers.

[helohe]

I only had the problem with asio. I'm using win7 64bit. I think the driver is buggy, maybe it has a problem with 64bit windows.

24/176.4 works fine using asio, I think it is getting upsampled to 192 or downsampled to 96. 176.4 is usually used when playing back dsd materials (using the sacd decoder plugin, the plugin unfortunately doensn't allow setting a sample rate of 192 or 96)

[Seeking_Lossless]

I'm having trouble understanding why Xonar is so popular - it comes with ridiculously buggy drivers, it has already wasted countless hours of my development time, and it sounds like it's more trouble than it's worth for its users.

I agree. Xonar user, can you all please settle with DirectSound or Wasapi in the mean time? Please understand Peter, he do this probably by himself and without any incentive. Honestly, most complaint that i read came from Xonar user. I'm using Lexicon Lambda which is 3- 4 years ago came with very buggy driver, BSOD was no stranger. But a year later they begin releasing much more stable driver with each releases. So maybe you guys should push Asus for stable driver instead.

This post has been edited by Seeking_Lossless: Dec 21 2011, 11:04

[Peter]

Xonar DirectSound was buggy too until I came up with a solution to dodge their lame dsound.dll hook recently. Oh wait, don't tell Asus that I dodge their hooks or they might "fix" my "fix" with the next update.

[Seeking_Lossless]

Is that true? Even with DirectSound? I think people should slow down when recommending the product, until they fix the buggy driver. This remind me of Audiotrak Prodigy and ESI Juli@ couple years ago, from what i read it's not doubt a great card and always recommended by most audio sites and magazine, but shipped with very buggy driver. So, the cards not quite reach it's full potential using modern OS with those buggy driver. I'm glad that i chose Lexicon Lambda for my desktop recording. At least their driver is stable since 2 years ago.

Okay, this is going off-topic and i will stop now. But for the last, please Xonar user, let Peter solve the problem at his pace.

[MaceDD]

Ola,

I'm the new guy.

The New Plugin is working fine. First I had some problems to get the plugin to work and foobar said that the plugin is broken. But I just forgot to copy both EXE-files into the component folder.

Furthermore the new plugin found the build-in ASIO of my UNI Xonar driver (modded Asus driver) and it works wonderfully. Don't need WASAPI and ASIO4All anymore. Thanks a lot Peter.

This post has been edited by MaceDD: Dec 22 2011, 17:55