This whole exercise sounds like a driver issue to me.
I would suggest an experiment…
Disconnect the Babyface, and try using the Realtek Windows HD drivers through the standard audio output of Windows.
Your computer should be able to handle this small layering with ease…even with Windows audio.
FWIW - when I practice/program at home, I use the standard Windows Audio without issue, and to be brutally honest, would even feel comfortable doing a gig with it if necessary. I NEVER have an issue. And I run some pretty robust VST combinations. (my laptop specs: i7 / 3.6Ghz / 64GB RAM). I think just these 2 VSTs are well within your computers wheelhouse to handle on its own. If all is well there - it’s most certainly the way you have your drivers configured.
I changed it. Same buffer settings. There is no 44.1khz options so left it there. CPU usage stayed more under control Even if I play a lot of notes and hold down the sustain pedal not a single pop/crack (and GP is showing about 50-55% when I put it under that stress)!
What you’re doing here is like having a brand new Bentley in your garage, but wanting to keep driving around in an old Traban. I only want you to be happy… install the RME drivers!
I agree with @David-san , you will be MUCH happier with the RME drivers. In many cases, when buying an audio interface to be used with Windows, it isn’t just the hardware you are buying. The quality of the drivers written by the manufacturer for the device is a huge consideration. RME is well known for writing excellent, stable, low-latency drivers.
Strongly recommended. I run a RME Babyface Pro at 44 kHz at 96 samples. I can stress GP with NI Kontakt fully loaded with orchestral libraries and full blown multis in Omnisphere, without any dropouts. Of course, only with the RME drivers.
Don’t be afraid of RME Total Mix. I can’t say for myself that I understand every part of the routing options, but it’s easy to get it basically to work.
It is a nice improvement but when I incorporate the sustain pedal it still cracks/pops but only intermittently. CPU usage seems about the same. It still climbs to 50%+ if I’m aggressive
I did double check that the two sounds are down low enough so I’m not hitting 0db. I guess I’m thinking those two VSTs just don’t play nice together. But I would be comfortable playing with this particular rackspace live now and that’s the main thing.
Doing those things squeaked out better performance. It seems Valve Force adds a little color and distortion for the sound. My pad is only acting as a supporting voice to the PianoTeq VST so I could easily go without that effect. My laptop does have a slot available for a RAM upgrade so bumping it up to 12GB should have me set. Thanks for all the good advice in this thread.
Before I did something as drastic as this, if all else has failed I would try reformatting the computer, installing a fresh new Windows, load the BabyFace drivers and take it from there.
Windows can be on the finicky side when it comes to the proper operation of drivers. In layman’s terms (because that’s all my experience can provide), it’s similar to watching that scene in Apollo 13, where if they didn’t program the power up sequence in the perfect order, it wasn’t going to work. Sometimes, the best thing to do with Windows is to start from scratch. It sucks, but it is what it is.
It’s worth a shot before ponying up $$ on a new computer.
Hi beethree, which model Lenovo did you end up getting, and what where the results from LatencyMon? Would really help to have a model that is known to have good LatencyMon results!
And naming the site that tests it would be great as well!
I had this issue when I was using gif performer on a brand new MacBook Pro m1 and a motu m2 interface. I determined that it was the interface that was acting poorly. I returned it for a new one and the problem went away. Using a different interface may not be the solution but it’s an easy check
