Odd Reason Latency Degradation Problem

[recombinant]

I'm currently using Reason 1.0 (yes, 1.0) on the following system:

* Dell Inspiron 8200 (1.8GHz, 512MB RAM, 2x40GB HD)
* Echo Indigo DJ audio card (PCMCIA, using the ASIO driver)
* MOTU FastLane USB MIDI interface

...and the following controllers are connected to the FastLane:

* M-Audio Radium 61 (Bus A)
* M-Audio O2 (Bus B)

I thought I had my settings all set correctly, since it starts off with very low latency (11ms) - which is great! Unfortunately, I noticed that it seems as if the latency slowly gets longer as time goes on - it's especially noticeable if the keyboard controllers are idle for a while.

What I usually end up having to do is shutdown Reason & restart it - that generally clears up the problem. I'm using Reason as a live performance system, and having to close Reason and relaunch it after every song gets old really quickly.

I was wondering if this is something anyone else had noticed, and if it was perhaps a problem corrected in later versions. I'm not opposed to upgrading if it will help, but I'm just doing a viablity test now to see if this is really the way I want to go with my setup, and 1.0 was just the version I had purchased a few years back and I wanted to test it before I sunk any more money into it...

Any help, suggestions or recommendations will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[ssscientist]

Does the problem go away when you run just one midi controller on one bus?

And why do you need two controllers?

The method the MOTU FastLane uses for merging the midi signals may be your problem --- or it may be something like combining the 'running status' bytes coming out of the two controllers.

It's not a Reason problem, and upgrading WOULD be a good idea but wouldn't solve your current quandry.

Also, go here and make sure you have the most current drivers for the Indigo.

[recombinant]

Originally Posted by ssscientist

Does the problem go away when you run just one midi controller on one bus?

I don't know, but I will check it out and see if it's a problem with only one device connected.

And why do you need two controllers?

Good question. I'm using Reason as a live performance rack - not as a sequencing/arranging tool.

Therefore, I want to have one controller driving, for example, an NN19 Sampler, and the other controller driving Subtractor. That kind of thing. If you have a better suggestion or recommendation, I'm totally up for it... this just seemed the most obvious way to go about it.

The method the MOTU FastLane uses for merging the midi signals may be your problem --- or it may be something like combining the 'running status' bytes coming out of the two controllers.

It's not a Reason problem, and upgrading WOULD be a good idea but wouldn't solve your current quandry.

Hmmm... OK, well, I have another idea I'd like to try, so I'll try it and see if the problem clears up.

Thanks for the information!

[recombinant]

It appears that it still has the problem even with just one device connected to the FastLane.

So, what I think I'll try to do now is use a different application (like Reaktor) and see if the problem is present there...

[recombinant]

Is there any chance that MIDI-OX is interfering with the FastLane transmissions? I installed it for use with NITraktor, but my Reason-based work takes precedence right now, so uninstalling it is an option...

Just thought I'd bounce it off you and see what y'all thought.

Thanks!

[ssscientist]

Midiox is an old, well behaved application that's been thru numerous revisions. If it was going to interfere in any way with other midi applications on your computer it would have been discarded long ago.

It comes when you call it, does it's work then goes and lays down and waits for you call it again.

Midiox is not your problem either.

[ssscientist]

Have you got the latest drivers for the FastLane?

[recombinant]

Originally Posted by ssscientist

Have you got the latest drivers for the FastLane?

Yes, I do.

However, the interface I have is about 6-7 years old, and there is some information up on their website that indicates to me that I might need a newer interface, but I'm not sure...

How can I ensure functionality with my MOTU USB MIDI interface under Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP?
Notes to tech: Also make sure you have the latest USB ROM installed in your MIDI interface. You can do so by locating the sticker on the bottom of the unit, it should have a "M/W" located next to the serial number.

...so I'll have to check my interface to see if I have the latest USB ROM or not when I get home. I wouldn't be surprised if I have an early generation of the FastLane.

But actually I think you asked the most important question earlier:

"And why do you need two controllers?"

...which has been ringing in my head over the last few days, and I've come to the conclusion that I probably don't need it for my live work since I've got the M-Audio Radium 61 controller and my Roland Juno-60, and that setup will probably be just fine for the stuff I'm doing.

I guess I was just figuring that since I had the extra controller, I should try to use it (i.e. "because it's there." )

Anyway, I'm falling back to just doing the USB direct with my Radium, which Reason seems to not mind too much (it's just when I do both controllers via USB into a USB hub that things get a little wonky... evidently I've got some bigger issues to deal with).

Thanks for your help!

[recombinant]

just a little update:

i've been using my radium 61 with reason via USB and am having no latency problems at all -- which leads me to conclude that the problem is with the FastLane software drivers or the unit's firmware itself.

thanks again for everyone's help!