MIDI interface recommendation?

bean 123

New member
I'm using a creative lab Extigy soundcard to interface my MIDI key to Reason and cubase. My problem is the latency issue...as I set it less and less, I get crackles and pops...the best I can get it without crackles still is too slow to record in real time. I have seen the USB based midi interfaces. Has anyone used one successfully w/o latency? Any recommendations? I don't want to spend a ton of $$$. Help!
 
I think your audio latency problem will be independent of whether you are using the Extigy's own MIDI interface or any other. It's the audio engine trying to respond to the MIDI messages that's the cause of the popping.

Does Cubase support WDM drivers? Does the Audigy have ASIO drivers or are you using the MME drivers?
 
hmm...I'm pretty sure I'm using ASIO drivers....once in awhile I get an error message letting me know ASIo has gone out of synch. I run windows ME...I don't honestly know enough about drives to say if I have any other.... is there a way to switch to either of the other drivers that you mentioned? I don't know if cubase supports WDM.
 
If they are indeed ASIO drivers, you're using what you should be. I have read lots of complaints here about Creative Labs' drivers. I've also read lots of griping about how bad Windows ME is.

I am assuming the problem you are having is recording MIDI performances in real-time from soft synths as you listen to what you're playing. One solution (the one I use, in fact, since I still have Windows 98 and MME drivers) is to record while listening tho the sounds on the card itself. With good Sound Fonts you can probably get a nice enough sound that you can live with it as you do the recording. Then, once ther MIDI data has been captured, reassign the tracks to the soft synths that you really want to be playing. You can set your latency very conservatively and it won't be an issue; it's only a problem with trying to play the softsynths in real-time.
 
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