I have an Alesis iO4 Interface, that has Asio4all as factory drivers (I can download it from the manufacturer). My system is Win7, I have Reaper installed. The problem is: I cannot set the buffer lower than 128. If I go under that, there will be lags in the playback in Reaper. If I use the same Interface in MacOS with Logic, I can go down to 32 for buffer size, and it still works perfectly, no lags or clicks.

Do you have any idea to tweak something to make Windows allow for lower buffer?

There is an aspect that might be relevant: my Windows was installed in 2020. It has been running on a drive with bad sectors for 5 years. Recently I moved the system onto a new drive by the help of creating a System Image. Is it possible the lagging is caused by the wrong data structure that was also transferred to the new drive, and I should run a Scan or Defragmenter to repaire this first? I have had only 70GB of free space for years, so the file system might have been messed up quite a bit.

 

Have you done the well known Windows optimisations for working with Audio? They might help a little:
https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/articles/pc-optimization-guide-for-windows-7/
Other than that, Asio4all could be the culprit, I guess MacOS uses it's built-in Core Audio to achieve low latencies, no Asio4all.
Also don't think bad sectors of an old drive are to blame, those were physical faults of that drive.

 

Use the System File Checker tool to repair missing or corrupted system files
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...em-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

CHKDSK (short for "Check Disk") is a Windows utility designed to find and repair system errors. It checks whether a file's size, location, and other system information match the data actually on the hard drive. CHKDSK also looks for parts of the hard drive that might corrupt your data.

In Windows 7, we find chkdsk in the disk properties menu. If we right-click on any disk in the "Computer" window and select "Properties" from the context menu, a window opens with numerous settings and analysis options for that drive.

chkdsk /f eliminates structural problems with the file system and the directory, correcting inconsistencies between the two.

How to run chkdsk /f to fix drive

 

1. The Alesis iO4 was a cheap audio interface that had no ASIO capability of its own. There's really not much else to say other than that device fits in with the thousands of others of its ilk that sports mediocre (at best) audio quality and a lack of proper drivers from the OEM. If you're serious about audio production - Replace that alesis interface outright with something that supports ASIO from the factory like an RME, Motu, Apollo, etc.. RME hardware is my personal favorite and has superb drivers (probably the best in the biz) for its products and has the best bang-for-buck spec that you'll find these days.

2. Don't really know how to say it other than saying it. Replace the hard drive in the PC with a NEW SSD and make certain it is large enough and up to the task of audio production. Furthermore if the PC is of the same vintage as the Alesis audio device you need to replace or rebuild it with current hardware. Absolute minimum these days for production PC's is no less than a 4 core processor, 16 GB ram, and a storage system that is preferably not dependent on HDD's for system and production work storage volumes. This is a minimum spec which means you should be able record, edit, and do small non-complex production projects without much of an issue. If your aspirations extend to larger more complex projects that minimum spec will no longer hold up. You'll need to increase to a 8+ core processor, 32+ GB ram, and a NvME system storage volume, and SSD storages for production volumes.

3. Rebuild the win7 install and optimize it for production use. Keep it completely OFF the internet and run the interface in actual ASIO mode using the OEM drivers that came with your audio interface - assuming that you have replaced that alesis with a real interface. You should now be able to get ASIO audio buffer settings on the PC equal to or better than an apple.

...or forget about everything I just said and just use the alesis with the apple & logic. That interface is nothing to write home about with regards to audio quality, but if it works the way you want with the apple system then knock yourself out.

 

Last edited: Apr 23, 2025

it's about the cpu bruw

 

After some of the listed tweaking the only thing that will lower the buffer is a quality audio interface. I get my Audient's down to 32 buffer easily.

 

disable core parking and enable high performance power management

 

I am not sure if the computer itself is an issue, because I am running both MacOS and Windows from the same computer, and when I use MacOS, the buffer can go down to 32 without problems with the Alesis.

I have tried some of the tweaks from the Sweetwater article. Though not all. This way it did not solve the problem. I don't dare to use all the recommended settings. Maybe I will get another drive and use that exclusively for music production without anything installed only Reaper, and set everything as recommended.

I have an Audient as well, but when I tried it I concluded the Alesis is better in some way. The iD4 has very strange monitor/playback level relations and the recorded sound seemed to be mellower from the Alesis, too, though this latter can be a false perception as well. So I put it back into the box many years ago and I have returned to the Alesis. On MacOS it works great but in Windows I am struggling with it.

The better sound from the Alesis might deserve another addition: it has a Line.Mic / Guitar switch. The Line.Mic mode does something because it makes the incoming signal mellower. There is very big difference in the sound when you put it in Guitar mode. That's why I almost always use the Line.Mic mode. It makes my guitars sound great, as if it was studio quality. Maybe that function is different in the Audient, that I did not like. That can be a possible answer for the difference. And that's why I am not rushing to use it, although it has dedicated drivers I know.

BIOS wise is there a recommeded switch to be on or off every way? Because of the MacOS i have some default switches OFF.

 

I recommend using Audient at 128 samples (48 kHz or 44.1 kHz).
Attached is my standard list (not AI, but my own research) for optimizing your music computer.

Better you use the following links to optimize your computer for music production.

0.) Don't let audio glitches ruin your performances! www.cantabilesoftware.com/glitchfree/

1.) The Ultimate Guide to Optimize your Windows PC for the Stage
https://gigperformer.com/docs/ultimate-guide-to-optimize-windows-for-stage/index.html

2.) LatencyMon 7.31
The LatencyMon software analyzes and identifies which device, which driver or which service is causing audio dropouts or malfunctions. Real-time audio suitability checker for Windows 10/8.1/8/7/2016/2012/2008 (x86 and x64)
Scroll Down to: System Monitoring Tools https://www.resplendence.com/downloads

3.) Windows Tuning Tips for Audio Processing
https://support.native-instruments....1729-Windows-Tuning-Tips-for-Audio-Processing

4.) PreSonus - Optimizing Your Computer for Audio - Windows 10
https://support.presonus.com/hc/en-...Optimizing-Your-Computer-for-Audio-Windows-10

5.) Ableton - Optimizing Windows for Audio
https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209071469-Optimizing-Windows-for-Audio

6.) FL Studio - Optimizing FL Studio performance
www.image-line.com/fl-studio-learning/fl-studio-online-manual/html/app_opt.htm

7.) Windows: How to set up and optimize a Digital Audio Workstation
https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/...t-up-and-optimize-a-Digital-Audio-Workstation

8.) Focusrite - Optimising your PC for Audio on Windows 10
https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207355205-Optimising-your-PC-for-Audio-on-Windows-10

09.) Hardcore DAW Optimizing Tips for Windows 10 and Reaper

 

128 with asio4all is as good as it gets. You are doing great. Even with better RME gear, it is not easy to run very complex project on lower buffers unless you have a very powerful computer (like 10 cores @ 5ghz) Me I have 4 cores @4.4ghz and doing great too!

 

Nice, some time ago I've started this discussion about "Optimizing (Windows) for multimedia creation" and we got many hints from these guides too (Creosynth is the result playbook).

I've also collected "some" open source tweaking (mainly gamer-oriented unfortunetely) resouces here.

It would be cool to have a custom audiosex's "official" guide/tweak tool !

Hope that inspires !

 

its about the processes being run by cpu....
The more processor intensive bound the cpu becomes the less cycles it has for any other tasks, especially real time tasks like audio recording.

shut down all the services and apps running in the background you don't need like windows fax service, google updates, adobe updates.

do you even know what is running and how to find out what starts those processes?

 

in Mic mode the interface uses the pre-amp, in guitar mode not
in combo inputs, xlr "active" the preamp, P10 (TS) not

are you on a hackintosh?
what's the pc specs?

 

most audio devices that offer a guitar input, have a different impedance level for the guitar input vs the line level inputs.

You’ve probably experienced this issue.

You plug in your piano or electric guitar to your audio interface, and the signal becomes weak or lifeless. You see that there’s a switch LINE and INST. Both connect to the same socket, yet one makes the sound louder than the other. What is going on?

Typically, we have 4 signal levels from lowest to highest in signal strength: mic level signal, instrument level signal, line level signal, and speaker level signal. Each of these has voltage requirements you have to match.

https://www.gearank.com/line-level-vs-instrument-level

or for more in depth try this sound on sound article

Understanding Impedance
How To Avoid Lifeless Guitar Sounds, Digital Glitches And Fried Amps! By Hugh Robjohns
Published January 2003
No home studio is immune from issues of impedance, yet the subject can seem very confusing. In this workshop we explain what the recording musician needs to know about impedance, and show you how to avoid lifeless guitar sounds, digital glitches, and fried amps!

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/understanding-impedance

 

It is a Probook 6570b with 3210M i5 CPU. One of those that can be used as Hackintosh. So I can have Logic as well and take my computer with myself using it as a mobile studio.

 

The most hardware eating process in my case was Window Update.That was disabled right after installing Windows. I never ran an update. I only have crucial updates that are needed for a specific process or security, that I downloaded from Microsoft and installed manually. Maybe this is a problem as well? Missing something crucial for Asio4all or Reaper to run smooth?

Lots of other stuff is disabled from start-up. There are only some minor things running, like my phone connection service. But things like fax is off. The only heavy stuff that is running all the time is Kaspersky. But I tried suspending it, however it did not improve anything. That virus scanner does not consume too much resources though. It is running way much faster than most others.

Will check the recommended links. If I don't find a solution I will just use Audient and that's it. Time to get it out of the box.

 

you can turn off your wifi and turn off your antivirus, it will help lower the burden on your cpu when recording.

also install winternals sysutilites, its free and its the best way to figure out what the fuck windows is doing at any given moment. Microsoft liked it so much they bought the company.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sysinternals-suite

put process explorer in your startup folder, and you can kill any processes that are hogging the cpu with a couple clicks.
if you have a 64bit os use the 64 bit versions of course.

There will be a window at the top of proces explorer that will show CPU load, Memory Load, you can click it and it will enlarge and give you more details.. like below




also recommend running Autoruns, once in a while to see what is starting with your computer at startup, you'll probably see a lot of services for software you have deleted, that can be removed. that will help with memory management and cpu cycles as well.

if your computer isn't maxed ram yet, do that, it helps keep more things in memory so that programs aren't cacheing data to the hard drive and swapping memory addresses all the time..- which frees up more cpu cycles as well.

 

I managed to get rid of the Lag. Latencymon reported 2 problems: Wifi and CPU Throttling.

I disabled LAN/WLAN/Bluetooth in the BIOS, and also put the virus scanner into suspended mode. Now it works.There is no lag when recording with the buffer at 64, even if I have some plugins on the recording channel. I remember as if I could do this without problems in the past, it seems I remembered correctly.

But Latencymon still reports CPU Throttling is a problem. In spite of that I already switched to Max Performance mode in the Energy Management Settings. I wonder why it still detects problems?

All the setting changes that are mentioned in guides, can you make those account specific? If I create a separate Windows User account for music production, can that have different settings than my main account? For example can I have Wifi Disabled in Device Manager but leave it On in my main account? Or disable most Services there but not on my main account? Are those settings universal or user specific?

 

so you think i can get down to 64samples on an i5-2500 playing 20 midi tracks+ live ones without cracking ? i dont think so.
but on my ryzen 7 5700x i can do just that. what is different? oh, the ,, drum roll .. . CPU yay

 

Okay,but I never mentioned that I am dealing with such big projects. I need the 64 samples when I record audio and I need a plugin placed on the recording channel. In case the project is big I can just render the present state into a WAV, start a new project,load the WAV and record what I want with the plugin. Only 2 tracks. So far, I got lagging even in this case.