I'm not sure why it does this, surely it's an explanation. I downloaded the latest ASIO4ALL and everytime I switch to it FL Studio just crashes and immedately closes. Anyone else had this problem?

 

Last edited: Jul 8, 2025

Tell me, don't you have a USB audio interface?

System Settings - Audio (ASIO4ALL)
www.image-line.com/fl-studio-learning/fl-studio-online-manual/html/envsettings_asio4all.htm

 

Chat GPT says this

Spoiler: chatgpt

FL Studio crashing when you select ASIO4ALL is actually a pretty common issue. Here's a breakdown of what's going wrong and how to fix it:

Likely Cause: Sample Rate Mismatch
When Windows audio devices (both playback and recording) are set to a different sample rate than the one FL Studio and ASIO4ALL expect, selecting the driver can cause an immediate crash.

• Users report that matching the sample rate (typically 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz) resolves the issue reliably integraudio.com+15reddit.com+15reddit.com+15reddit.com.
  
  
• One user described it plainly:
  
  “match the sample rate in your daw with the sample rate of the playback device.” audiosex.pro+5reddit.com+5reddit.com+5reddit.com

✅ What to do:

1. Go to Windows Sound Settings → Sound Control Panel → Playback/Recording → Properties → Advanced.
   
   
2. Set all devices (input and output!) to the exact same sample rate and bit depth that you're using in FL Studio.
   
   
3. Restart FL Studio and reselect ASIO4ALL.

Another Common Issue: Conflicting Devices
ASIO4ALL may crash if it tries to activate devices that are already in use or incompatible, especially USB or Bluetooth devices.

• Disabling extra audio devices has fixed the issue for many reddit.com+2reddit.com+2audiosex.pro+2reddit.com.
  
  
• On the forums:
  
  “disable anything that is either usb or bluetooth.” audiosex.pro+4reddit.com+4audiosex.pro+4

✅ What to do:

1. Disable all non-essential playback/recording devices in Windows Sound Control Panel.
   
   
2. In the ASIO4ALL panel (“Show ASIO panel”), uncheck all unused mic/outputs—only leave active the ones you need.

Exclusive Mode & Microphone Conflicts
ASIO4ALL may try to grab your mic/input in exclusive mode and crash if another app is using it or if there's a permissions conflict.

• Users resolved crashes by disabling mic inputs in ASIO4ALL reddit.com+1audiosex.pro+1audiosex.pro+15reddit.com+15reddit.com+15reddit.com.
  
  
• Also, disabling "Allow applications to take exclusive control" under device properties can help image-line.com+1audiosex.pro+1.

✅ What to do:

1. In Windows Sound Control Panel → [Device] → Properties → Advanced – uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control.”
   
   
2. In ASIO4ALL panel, disable any unnecessary mics/inputs.

⚙️ Other Fixes & Troubleshooting

• Ensure you're using the latest ASIO4ALL version, ideally from asio4all.com audiosex.pro+12image-line.com+12audiosex.pro+12.
  
  
• Close any other audio apps (Skype, media players) before launching FL Studio reddit.com+12image-line.com+12reddit.com+12.
  
  
• If all else fails, try uninstalling/reinstalling ASIO4ALL and updating your audio interface drivers .
  
  
• Some users also found enabling Windows 8 compatibility mode for FL Studio helped reddit.com.

TL;DR Checklist
Step What to Check
1 Set Windows playback & recording devices to same sample rate and bit depth as FL Studio.
2 In Windows, disable extra audio devices (USB/Bluetooth).
3 In Windows device settings, disable exclusive control.
4 In ASIO4ALL panel, uncheck unused mic/outputs.
5 Install the latest ASIO4ALL and drivers; close other audio apps.
6 If crashing continues, reinstall ASIO4ALL/drivers or use FL Studio ASIO for stability.
️ What Reddit Users Say
“Ensure both of these are set to the same value, ideally 44.1 or 48 kHz… ASIO4ALL will crash if windows is set to the wrong sample rate.” reddit.comreddit.com+6reddit.com+6audiosex.pro+6reddit.com+1reddit.com+1
“In the ASIO4ALL menu … disable your microphone. … the crackling disappeared instantly.” reddit.com

If you go through this list and FL Studio still crashes when selecting ASIO4ALL, let me know which step failed or what error you see—I can dig deeper with you!

 

Last edited by a moderator: Jul 10, 2025

I don't have one yet, but it was working before I put my computer in the shop. I do have a midi controller. I can't even get into ASIO4ALL to configure it. Hmm I wonder if my drivers need updated.

I'm running a check through CCleanner

 

FL Studio Guru | ASIO4ALL Setup in FL Studio

 

Last edited: Jul 8, 2025

You have to put AI results in a spoiler, that's a new rule!
It's better to start in the taskbar (see image above) and watch the video instead of following the AI!

 

I just updated my drivers, reboot and it still crashes. You can't even select it to enable it, it crashes immediately

 

I remember having those crashes a few times. I have switched to FL Asio now.

 

Uninstall FL Studio and reinstall it!

 

That's what I just did, earlier it had no output but now it works. I went through setting up the sample rate settings and what not and now it's working. I doubt ASIO4ALL will but FL ASIO is now

 

Once I had to roll back ASIO4ALL to the earlier version. The two latest ones didn’t work properly at that time. It was v2.12 or .13 which was good.
Anyway, I am happy with FL ASIO in Ableton. But I sometimes have to use ASIO4All when Arturia audio interface is connected because the dedicated driver doesn’t work.

 

Dang, yea I don't get how the whole thing works. I had no sound with FL ASIO but now it works lol. I don't know why, but after making the sampe rate adjustment it works great now.

 

Do you have a hardware interface without native drivers? If not, you don't need ASIO4All and should use your integrated soundcards driver/WMD. ASIO4All is essentially a wrapper around WMD. It isn't giving you benefit above and beyond the windows driver. It is not a real ASIO driver. It allows you to connect an interface without a native driver. Beyond that, it is giving no benefit. It's probably lowering your performance if anything.

 

Ah I see, I don't have one yet

 

Yeah, it isn't needed. Anything not explicitly a manufacturer ASIO driver is, mostly, a wrapper for WMD. None of them are real ASIO drivers. The reason you want ASIO drivers is because they are tailor made for the specific hardware you'd connect with. Some cards don''t have ASIO drivers (because those manufacturers hate you), but hardware audio sources require a driver to function in windows. So ASIO4All was the og opensource fix for that. But ASIO4All is not tailor made for any particular hardware. So while it will give you the benefit of actually being able to use the card (and thats still likely going to be much better than an integrated card), it gives no benefit without hardware and compared to a real ASIO driver (from a manufacturer that loves you, like RME) is just poop.

ASIO4All vs straight up WMD? Not the hugest difference. But you can possibly avoid future headaches like this fun episode if you have no compelling reason to use it (if WMD performs like ass on your system, by all means, use ASIO4ALL... but it shouldn't).

 

On, my old (actually ancient) laptop, ASIO4ALL gives around 30-40% performance boost than the FL ASIO (latest one), while I don't see any performance boost on my new laptop (on the same sample rate and bitrate). The ASIO4ALL and FLAsio works the same. I wonder why.

 

Spoiler: Source: Grok KI

The difference in performance between ASIO4ALL and FL ASIO on your old laptop versus your new laptop likely comes down to hardware, driver optimization, and how these ASIO drivers interact with the audio hardware and operating system. Here's a breakdown of why you might see a performance boost on the older laptop but not on the newer one:

1. Hardware and Driver Limitations on the Old Laptop:
   • Older Hardware: Your ancient laptop likely has less powerful hardware (e.g., slower CPU, limited RAM, or an older sound card). ASIO4ALL is a universal ASIO driver that bypasses the Windows audio stack (WDM) and provides low-latency access to the audio hardware. This can result in a significant performance boost (30-40% in your case) because it reduces the overhead of the default Windows audio drivers, which are often less efficient for real-time audio processing in DAWs like FL Studio.
   • FL ASIO Limitations: FL ASIO, while tailored for FL Studio, is still a generic ASIO driver and may not optimize as effectively for older or less capable hardware. It might rely more on the Windows audio stack or have less efficient buffer management compared to ASIO4ALL on your old laptop, leading to the noticeable performance difference.
2. New Laptop's Improved Hardware:
   • Modern Hardware: Your new laptop likely has a more powerful CPU, better memory management, and a more advanced sound card or audio chipset. Modern audio hardware is designed to handle low-latency audio processing more efficiently, reducing the performance gap between drivers like ASIO4ALL and FL ASIO.
   • Optimized Drivers: Newer laptops often come with better-optimized native audio drivers (e.g., Realtek or other OEM drivers) that work well with FL ASIO. Since FL ASIO is designed specifically for FL Studio, it may already be taking full advantage of the newer hardware's capabilities, leaving little room for ASIO4ALL to provide a noticeable boost.
   • Higher Baseline Performance: The newer laptop's hardware can handle the same sample rate and bitrate with less strain, so the inefficiencies that ASIO4ALL mitigates on older systems (e.g., high latency, CPU spikes) are less pronounced or nonexistent. Essentially, the new laptop is fast enough that both drivers perform similarly well.
3. ASIO4ALL vs. FL ASIO:
   • ASIO4ALL: This driver is highly configurable and can bypass certain Windows audio limitations, allowing it to squeeze better performance out of older or less-optimized hardware. It directly interfaces with the sound card's kernel-level drivers, which can reduce latency and CPU usage on systems with suboptimal native drivers.
   • FL ASIO: FL ASIO is a lightweight driver included with FL Studio, designed to provide low-latency performance specifically for FL Studio. It may not be as customizable as ASIO4ALL and might rely more on the underlying Windows audio system, which could explain why it underperforms on older hardware but works just as well as ASIO4ALL on modern hardware with better drivers.
4. Sample Rate and Bitrate:
   • You mentioned using the same sample rate and bitrate on both laptops. While these settings are consistent, the actual performance impact depends on how the hardware and drivers handle the audio processing load. On the old laptop, ASIO4ALL's ability to optimize buffer sizes and reduce latency likely makes a bigger difference because the hardware is under more strain. On the new laptop, the hardware can handle the same settings with ease, so the choice of driver has less impact.
5. Operating System Differences:
   • If your old laptop is running an older version of Windows (e.g., Windows XP, 7, or 8) and your new laptop is running Windows 10 or 11, the newer operating system's audio stack (WASAPI or better native driver support) might reduce the performance gap between ASIO4ALL and FL ASIO. Modern Windows versions have improved audio handling, which benefits FL ASIO more than it would on an older OS.

Why No Performance Boost on the New Laptop?

• Hardware Capability: The new laptop's superior hardware (faster CPU, better audio chipset) minimizes the bottlenecks that ASIO4ALL would otherwise address. Both ASIO4ALL and FL ASIO can achieve low latency and efficient processing, so the performance difference is negligible.
• Driver Optimization: FL ASIO is likely better optimized for your new laptop’s hardware and the newer Windows audio stack, closing the gap with ASIO4ALL.
• Diminishing Returns: ASIO4ALL’s advantages shine on systems with poor native drivers or limited hardware. On a modern system, the native drivers are already efficient, so ASIO4ALL’s optimizations don’t provide a measurable boost.

Suggestions to Investigate Further:

1. Check Buffer Settings: Ensure that both ASIO4ALL and FL ASIO are using the same buffer size on both laptops. ASIO4ALL allows fine-tuning of buffer sizes, which might explain the performance boost on the old laptop if you’ve optimized it more aggressively than FL ASIO.
2. Test Latency and CPU Usage: Use FL Studio’s performance monitor to compare CPU usage and latency between the two drivers on both laptops. This can confirm whether ASIO4ALL is still reducing latency or CPU load on the old laptop but not on the new one.
3. Update Drivers: Ensure your new laptop’s audio drivers (e.g., Realtek or other OEM drivers) are up to date. Sometimes, outdated drivers can cause unexpected behavior, though this is less likely if performance is already good.
4. Test Different Sample Rates: Try experimenting with different sample rates or buffer sizes to see if the performance gap reappears on the new laptop under heavier loads. For example, try a lower buffer size (e.g., 128 or 256 samples) to stress the system more.
5. Dedicated Audio Interface: If you’re serious about audio production, consider investing in a dedicated audio interface with its own ASIO drivers (e.g., Focusrite, Steinberg, or Universal Audio). These often outperform both ASIO4ALL and FL ASIO, especially on modern systems, and provide consistent low-latency performance.

Conclusion:
The performance boost from ASIO4ALL on your old laptop is likely due to its ability to bypass inefficiencies in the older hardware’s native audio drivers, which FL ASIO doesn’t optimize as effectively. On your new laptop, the hardware and native drivers are already efficient, so both ASIO4ALL and FL ASIO perform similarly, with no noticeable boost from ASIO4ALL. If you’re not experiencing issues on the new laptop, FL ASIO is likely fine to use, as it’s simpler and designed for FL Studio. If you need further optimization, tweaking buffer settings or investing in a dedicated audio interface could help.

If you want me to analyze specific hardware details or driver settings (e.g., by checking your laptop’s specs or audio chipset), please provide more details about your old and new laptops (e.g., model, CPU, sound card, Windows version). I can also search for any recent discussions on X or the web about ASIO4ALL vs. FL ASIO performance if you’d like!

 

Last edited: Jul 10, 2025

That's an incredible difference. But ASIO4All indeed works at a lower level than other ASIO emulators, so should be faster or equal than FL ASIO, for instance. And like you say it's really hard to tell why and when it is faster. Seems like a complex hardware/software combination stuff.

The downside is ASIO4ALL, probably for the same reason, is less stable than FL ASIO. I have both installed. I always start with FL ASIO and if I use a lot of CPU I try ASIO4ALL

 

Last edited: Jul 10, 2025