Cubase 5 ASIO Time Overload

[Scott Horner]

So I just got my new computer (Intel quad-core i5 750, Win7 x64, 8 gb of RAM) and this thing is pretty beastly...with one exception. Cubase 5 is unusable due to constant ASIO time overload. I have no idea why it is doing this!! I have the latest Firebox drivers and FL Studio works flawlessly even on the lowest buffer settings and highest sample rate. Cubase, however, is completely unusable. The ASIO overload occurs even with no project loaded. I have un-installed and re-installed both Cubase and the Firebox drivers, tried ASIO4ALL drivers, increased buffer to the max, tried the affinity trick, disabled Intel SpeedStep and still the same thing. I've also downloaded the demo version of Reaper and it works fine so I'm pretty sure the problem is specific to the Cubase install. I've basically tried everything I know of. Has anyone else had this issue? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

dude I fucking hate this bug. It comes up for me once in a while. I have lost SO many hours trying to figure out how to fix this.

It seems to be almost random how you fix it- but try deleting all your input and output buses(hit f4) and then re-adding them. I've had good luck with that a few times.

 

[FIXXXER]

i bet it's the power options again...

needs to be set to MAXIMUM!

cheers
S.

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

anyone have any other ideas on this problem?

 

[Scott Horner]

Yeah, I'm still not having any luck with this. It's ridiculously frustrating. I've spent, literally, hours searching and trying various solutions and have yet to come across one that works. I was excited that all of my old XP software actually worked on my new machine flawlessly. That is, until I got to Cubase.

 

[theRev]

What audio interface do you have?

On Windows 7 x64, I have the same problem, BUT WITH REAPER.

My audio interface is Line 6 Toneport Ux1

 

[[UEAK]Clowd]

Yeah, I'm still not having any luck with this. It's ridiculously frustrating. I've spent, literally, hours searching and trying various solutions and have yet to come across one that works. I was excited that all of my old XP software actually worked on my new machine flawlessly. That is, until I got to Cubase.

did you try deleting and remaking your input and output busses yet?

usually between that, and resting the driver, and restarting cubase, I can get it to go away.

It seems to be worse with some interfaces than other - I have an AudioFire 12 that likes to cause this shit a lot.

 

[Scott Horner]

@the Rev: I have a Firebox using the newest drivers available. I haven't been able to recreate the issue with the demo of Reaper I downloaded. Plus, audio works flawlessly elsewhere in the system. Even with the Cubase project open and the ASIO time overload occurring constantly, FL Studio plays back flawlessly, iTunes plays back fine as well as all system sounds.

@[UEAK]Clowd: I did try that but to no avail. I do appreciate the suggestion though.

I've spent so much time trying to get this to work that I haven't even been able to fully enjoy my new recording machine yet. I've just recently started to create an entirely new session template, identical to the one having this issue, but have not added the SSD 3.5 instrument. So far, I have not experienced the ASIO time overload but I also have not completely set up my FX chains or done any tracking. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with having an instance of Kontakt in the session.

 

[FIXXXER]

kontakt takes alot of performance but it should run in your PC without any problems.

so again:

-did you check the power options!?
-what buffer size are you using!?
-did you choose the right asio driver in reaper?

cheers
S.

 

[Scott Horner]

Yeah, Kontakt stand-alone works just fine. I did check the power options but no luck and I've tried every buffer setting I have. Increasing the buffer to the max didn't have any effect on the playback and I did choose the correct drive in Reaper as well. It's just weird that my first test of the new PC was opening up a huge project in FL Studio, which loaded in well under half the time it took my old PC to load. Even after changing the sample rate all the way up to 96 kHz and lowering the buffer to the minimum 2.0 ms the project still played back with, maybe, one or two underruns. And FL Studio is a way more CPU hungry application that Cubase, even with no project loaded.

 

[FIXXXER]

seems like a reaper problem to me.
do you have another sequencer besides reaper!?

 

[Scott Horner]

Actually Reaper is the one that seems to be working. The problem is with my Cubase 5, which I much prefer over Reaper. I just downloaded the Reaper demo to see if I could recreate the problem in a different DAW.

 

[FIXXXER]

hmm, i have a similar computer setup like you and my cubase 5 is running flawlesly.
i aso had the exact same issues but i could solve the problem by setting the power options to maximum performance.
sorry, i'm stumped for an answer.

cheers
S.

 

[Scott Horner]

I definitely appreciate the help man. I will double check all the suggestions to make sure. Just curious, do you also have any instances of Kontakt in any of your projects? I'm seriously beginning to wonder if that is having anything to do with this issue. I've downloaded the new Kontakt player to just test out and see if I get the same results.

 

[FIXXXER]

i have one more!

download this tool

DPC Latency Checker

restart your computer and don't start any programs etc.
don't forget to power on the interface!

cheers
S.

 

[Scott Horner]

I will try that next.

 

[Scott Horner]

I ran the latency checker and everything checks out. It was running at a current latency of 177 with an absolute max of 298. I also double checked power settings, etc. and still the same result.

 

[Scott Horner]

Holy shit I think I've figured it out!!! Well, at least as far as my issue goes anyways. So after trying every fucking thing possible (or so I thought) and getting absolutely no where, I created an entirely new project without Kontakt loaded up. As soon as I added a second instance of LePou's 456 amp sim, the ASIO time overload light came on. As soon as I disabled or changed the sim to something like 7170, the light went back off and the project played back perfectly!! When I was doing my troubleshooting, I was simply bypassing the effects, rather than removing them and apparently that wasn't good enough. I just would never have thought that a single instance of a VST ampsim would have caused a project to not playback. So, I'm still doing some testing but I think the issue that I have is resolved!!