your best bet is to detail your setup, that info is vital, to anything more than a general response.

first download 'reaper', it's a fully fledged DAW.

the delay you are experiencing is known as 'latency'. It's a result of your analog audio making a round-trip thru your converters, and back to analog. There is a latency setting in your software, or interface. 128 samples is undetectable to my playing, 256 is as high i can go before, it feels like a delay to me.

lower latencies require more processing power (ram processor speed).

depending on your interface, which you should list for further help, it may have 'direct/hardware monitoring, which means your listening to your input, without sending on the trip thru the computer. you will not hear any efx in you may have on that channel in the DAW, until playback. but the advantage is, hearing your voice in 'realtime' as fast as any other analog connections.

the 'static' you describe could be from a bad/incompatible driver, or perhaps too low of a buffer size, a computer that can't keep up, or many other things that i can't really say for sure.

PC:
ASRock Fatal1ty PRO
i5-2500k
Sapphire Toxic 6950 2gb
2x4gb Corsair Vengence

Guess thats all thats important in this situation?

and for hardware:
Alesis Multimix8 USB FX
2x KRK Rockit 6
AKG Perception 220 mic

anything?? i really wanna get this project started, but this is the problem were having right now...

the delay is latency, which needs to be set up in the your DAW. i took a quick look at the mutli mix and and didn't see 'direct monitoring' in the feature list. if your not overdubbing you could just use the headphone outs on the mixer.

you've got plenty of processing power. does the static get happen upon playback as well as recording?

yeah, the static is on playback also. i turned off all fans and ac to make sure if was perfectly quiet, and still the same amount of noise. its not alot, but is still noticeable

i dunno man, it could be a bad cable run. i'd probably test the interface on a different computer to verify computer 'stuff'. if it still does it w/ the up-to-date drivers on a different, cpu i'd question my audio cables. You may just have some ground hum. I'd definably try a buddy's interface to hear if it had the same problems in your area.

noise is challenging enough when i'm there, very difficult thru the internet. Trial and error. It comes down to what the noise source is, one component/connection at a time.

Have you checked your buffer settings?

I'm wondering if the static appears only with the audio? Or, is the static there without the audio? Static with the audio would be a modulation issue. This is most likely from improper gain staging? If the static is there without the sound source, and you are utilizing a condenser microphone, it could be the condenser microphone. Condenser microphones are very sensitive to humidity levels. Increased humidity can cause noise in condenser microphones. And that's because they are electrostatic devices. Try the same thing with a SHURE SM57/58 and see if the same problem continues?

But I'm really thinking this is an occurrence due to improper level set? Your condenser Perception microphone puts out a hell of a lot of level. This can easily overload many microphone preamps. And that's what the pad switch can be so necessary for on the preamp. Don't use the pad switch on the microphone unless the microphone is on a high level signal sound source. And then you may also need to combine that with the pad switch on the preamp. If the preamp has no pad switch, it is an overload proof preamp design. In this particular response, I'm too pooped out and too lazy to start researching your Alesis multi-mix device.

Sometimes even new and shiny chrome plated patch cords can cause this problem. Especially if there is any DC offset voltages present. A good rule of thumb for your primary connections should always have goldplated connectors. I have had plenty of issues similar to yours utilizing brand-new shiny chrome plated patch cords. They're awful! They're consumer oriented and not professional oriented. They suck. This is the reason why professional quality equipment utilizes a lot of goldplating from connectors that go in and out to circuit boards, switches, etc..

The static can also be induced by other electronic and electrical items that are on the same electrical circuit as your equipment. Why you only hear this on playback is quite a mystery. Are you peaking out? Any red overload lights? Are you using the factory supplied drivers for your device? Or, are you utilizing something like "ASIO for all"? Have you disabled the onboard computer sound card from the bios? Any and all of these things can be a factor.

Proper DAW computer set up protocol must be utilized. That means changing your dynamic RAM for a static fixed sized RAM. In Control Panels, System, you must also select background services instead of programs priority, under the Advanced tab. When it comes to Visual Effects, choose adjust for best performance. Make sure there is no " smooth edges of screen fonts" selected. You also want to take Memory Usage and select " System cache " and not programs. You must also disable any background programs that are running including virus scanner programs. You want as few programs running in the background as possible. Not adhering to these settings will definitely guarantee you miserable results. And it really doesn't matter how new or how powerful the computer is.

Then there is also your buffer settings. This is something you must set through trial and error. Lower is necessary when recording and no " pass through monitoring " is available on your computer audio interface. You then only raise your buffers after you're done with your recordings and overdubs. Once you have raised them up to much higher levels, then you can begin to mix. This is something we all must do depending on the computer audio interface in use. Incorrect buffer levels and settings will also guarantee you a terrible recording and/or terrible playback.

Many of us (most) have and utilize more than a single computer in our profession. If this is your only computer and you are using it for everything, you may have to set it up as different users? Each " user ", will be tweaked differently, for your different uses of the computer. So, user A, might be your Internet user. User B, might be your DAW? User C, might be the gamer? And with each one of those users, the computer will have different setups of the above settings. Because it's easy to fool some of the computers some of the time but you can't fool all of the computers all the time. And that's why most of us have and use multiple computers that are set up for specific purposes. I have one laptop that I use as my primary everyday machine. One desktop strictly set up for multi-track audio. One desktop strictly set up for multi-track video. And a couple of extra and older ancillary working computers also set up in similar fashions. Oh, and a 10-year-old laptop setup for ProTools 7, running an M-Box 2. In the next couple of days/weeks I'll be getting ProTools 10 HD. Only then might I change my workflow from Adobe Audition/Sony Vegas to ProTools 10 HD? Only time will tell. I'm still quite comfortable in my old-fashioned rigid ways. But even then I'm not sure that any of my current computers can handle ProTools 10 HD? I'm not running Windows 7, not yet. I have six-year-old and older computers only, currently. And this too will probably change very soon thanks to Fabrice Dupont.

OMG it's almost 3 AM, Monday. It's been one heck of a day to remember. One Neve down, one to go.
Mx. Remy Ann David

...

whoa, that's not a very nice sign of appreciation. anybody who knows remy probably knows less than she does, trust me, she schools pretty much anybody who posts in her area's of expertise. I don't doubt the knowledge of any of the MODS here.
Don't be afraid to learn man, sound production is a big ol' can of worms, to the point where even the most famous pro's still 'learn'. we have to evolve w/ the technology, and learn the quirks of the older stuff like tape machines. The reward is listening back to your work, and it puts a smile on your face.

I did sound for a member of the 'wu-tang' clan and he and his dj showed up 5 min before showtime, yup no sound check. all the backing tracks were at different levels which gave me the 1st five seconds of each tune, to get 'em ok.

don;'t get mad, just try not too. A methodical approach to problem solving is key. it's the only thing that makes it 'engineering' to me. otherwise it's art. So yes, you need to 'optimize' your computer. There is a good sticky on RO that outlines what to do, just take it slow, and go step by step, it's as easy surfing the internet. Hard, no, Easy/Time consuming, yes. Usually takes me about 2.5 hrs to optimize a cpu to Pro tools specs. and even then ya gotta play w/ it after.

2k is an entry level budget, and unfortunately things don't 'just work'. sometimes you gotta not do what's recommended to make it work. it's case by case.

if you have any intent on doing sound, you have to learn this 'crap'. it'll make ya look good as well as generate income when people need it. If you don't, just find a 'good' sound person and pay them for your recordings. I have a liberal arts degree w/ a focus on finance, but i can't resist this feild, and actively work in it. Do what you want, but please sir, be nice to the people trying to figure out your problems.

like i said it's step by step. when something breaks in any of the setups i use, i start w/ the source and check each thing in the line progressively. Dude i've had power supply backups start making smoke in front of the client. Half of the job of being a sound person is a problem fixer. If you can't fix it who are you gonna call? I know a crapload more about computers than i did before i got into this, just cuz i have too. it's also helps when you make an average users cpu seem faster by disabling unnecessary applications.

i know it sucks that your new stuff doesn't work right yet, but it'll be worse if you never get it working right?

Setting up computers for audio is actually no easy task. And it varies from one software package to another. It's extremely frustrating. When I build a new computer from scratch, it frequently takes more than a week of tweaking to get it to settle down and function correctly. It also requires a certain amount of methodical, time-consuming and frustrating, troubleshooting. So if you don't know crap about crap, you are pissing in the wind. This is why we are called Audio Engineers. It's kind of a double entendre because the title assumes he knows something both about Audio and about Engineering. I know plenty of folks that are audio guys but not audio engineers. I know plenty of engineers that are not audio guys. And then there are the folks that are Audio Engineers, like myself and Kmetal, Boswell, Mad Max, a whole lot of others.

Being just an audio enthusiast brings with it many incongruent frustrations. You not only have to know about sound you have to know about analog audio equipment and about proper computer system operations. At least a rudimentary understanding is necessary. If creating good recordings was all fun and games, then everybody would want to do it. And wait a minute, today everybody does want to do it because they think it's easy. Yeah, about as easy as brain or cardiovascular surgery. And if all you are ready to do is to cut into your ribeyes steak, I wouldn't let you perform brain surgery upon me. That's why I went to the brain surgeon at Georgetown University Hospital seven years ago. LOL I had an improper fluid level which caused operational failure. After correcting the fluid imbalance, a complete re-calibration, re-learning procedure had to ensue for about three years to regain proper operational capabilities. The audio equipment and computers are no different. Computers are actually very stupid devices until you tell them precisely what they need to be doing.

A lot of people also overload their computers with excessive and unnecessary software. Sure, it's fun, they are supposed to be fun. They are also used as highly specialized and precision devices, not having anything to do with fun. And when you try to combine the two together, you get succotash. I like succotash but I like more peas than carrots. So how do you correct that problem? Is it correctable? And how much effort will it take to correct?

Static can be caused throughout so many points of the process, your questions and request is comparable to " doctor it hurts when I do this...". And the doctor replies..." so don't do that ". So whether you like it or not, your problem can be caused by so many different variables, no one can give you a straight answer. You also have the option to contact the manufacturer of your computer audio interface and/or the manufacturer of your software. Most of them have rather competent customer support people that may be able to " talk you through ", the problem you are having. Is that worth a long distance telephone call fee to you? Over my more than 41 years in the recording and broadcast business, I have spent a lot of money on telephone calls directly to the manufacturers. I have even had to insist at times to bypass the customer support person to get an actual electrical and/or application engineer on the phone. There is a lot to be learned that way. So do you want to learn anything or do you just need instant gratification? Have you contacted the company from whom you purchased your equipment and/or software from for some kind of customer support? Because getting upset with people who're trying to help you when you are not providing much of any comprehensive information is like bitching about the size of a stock McDonald's hamburger and/or trying to fight windmills.

In the end, if you like instant gratification, like me, like me, you may want to purchase a dedicated and purpose built, multi-track, hard disk, digital audio recorder? And stop screwing around with this stupid software stuff. I rely mostly upon dedicated analog and since 1993, digital multi-track recorders. No computer necessary to get the job done.

With most everything being manufactured in China today, regardless of the company importing it, regardless of the company's reputation, most quality control of products coming from China has generally been quite poor. So what are you going to do about that? Different equipment responds differently with different computers. Sometimes people do get lemons. And if you have a crap lemon piece of equipment, something that is not functioning properly, nobody here will be able to help you. Is your warrantee still in effect? What is the return policy of the equipment that you purchased? Did you try that dynamic microphone? All you did was bitch. And how is that supposed to help us to help you? You want what you want and you want it now. Only children act that way. So are you an adult Audio Engineer trying to troubleshoot a problem or are you a kid who just wants to have fun and did your quarter just run out? Maybe you have to put in another quarter? LOL. And that quarter, like work, relates to time. Putting one quarter into that vibrating bed in the motel always had a tendency to run out before you got to sleep. What do you do then? Call down to the front office and complain? Or do you work through something to troubleshoot the problem to realize all you need is another quarter? Adjusting the buffer size and amount of buffers can be a tedious exercise in frustration. But this is no different than studying for a test so you can pass the test. THIS is your Professional test. It's pass or fail, do or die, trial by fire and a little squeezing of the brain cells. We've all gone through this ourselves at some point in our professional time and career.

I am personally getting ready to purchase a new laptop to run Avid/ProTools 10 HD. This means, that I am going to have to carefully evaluate what Avid recommends as pre-evaluated and tested equipment. Then, I have to start investigating computer manufacturers to find the exact computer that meets Avid's technical specifications to run their software. Otherwise, I already have enough experience to know, it ain't going to work if I don't follow proper procedures, precisely. So I can't just go out and buy whatever is on sale. I can just purchase one computer over another because I believe this other computer would be better than what they recommend. That makes no difference. Avid will not provide ANY customer support if you have not purchased a computer with their precise recommendations and specifications. While PCs are cool, their variability far exceeds that of a Macintosh. You'd be better with a Macintosh. They just work. But folks like us, we want the variability, we want the customization, we want what we want. Because for the most part, most of us are fairly computer literate. Most of us have been dealing with these issues since the early 1990s. Remember? When you were born. I did have to deal with these issues in the early 1980s because our computers were not capable of doing any hi-fi audio production.

So take your computer audio interface, your software and drivers, over to a friends house with a different computer. Ask your friend if you can load the software and plug-in your hardware. See what happens? See if the same problems continue? This is all part of the troubleshooting process. You need to eliminate as many variables as possible. Sometimes in the past, I've even gone so far as to wipe my C system drive clean of all software including the operating system. And then starting from scratch all over again. As many times as it takes. Luckily, you have your whole life to work this problem out. My time is running out because I'm going to be 57 in October. And I've been dealing with these kind found problems with computers since 1995. I don't like it any better than you do. But since I'm in the business of doing this as a professional, it required a whole lot of reading, experimenting, even building a second identical computer from scratch to troubleshoot the first computer. And in 1995, computers were not cheap. The second computer I built up was identical to the first and worked fine. The first computer never worked properly. As it turned out, I had a defective CPU chip. And that was replaced under warranty. But then I had also spent an additional $1000 plus to build up an identical second computer in order to troubleshoot the first computer. And that's the kind of passion and dedication that this takes. And it doesn't happen overnight. It never happens on your schedule. It's a money pit doing what we do. You've only spent a few hundred dollars. Count yourself lucky. I've spent over $150,000. I could've had a house! Instead, I'm living in a 25-year-old RV motorhome right next door to my 150,000+ dollar, 21-year-old, mobile studio in a huge diesel truck. And business has tanked for me and a lot of other people I know. A good friend of mine whose studio has been around since the 1980s just went out of business at the end of May. And he knows what he's doing in comparison to you. He's got gold records. His Macintosh-based ProTools HD 3, $25,000 system doesn't make any difference. Because today, the world economy, technology and overall business plans have all gone down the drain. You've only invested a couple of hundred dollars. People waste that much money going to a rock 'n roll concert or a ballgame multiple times per year. Just because somebody sold you something that they said would work doesn't mean it will work for you. And so if you are not a filthy rich kid or do not have the patience to learn what you need to know in order to rectify your problem, this ain't the business for you. We can't all do everything that we want to do in life. It just doesn't work that way and we can't fix that. I always wanted to be an Electrical Engineer but my mathematical aptitude is miserable. So I just had to settle for being a good technician by simply learning how to do it all by myself. And I've blown up plenty of pieces of equipment over the years as I taught myself. Some of the explosions were rather funny in a financial loss kind of way. So a big flash goes off with a puff of smoke and when I open my eyes, my hands are as black as having played with charcoal. And when I looked in the mirror, I looked like Al Jolson singing mammy LMAO. It was like something you'd see in the Three Stooges. But then I also had a blown up record player that had to be replaced. And I had to wait until I saved up enough money. Then I destroyed my reel to reel tape recorder because I took it apart and didn't reassemble it exactly right. Then I did that to another tape recorder and got better. Then I did it to another tape recorder and got it mostly right. And then I got another tape recorder which I got right and then used for an additional 10 years. And then I got another tape recorder... a $2500 professional recorderand by then, 10 years later, I finally knew what I was doing. And then I continued to move beyond that. The next recorder was $10,000 and it was a non-functioning parts machine never expected to ever run again. And I rebuilt that and used it for five years until I spent $15,000 to purchase my first digital multi-track recorder. And that didn't include any of the consoles or microphones, speakers, effects or any other accessories. So don't stress out about having spent a couple hundred dollars because it's likely not the equipment at fault. It's something we all note to generally be simple operator error. But with your doctor it hurts scenario, what do you expect from us especially for free?
The next time you see your doctor, complain to your doctor that your muscles are not large enough. Then see what he prescribes for you? It likely will not be a pill. It will be something you will have to WORK at just like this. So either improve the muscle of your gray matter or just go out and play with the other kids and have fun. And sometimes that's the necessary next step to take.

Fix it.
Mx. Remy Ann David

sorry, i was in a bad mood that day.... i might just give up on this until some of my classes shine light on it, or until i can ask a teacher or meet someone who knows what theyre doing. i have 2 computers now, my gaming and my newest media pc, which i might sell anyway, so i can sell that and look into building an audio computer, JUST for this. i dunno

but thanks. i do appreciate it, and sorry again for the last post

if i was going to build i'd look at companies who do like rain, or sweetwater, and copy them. they publish there componnents which is the hardest thing to get together. or buy a used turnkey mac to save on their prices. it's possible to save about a third of the cost if you want to deal w/ building it. either way, audio computers need tweaking, and each one is different, unless your dealing w/ a redundant setup.

i'm no cpu expert but there are people around here who are. sometimes what the book says doesn't work w/ cpu's it's an annoying trial and error. annoying until you reap the rewards of a reliable recording medium.

buildings the fun part lol but yeah, ill look into that a lil later.

but i do have another question. not really recording, but maybe hopefully someone will know. it started in fruityloops, when id export a song, the quality didnt come out good, and it seemed too bassy. so i had to add an eq to the master just for that and lower the bass a tiny bit, and it would sound a lil better after that. but its still happening with reason and ableton now. id save a song, and itd come out more bassy than i want and not as good quality as when im listening to it in the program. i have em at 44100 sample rate and 32 bit depth. should i go up on the sample rate? or what could be the problem if anyone would know?

Your low-frequency problem sounds to me like you might have some kind of monitoring issue? I can definitely tell you that the software is not the problem. I know people think I'm crazy but I'm still utilizing 16-bit, 44.1 kHz on most of my recording projects. That aged format is still miles beyond the performance of old-fashioned analog tape recorders and still 100% more than adequate. 24-bit, 32-bit, 32 bit float provides for a much greater processing resolution. But that's really secondary to proper recording and mixing levels. You didn't indicate the type of monitoring you are utilizing that may be causing this problem? If you are comparing headphones to speakers, there's the problem. Stuff that sounds freaking fabulous on headphones generally comes out like mud on speakers. Headphones are a terrible reference to mix with. It doesn't matter how good they are. All mixing should be accomplished with speakers and not headphones. Which may be your problem?

In the past, when I've had to utilize headphones, I had to frequently reference them to monitor speakers, before I could trust my mixing with headphones. One of the things I learned many years ago was when the bass sounds right in the headphones, you turn it down and then it will be right. It's better to go with too little bass than too much. Everybody punches that loudness button and cranks up their bass on their playback systems making this problem even worse. This is another reason why we all utilize so much high pass filtering. There is already too much low frequency energy with numerous sound sources. And this problem becomes much more evident when you combine too many sound sources with too much low frequency energy. If your mix is tight and sounds like it's a little bass light, it's generally all right.

You indicated that your playbacks from the software, sounds better than what? Windows media player? Someone else's media player? Too many media players already have excessive processing in their algorithms that include SRS, EQ and other ambience generators which makes for lousy reference sources. And not all media players respond well to higher bit depths and higher sample rates. Which could be another problem? I actually rely quite a bit on the basic Windows Media Player and not others. And it doesn't like those higher sample rates and bit depths outside of the 16-bit, 44.1 kHz standard.

Digital recording is quite unlike that of analog recording. We could get away with all sorts of things with analog tape recording that we can't get away with in digital. Overload is the most obvious problem in digital recording. With 16-bit, 44.1 kHz you still have 96 DB of total dynamic range. That's about 30 DB better than analog tape. And it was analog tape that actually provided a certain amount of soft limiting that is not available in digital. The soft limiting when levels were pushed even hotter became saturation. And digital don't do that. It's interesting to note that low frequency energy in digital recording is actually higher in resolution than the higher frequencies. Higher frequency content has less samples than the low frequency content.

Within your monitoring, you may have some kind of low-frequency phase cancellation going on somewhere? And as a result, you are pushing too much bass? But then this is also a reason why we have more than one pair of control room monitor speakers. I usually have two if not three different pairs and different sized speakers in the control room. When you have that many references to base your mix upon, you usually make sure that your mix sounds virtually identical, regardless of speaker sizes and numbers of drivers. My main monitors are large three-way, passive speakers with a large outboard amplifier. My secondary monitors are smaller two-way, self powered monitors. My smallest self powered monitors are the 4 inch, single driver, FOSTEX 6301B's. And then I vacillate between Sennheiser HD 414/424/280 & 545, open air and sealed back headphones. I even stoop to my 30-40 year old KOSS PRO 4 AA's at times. When you do a lot of live recording like I have, you learn real fast what works and what doesn't. And we all have to adjust accordingly.

It's always something...
Mx. Remy Ann David

So much info lol! But in using 2 krk 6s and I'm not using headphones. I do kinda use eem sometimes to get an extra listening experience with tension or whatever. But I don't rely on the headphones. But when I'm mixing in ableton, it sounds perfect, just how I want it. Bass sounds good, all the trebles and stuff sound fine all on the krks. I export the song into wav, and listen to it with the same speakers, and its jut not as good quality. It's not really the levels have too much bass, it's like that bassy sound when the quality isn't good.... Like its like when I listen to it in ableton, it's hd on YouTube, then I save it and it goes to sd... Comparing to sound not the video.

But I use media player and iTunes, sometimes I'll save another mp3 version and take it to my car, askance I listen ti most music in my car I kinda use that as a final reference. But no one I know has nice speakers.... Oh and sometimes I'll use my tv speakers or the surround sound to also get those perspectives. Ugh I wanna get a subwoofer! Like a krk or something cuz I started a synthesis class, and he's using a 10 I think krk and it sounds amazing! But I live in a tiny apt with wood floors on the second floor.... Lol so I'm sure everyone already hates me for the stuff I already have haha

What you are describing is quite strange and rather contrary to what should be a proper outcome? I can understand your frustration and confusion. My next obvious question would be, are you mixing into the same file format as the recording? And if so? Is it 16-bit 44.1 kHz or something else? If you are recording at a higher bit rate and/or sample rate and you are mixing down to 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, you would perceive a difference. When you transcode down, dither and/or truncation may be the culprit? And this may be a simple adjustment to make in order to correct it?

Essentially the same thing happened to us years ago with analog tape recording. Especially those recordings made at 30 IPS. You might then mix it down to 15 IPS. From there it would get dummied down to 1-7/8 IPS and every time the tracks get squeezed the sound gets squeezed with the tracks. Unfortunately this is a situation in which you can provide us with no playable examples of. And there could also be the issue of jitter from the clocking? This is why a lot of people spend big bucks to purchase precision clocks to time everything with. Jitter in the clocking becomes cumulative like wow and flutter did with analog tape. While digital ain't analog, there really are as many parallel troubles as there was with analog tape. Analog tape also suffered from " bias rocks " especially on low frequency content. It actually sounded like people were tromping through the gravel when the bass guitar was played. And that was a biasing issue. And while most people utilize 10 kHz and/or sometimes 1 kHz, with plenty of test equipment, there is also a little known technique with just a pair of headphones and your oscillator set to 10 Hz. You can't hear 10 Hz and a recorder couldn't record 10 Hz. What it did provide for you was the ability to listen to the modulated intermodulation distortion. And you would tune for the least. I figure was John Stephens that worked that one out? His machines were pretty cool to work with. So I'm thinking there's a similar analogy to your plight? So it really could be any number of things. There may even be some kind of defect in your computer audio interface analog to digital conversion? It only takes a single one or a single zero out of sequence to make your life miserable. Sometimes people try to record at 96 kHz sampling and then transcode down to 44.1 kHz. Mathematically that does not work. And of course there are audible repercussions for that. So if you do want a higher resolution master track, one should record at 88.2 kHz not 96 kHz. 96 kHz for television which mathematically works out correctly to 48 kHz sampling. From 24-bit to 16-bit, there are a whole bunch of other items that have to be mathematically dealt with. And which all do not have a logical answer for which will cause perceptible aberrations. There is no perfect recording medium as yet. You'd think it would work right since we are utilizing linear pulse code modulation? As opposed to non-linear amplitude modulation with the AC bias frequency being utilized as an inaudible carrier. And that transfer function is nonlinear which we all still rather like. And people spend a lot of money to get that in their digital recordings. Some folks even spend upwards of $5000 just to have the CLASP system to interface their ProTools with their multi-track analog recorders. I actually think that is riotously funny since I know how to do the same thing without CLASP. Unfortunately most folks just don't have the capacity to think out of the box as much as I do. And then you really have to wonder why anybody would want to screw up their high-resolution digital recordings with some 30-year-old analog tape recorders? But really it's no different than wanting to utilize a Neve or API preamp/console from the late 1960s, early 1970s with high precision state-of-the-art digital stuff. So maybe what you're experiencing and perceiving might actually be a good thing? 30 IPS sounds different from 15 IPS, which sounded different from 7.5 IPS and on and on. Hey! Your car gets less mpg's when your tires are low. Right? And sometimes you don't even realize that until your next fill up. You described the use of different software with the same outcome. That would tell me it's some kind of hardware and/or clocking issue? It could be your computer? It could be your computer audio interface? What came first? The chicken or the microphone?

I never asked Col. Sanders that, when I met him as a kid?
Mx. Remy Ann David