Old 09-28-2018, 10:06 AM   #1
rediske
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Northern MN, USA
Posts: 3
Default Help? Live Processing Issues

Goal: I would like to use Reaper's ReaGate and ReaComp to clean up audio from my mic to use with Discord and Skype.

Issue: When I use Reaper to filter live audio, there's a large amount of lag that builds up over time and sometimes some crackling or distortion.

Configuration: I have a fairly new and powerful PC with an AMD 2700x CPU and Realtek(R) audio from a x470 motherboard.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/rediske/saved/jWPZ8d

I'm using Virtual Audio Cable 4.51 to intercept the signal from the mic, run it through Reaper and then send it to Skype/Discord. I've played with buffer sizes and noticed that smaller buffers do cause more distortion. Larger buffers introduce latency on the order of 170 ms according to reaper, but anecdotally it seems more like .5 sec or more as time goes on. Currently I am using WaveOut, 24 bit, 2 input, 2 output, 48000 Hz sample, 4 buffers of 2048.

Troubleshooting: Friends tell me that I sound better at first, but after a few minutes there is distortion off and on. It's a crackling sound. As a test, I tried running the setup backwards to intercept sound from Netflix and run that through the same Reaper gate and compressor and I find that very quickly the sound lags significantly from the video. It starts ok, but in as little as 10-15 seconds, it looks like a poorly dubbed translated movie. If I let it go, it also starts to crackle with distortion.

I downloaded a latency testing app and it says my audio latency is on the order of .050-.200 ms, so the hardware doesn't seem to be the problem.

Is it possible to use Reaper with my current setup? Do I need ASIO drivers? Do I need a dedicated sound card instead of the motherboard one? Any idea or suggestion is welcome. I can send screen shots or deeper config info if needed.
rediske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 10:47 AM   #2
Philbo King
Human being with feelings
 
Philbo King's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 3,201
Default

I suppose the first thing to do is test which program is causing the problem. Try your Reaper setup alone, without VAC, with plug-ins running, directing the output to headphones or speakers, to see if Reaper is the cause.

If it works ok, the problem may lie in VAC or Skype or the Realtek driver. You might check if the Realtek has a WASAPI driver you can download, that has been known to help.
__________________
Tangent Studio - Philbo King
www.soundclick.com/philboking - Audio streams
Philbo King is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 03:40 PM   #3
rediske
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Northern MN, USA
Posts: 3
Default

Thanks for the WASAPI suggestion, I'll have to try that.

At one point I did try monitoring just me talking through Reaper and even setting up the ReaDelay with a 5 sec delay, so that I could focus more on the quality of what I was hearing. When I set the buffers too low, there was a lot of static and noise, but other than that, it seemed to work well with no particular delay issues.
rediske is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2018, 08:33 PM   #4
rediske
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Northern MN, USA
Posts: 3
Default

Good news and bad news. The WASAPI driver worked beautifully with tests, whether monitoring my own voice through Reaper, testing it with my son in Discord or using it to pipe Netflix through Reaper.

However, Skype being what it is today, it worked fine for 5 minutes and then started crackling with distortion.

I followed some tips from https://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-7/f...ek-sound-card/ but to no avail.
rediske is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:01 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.