Using Reaper and Voicemeeter Banana ASIO. Recordings sometimes HORRIFICALLY distorted

angusrohan · 03-27-2020, 08:37 AM

Most of the time, Reaper is able to record my audio just fine with the settings that I have. But - every now and then - an audio recording will become just absolutely horrifyingly distorted. It's like a nightmare.

I am recording on two separate tracks when this happens. One track takes my Mic input (ASIO 3 using Voicemeeter ASIO), and one track records desktop audio where I have a source speaking to me through Skype or Google Voice(ASIO 1 and 2 using Voicemeeter ASIO). I'm not directly monitoring the DAW sound, but rather just listening through voicemeeter and there's no indication that the audio recording is about to be f-d to pieces. It sounds like it's clipped, but it isn't. Once this happens to one recording, Reaper cannot record anything without introducing the god awful distortion.

It's absolutely unusable for my work, and then I have to ask sources to get back on the phone for another interview. (I am a journalist)

I have no idea why this is happening. I turned my buffering size up on both Voicemeter ASIO and Reaper's block size to 1024 just in case that would help. I do have a very good computer(my cpu is a ryzen 5 2600x), so I'm not 100% sure that's the problem and it is still happening anyway so...

These are my settings: https://imgur.com/a/A3ApCiD

Any any any help would be super appreciated. I started doing this when we began working from home from my npr station, and I've been working 7 days a week covering the coronavirus pandemic as a health reporter so it's very anxiety producing to do an interview and worry that we might not be able to use it for a story.

moribund · 03-27-2020, 06:55 PM

I could never get the Voicemeeter stuff to work but I found Synchronous Audio Router (http://sar.audio) and it sets up and works with ease. Here's a video on setting it up with Reaper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-U1rEz4K38

I don't know if that will solve your problem, but, like I said, it's so easy to set up (and it's free) that it might be worth trying instead of futzing around forever trying to get VoiceMeeter working.

Colox · 03-27-2020, 09:42 PM

I've been banging my forehead bloody against the wall trying to get Voicemeeter to work, for months. I've been so mad. Even the maker, ****** ***** - who is normally a good french plugin maker - responds to support requests with an almost total anti-attitude towards that there could ever be problems such as we're describing, and quickly dismisses it to n00b user handling, or a need to re-install windows freshly and things like that. So no support is available, in practice.

Point being, you're far from alone with Voicemeeter. It works relatively fine just by itself, but add some system processing load combined with ability to maintain clock sync, and it breaks down real fast.

Lots of people suffer this, because Voicemeeter is one of very few 'seemingly working' solutions for Windows. Macs are much more ahead in this particular usage area.

brynolf · 03-28-2020, 09:24 AM

I have also given up on Voicemeeter due to too much hassle. The developer makes a simpler app called "VBcable" or something like that. More limited features of course, but has been working a lot better for my purposes.

angusrohan · 03-29-2020, 05:24 AM

hey thanks for responding all !

Quick question - the voicemeeter creator says that the newest version, potato, can be installed as 64 bit. Does anyone know how to do that?

Just seems like that might really help with some of the CPU throttling issues

Colox · 03-29-2020, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angusrohan

hey thanks for responding all !

Quick question - the voicemeeter creator says that the newest version, potato, can be installed as 64 bit. Does anyone know how to do that?

Just seems like that might really help with some of the CPU throttling issues

It won't. I would bet money it won't. Sorry to say. It's not having no faith, its having tried e-v-e-r-y single avenue. Potato was the one I was trying all my time.

64 bit installation is the same as 32bit, you get the installer and make sure it runs its process without anomalies.

Fergler · 03-29-2020, 06:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moribund

I could never get the Voicemeeter stuff to work but I found Synchronous Audio Router (http://sar.audio) and it sets up and works with ease. Here's a video on setting it up with Reaper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-U1rEz4K38

I don't know if that will solve your problem, but, like I said, it's so easy to set up (and it's free) that it might be worth trying instead of futzing around forever trying to get VoiceMeeter working.

Please take my eternal gratitude

angusrohan · 03-29-2020, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Colox

It won't. I would bet money it won't. Sorry to say. It's not having no faith, its having tried e-v-e-r-y single avenue. Potato was the one I was trying all my time.

64 bit installation is the same as 32bit, you get the installer and make sure it runs its process without anomalies.

wait - i did do that though and windows is still registering it as 32 bit. It has left me quite confused. There should really be separate installers for 32 bit and 64 bit versions.

RJHollins · 03-29-2020, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moribund

I could never get the Voicemeeter stuff to work but I found Synchronous Audio Router (http://sar.audio) and it sets up and works with ease. Here's a video on setting it up with Reaper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-U1rEz4K38

I don't know if that will solve your problem, but, like I said, it's so easy to set up (and it's free) that it might be worth trying instead of futzing around forever trying to get VoiceMeeter working.

Thanks. Will check out SAR .... and the kx_studio host.