Using ASIO4ALL to bring down latency

[arslan1]

I’m using an AKAI EWI-USB that work with Aria by Garritan. When using windows the latency problem is bad which is why I have to use asio4all. Aria will recognize it as an audio device. I could not find anywhere were Notation can recognize the ASIO device. Obviously I tried Sherry’s suggestion but it did not work for me. And to use the EWI without and ASIO driver is close to impossible because of the latency.

Help!!!


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[Sherry C]

Hi,

Originally Posted by arslan1

I’m using an AKAI EWI-USB that work with Aria by Garritan. When using windows the latency problem is bad which is why I have to use asio4all. Aria will recognize it as an audio device. I could not find anywhere were Notation can recognize the ASIO device. Obviously I tried Sherry’s suggestion but it did not work for me. And to use the EWI without and ASIO driver is close to impossible because of the latency.

There will be no ASIO visible in Composer. What you will want to do, though, is:

• turn off the GS Wavetable - Setup -> MIDI Device Configuration -> Port -> Select Ports, and UNcheck the box beside it.
• if you have not already, install LoopBe1 (free from nerds.de)
• Set the Akai unit as the "MIDI In" device. You won't actually need to set anything specifically unless you have multiple input devices all on simulataneously. Composer automatically detects MIDI in and will use that for recording.
• Set LoopBe1 as the default MIDI Out.
• In Aria, Set LoopBe1 as the MIDI In.
• Make sure that the channel assignments for the staff setup(s) in Composer match the channel assignments in the Aria player for the loaded instruments that you want to use. There is a tutorial video specifically about Garritan Libraries and the Aria player at http://www.notation.com/vb-forum/showthread.php?t=3873

The above should get you going. Please review the video at http://www.notation.com/vb-forum/showthread.php?t=3873 for full details about getting going with the Aria player and Garritan libraries.


Enjoy
Sherry

[dj]

Hi, Sherry, Arslan1:

If I can jump in and sound pedantic for a while:

It's important to recognize the difference between MIDI data and audio data.

Notation Software products deal strictly with MIDI data, which is simply a stream of information that says, at its simplest, "Turn on a note; turn off a note" and a few other things. Composer has no built-in audio devices.

As Sherry's post outlines, you have to direct your MIDI stream from Composer to an audio device of some kind, either external (hardware) or internal (software). In your case, the Aria player is an internal piece of software, so you must use a software MIDI port (Sherry's suggestion is LoopBe; there are others) to re-direct the data stream to it.

Audio devices are where the sound is made and a driver like ASIO4All deals strictly with taking audio data from your audio device and sending it to the computer's speakers. When an audio device receives a MIDI message, it then responds (assuming all channels and voices are set properly) by sending data out through its driver (in this case, ASIO4All) to the speakers where it, finally, becomes sound and, hopefully, music.

Think of Composer as a tiny little conductor in your computer, waving their arms, saying "Play this note now" and of the Aria software as a tiny little musician playing the note. ASIO4All is the microphone they are playing into that lets us outside of the computer hear the music.

And, yes, they wear tiny little tail-coats and black bow ties.

Good luck.

David