CAKEWALK PRO AUDIO, User Manual, Page: 434 / 604

13-2
Audio System Configuration
Sound cards differ in the precision of their timing, whether they can
record and play back simultaneously, what size audio buffers they
require, and other characteristics. Pro Audio has a utility called the
Wave Device ProÞler that can usually automatically detect the type of
sound card that you have installed and conÞgure its settings for best
performance. If your sound card is a well-known model, you can usually
use Pro Audio without having to change many audio settings. However,
if you experience synchronization problems between MIDI and digital
audio, like to use different sample rates and bit depths, or want to
experiment with mixing latency, you need to do some conÞguration
yourself.
The Wave Device Profiler
The Wave Device ProÞler is a utility that analyzes all the sound cards in
your computer and Þnds the optimum DMA (Direct Memory Access)
settings for communicating with Pro Audio. These settings are used to
ensure that a project that contains both MIDI and digital audio plays
back both types of material in tight synchronization. If the DMA settings
are incorrect, MIDI and digital audio material may not play back
correctly.
The Wave Device ProÞler utility runs automatically the Þrst time you
run Pro Audio. You donÕt need to run it again unless you install a new
sound card or an updated driver for an existing sound card. The Wave
Device ProÞler determines the correct settings at three sample rates (11
kHz, 22 kHz, and 44 kHz). It assumes that the same settings should be
used for the 48 kHz and 96 kHz sample rates. If you Þnd that audio and
MIDI donÕt play in sync at 48 kHz or 96 kHz, you may need to enter the
proper settings manually, as described in the next section.
Note: It is possible to load a 48 kHz project when you are using a sound
card that does not support 48 kHz. Pro Audio does not warn you when
you do this. Your project may crash, or it may appear to record audio
when your project is not actually recording.
You can manually conÞgure the DMA settings for your sound card,
overriding the settings that were determined by the Wave Device
ProÞler. This is not recommended except under special circumstances
outlined below.
All sound cards report their approximate position (sample number) in
the audio stream (this position is known as the
wave out position ).
Because the reported position is not always sample-accurate, Pro Audio
may choose to use or ignore this information based on the type of card. If
Pro Audio uses the wave out position information, the DMA settings are