• From: Flor-eh-Duh
  • Registered: 2008-02-10
  • Posts: 7

Topic: Random ASIO spikes and audio glitches in Cubase 6 with Fireface UFX

I've sent an email to RME Support but I figured i might see if anyone on here might be able to help out with the situation.

I'm getting random audio pops and ASIO spikes in Cubase 6.
The UFX is connected through USB and is showing no errors in the control panel.

More information and what I have done to troubleshoot the issue is below.

Here's a copy of the message I sent to RME Support:

I have recently started getting strange ASIO spikes and audio pops/glitches in Cubase 6.

Here are my system specs:
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64bit SP1
Motherboard: Gigabyte EX58-UD5 (rev.1) F12 Firmware
CPU: Intel i7 920
Memory: Corsair Dominator 12GB DDR3 1600MHz, 9-9-9-24, 1.65v (3x4GB Triple Channel)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750w
Graphics Card: XFX Radeon HD 5770 1GB
Hard Drives: (OS) Western Digital 640GB SATAII, (Tracking) Western Digital Raptor 300GB SATAII, (Samples) Western Digital 2TB SATAIII
Network Adapters: Onboard Realtek - Realtek 8111D chips (10/100/1000 Mbit)
Sound Cards: RME Fireface UFX (USB)
Other Installed PCI-E Cards: Universal UAD-2 Quad & SIIG USB3 Host controller
Audio Software (sequencers): Steinberg Cubase 6.0.5 64bit & 32bit, Ableton Live 8.2.7
Other Hardware: Access Virus TI, Novation Remote 61 SL, Frontier TranzPort, Native Instruments Maschine controller, ilok, elicesnser

The issue started last Wednesday, Dec 7. I have been trying to troubleshoot what the source of the problem is. When I have Cubase loaded, 64 or 32 bit, I randomly get ASIO spikes in the ASIO/VST performance meter and audio pops & glitches. Sometimes it is stable, sometimes it is not. It seems to be random when it happens. I can boot up the computer, load Cubase, open a project and it will be fine for hours without issue. Other times I can boot the computer up, load Cubase, open the same project that was previously loaded and the ASIO meter is all over the place. For the one project I have been testing, the ASIO/VST meter is about 50% on full load and around 25-30% when the project is not playing. I have tested the same project out in both 64bit and 32bit Cubase 6. I get the same results and random spiking on both.

I have created new projects in Cubase and it behaves the same way. I have also loaded older projects that have never had issues and lower VST/ASIO loads and the same issue happens. Sometimes it is working without any problems and sometimes the performance is all over the place.

There have been no recent software changes to the computer until after the issue had started.
Over the past two days I have updated the USB drivers and firmware for the UFX, drivers for my graphics card, drivers for my USB3 host controller. I have re-installed the drivers for my Virus TI, Novation Remote and all other hardware.

Updating the drivers and/or re-installing had no effect on the performance.

Also, to rule out an issue with the install of Windows or other software, I have done a fresh install of Windows 7 along with all music software, plugins, etc. Only installing what was necessary for my music production.

I have run DPC Latency Checker to see if it would show any errors. The maximum latency was 121µs and was averaging around 92µs. I have run it when Cubase was being problematic and also when Cubase was behaving normally. Always very similar readings no large spikes at all.

I have also tried using the Fireface with the FireWire connection and driver, but it has the same issue with the performance meter and audio pops and glitches.

I have tried disabling all services in Windows that are unnecessary as well as removing all devices that are unnecessary.
I have tried various driver versions for my graphics card.
My Windows power scheme is set to maximum performance for all settings.
All power saving schemes and CPU throttling in the BIOS are disabled.
I have tried with Hyper-threading enabled and disabled.
I have tried changing audio priority in Cubase as well as disabling and enabling multi processor support.
Changing buffer/latency settings has no effect on it.
I've used multiple USB ports on the motherboard and separate USB3 controller with no difference.
I have also tried using Ableton Live which is having a similar performance issue.
I have also tried changing my memory in the computer which didn't have an effect.

I've also noticed before re-installing Windows that around the same time I started having the issues with Cubase, I was hearing pops and dropouts in the audio when just listening to music on my computer either through Spotify, Windows Media Player or VLC.

I was considering downgrading the firmware and driver for the Fireface but didn't see the older versions available to download. I'm not sure if that would help fix the issue I am having, but I am willing to try about anything at this point. I don't understand how this system has been very stable and running without issue up until now with no changes around the time it started acting weird. The Fireface has been a great interface and has worked without any problems until now. The fact that it is intermittent is making it very hard for me to troubleshoot on my own. I don't think it is a problem with Cubase specifically since it is affecting Ableton Live as well. I haven't installed or tried listening to any music files from the computer since re-installing as I am concentrating on getting Cubase running smooth again.

If you might have any suggestions or ideas I can try, I would greatly appreciate it. I feel I am at the limits of what I know may be affecting my system.

If you need any more information, please let me know.

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Random ASIO spikes and audio glitches in Cubase 6 with Fireface UFX

Are you sure the idle CPU/ASIO load in Cubase wasn't present before? I will check mine to see if it doesn't happen with other interfaces as well (which I mean to remember it does).

3 Reply by static2313 (edited by static2313 2011-12-15 10:06:24)

  • From: Flor-eh-Duh
  • Registered: 2008-02-10
  • Posts: 7

Re: Random ASIO spikes and audio glitches in Cubase 6 with Fireface UFX

The idle load was present before with a project open that had plugins loaded. The load varied depending on the plugins of course. I was just giving an example from one of the projects I have been testing with. The load on the CPU/ASIO meter is the same initially after the project loads before it decides to be ok or start acting up. I can tell when it is going to start acting a few seconds after the project loads. The meter settles at whatever the idle percentage is and then starts jumping up 10% or so without anything going on and then when I play the project back it may go up when some of the plugins are being used but then it starts jumping/spiking up about 20% or so. It never hits 100% when it spikes or at least it doesn't appear to, but the light comes on in the meter showing it's hitting 100%.

Also, for what it's worth, the Task Manager in Windows is showing Cubase using between 15-16% CPU when the meter in Cubase is showing that it's around 55-60%.

As I stated before, it seems random when it does this. I can boot the computer up, load Cubase, load a few VST instruments and FX, and everything will be fine. Other times, I do the same thing with the same plugins, and it starts freaking out. It's just strange that it started behaving like this all of a sudden.
I keep my main OS drive backed up weekly with True Image and restored it to a backup two weeks prior to Cubase acting up. That didn't fix it, so I resorted to re-installing everything to see if that would work.

  • Registered: 2011-12-11
  • Posts: 6

Re: Random ASIO spikes and audio glitches in Cubase 6 with Fireface UFX

just wondering if you got this resolved, i have the same issue here with the fireface uc, also happens with an emu 1616m and a line 6 pod hd, very difficult to trouble shoot not just because it appears random but its a new pc and i also upgraded to cubase 6 so all this unfamiliar gear dosn't help, i do feel though that the fireface seems more stable at a buffer setting of 128 than it does at 256 and also my dpc latency is fine while idle and under load but if i keep it running while i close down cubase i'm greeted with a wall of red spikes up to 16000us but if i close the dpc latency checker then open it again right away its back to 40-150us, don't know what story that tells.
i do think though it happens most when i first boot up, almost like i need to run a cubase project to let the pc get warmed up. strange.

ive disabled onboard sound, usb 3 and some kind of cpu turbo boost and/or power saving scheme in the bios, disabled network adaptor in the device manager, removed my graphics card, disabled windows firewall and defender in system configuration, downloaded the cpu diagnostic tool from intel almost hoping it would show a faulty cpu so i could solve this puzzle but nothing, i uninstalled my ik multimedia philharmonik plug in as i suspected this for a while.

so my symtoms:

random vst performance spikes, mostly within the first hour of booting up the system then it settles down
maxed out dpc latency checker (but only when closing down cubase)
somtimes i get no sound output from my ampeg svx plug in and need to remove then reinsert it in the insert slot to get sound,

i dont know if these are symtoms of 1 big problem or if they are 3 individual problems. did you see any of these symptoms.

what do you think of a faulty power supply of being the culprit of the vst performance spikes, could that cause it?

  • From: Flor-eh-Duh
  • Registered: 2008-02-10
  • Posts: 7

Re: Random ASIO spikes and audio glitches in Cubase 6 with Fireface UFX

Still haven't gotten it resolved.
I've gone through reinstalling everything to new hard drives, removing my USB3 and UAD cards, and still no change.

The weird thing is that DPC Latency Checker never showed any red spikes. I've been using LatencyMon to trouble shoot some more, and whenever Cubase decides to randomly start spiking LatencyMon shows the USB driver(s) as being the cause of the DPC spikes/ASIO spikes. Lately it's been doing it with my UFX and my Virus TI. Also tried using the UFX with FireWire and also an M-audio Profire 610. Having the same issue with those as well. It just baffles me that it does it randomly. I can have just booted into Windows and it will be fine for multiple sessions. Then I shut off the computer, come back to it later and boot it up, load Cubase and I start having issues with it.
It's just leading me to think it's an issue with either the motherboard or PSU at this point. It's been running rock solid since april and then all of a sudden start having problems.

I've also tested the system out with Live 8 and the latest version of Reaper and was having similar performance issues in those. So I don't believe it's Cubase related.

Though, now it does appear that there is a separate problem with my UFX. I having some issues with the DURec not working right. Getting channels heavily distorted and it not recording at the correct clock settings. I don't think this is related to the spiking issues, but something else that needs to get fixed now. I was hoping that the last firmware update for the UFX would have fixed that, but it hasn't.

I just today ordered the parts to build a new system. So I am curious to get that tested out to see if I am having the same problems. After I get the new system up and running and hopefully find everything to be working smoothly, I'm going to start replacing parts in the old PC to see if I can track down the problem.

Good luck with your system. I know first hand how frustrating this is.

  • Registered: 2011-12-11
  • Posts: 6

Re: Random ASIO spikes and audio glitches in Cubase 6 with Fireface UFX

did you ever try booting up in diagnostic mode, i tried this and it seemed to work, but then again because its so random it could have been coincidence, what i found though was the emu worked fine but my system was missing all midi inputs and outputs, including from my usb keyboard controller, to get midi back, in the services tab i had to enable windows audio end point builder, windows audio, multimedia class scheduler and power but this also brought back the red spikes from dpc latency checker when closing cubase. at the time i saw it as one big problem instead of three little ones so didn't look if it brought back the spikes in the vst performance meter, i shall re-investigate this.

when using the rme however all fireface midi was avalible without enabling windows audio end point builder etc. but still had red dpc spikes. again i never checked the cpu meter an i shall investigate this further