• Registered: 2014-01-27
  • Posts: 4

Topic: HDSPe RayDAT: Choppy Playback in CuBase 6

I just installed an RME HDSPe RayDAT in my home studio PC, and I've got a problem I can't seem to get past.  I can hear sound when I play audio from Cubase 6, but it's VERY choppy - lots of clicks, pops, and artifacts - it sounds so bad it's pretty much unusable.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!  Below is a quick summary of my current setup and configuration settings:

Audio Hardware:
- RME HDSPe RayDAT PCI-express card with ADAT expansion (4 in, 4 out)
- Presonus Central Station (toslink/spdif input supports up to 24-bit/192KHz)

Configuration details:
- RayDAT "ADAT4" output is connected to Central Station "toslink" input
- RayDAT Hammerfall DSP Settings: buffer set to "32", clock sample rate set to "44100 Hz" (ghosted), source set to "Internal", Pitch set to "0%", SPDIF Out "ADAT4" selected, Word Clock Out set to "Single Speed"

Computer/Software:
- Windows 7 64-bit on an EVGA motherboard, 1st-gen Intel Core i7
- CuBase 6 with Hammerfall ASIO drivers enabled

  • vinark
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • Registered: 2009-06-05
  • Posts: 2,738

Re: HDSPe RayDAT: Choppy Playback in CuBase 6

A 32 buffer is very low. First try 256 or 128. Some VSTi or fx don´t work reliable with ultra low buffers. Selecting the right buffer for a project needs some experience.

Vincent, Amsterdam
https://soundcloud.com/thesecretworld
BFpro fs, 2X HDSP9652 ADI-8AE, 2X HDSP9632
  • Registered: 2014-01-27
  • Posts: 4

Re: HDSPe RayDAT: Choppy Playback in CuBase 6

I should have mentioned - I have tried every buffer setting all the way up through 4096, and I get the same choppy behavior no matter what. Initially, things worked well at buffer size of 32 with just a few clicks and pops here and there, but over the course of a couple hours of playback trying to troubleshoot, it got much worse.

  • Registered: 2011-05-04
  • Posts: 249

Re: HDSPe RayDAT: Choppy Playback in CuBase 6

How about clocking failure in Presonus. Have you checked with other digital sources?

Also, are there any offensive DPC latency spikes?

5 Reply by benlawry (edited by benlawry 2014-01-28 05:42:21)

  • Registered: 2014-01-27
  • Posts: 4

Re: HDSPe RayDAT: Choppy Playback in CuBase 6

I don't believe it's a failure with the Presonus, because its digital input works just fine when I rout the digital output of my motherboard to it.  I also don't think these artifacts are latency spikes, because the tempo of the music being played lines up to my phone's metronome perfectly.  It's as if the signal is dropping out randomly.

Let me see if I can get a recording of the problem posted.

  • Registered: 2014-01-27
  • Posts: 4

Re: HDSPe RayDAT: Choppy Playback in CuBase 6

Ugh.  Silly me.  It was the brand new 10' optical cable I bought from Monoprice.  Perhaps I should reconsider purchasing TosLink cables from them in the future :-/