Driver 1.20 changes from real-time WDM sample rate change to unload/reload of all WDM devices. The real-time WDM method is not working fully correctly, and has never been fixed by Microsoft. Known issues are that you loose surround sound setting (reverts back to stereo on sample rate change), and under Windows 8.x it even fails to set the sample rate for all WDM devices, so its main purpose as workaround to globally set the sample rate doesn't work anymore.

Therefore the driver is now modified to unload/reload WDM devices on change of sample rate. This is the same technique used in the FireWire and USB drivers for years. It fixes the loss of WDM surround setting, and allows to set the WDM sample rate in Windows 8.x globally, for the whole device.

We were hesitant to add these changes to the driver because we hoped MS would maybe get their act together (ok, forget it), and because the process of removing and reinstalling the WDM devices causes a lot of CPU load for a short time, but - even worse - a much longer CPU load (equalling one full CPU core) up to several minutes on older, slower computers, by svchost.exe as already discussed in this forum, for example here:

http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=11409

Setting the number of WDM devices to as low as actually used will minimize this 'delayed' CPU load, so the driver includes a nice optimization already. We just changed that one from edit box to list box, which is more user friendly.

Additionally changing the number of WDM devices becomes active immediately, no restart is required anymore.

Finally increasing or decreasing the number of WDM devices will only add/remove the difference. The lower number WDM devices that are unaffected by such a change stay untouched. Compared to the current USB/FW drivers, where for example a change from 10 to 11 would remove all 10 devices and reinstall 11, the new driver 1.20 acts more clever - it will just add device 11. In fact you can have a record/playback runing on any device from 1 to 10 while changing WDM devices above 10!

We will have the same changes soon in a new HDSP/HDSPe series driver.

Driver 1.20 also comes with TotalMix FX 1.00:

- Global Trim Gains is now switched off with the Global Trim button only

- Several bugfixes when loading workspaces (possible graphics problem after loading the same workspace multiple times; possible hang after multiple loading of workspaces with an Aux device setting; possible incorrect loading of Mac or iPad workspaces).

- Changed Channel Layout: removed column 'active'. The list now only shows the channels that are currently present, depending on the actual sample rate. This also fixes wrong channel names when using the option 'Count MADI Channels per port' with MADI devices.

Driver 1.20 is a release candidate and we would be happy to hear your feedback.

Download:

https://archiv.rme-audio.de/download/dr … in_120.zip