AK1: How to make it work (almost) correctly

Part.1 :

So, i've buy a brand new AK1 yesterday and spend my whole day trying to make it work efficiently on my 2 months old laptop, which display the following configuration :

- AMD Turion(TM) 64 X2 Dual-Core TL-50(1.6GHz/512KB)
- 256MB NVIDIA(R) GeForce(R) Go 7200 (no shared memory)
- 1024MB DDR2 System Memory
- 120GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
- 3 Universal Serial Bus (USB 2.0)
- Up to date Windows XP MCE 2005
- Last revision of DirectX 9 (february 2007 RunTime)

First thing i've done was to update the AK1 firmware with the utility posted in this forum yesterday. The info submenu now display the following version : 23

Now, and after spending hours testing various configurations, i've come to the conclusion that AK1 is not an "ready out of the box" system at all, and that it suffer for several flaws mostly due to the software, driver and/or Firmware.

Surprisely, most of those problems doesn't seem's relevant to the chosen buffer size or latency, but from the way AK1 D/A converters work with various sampling rate frequency. Something weird for exemple is that i'm able to obtain better performances under Traktor 3 by using a 192Khz frequency than with 44,1Khz using the exact same settings for buffer size & latency. The overall latency still basicly the same (18ms), but the 192Khz doesn't show any glitch or gap like the 44,1Khz. Since those D/A converters work natively @24/192, it maybe takes more "calculation" to push the lower frequency to 192hz using oversampling. In fact, you can see great improvements in sound quality and stability just by choosing a frequency that can be converted to 192Khz using a simple multiplifier algorythm : 48Khz (x4 oversampling), 96Khz (x2). So if you think that working with 44,1khz will give you better performances just because lower frequency should take less system ressources, maybe it's time to think again...

Another observation i've made is that the AK1 doesn't seem's to fully understand the order given by some software in the choice of sampling rate frequency, which lead to weird settings where the host wants to work @44,1Khz, and the AK1 still stuck @48Khz for example. This is really obvious on Cubase SX3. So, if you experiment glitches, gap, and other strange background noises, first thing to do is to make sure that the software you working with and the AK-1 work at the exact same Sampling rate frequency. Go to your soft preferences menu and force it if needed.

I've many other thing i want to share about the AK1, but i will come back later with a second part, because i'm a french guy and it's sometime difficult and boring to translate those technical stuffs in english. Seeya Soon

 

Very interesting thoughts about native sampling-frequencies, sounds pretty logical to me. I noticed that audio-performance is also depending on the software used. One program might run really well with good performance, while another program doesn't at all. I'm working with Cubase SX3(PC) aswell, so your tips are very useful for me!

One thing you should look at is this thread:

http://www.native-instruments.com/forum_de/showthread.php?t=45019

There seem to be a lot of incompatibilities with Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) which I think you are using.

 

That's right, i'm using MCE2005, and i think i've made a big mistake by choosing this one as my main OS, mostly because MCE require some additionnals services and background tasks in order to manage fonctions like scheduled recordings, services and TV guide. Those are completely useless in a DAW configuration and lead to a (somewhat) dramatic loss of performance.

Another problem using MCE2005 as DAW is relevant to the very specific hardware/software nedeed by this OS, such as the Tuner TV Card and Graphic Card's drivers, wich can also take lot of unnecessary computing cycles and system ressources.

Still, in the case of the AK1, MCE2005 doesn't seem's to be the main problem regarding the poor latency performance of this interface, since you can read in this very forum the case of one users switching from MCE to XP Pro, hoping for better performances, but with few or not direct results in practice.

Anyway, i've made the decision to make a dual configuration on my Laptop, keeping MCE2005 as my everyday OS, and installing a light, nLite modified, version of XP Pro for music production

I made other advancement regarding the AK1 and will post everything soon, just need some time (@work right now).

 

A weird thing that I've noticed is that if I crank the sampling rate up to 192000Hz and then try to start Traktor I get an unhandled exception error message and Traktor crashes. I then look in the AK1 settings and the sample rate is back at 44100Hz.

In fact I can't get the AK1 to work properly with any other sampling rate than 44100Hz - anytghing higher than that and the sound is distorted to sound like a dalek and/or Traktor crashes.

 

I'll add a couple of my recent discoveries here - not nearly so technical as yours Toytronic but maybe useful just the same.

I think I tracked down the cause occasional awful crackly very loud sound I get. This seems to be caused by a USB lead that doesn't quite fit properly in the AK1 - it fits ok in everything else but I get the feeling the socket on the AK1 is a bit fussy (it's also a bit wobbly!) - I found that the sound went horrible when I moved the AK1 while it was playing back. I replaced the USB lead I was using with one that fits more snuggly into the AK1 socket - it actually kind of clicks home and there's hardly any metal showing unlike the other one I was using - I can now move the AK1 about while it's playing and it has no effect.

Second I found the cause of what I thought was a latency problem. It actually seems to be some little speakers I use when I don't want to plug the AK1 into the full sound system - they are Saitek ones primarily designed for wireless use but you can plug a line in to them. I think the delay is actually on that line in. So I owe an apology to NI - sorry guys - and I owe an email to Saitek asking what's going on.

 

Kirk Smeaton : As i said in my earlier post, it seem's that AK1 sometimes refuse to change his sampling rate frequency regarding the one selected in various software, including Traktor.

So, changing the sampling frequency live in Traktor lead to an "Exception_access_violation" in memory, also called "a ****ing crash", or to a distorted, crappy sound.

Still, i found a simple tip in order to make traktor work at the desired sampling frequency with AK1 :

- Before launching Traktor, make sure that the AK1 app is still running in the task bar.

- Launch traktor

- Set the sampling frequency as you like

- load a track and play it

- if Traktor crash, well... sorry can't do **** except retry

- if Traktor still up but play with a distorded sound, let it run and go to Setup menu, choose the "DS Audio Control 1 Out1/2" driver in the "Audio Device" menu, then go back to the Asio driver (the one simply labelled "Audio Kontrol 1"). Assuming your latency was correcty set, your sound should be crystal clear by now, and in the desired sampling frequency.

Seem's that changing the Audio driver from Directsound to asio or the opposite simply "reinitiate" the D/A converters and make them work correctly.

Of course, dear N.I. moderators and develloppers, none of this as to do with your crappy driver or software (or maybe your hardware, so it could explain your silence?).

 

thanks! that works
I now have lovely clear sound at 48000 Hz sample rate.

That's a top tip and NI should include in their instructions somewhere!