ASIO settings

I'm a new Hercules/Traktor user and I think I've finally got my head around how to set everything up properly - with one key exception. Every few minutes the signal distorts for a few seconds before disappearing completely. I can bring it back by adjusting the buffer size in my ASIO settings but it doesn't seem to matter how I change it - bigger or smaller - the signal will return for a few more minutes before disappearing again, taking me back to square one. I have no idea what values to use in my ASIO settings. At the moment I have it set to 48K sample rate, 16 bit sample size and 1632 buffer size. Any pointers would be much appreciated.

 

The hercules ASIO drivers are naff, unstable and do this sometimes when you click on a button or move a window on the screen, or change for Traktor to another app.
Download ASIO4ALL:
http://www.asio4all.com/
Install this, you'll have to play around and set it to use the Hercules as its output. Don't set the hercules to use asio or DJ mode -just leave it in the default 'normal' mode, otherwise you'll have a conflict.

Use the ASIO4ALL as the asio driver in Traktor instead.
In Traktor you'll have to use ch. 2 as the master and then set ch. 1 to the monitor in the traktor settings - the hercules defaults to using the phones for ch. 1 in 'normal' mode.

Should be totally stable.

 

Thanks for the reply. I've installed ASIO4ALL ok (I think) and it's recognised the Hercules Console, but I can't open Traktor at all unless Hercules is set to DJ mode and Enable ASIO is ticked. When I do that, Hercules comes up as 'Beyond logic' in ASIO4ALL. I can't see any way around this. Can you? I feel like I'm missing something obvious...

 

One other thing. You say: 'Use the ASIO4ALL as the asio driver in Traktor instead. In Traktor you'll have to use ch. 2 as the master and then set ch. 1 to the monitor in the traktor settings - the hercules defaults to using the phones for ch. 1 in 'normal' mode.'

I can't see any way of changing any of this in Traktor. Bear in mind we're talking the Traktor 'lite' that comes with the Hercules console. Am I looking at an expensive updgrade before I can do this?

 

Are you using the Hercules edition of Traktor? I've not seen that it may be bound to the hercules driver.
Apologies if this is the case then you may be stuck with the poor driver.

 

What are your system specs? Many ASIO problems can be fixed with some tweaking, a few things I'd try:

-Get latest chipset drivers for your motherboard
-Make sure all your drives are set to DMA
-Close anti-virus, anything else that may steal focus or run in background. Instant messenger. Firewall. Some guides say to disable your network drivers!
-Disable windows sound effects in control panel? (long shot)
-New drivers!
-New network card/wireless drivers if you can't live without the net during your set [that rhymes!]
-New video card drivers too; some agp cards steal bandwidth
-Flash to latest motherboard BIOS

Are you going through a USB hub? Try switching USB ports if your system has a few, especially if you have some built onto the motherboard.

Also, you can get crazy and try disabling ACPI, rearranging PCI cards, etc. Try the easy stuff first

 

Whoah! lots of thoughts there, most of which go straight over my head. I'm marginally more technically adept than my 75 year-old dad, but only just
Luckily, I have a mate who will be able to breeze much of this stuff I hope.. Actually I think he replaced many of the drivers you mention when he tweaked my laptop last week.
Specs are: Dell Inspiron 4150, P4 1.8GHz with 640MB of RAM. Don't know what other bits might be useful but the Hercules is connected to a 7 port USB(1) hub and the music's on a 150GB Lacie drive connected via a PCMCIA Firewire card. If there's anything else relevant I probably don't know how to find it!
Many thanks for the suggestions...

 

Try connecting your hercules directly instead of through a hub.

 

I had the same problem. Here is what i did. I installed Asio4all as you did. Leave HDJC Settings in Normal Mode, not in DJ. Run Asio4all make USB DEvice (HCons) available (should be green, means runing). Then run Traktor. Select Audio Device Asio4all, then you should be able to see below and select the following ... Master LEft Chan3, Master Right chan4, Monitor left chan1 and monitor right chan.2..It works for me just fine.

 

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, this isn't possible when using the version of Traktor that comes bundled with the console... if you try to open Traktor when the HDJC is in normal mode, it tells you it's disconnected. I'm beginning to think this isn't going to be possible - which pisses me off big time. This is sold as a working package FFS! And it doesn't work! And so far the Hercules support people have been unable to help. I can't believe I'm the only person this has happened to...