Changing Driver Modes

Audio Drivers are used to communicate between hardware and software, telling the software to work with a particular device. Audio Interfaces typically have an ASIO driver provided by the manufacturer, while there are also Windows driver modes for use with the internal sound card of your machine.

To change driver modes in Cakewalk Sonar:

1. Connect or disconnect any hardware devices as necessary
2. Launch Cakewalk Sonar
3. Go to Edit > Preferences, or press P when the Start Screen is closed to open the Preferences menu
4. Under Audio > Playback and Recording, find Driver Mode
5. Use the dropdown menu to select a driver mode
6. Click Apply and OK to save the changes!

Quick Guide to Driver Modes:

WDM/KS - A basic Windows driver mode. Typically the default, and used on Windows 7, 8, and 10

WASAPI Exclusive - Enhanced for Windows 10, WASAPI Exclusive provides low latency audio and direct access to the audio driver, bypassing the Windows audio engine. Only one application can access the driver in Exclusive mode.

WASAPI Shared - Enhanced for Windows 10, WASAPI Shared allows multiple applications to access the driver.

ASIO - The most common driver type when using an external audio interface. Low latency drivers provided by and updated by the device manufacturer.

MME (32-bit) - The least common with newer machines, MME was common in previous operating systems, and may have been used when recording with older Cakewalk programs.