If you're experiencing audio glitches, clicks, pops, dropouts, or performance issues in Cakewalk Sonar, the Performance module and Dropout Reason Codes can help identify where the problem is occurring.
This guide explains how to monitor Sonar's audio performance and what to check when a dropout occurs.
Monitor Audio Performance
The Performance module in the Control Bar provides real-time information about how your system is handling your project.
Use it to monitor:
- CPU: Shows processor activity related to audio processing, effects, and virtual instruments.
- Disk: Shows disk activity associated with audio playback and recording.
- Engine: Shows the overall processing load of the audio engine.
Hover over the meters to view additional performance information.
If one of these meters becomes heavily loaded when you hear a click, pop, or dropout, it can help identify whether the issue is related to processing, disk performance, or the audio engine.
Reduce Audio Dropouts
A dropout occurs when Cakewalk Sonar cannot process or deliver audio within the required amount of time.
If you're experiencing dropouts, try the following:
- Increase your audio buffer size: Go to Edit > Preferences > Audio > Driver Settings and increase the buffer size.
- Freeze virtual instruments or processing-heavy tracks: This can reduce real-time CPU usage.
- Temporarily bypass CPU-intensive plugins: Pay particular attention to plugins using oversampling, look-ahead processing, convolution, or other demanding processing.
- Close unnecessary applications: Web browsers, communication apps, streaming software, and other programs can compete for system resources.
- Check your audio driver: If you're using an audio interface, use the latest dedicated ASIO driver provided by the manufacturer when available.
- Check your audio interface connection: If you're using a USB interface, connect it directly to the computer when possible and temporarily avoid hubs or docks while troubleshooting.
For more detailed troubleshooting, see Troubleshooting Latency and Audio Dropouts in Cakewalk Sonar.
Dropout Reason Codes
When Cakewalk Sonar detects an audio dropout, it may display a Dropout Reason Code.
The code identifies the condition Sonar detected when the audio engine stopped. Use the table below as a starting point for troubleshooting.
| Code | What Happened | What to Try |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | The specific cause could not be determined. | Restart the audio engine and test again. If the problem continues, check your audio driver, buffer size, and system performance. |
| 1 | Audio processing took longer than the available audio buffer time. | Increase the audio buffer size under Edit > Preferences > Audio > Driver Settings. Also check for CPU-intensive plugins or virtual instruments. |
| 2 | An audio buffer underrun occurred, or Sonar encountered a problem writing recording buffers. | Increase the audio buffer size. Check CPU load, your audio driver, and disk performance. |
| 3 | The audio driver stopped requesting buffers for longer than expected. | Increase the audio buffer size and make sure you're using the latest driver for your audio device. |
| 4 | A Windows audio output buffer was not available when Sonar needed to send audio to the device. | Increase the audio buffer or playback queue settings and test again. |
| 5 | Sonar could not read audio data from storage quickly enough during playback. | Increase Playback I/O Buffer Size under Edit > Preferences > Audio > Sync and Caching. Also check available disk space and storage performance. |
| 6 | Sonar encountered an internal error while filling the disk playback buffer. | Check available disk space and storage health, then restart Sonar and test again. |
| 7 | Sonar encountered an internal error while reading the disk playback buffer. | Save your work, restart Cakewalk Sonar, and reopen the project. |
| 8 | Sonar could not write recorded audio to disk. | Make sure the drive has sufficient free space and that the project/audio folder is writable. |
| 9 | MIDI playback processing could not keep up. | Review your MIDI playback buffer settings under Edit > Preferences > MIDI > Playback and Recording. |
| 10 | Sonar detected an internal audio processing timing problem. | Restart the audio engine and Cakewalk Sonar. If the problem continues, note the dropout code and contact Cakewalk Support. |
| 11 | An unexpected error occurred while processing an audio buffer. | Save the project, close Cakewalk Sonar, reopen the project, and test again. |
| 12 | Sonar reached an internal audio buffer memory limit. | Save your work and contact Cakewalk Support with the project and steps that reproduce the issue. |
| 13 | The ASIO driver reported a dropout or state change. | Avoid changing ASIO settings during playback. Close other audio applications and check your audio interface driver. |
| 14 | Sonar timed out while reading audio from a WASAPI device. | Restart the audio device and close other applications that may be using it. |
| 15 | A WASAPI buffer underrun occurred. | Increase the audio buffer size, restart the audio device, and close other applications using the device. |
| 16 | Sonar could not read from or write to the WASAPI audio buffer. | Restart the audio device and close other applications that may be using it. |
| 17 | The WASAPI audio device was removed or became unavailable. | Reconnect or turn on the audio device, then restart the audio engine or Cakewalk Sonar. |
| 18 | The audio device driver could not initialize correctly. | Reconnect or restart the audio device, then restart Cakewalk Sonar. Make sure you're using the latest compatible audio driver. |
| 19 | An audio processing task did not complete in time while using an aggressive thread scheduling configuration. | Return to the default thread scheduling configuration and test again. If you haven't manually changed this setting, contact Cakewalk Support before modifying the audio configuration. |
Check Whether the Problem Is Project-Specific
If dropouts continue, create a new empty project and test playback or recording.
If the new project works normally: The issue may be related to the processing requirements, plugins, virtual instruments, or configuration of the affected project.
If the dropout occurs in every project: Focus troubleshooting on your audio driver, buffer settings, audio device, and system configuration.
Check Plugins and Virtual Instruments
If the problem occurs only in a particular project, temporarily bypass effects and virtual instruments to determine whether a plugin is contributing to the dropout.
Pay particular attention to:
- Plugins using oversampling
- Look-ahead processors
- Convolution effects
- CPU-intensive virtual instruments
- Large sample libraries
- Plugins that are no longer up to date
Re-enable plugins gradually and test the same section of the project after each change.
Check Disk Performance
If you receive a disk-related dropout code, such as 5, 6, or 8:
- Make sure the drive containing your project and audio files has sufficient free space.
- Make sure the project and audio folders are writable.
- Go to Edit > Preferences > Audio > Sync and Caching.
- Increase Playback I/O Buffer Size or Record I/O Buffer Size as appropriate.
- Test the project again.
If your projects or sample libraries are stored on an external drive, also check the drive's connection.
Tips for Better Audio Performance
For more reliable real-time audio performance:
- Use the dedicated ASIO driver provided by your audio interface manufacturer when available.
- Keep your audio interface driver and firmware up to date.
- Increase the audio buffer when working with larger projects.
- Use smaller buffers when low latency is required for recording or monitoring.
- Freeze virtual instruments or processing-heavy tracks when necessary.
- Close unnecessary background applications.
- Keep sufficient free space available on drives used for projects, recordings, and sample libraries.
- Avoid changing audio interface settings while Cakewalk Sonar is playing or recording.
Still Experiencing Dropouts?
If the problem continues, contact Cakewalk Support.
When contacting us, include:
- The Dropout Reason Code
- Your audio interface or audio device
- Your selected Driver Mode
- Your audio buffer size
- Your sample rate
- Whether the dropout occurs during playback, recording, or both
- Whether it occurs in all projects or only one project
- What you were doing immediately before the dropout occurred
If the issue is project-specific, also let us know whether bypassing plugins or virtual instruments changes the behavior.
This information can help us determine whether the dropout is related to audio processing, the driver, storage, a plugin, or the project itself.
Comments
Article is closed for comments.