cubase and asio drivers

Asio is short for Audio stream input/output , and was originally developed by Steinberg as a way for Cubase to address the sound processor on the computer directly, rather going through the rest of the machines software. The longer the route through the operating system, the more time delay is incurred, and the more audio quality is lost. This time delay issue is known as "latency", and it may well be that you are experiencing this on your computer set up. If you are finding that when you play the keyboard there is a delay before you hear Cubase playing the notes through the computer, then this is a "latency" problem. Or you may be finding that Cubase is struggling to play back audio recordings correctly. This also may be being caused by the absence of the correct drivers. Asio drivers deliver "bit identical" results, in other words, the information ("bits") from the host software (Cubase) is exactly the same as that passed to the soundcard to reproduce, hence giving high fidelity results.

If you do not have Asio drivers installed on you PC, you're going to have problems getting Cubase to run well. It may work on a basic level e.g. it's possible to record Midi information from your keyboard, and it may play this back, but it's not possible to resolve latency or quality issues without the correct asio drivers.

Here is a free fix that you can try to begin with, its called Asio4All, developed by Michael Tippach. This is an asio driver that you can install onto your system that can be used to address your sound card and cubase. It doesn't work in all instances, but it's worth trying to begin with.

If you're finding that this hasn't resolved the playing issues fully, then you may need to order a music soundcard in order to get Cubase to work properly. Most computers come with "onboard" soundchips (these are chips which are integrated into the motherboard). They are often not capable of handling the processing power required to play Cubase properly, especially when trying to play VST instruments (such as Halion or other third party instruments). Cubase also needs a card to be full duplex (capable of playing back and recording at the same time).

The easiest way to fix this issue is to buy a dedicated music soundcard. It's not necessary to spend lots of cash - you can pick up a perfectly adequate one for less than $100. There's lots on the market. Here's one that I would recommend:-

M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI Digital Audio Card The M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI Digital Audio Card gives you 2 analog ins and 2 outs on RCA jacks plus S/PPIF for total of 4 ins and 4 outs of high-quality I/O. Channels support 24-bit data width and any sampling rate from 8kHz to 96kHz. Compatible with all major programs running on PCs and Macs.

I’ve worked with M-Audio equipment for the last three years and can vouch for their reliability and design.

This card is perfectly adequate for most home studio requirements. However, if you are wanting higher quality studio recording, then you may want a card that has a better operating spec. Again, M-Audio produce a good one here that's worth checking out:-