KVR Audio

egbert · Post by **egbert** » Thu Feb 11, 2016 5:46 am

If your building doesn't suit it's either sneaker net or wifi I guess.

I don't have any trouble running this laptop with wifi on and using a DAW. I think the difference is that when you put your own set of parts together in a possibly untested configuration you are vulnerable to conflicts/DPC issues. These may tend to be sorted if you have hardware that has been tested more carefully before foisting it on the public. I recall that plenty of cheap Dell lappies etc were reported to be bad news audio-wise - these sorts of driver issues being the problem.

You can also screw up a system that works OK simply by updating drivers or by opening a whole new can of worms by installing a new OS and drivers (eg migrating a piece of hardware which came with some variety Win 32 to Win 7 64).

ford442 · Post by **ford442** » Thu Feb 11, 2016 6:39 am

i usually just run an ethernet cable. the long ones 50-100 ft are not too expensive.

steffeeH · Post by **steffeeH** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:04 pm

Just bringing this thread back to life again...

I'm going to buy a new and better Wireless Adapter and try returning my current one as it's the thing causing the problem.
I'm considering going with an Intel card, though feel free to suggest other good brands for cards like these with drivers that actually work.

One question - I'm using an Asus X99-A motherboard, can I use cards with M.2? All the Intel cards only seem to use M.2...

theEmbark · Post by **theEmbark** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:43 pm

I just ordered one of these as reccomended by another user.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-BCM943602 ... 5681c6f0b6

Since it's an apple card it shouldn't have any compatibility issues. Once everything gets here I can put it together and let you know for sure. I'm considering doing the same thing for the GPU.

dsan@mail.com · Post by **dsan@mail.com** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:59 pm

You should be aware that sometimes when you plug something into the M.2 slot you lose something else; likely a SATA port.

You should read the MOBO's manual to see if this is the case with the board.

Personally, if I were to use that M.2 slot for something it would be an SSD.

I would also do like several others have suggested in this thread and run ethernet instead of wifi. Unless there is some reason I am unaware of that you just have to have wifi.

steffeeH · Post by **steffeeH** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 5:16 pm

I already have both an SSD and an SSHD, as well as an optical drive connected using SATA to the mobo, so I suppose it's not recommended to use M.2 in my case?

Anyway, I've otherwise found what seems to be some decent cards using standard PCIe:
- Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I
- D-Link DWA-582
- Asus PCE-AC56

Asus is a great manufacturer to my experience, just like Intel, but that card don't have Bluetooth, but is faster. The other two I have no experience with but have Bluetooth, but D-Link makes me think of TP-Link so I'm actually a little skeptic to that brand - are their drivers good?
Anyway, all 3 of them seem to have Win 10 64-bit drivers.

dsan@mail.com · Post by **dsan@mail.com** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 5:46 pm

It's fine if you want to use the M.2 for wifi....just be aware it may kill a SATA port.....just in case something on the port stops working you'll know where to look. But check your documention to see if you lose a port, and which, when using the M.2 slot.

steffeeH · Post by **steffeeH** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 6:30 pm

I think I probably should go with a PCIe card instead then, I'm tired of having to do a bunch of troubleshooting already, I don't want any further issues because of an M.2-card.

But before I get a new card I'll do the final troubleshooting concerning this issue - flashing BIOS. I'm aware of the risks, but I've done some investigation on how to do it safely and with worst case scenario preparations.

The reason why I go with wireless instead of ethernet cable is because my cable would have to be 25 meter long, and even though that's pretty much the same cost as a Wireless Adapter, it will still be a mess to connect it to the router on the bottom floor and still make it look nice.

EDIT: Updating BIOS didn't solve my crackling audio issue, so I will buy a new Wireless Adapter

steffeeH · Post by **steffeeH** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:04 pm

Any input on the various cards? I'd like to order tonight if possible

PapaLazarou · Post by **PapaLazarou** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 9:07 pm

Powerline networking is an option that can work well. I use it in preference to wireless on my desktop, as the router is not nearby, and running cable through the wall cavities is not something I fancy doing.. It's no quicker than Wireless N, but it is a lot less prone to drop outs IME.

Example kit - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

M.2. is something I'm not totally clued up on yet but I do know that it can use SATA and PCIe interfaces amongst others. A wireless card will certainly be using the PCIe bus rather than SATA. The cards and slots are "keyed" so that they can only accept compatible cards/SSD's. If you have for example an M keyed slot, it won't take a B keyed card. Personally, if you aren't totally sure I'd suggest avoiding the headache and using a PCIe slot!

steffeeH · Post by **steffeeH** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 10:27 pm

I'm going for a PCIe-card. I actually found 4th interesting card:
- Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260

So which one? :p

EDIT: Though the Intel card seem to be more risky as many people complain about speed issues caused by bad drivers...

Kaine · Post by **Kaine** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:24 am

Out of the ones you've listed, the ASUS card in the past has had the best drivers as far as DPC scores go in current builds.

D-link is far more established than TP link and normally alright in use, but wouldn't be my first choice for a audio box.
The Intel ones tend to swing between being fine, and nasty spikes depending on the driver build, so whilst I use them sometimes where I have to, I wouldn't suggest it for a trouble free install.

I've got no idea what is on the Gigabyte cards controller wise right now, so not sure how suitable they would be for your needs.

steffeeH · Post by **steffeeH** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 11:14 am

Thanks for the input, I guess I'll stay away from the Intel card in this particular case. I like Asus as they're generall reliable and have good quality, but out of all these 4 listed cards, the Asus one is the only one that doesn't have Bluetooth, so unless the Asus card is really standing out from the rest in terms of driver reliability, then I will go with either the D-Link or the Gigabyte-card.

Though while googling, I've seen that this issue is common, with many times having no solutions. There was one guy who tried turning the WA on/off in Device Manager and that helped - but despite switching and trying several cards, they all added DPC issues. This even scares me, I mean what if I never fix this issue and my new card also has the issue :S
However, I've tried switching the WA off and used my phone as a hotspot via USB (I even put it where my WA antenna is in case it was interference) and everything went fine - hopefully this means that getting a new card may solve the problem.

bronxsound · Post by **bronxsound** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 11:22 am

use usb wifi or hardwire inet via network.

steffeeH · Post by **steffeeH** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 3:19 pm

steffeeH wrote:Though while googling, I've seen that this issue is common, with many times having no solutions. There was one guy who tried turning the WA on/off in Device Manager and that helped - but despite switching and trying several cards, they all added DPC issues. This even scares me, I mean what if I never fix this issue and my new card also has the issue :S
However, I've tried switching the WA off and used my phone as a hotspot via USB (I even put it where my WA antenna is in case it was interference) and everything went fine - hopefully this means that getting a new card may solve the problem.

Any thoughts on this?

Building a custom power PC - processor question