Aardvark Improves ASIO Support for Direct Pro Series
June 15, 2001Aardvark introduced a new driver version 5.14
for their Direct Pro Series line of high-end computer audio interfaces.
This new driver has low-latency performance with any ASIO
application, including Steinberg Cubase VST and Nuendo, Emagic Logic
Audio, Bitheadz, Native Instruments and Propellerhead Reason.
Driver version 5.14 is based on a new, super-efficient ASIO architecture and
offers some unique features to provide low latency performance with any ASIO
application. This driver can be used with any of Aardvark’s Direct Pro
Series audio interfaces, including the Direct Pro 24/96 ($699), LX6
($499), Aark 24 ($599) and the soon to be released Q10 ($999).
“Our new ASIO structure makes The Direct Pro Series one of the
lowest-latency performers available on the Windows platform. The ASIO
Buffer Slider and the Turbo Mode are unique in their approach to
dramatically reducing the latency for almost all of Steinberg, Emagic,
Cakewalk, Native Instruments and Propellerhead programs. Combine that with
the zero-latency DSP effects we already offer and that makes the Direct Pro
Series pretty tough to beat.” states Erik Lovell, the VP of Sales &
Marketing for Aardvark.
Aardvark’s existing Cubase VST and Logic Audio users will notice a
significant reduction in the latency when recording live and monitoring
multi-track sessions. Native Instruments and other software synth & sampler
users will notice a dramatic latency reduction and real-time feel when using
it with any of the Direct Pro Series interfaces.
One of the new features in v 5.14 is the clever ASIO Buffer Size Adjustment
slider which is accessed from the control panel’s Advanced button. This
allows the user to dial up to 31 different ASIO buffer sizes in 64 sample
increments to get exactly the setting on the computer that achieves the
lowest latency possible with their applications.
Another unique feature in this driver is the new ‘Turbo Mode’, which further
reduces the latency performance for most ASIO based programs and ASIO
software synths & samplers by optimizing the data efficiency between the
software and hardware. This feature can allow up to 9 ms lower latency than
the standard driver without changing the audio buffer size. Native
Instruments, Propellerhead and other ASIO based synth and sampler customers
can get latencies down to 3 or 4 milliseconds, which gives them the
real-time performance they need for professional applications.
Version 5.14 also includes the true Multi-Client/Multi-Driver architecture
which allows Aardvark’s Direct Pro Series to be used by multiple
applications at the same time. This allows up to 3 separate applications to
each use different audio inputs and outputs as if no other application we
also using the card. Aardvark customers find this convenient when using
Nemesys GigaStudio or Native Instruments while simultaneously monitoring
live multi-track audio in Cubase VST or Cakewalk’s Sonar. For more information, visit their web site at www.aardvark-pro.com. | 
