I love the interface. Using ASIO4ALL it can handle like 128 sample rate (I can confirm that later. I never go below 512, save the resources for something else). Super quiet, due to the interface trs connection, genuinely noise canceling. If you sub mix and use trs 1/4" plug converter, you may get no signal depending on the submixer. No defect, just noise canceling doing its job. Be sure your submix wiring is completely trs. The CPU load is what I am curious about. I am going to buy 16gb ram and disable WiFi and BT. See if that helps. Toggles mono and stereo. I believe it is USB 1.1. Which for stereo playback only, is no chore. Used it to play for larger gigs (events 2-5k audience) over pretty major PAās. Very quiet, and solid body. Sound man likes it.
If your interface provides its own ASIO drivers, those are preferable to using ASIO4ALL in most cases.
ASIO4ALL allows your Windows drivers to āmasqueradeā as ASIO ports for software that cannot use the Windows drivers. So, you are likely not receiving the full benefit from your interface that you could, and ASIO4ALL places its own slight drain on your resources as well. (Those Windows ports still only have the performance they came with - ASIO4ALL does not improve their performance making them like ārealā ASIO ports!)
That said, Windows 10ās new audio engine and drivers are almost as good and fast as ASIO now in terms of latency, and so ASIO4ALL will be surprisingly efficient compared to earlier Windows versions. See the video at http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2015/07/29/windows-10-promises-better-audio-midi-performance-easier-app-development/ at about the 8-minute mark for the Pro-audio portion of the presentation.
If it is working well enough, stay with the ASIO4ALL setup, but Iād give the native ASIO drivers a try if it comes with them.
Terry
I have a fairly complex studio using hardware synths (Master keyboard is a Kawai K5000s additive synth, 2nd keyboard is an original Korg Wavestation, and also have as rack units: the Wavestation SR, an Ensoniq ESQm, and a Yamaha TX81Z) along with several plugin VSTi instruments - many Linplug instruments: Spectral, Octopus, Organ3, Alpha3, RMV, relectro - the Korg Wavestation VSTi, and XLNās Addictive Keys; along with some others that came with Cakewalk Sonar Platinum and Samplitude Pro X2.
So, I run two MOTU interfaces ā an 828 mk3 hybrid and its little brother, the Ultralite mk3 hybrid ā via Firewire (you cannot stack or ādaisy-chainā them in USB mode). These provide the number of stereo and microphone inputs I need for not only live performances but also for recording these all into separate tracks in my DAWs during live performances.
Cantabile 3 is what Iāve been using since I bought into Cantabile in September. I love that it integrates all of my inputs and gives me massive power. The hardware synths help take a load off the CPU so I can layer my sounds nicely (though the Korg Wavestation VSTi is pretty good performance-wise and is muscling in to take over the SRās role!)
I definitely get better performance and stability by disabling all network interfaces and the bluetooth interface. It is a dramatic improvement!
I can use 256 (5ms) as my buffer setting reliably, but I get much more CPU headroom if I settle for 512 (11ms). Spectral can be very CPU hungry by itself, so I have to make a concession here, especially if I want to layer VSTi synths! The difference is again quite dramatic.
I found that I had many other useless and unused USB devices taking up a load, and disabled those as well (the card readers, for instance.) Anything to squeeze a little more performance out of my two boxes - a 3.7GHz AMD A10 based unit and a 2.8GHz Phenom II X4 830, both quad-core with 12 gigs of RAM each. (The āslowerā Phenom II unit actually has better FPU specs!)
Cantabile has made playing a lot more fun even when not performing - it is my go-to host for just playing around now!
Terry
I love this for practicing as well. I route everything through the new waves GEQ and L1 and the end result is high quality. Looking to get Omnisphere 2 within two months (saving for it), and I have tried this on the USB 2.0 AudioBox, Yamaha Audiogram 6, Cakewalk FA-66 firewire, Peavey USB-P, and onboard laptop soundcard. All interfaces work flawlessly. I noticed ging to 16GB ram helped a great deal for loading times, and seemingly CPU load (but that may be my mental perception). Never a dropout live. I have absolutely no craving to purchase another hardware synth, but I have my trusty Yamaha Motif just in case my laptop goes down. Had a note stick once during a rather large live performance but the Panic button worked like a charm. With an SSD I was able to reboot and reload during the chorus, and back in business by the verse. Only the bassist questioned me about the dropout. Nice to know I was in his earbud mix.
I have a laptop with the same specs,and I use a $79 Roland Duo Capture MK2 to get audio into the PA when I gig. It runs at 256 samples @ 44.1 khz and I get 7ms latency with their asio driverā¦ For vstās I have VB3, Pianoteq, Kontakt, and a few synths. I use a Roland VR-09 as my midi keyboard controller, so I have a backup keyboard at my fingertips in case of a pc disaster. Itās a fairly inexpensive rig that can make just about any keyboard sound you may need!
Hello!
Using asus U24E notebook (Core i7 2640M 2800 Mhz)
with RME UC interface under highly tuned up Windows 7.
Get about 3ms delay, I guess.
Omnisphere, Kontakt with standard libraries, some efx plugins etc running OK
I will try to measure it more precisely, later 
hi!
Ive using Alesis Control Hub.Is a cheap ,audio out only unit.Wont do less then 512 samples (11.6ms) Asio4all ,which was a disappointment when a bought a couple of months ago. I got just for my live rig so i could leave my Tascam us144 ,(which was working at 64 samples!) on my main home pc.
There was no data on;line re latency of the Alesis but i expected it to be better being a recent unit!
That said thats still fine for for simple key playing.Ive done one live gig so far with no problems except in sound check i plugged my keyboard onto the midi out!
im using a small i5 notebook ,with all setting tweaked for audio
I love the VB3. I donāt have a back up other than my motif xf8 but I hate the hammond sounds on it. That VR-09 sounds GREAT! Hope to get one. Nord Electro B3 sounds fantastic but too pricey.
RME Fireface UCX here. I was using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. The Focusrite worked fine. I purchased the RME just cause I wanted something better The included Total Mix software really solves everyone of my problems. I run the RME at 128 samples, havenāt really experimented yet. Love the RME Fireface UCX.
Used Presonus Audiobox 44 VSL w/ a tuned Windows 7 laptop (disabled networking, bluetooth etc.), but had some issues regarding the nVidia grafics card and the external power supply died within a couple of months (but was replaced by the distributor w/out charge). Then I switched to Scarlett 2i4 and Iām very happy with it. Right now thinking over to replace Scarlett 2i4 and Behringer RX1602 with Scarlett 18i20 as this has a stand alone mode.
Cheers,
Jochen.
M-Audio Firewire 410
RME Babyface 48000khz 48 buffer 1 ms latencyā¦
Small Desktop PC Sugo SG10 Case - Asus z87 Gryphon,Intel I7 4770K 3500mhz - 3900mhz (turbo),16GB DDR3 Ram,SSD 120GB Kingston V3,1TB Segate Baracuda ā¦(I have small Tp Link Nano router and sometimes I connect with my phone to setup something sometimes I connect with my small 10 inch laptop even direct with ethernet cable) so i dont need a monitor or mouse or keyboard. both Cantabiles are on automatic start up in windows and I have a software for delaying Cantabiles just to have driver of RME up first.
Two Cantabile instances up and running all the time.One is for arranger keyboard left hand (Drums,Bass,Guitar Riffs,Clean Guitar etc. aboyt 23 VSTs)
Other is for solo right handā¦80 VSTsā¦100 Sub-Sessionsā¦Only one Session.
Everything wokrs perfect in live.
2 VST instruments cant work in these conditions but those VSTs are not very well writen and there are cracks and pops.Some of the VSTs that I am using are pretty hard on CPU but PC and RME manage to cope with them.
First Cantabile is somewhere about 30% to 60% and second one is anywhere from 10% to 90%.
If I stay with Desktop PC I will maybe buy RME HDSP AIO and have 32 buffer and latency under 1 MS .If I decide to buy laptop then I will stick with RME Babyface wich is great.
About Latencyā¦for some stuff that I play there is not much difference if it is 1 ms or 2 ms or 3 msā¦But for some stuff there is a big difference.Smallest difference is between 48 an 64 bufferā¦It is 1 ms and 1,3 msā¦but I like 48 buffer and I would like to have 32 buffer.
Hi there,
On this reasonably subjective topic, when one experiences the feeling of playing a true low latency system, it has a profound effect on the performer. If you can feel the difference between playing a piano at buffer of 64 samples as opposed to 256, youāll know what I mean.
We tolerate high latency because, very often, we have no choice.
For one year I was on 48 buffer 1 ms latency only to found out that even for fastest voices and fastest songs there was no difference between 48 buffer and 128 buffer.In a blind test I could not tell the difference.So now I am on 128 buffer latency.
When I set 256 I feel it is slower.But for Piano and some slow playing it is OK even to play on 256ā¦But some VST pianos are slow by itself and it is something that reminds me on a real Piano so it is OK.
Neil Durant is the guy from this forum that manged to change me and now when I am on 128 it is much better for overall performance of Cantabile and my system.I have some plans to buy smaller computer so I can put that small PC and its power brick and Rme Babyface and Radial DIBOX all in one laptop bag and to interconnect everything so that I can be faster when I need to set up all of my stuff on a live gig.Also I have no plans to sell my PC so I can work at home with one PC and to live giging with other smaller PCā¦Nice ideaā¦
Thereās something else to consider hereā¦
The buffer setting does not always indicate what the latency will be.
Different interfaces report different latency,
Itās all down to the quality of the driver.
Hi All,
I am posting again because of recent changes in my setup. I saved up and got an RME Babyface Pro for my live setup and have seen a marked improvement in performance. The USB drivers are large part of it. After a few years of trying different interfaces this is by far the best solution I have found for sheer portability and power. Along the way it also answered a number of questions I had about the interfaces I had because it helped to prove my other hardware and system drivers were not to blame for poor performance. Even with the new RME interface my dual core laptop (i5 2.5 GHz) could not keep up with the demand from my software sample based vsti use ( Ivory II, Kontakt 5, UVI workstation ) at the lowest latency settings with the Babyface Pro, but did improve things to where I could play Ivory and Kontakt at 128 samples with no troubles (down from 256) but could not get the UVI workstation to perform as well (B5 , Super II, NeoSoul E pianos had clicks and pops). So I found a refurbished notebook Workstation with Quadcore i7 @ 2.6 GHz and viola, now even the largest vst and/or vsti loads I can come up with all play at 48,64,128 Samples. This also greatly helped the S-Gear Vst I use for electric guitar, it is much more responsive at the 64 and 128 sample settings and much funner to play. So I think I have found a system I like and trust for live work, (6 gigs so far not a hitch) using the new turbocharged Cantabile Engine. So, if your are going to build a system that uses these high load plugins definitely consider a quad core but choose your interface with care, the drivers from a great many companies are generic for use with off the shelf codec chips from various suppliers as opposed to the RME approach of reprogram-able Large Scale Integrated array chips that can be reconfigured for future considerations and also work tightly with their software drivers which they keep updated regularly. When I ran the Latency monitoring tests on my old boxs and the RME it was astounding how the introduction of my NI and Audient interfaces to the system created usb latency problems to the system before a single note was played and showed it on the monitor. The RME however would create no extra load at all. I hope some this is useful to othersā¦
Cheers 
I now use a Allen & Heath ZEDi10
@dave_dore
Hi Dave,
I too am running a Babyface Pro and generally get excellent performance out of it. However, when I run Latencymon I see lots and lots of DPC on the usbport.sys whenever itās connected. Could you possibly have a look at yours when you have a spare moment?
Thanks,
Neil
Hi Neil,
On my system using latency monitor from replendence I have lots of DPC activity with the usb buss but very low execution time on each procedure call which is desired and good. The interface creates USB activity as part of itās polling routines but does it in a very efficient and low latency way hence the improved performance.
Regards