Real Time Varispeed Sound Quality in Samp & WhichSound Forge Version?

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/10/2025, 11:23 AM

This probably sounds silly but there’s lots of my favorite music which I find can sound more enjoyable when using a pitch or varispeed control to reduce the tempo to between 3 and 7%; sometime as much as ~ 9%-even though the pitch is not preserved.

Circa 2010, someone gifted me Samplitude PRO X, though which I only used for applying real time pitch down shifting when playing my rips of CD tracks. But that was on an old Windows XP desktop and I would need to have it on my Windows 10 HP ZBook. I still have the Pro X product key to download it but don’t want to risk that old version not working and then having to uninstall it and thereby losing that big block of non-rewritable storage space on my system SSD drive.

Samplitude is notorious for its steep learning curve but at least I was able to find and use the real time pitch control knob from its transport control interface easily enough.

Having used Pro X forever, it’s tempting to go back and get the new version, assuming the varispeed's easily accessible. Samplitude’s varispeed always sounded very transparent to me. But is that same sound quality shared among all versions of Sound Forge, such as https://www.magix.com/us/music-editing/sound-forge/sound-forge-audio-cleaning-lab/ ?

I doubt that most here would have much need for a tool like real time varispeed, especially since it's not intended to preserve pitch while changing the tempo.

But do both Samplitude and Sound Forge Audio Cleaning have a real time "tape deck like" varispeed slider in the transport window that has zero impact on sound quality?

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gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 6:46 PM

@gregory-battaglia ........., but I recommend you install the newest version of ASIO4ALL because Magix Low Latency is a pretty old version of ASIO4ALL.

Are you sure that Samplitude has the new ASIO driver installed, or do I have to download it from somewhere?

SP. wrote on 3/26/2025, 6:51 PM

@gregory-battaglia You can get it from here: https://asio4all.org/downloads/ASIO4ALL_2_16.exe

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 6:57 PM

@gregory-battaglia Windows comes with a program called Snipping Tool. Please google how to use it.

Okay, got it.

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 7:03 PM

@gregory-battaglia You can get it from here: https://asio4all.org/downloads/ASIO4ALL_2_16.exe

Okay, I downloaded it. How to install it?

SP. wrote on 3/26/2025, 7:15 PM

@gregory-battaglia Close Samplitude. Run the installer. Then open Samplitude and navigate to File > Program Preferences > System/Audio > Audio Setup and select ASIO4ALL in the Driver System combo box.

I can see your screenshot. I'm not sure why you would need the monitoring section. It's enough the set the output of the Master Bus in the mixer to your speakers or headphones. Usually, you enable the speakers or headphones output in the ASIO driver control panel and then select the ASIO driver output as the Master Bus output.

If you want to use the monitor section click on the small --- line right next to the OUT label to select the output.

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 7:24 PM

@gregory-battaglia Close Samplitude. Run the installer. Then open Samplitude and navigate to File > Program Preferences > System/Audio > Audio Setup and select ASIO4ALL in the Driver System combo box.

I can see your screenshot. I'm not sure why you would need the monitoring section. It's enough the set the output of the Master Bus in the mixer to your speakers or headphones. Usually, you enable the speakers or headphones output in the ASIO driver control panel and then select the ASIO driver output as the Master Bus output.

If you want to use the monitor section click on the small --- line right next to the OUT label to select the output.

I installed that driver as per instructions. Still no sound.

SP. wrote on 3/26/2025, 7:56 PM

@gregory-battaglia Upload screenshots of all your settings like mentioned before

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 8:17 PM

@gregory-battaglia Did you click on the Mon. button in the transport console to enable monitoring?

Can you upload a screenshot of your Samplitude audio settings, the ASIO settings and the Mixer?

Okay, I think this upload are the audio settings, but what window do I open to show the ASIO settings in the mixer?

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 8:47 PM

Please help!!! I have to get audio out of this for terribly important hardware auditioning session that I have to travel by train to over 300 miles away.

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 9:04 PM

Should I try using the WDM driver instead of ASIO?

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/26/2025, 10:59 PM

Bingo! Did this and yes now I get audio. As I recall this is exactly what happened way back when i first installed and used Samplitude Pro X Suite Version 1 on a Windows XP desktop. The ASIO driver, which everyone was saying to use, never gave me audio output either. Can anyone provide a valid explanation for this issue?

Meanwhile, it's so wonderful to have a great memory. I'm saved.

SP. wrote on 3/27/2025, 2:44 AM

@gregory-battaglia

Okay, I think this upload are the audio settings, but what window do I open to show the ASIO settings in the mixer?

Click on the Control Panel button to open the ASIO driver settings. Please upload a screenshot of this as well.

gregory-battaglia wrote on 3/28/2025, 6:18 AM

@gregory-battaglia

Okay, I think this upload are the audio settings, but what window do I open to show the ASIO settings in the mixer?

Click on the Control Panel button to open the ASIO driver settings. Please upload a screenshot of this as well.

I forgot how to access control panel. Why didn't they put this in an obvious place, like in File Menu?

SP. wrote on 3/28/2025, 6:29 AM

@gregory-battaglia Doesn't make sense to put this in the file menu. Basically every audio software has it next to the driver selection, because the control panel looks different for the currently selected driver and this panel is designed by the driver's developers, not the audio software developers. Simply click on the button labeled Control Panel to open it.