XPS 8930, new, audio issues

Thanks Fireberd. But the issue appears to be W10's three problematic drivers that I referenced. How can you avoid them on the second boot disk?

I have a recording studio.

Taming new PC's (any brand) for a DAW machine can be a challenge. I even had a self built Desktop that I had to tame.

The best option is to install another drive (hard or SSD) and make a dual boot system.  One is the original Dell and the second is for recording and only has Windows 10, needed device drivers (that Windows usually installs) and the DAW software and device drivers.  I had to do this on a Dell Inspiron 15 laptop for my recording studio.  No matter what I did to the Dell installation I still had some audio dropouts.  Making the dual boot system resolved the problem and the Resplendence "Latency Mon" program can run for hours without showing a hit.  If I want the laptop for regular PC use I boot to the Dell image, if I want to record (or some other DAW function) I boot to  the recording image.

When I did the 2nd Win 10 Install I let Windows install the drivers.  I then installed Cakewalk (Sonar) and Studio One 4.6 Pro version.  I also installed the Drivers for my MOTU 4pre recording interface and my Frontier Tranzport (wireless controller).  Only thing else I installed was the Latency Mon.  Those items you mention, if they are there are not interfering with recording.  I recorded a 3 hour band concert (live) and no problems.   The only thing I do when I record is disable the Internet (may not need to do it but its a carry over from older systems).

msmpeng.exe is part of Windows Defender (AV).  It should only be active when its doing a background Virus scan.

The wdf01000..sys can have many possibilities.  The Dell installed software for updates, monitoring etc can contribute to DAW/Latency problems.  The Dell apps are not installed on my recording drive.

@Warhen  - Click Start>Run and type in: services.msc and click OK.

When services.msc opens, look for Dell Remediation Service, (Dell) SupportAssist and Dell Update on the list. Double-click each of those and set its Startup Type to Disabled. Do not change anything else in services.msc. Just exit services.msc and reboot.

See if that stops the lags...

Thanks a lot Ron. I see SupportAssist and Remediation, but not Dell Update, but I've disabled those two. Beforehand, I'd also disabled things not apropos of desktops like wireless adapter and Bluetooth. I saw a fair amount of chatter about NVIDIA's hogging of resources. I was going to disable it and use the onboard Intel UHD 630, but though it gets great reviews, it won't support the DVI plug of the second monitor, so I've disabled the Intel instead of NVIDIA. Why would I need two high-quality video cards?!

Question Ron, the other day, I followed some numb nut YouTuber's suggestions to change the BIOS from RAID to AHCI. The PC did not like that at all, and a Dell utility took over and made the repair. Would smoething like that that be disabled with the changes you suggested? It's nice to have a fail-safe to protect the PC from myself. ;>)       

I've had recording studio issues with EVERY NVIDIA video card.  For that reason I only use AMD Radeon that does not have the issues.  Problems include audio clicks and dropouts in recording programs.  And Resplendence Latency Mon program "problem" reports.

My Inspiron 15 gaming 5577 has both the Intel CPU video and NVIDIA.  If I use the Intel CPU everything is fine.  If I disable the Intel which forces it to use the NVIDIA I have recording audio problems. I have NVIDIA disabled so it never uses it.

Which NVidia card do you have?

You can use both the onboard and add-in video ports at the same time so you can leave the Intel UHD 630 Graphics enabled. Most recent video cards support at least 2 monitors, so the first 2 can be connected there, or you can use either the onboard HDMI or DP port if you need an extra HDMI or DP for a 2nd or 3rd monitor. And there are always adapters to convert from HDMI or DP to DVI etc...

You can look on Startup tab in Task Manager to see if Dell Update is listed there and disable it, at least to test for continued lagging issues.

Not sure what corrected your attempt to change from RAID to AHCI, but don't pay attention to idiots who post on youtube. Ignoring them should be your first line of PC protection. And there's no need change from RAID to AHCI anyway...

You can always ask questions here, before you push your new PC over the cliff...

Hello fellow recordists! I recently had victory over frustratingly intermittent audio drops with a Windows 10 64-bit PC (Dell 8930). Thanks to the kind and knowledgeable folks here, on the SOS forum, and others, I compiled a list of possible conflicts that I thought might be helpful to those experiencing similar issues. In my case, I was using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and Mixcraft Pro Studio 9. In the end, however, the problems lay squarely with Windows settings and Dell's contributions. Unfortunately, I can't say exactly what finally fixed it, but there were cumulative improvements along the way. Here then, is my list of suggestions. 

• Be sure that you PC’s BIOS and OS are up to date
• Check in Device Manager, that devices have current drivers. You may find System Firmware, Network Adapters, etc. could be updated
• Windows’ generic HD audio driver is superior to the Realtek driver for WAVE or WaveRT
• For ASIO audio interfaces, plug directly into a USB port, not a powered hub. If a USB 2.0 device, plug it into a 2.0 port (best to avoid 3.0). Be sure your USB cable is healthy
• Set audio to 44.1K 24-bit
• A 256 samples buffer size should suffice on modern PCs for recording and initial mixing. Increase to 512 MB towards mixdown if needed
• Be sure your DAW settings match your interface’s and Windows’ settings
• Use a High-Performance power scheme, being sure that no drive(s) in use can sleep or compress
• In Device Manager, be sure that no USB port can sleep
• Uncheck ‘Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device’ anywhere it appears (Properties)
• Consider disabling unused audio devices (i.e. audio on graphics cards [NVIDIA, Intel])
• Consider disabling any used GPUs (graphics cards [e.g. if you have more than one card for gaming])
• Remove or disable your PC manufacturer’s ‘bloatware.’ While a diagnostic might be useful at times, they can negatively impact a recordist. Classic suspects are Dell’s SupportAssist and SupportAssist Remediation services, which can be disabled in the Task Manager
• In Task Manager, limit the apps that start up automatically. If you don’t need them at startup/reboot, set them so that they must be opened manually when needed
• Known resource ‘hogs’ include Skype, and NVIDIA GPUs
• Many recordists will disable their network adapter and antivirus while recording/mixing
• Install LatencyMon (LatMon) from Resplendence to check your system’s latency: dxgkrnl.sys, Wdf01000.sys, msmpeng.exe, and nvlddmkm.sys are drivers commonly called-out by LatMon as problematic

Glad to hear you have resolved the problem.

Everything you have listed are the potential causes.  Buffer size can be the issue, although there are the others. 256 or 512 buffer size is OK for recording but if you want to "track" (record while playing another track(s) then 256 and especially 512 buffer size may present too much Latency (difference in timing as the new recording may not be in sync with the previously recorded track).  My system, that was built specifically for recording and a better recording interface unit (an MOTU 4pre) I can record or track at 64 samples buffer which results in under 3ms Latency (excellent Latency).