Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

USB headsets to digital audio workstation software...
w9mdb
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Re: How to solve latency problems and VAC under/overflows in Windows 10

Postby w9mdb » Fri May 07, 2021 11:14 am

Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?
I have tried numerous times get to the ASIO driver to work with any virtual audio cable and can't seem to get any audio streaming at all via ASIO.
Mike W9MDB
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w-u-2-o
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Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby w-u-2-o » Fri May 07, 2021 1:07 pm

Splitting this out as a separate topic from the registry tweaks topic...

Fldigi, WSJT-X, and pretty much all other amateur radio software app's, do not provide support for ASIO directly, typically only MME and WDM-KS, although those built with more modern audio libraries may also support DirectSound and WSAPI.

Therefore, in order to use these with ASIO, you need a virtual audio solution that supports ASIO to other driver connections. Muzy VAC and the basic VB Cable products do not. VB HIFI Cable with ASIO Bridge does, and of course any of the VB Audio Voicemeeter variants also do.

You don't really need the speed of ASIO for the digi mode stuff, and you can't get it even if you try because all of that software becomes the slow link in the audio chain anyway. So if digi modes is all you are doing I recommend WDM-KS if you can get it to run because it is a bit faster, but otherwise good old MME should do the trick.

When you run phone over VAC is when you want really low latency. That's where ASIO really becomes most useful.

If you are doing both phone and digi over VAC, Voicemeeter is probably your only good solution for ASIO. And, because it is a digital mixing and routing console, you can easily provision (virtually wire up) a mic input, a speaker output, Thetis (or PowerSDR) and digi mode software, all simultaneously. The mic, speaker and Thetis/PowerSDR can all enjoy ASIO connections (assuming your sound interface is capable) and Voicemeeter takes care of translating between ASIO on the radio side and non-ASIO on the digi mode software side.
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Tony EI7BMB
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby Tony EI7BMB » Fri May 07, 2021 1:46 pm

I have ASIO working with both SSB and digital modes . I'd echo what Scott has written , voicemeeter is a great solution.
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I2NOY
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby I2NOY » Sat Sep 24, 2022 12:10 pm

Hi Tony,
can you explain how you are able to use ASIO on both Thetis and WSJTx?

I installed VoiceMeeter Banana and I was able to route the ASIO VAC of Thetis to PC speaker and microphone.

I installed both the VBCABLE and Hi-Fi cable but I lost my mind trying to configurate the control panels, in order to have WSJTx working using ASIO drivers.

Thanks and 73,


Maurizio I2NOY
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby w-u-2-o » Sat Sep 24, 2022 2:14 pm

Not Tony, but...

I think what Tony is saying is that he is using the ASIO driver mode of the Thetis VAC interface to connect to Voicemeeter, and that is all. Because there are no other amateur radio app's at this time that support ASIO. All of them, e.g. WSJT-X, Fldigi, etc., attach to Voicemeeter using either MME or WDM (maybe DirectSound, too). The good news is that Voicemeeter will very competently make everything work and move audio very smoothly between the different connections and drivers. But don't fool yourself, those other app's are not using ASIO. There's not a lick of ASIO code in them.
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I2NOY
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby I2NOY » Sun Sep 25, 2022 7:49 am

After some tries, yesterday I was able to use ASIO drivers on both Thetis and WSJTx and it is working pretty good. ;)
The solution is to install ASIO bridge, also called Hi Fidelity Virtual Cable.
You have to config Thetis to use ASIO drivers provided by VoiceMeeter Banana and to route audio to PC main audio.
Now you can listen to audio coming from Thetis on PC speakers and transmit to Thetis with PC microphone.
After you configure ASIO bridge to use VoiceMeeter Virtual ASIO and WSJTx to use as audio input and output the Hi-Fi cable audio and it is done! :)
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby w-u-2-o » Sun Sep 25, 2022 12:20 pm

I2NOY wrote:After some tries, yesterday I was able to use ASIO drivers on both Thetis and WSJTx and it is working pretty good. ;)
Unfortunately, that's not what you did. You are still not using ASIO with WSJT-X.
The solution is to install ASIO bridge, also called Hi Fidelity Virtual Cable.
This merely adds an unnecessary step in the chain. You have used the virtual HiFi Cable to convert the WSJT-X MME audio to ASIO, then connected the virtual cable to Voicemeeter. All this does is add complexity and additional latency. Voicemeeter does exactly the same thing for you by itself.
Now you can listen to audio coming from Thetis on PC speakers and transmit to Thetis with PC microphone.
You can do this without HiFi Cable.
After you configure ASIO bridge to use VoiceMeeter Virtual ASIO and WSJTx to use as audio input and output the Hi-Fi cable audio and it is done! :)
There is no need for either VB Audio's "HiFi Cable" or (I might as well mention it before someone tries it) ASIO4ALL. Both are ASIO converters that are only useful for adapting MME/WDM/DirectSound devices and software to other software that can ONLY connect to ASIO (e.g. Pro Tools). Voicemeeter by itself has everything that is needed.

The best thing that you can do, however, it to purchase an ASIO capable sound interface, either USB or internal card. That will get ASIO working between the hardware and Voicemeeter, and that by itself substantially improves latency.
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kc2rgw
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby kc2rgw » Sun Sep 25, 2022 2:18 pm

I think people are confusing the path. ASIO is for your physical interface.

When you connect Thetis and fldigi you aren’t using your microphone audio interface, you just need a software link between the digi software and Thetis.

A virtual audio cable gives you that software link.

Voicemeeter effectively gives you that link.

Pick one.
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I2NOY
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby I2NOY » Tue Sep 27, 2022 9:06 am

Many thanks for clarifying a little my confused ideas. :D
I have to say that my software configuration is more stable and with same latency than Muzychenko virtual cable that I used before in WDM.

Can you briefly suggest the configuration of VoiceMeeter Banana to connect Thetis audio to WSJTx?
Which are the audio interfaces that I have to select in Thetis and WSJTx, after having properly configured VoiceMeeter?

Many thanks and 73.

Maurizio I2NOY
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kc2rgw
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby kc2rgw » Tue Sep 27, 2022 11:51 am

I think Scott has a Voicemeeter howto here somewhere, it's kind of abstract without pictures.

Your microphone interface typically gets assigned to Input 1 and would use ASIO if your USB interface supports it.

The radio gets attached via one of the three virtual busses. As an example let's use VAOI3 so the VAC setup for Thetis would select VAIO3.

On input 1 in Voicemeeter you would send the mic audio to B3

On the VAIO3 bus you would send the output audio to say A1 which you assign to a sound card output device.

For digital modes, say fldigi, you select the VAIO3 options in fldigi, unselect A1 on the VAIO3 bus so it's not sending to your speakers and tick the B3 send so that the digital audio gets back to Thetis.

Voicemeeter is imperfect, it has its own glitches and you need patience to get used to what glitches and where and what to do about it. However, it is super flexible, the only solution for what it does and if you go down the rabbit hole of studio audio processing, it's far cheaper using Voicemeeter and a DAW than using rack gear.
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w-u-2-o
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby w-u-2-o » Tue Sep 27, 2022 1:58 pm

I2NOY wrote: Can you briefly suggest the configuration of VoiceMeeter Banana to connect Thetis audio to WSJTx?
See here: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4343
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I2NOY
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Re: Do you have ASIO working with any digital programs like FLDigi, WSJT-X, or JTDX?

Postby I2NOY » Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:36 am

Many thanks to both! :ugeek:
On WE I will try new configuration.

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