Intel Peavey ReValver MK III - Manual (Page 7)

4) The best option is, of course, to purchase a good quality Digital Audio Interface. There are sev-
eral on the market made specifically for Guitar for under $100. Look for a device with ASIO
(audio stream input/output) drivers, which is an industry standard and will work well with Re-
Valver® MKIII. After you install the device, the Audio Devices menu under the File menu will
allow you to choose that device for input and output, then the Control Panel button will be
activated, and serve as a link to your device. Since there are so many available options on the
market, it is impossible for us to comment on the specifics of a particular product. Just keep in
mind that most ASIO-driven audio interfaces operate in a similar fashion, and the control panel
will enable you to make changes to the buffer size, changing the length of time the computer has
to make calculations, and resulting in more or less latency. Generally, the smaller the buffer size,
the lower the latency. However, you will have to experiment with buffer sizes to find the opti-
mum settings for your computer, based on your processor speed and amount of memory.
A word about latency
Latency is a technical term that basically means for the time lapse between playing a note and
hearing it. When using ReValver as a stand alone program, you need to set the latency to as low a
number as your computer will allow. If you are using your PC or Mac’s original factory sound
card, you are almost guaranteed to have latency issues. It really does make sense to get a high-
quality sound card, and there are many models available at various price levels.
ReValver by itself does not control how much latency you will experience with the program,
neither the stand-alone nor the plug-in. (In plug-in mode, the latency is controlled entirely by the
DAW). To control the latency in stand-alone mode, you are advised to set the appropriate num-
bers in the sound card driver. ReValver provides a shortcut to the ASIO control panel of your card.
(In “Audio Devices” menu, select ASIO, your sound card, then press Control Panel).
The latency is directly proportional to the “sample chunk size.” Short latency equals small chunk
size. Recommended chunk size is 128-256 samples. If the sound is breaking up (choppy sound,
stuttering), increase the buffer size. (Try these standard values: 64, 128, 256, 512, 1024, 2048).
It is advisable to start with a smaller number and gradually increase until the sound is no longer
choppy.
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