You’re in the zone. The perfect take is flowing through your fingers, every note landing exactly where it should. But something’s wrong—that delay between hitting a key and hearing the sound is throwing off your timing. Welcome to the frustrating world of audio latency, the invisible enemy of creators, gamers, and audio professionals everywhere.
If you’ve ever experienced that maddening lag between action and sound, you already understand why latency matters. What you might not know is that the solution often lies not in upgrading your entire computer, but in a single, critical component: a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) with ASIO driver support. This powerful combination can slash your latency from an unusable 50ms down to an imperceptible 5ms or less, transforming your workflow from fight to flow.
Understanding Audio Latency: The Silent Productivity Killer
Audio latency is the time it takes for a sound to travel from its source through your system and back to your ears. Think of it as digital audio’s version of lag. While a few milliseconds might seem trivial, in practice, it’s the difference between a tight, responsive performance and a sloppy, disconnected mess.
What Exactly is Audio Latency?
At its core, latency is a measurement of delay. When you speak into a microphone, strum a guitar, or trigger a virtual instrument, that audio signal doesn’t reach your headphones instantaneously. It passes through multiple stages: your audio interface’s analog-to-digital conversion, your CPU’s processing, your software’s effects chain, and finally the digital-to-analog conversion that makes it audible again. Each stage adds milliseconds, and those milliseconds add up.
Round-trip latency is what matters most for performers. This is the complete journey from input to output. A round-trip latency under 10ms generally feels instantaneous to most users. Between 10-20ms, you’ll start noticing a slight disconnect. Above 20ms, the delay becomes genuinely disruptive, making it nearly impossible to play in time or record overdubs accurately.
The Latency Threshold: When It Becomes Problematic
Your brain’s perception of latency depends heavily on the task. For casual music listening, even 100ms of delay is irrelevant. For podcast editing, you might tolerate 30-50ms. But for live monitoring while recording vocals, drumming in a virtual instrument, or competing in rhythm games, anything above 10ms can ruin the experience.
The threshold also varies by individual. Percussionists and fast keyboard players often need sub-7ms latency to feel connected to their performance. Vocalists monitoring through effects can usually handle slightly higher delays, but not much. The key is understanding your specific use case and building your system accordingly.
What is a DAC and Why Does It Matter for Latency?
A Digital-to-Analog Converter is the bridge between your computer’s digital world and your ears’ analog reality. Every sound you hear from a digital device passes through a DAC, whether it’s integrated into your motherboard, housed in a dedicated audio interface, or sitting on your desk as a standalone unit.
The Analog-Digital Divide in Modern Workflows
Your computer processes everything as ones and zeros, but sound waves are continuous analog signals. The DAC’s job is to translate that digital data back into smooth voltage fluctuations that can drive speakers or headphones. This conversion process takes time—albeit microscopic—and the efficiency of this process directly impacts latency.
Not all DACs are created equal. The chip architecture, clock stability, and surrounding circuitry all affect both conversion speed and audio quality. A budget DAC might introduce several milliseconds of its own processing delay before the signal even leaves the device, while a well-designed unit can operate with sub-millisecond conversion times.
How DAC Quality Directly Impacts Latency
The primary latency contributor in most DACs isn’t the conversion itself, but the buffer management and driver overhead. Consumer-grade DACs rely on Windows’ generic audio drivers (WDM or WASAPI), which add multiple layers of buffering to ensure smooth playback across different applications. Each buffer is a waiting room for audio data, and every waiting room adds delay.
Professional DACs with custom driver support can bypass these generic paths, communicating directly with your audio software. This direct line eliminates unnecessary buffering and reduces latency dramatically. The quality of this driver implementation—how efficiently it manages data transfer, handles errors, and prioritizes audio streams—often matters more than the DAC chip itself.
The ASIO Revolution: Bypassing the Windows Audio Stack
Steinberg’s Audio Stream Input/Output (ASIO) protocol changed the game when it debuted in the late 1990s. Unlike Windows’ native audio drivers designed for general-purpose use, ASIO was built from the ground up for professional audio production. Its mission: deliver audio data as quickly and reliably as possible, consequences be damned.
ASIO vs. WDM/WASAPI: The Technical Divide
Windows’ default audio path (WDM) is a multi-lane highway with traffic lights, speed limits, and safety barriers. It’s designed to handle dozens of applications simultaneously, mixing their audio streams together, applying system-wide effects, and ensuring nothing crashes. This safety comes at the cost of latency—typically 30-50ms even on modern systems.
WASAPI, Microsoft’s newer audio architecture, offers an “exclusive mode” that can reduce latency to around 10-20ms. But it’s still bound by Windows’ internal mixing engine and lacks the granular control professionals need.
ASIO, by contrast, is a private racetrack. It takes exclusive control of your audio hardware, shutting out all other applications. This exclusivity allows it to use smaller buffers, prioritize audio threads at the highest system level, and eliminate the Windows mixer entirely. The result is latency that can drop below 5ms, even on modest hardware.
Why Exclusive Mode Changes Everything
When an ASIO driver takes over your DAC, it’s essentially saying, “This hardware is mine now.” Your DAW or audio application talks directly to the DAC with no middleman. This direct communication means audio data doesn’t wait in line behind system sounds, browser notifications, or other applications’ audio streams.
The trade-off is inconvenience. With ASIO active, you won’t hear sounds from other applications unless your ASIO host software specifically supports multi-client audio. Many professionals accept this limitation, using their onboard audio for general computing and their ASIO DAC exclusively for audio work.
How ASIO Drivers Transform Your Audio Workflow
The magic of ASIO isn’t just in its exclusive access—it’s in how it manages that access. A well-implemented ASIO driver is a masterpiece of efficient coding, designed to squeeze every last microsecond out of your system’s performance.
Direct Hardware Access Explained
ASIO drivers operate at the kernel level, meaning they can interact with hardware directly without passing through multiple software abstraction layers. When your DAW sends audio to an ASIO driver, that data takes the shortest possible path: DAW → ASIO driver → DAC → your ears.
This direct path allows for what’s called “zero-copy” audio streaming. Instead of moving audio data between multiple memory buffers (each move adding delay), ASIO can often pass pointers to the data locations directly to the hardware. The audio stream flows like water through a pipe rather than being bucketed from container to container.
The Impact on CPU Overhead
Paradoxically, reducing latency often means increasing CPU load. Smaller buffers require more frequent processing, which can strain your processor. However, ASIO’s efficient architecture typically uses less CPU than equivalent low-latency settings in WDM or WASAPI.
This efficiency comes from ASIO’s ability to leverage multi-core processors intelligently and its streamlined code path. Where Windows drivers might need thousands of CPU cycles to process an audio buffer, a mature ASIO driver might need only hundreds. This headroom becomes crucial when running large projects with dozens of tracks and effects.
Key Features to Look for in Low-Latency DACs
When shopping for a DAC specifically to solve latency issues, several features separate the merely adequate from the truly exceptional. Understanding these distinctions will help you invest wisely rather than chasing specifications that don’t matter.
Hardware-level Monitoring Capabilities
The ultimate latency killer is zero-latency direct monitoring. Many professional DACs and audio interfaces route input signals directly to outputs at the hardware level, bypassing your computer entirely. This means you hear yourself in real-time while still recording the clean signal into your DAW.
Look for units with dedicated direct monitoring controls—either physical knobs or software mixers. The best implementations allow you to blend the direct signal with playback from your computer, so you can hear yourself with zero latency while still monitoring backing tracks or click tracks.
Driver Architecture and Update Frequency
A DAC is only as good as its drivers. Before committing to any purchase, research the manufacturer’s reputation for driver support. Do they update regularly for new Windows versions? Do they maintain legacy support for older hardware? Are there known issues with specific chipsets or motherboards?
Check user forums and communities for real-world reports of driver stability. A DAC with slightly inferior specs but rock-solid drivers will serve you better than a technically superior unit with flaky, unmaintained software. The best manufacturers provide detailed release notes and maintain active communication with their user base.
EMI Shielding and Build Quality Considerations
Electromagnetic interference from your computer’s power supply, GPU, and other components can inject noise into your audio signal, forcing you to use higher buffer sizes to avoid dropouts. A well-shielded DAC with a robust external power supply (or excellent USB power filtering) maintains clean signal integrity even at the smallest buffer settings.
Metal chassis aren’t just for durability—they create Faraday cages that block interference. Internal component layout matters too; premium units separate analog and digital sections physically to prevent crosstalk. These design choices directly impact how aggressively you can run your system before encountering audio artifacts.
Buffer Size Demystified: The Core of Latency Control
Buffer size is the most critical adjustable parameter in your latency equation. Think of it as the size of a water tank in a plumbing system: a larger tank smooths out pressure fluctuations but takes longer to fill and empty.
Understanding Buffer Underruns and Overruns
An underrun occurs when your system can’t fill the buffer fast enough. The DAC runs out of audio data to play, resulting in a dropout or crackle. Overruns happen when your system produces data faster than the DAC can consume it, causing similar glitches. Both are symptoms of your buffer size being too small for your system’s processing power.
The relationship is inverse: smaller buffers equal lower latency but higher risk of glitches. Larger buffers provide stability at the cost of delay. ASIO drivers let you find the sweet spot for your specific hardware, often allowing buffer sizes as small as 32 or 64 samples where WDM drivers might struggle with 512 samples.
Finding Your System’s Optimal Buffer Setting
The process is empirical: start with a safe buffer size (512 samples) and gradually reduce it while stress-testing your system. Record multiple tracks simultaneously with effects enabled. Play virtual instruments in real-time. If you hear crackles or dropouts, increase the buffer by one step.
Your optimal setting depends on your CPU speed, core count, RAM speed, and background process load. Many professionals maintain two presets: a low-latency setting (64-128 samples) for tracking and a high-latency setting (512-1024 samples) for mixing. Modern ASIO drivers can switch between these presets without restarting your DAW.
Sample Rate and Bit Depth: Performance vs. Quality Trade-offs
Higher sample rates and bit depths improve audio fidelity, but they also increase the data rate your system must handle. This directly impacts your achievable latency, though not always in the ways you might expect.
Higher Sample Rates: Help or Hindrance for Latency?
At first glance, higher sample rates seem worse for latency. Processing 192,000 samples per second requires more work than processing 44,100 samples per second. However, latency is measured in time, not samples. A 64-sample buffer at 44.1kHz equals about 1.45ms of delay. The same 64-sample buffer at 192kHz equals only 0.33ms.
Paradoxically, running at higher sample rates can allow lower latency in absolute time, even though the CPU works harder. The trade-off is increased CPU load and larger file sizes. Many engineers record at high sample rates for the latency advantage, then downsample during mixing if needed.
The 24-bit vs 32-bit Float Debate
Bit depth affects dynamic range and noise floor, but not latency directly. However, 32-bit float processing in your DAW can reduce CPU overhead for certain operations, potentially allowing smaller buffers. Most modern DACs support 24-bit operation, which is sufficient for capture and playback.
The key is matching your DAW’s internal processing to your DAC’s capabilities. If your DAW runs at 32-bit float (most do), setting your DAC to 24-bit means a conversion step that adds negligible but measurable delay. Some high-end DACs now support 32-bit integer mode, eliminating this conversion entirely.
Connection Protocols: USB, Thunderbolt, and Beyond
The physical connection between your DAC and computer plays a surprisingly significant role in latency performance. Each protocol has different bandwidth, overhead, and real-time capabilities.
USB 2.0 vs USB 3.0 vs USB-C: Real-world Latency Differences
Here’s a secret: for audio, USB 2.0 is often faster than USB 3.0. USB 2.0’s simpler protocol has lower overhead for small, frequent data transfers—the exact pattern audio streaming creates. USB 3.0’s advanced features add latency in exchange for higher bandwidth, which audio doesn’t need.
USB-C is just a connector type; what matters is the underlying protocol (USB 2.0, 3.0, or Thunderbolt). Many excellent low-latency DACs use USB 2.0 chips because they’re mature, stable, and have near-universal compatibility. Don’t be swayed by USB version numbers alone—focus on the driver’s quality and the unit’s measured performance.
Thunderbolt’s Theoretical Advantages
Thunderbolt offers direct PCIe access and extremely low-level control, potentially reducing latency further than USB. However, this advantage only manifests with well-optimized drivers and hardware. Many Thunderbolt audio devices don’t perform noticeably better than their USB counterparts because the bottleneck isn’t the connection—it’s the driver architecture and internal processing.
Thunderbolt’s real advantage is bandwidth for high channel counts. If you’re running 32 inputs and 32 outputs simultaneously, Thunderbolt’s extra headroom matters. For a simple stereo DAC, USB 2.0 with excellent ASIO drivers often outperforms Thunderbolt with mediocre drivers.
Driver Stability: The Often Overlooked Deciding Factor
A DAC’s specifications sheet tells you nothing about how it will behave when your CPU spikes at 90% usage or when Windows pushes a background update. Driver stability under real-world conditions separates professional tools from hobbyist toys.
Long-term Support and OS Compatibility
Windows 10 and 11 handle audio differently than Windows 7 did. macOS changes its security model regularly. A DAC manufacturer committed to long-term support will update drivers to maintain compatibility and performance across these changes.
Check how long the manufacturer typically supports discontinued products. Do they still release security updates for five-year-old hardware? Do they provide beta drivers for early OS adopters? A company’s track record here predicts whether your investment will last or become e-waste after the next OS update.
Community vs. Manufacturer Driver Development
Some DACs, particularly those using common chipsets like the XMOS or Savitech bridges, benefit from active community driver development. Third-party ASIO drivers like ASIO4ALL can sometimes unlock better performance than manufacturer drivers, though with added complexity.
Conversely, proprietary driver architectures from established brands often provide better integration and support. The trade-off is flexibility. Community-supported hardware might get faster feature updates, while corporate drivers prioritize stability and certification.
Real-World Applications: Who Benefits Most from ASIO DACs?
While everyone appreciates responsive audio, certain workflows transform completely when latency drops below the perceptible threshold. Understanding where ASIO provides the most dramatic improvements helps justify the investment.
Music Production and Multi-track Recording
Recording a full band requires monitoring previously recorded tracks while capturing new performances. Without ASIO, the delay stack becomes cumulative: you hear the backing tracks late, then play along late, creating a sloppy, time-drifted mess. With sub-5ms latency, everyone hears each other in true real-time, enabling tight, cohesive performances.
Vocalists monitoring through pitch correction or reverb plugins need ASIO to hear the processed signal without delay. Guitarists using amp simulators require near-zero latency to play naturally. ASIO-enabled DACs make these workflows feel like using hardware units rather than software.
Competitive Gaming and VR Experiences
In fast-paced competitive games, audio cues often arrive before visual ones. A gunshot’s sound reaches you instantly in real life; in a game, every millisecond of delay reduces your reaction time. ASIO DACs can synchronize audio with visual frame delivery, creating a more immersive and responsive experience.
VR is even more demanding. When you turn your head, the audio must shift instantaneously to maintain the illusion of presence. Latency above 15ms breaks immersion and can cause motion sickness. High-quality ASIO drivers ensure audio keeps pace with head tracking and visual rendering.
Podcasting and Live Streaming Workflows
Live broadcasters monitoring their voice through noise gates, compressors, and EQ need to hear the processed signal in real-time to modulate their performance. Latency creates a distracting echo effect that makes natural speaking nearly impossible. ASIO DACs with direct monitoring allow hearing the clean signal instantly while recording the processed version, or processing with near-zero delay.
Interview setups with remote guests also benefit. Low latency means more natural conversation flow, less talking over each other, and better rhythm in dialogue. The difference between 20ms and 5ms latency in a conversation feels like the difference between a local call and an international satellite connection.
Setting Up Your ASIO-Enabled DAC for Optimal Performance
Purchasing the right hardware is only half the battle. Proper configuration unlocks the latency improvements you’re paying for. A methodical setup process prevents weeks of frustration chasing phantom issues.
Installing ASIO Drivers Correctly
Always download the latest drivers directly from the manufacturer’s website, not from the included CD. Windows’ plug-and-play might install generic drivers automatically; you must override these with the manufacturer-specific ASIO driver. During installation, disable your antivirus temporarily—some overzealous security software interferes with driver installation.
After installation, verify the driver is active. In your DAW’s audio settings, you should see the ASIO driver name specifically listed, not “Generic USB Audio.” If you see multiple ASIO options (e.g., “ASIO4ALL” and your device’s specific driver), always choose the device-specific option for best performance.
Configuring Your DAW for ASIO Operation
Set your DAW to use the ASIO driver exclusively. Enable “Release ASIO driver in background” if you need system audio while your DAW is minimized, but disable it for maximum performance during sessions. Configure your project sample rate before creating tracks—changing rates mid-project can cause driver reinitialization and potential glitches.
Most DAWs let you adjust buffer size from within the software, which communicates with the ASIO driver. Some drivers require using their own control panel. Learn which method your setup uses and adjust accordingly. Always test at your target buffer size with a realistic project loaded, not just an empty session.
Testing and Verifying Your Actual Round-trip Latency
Use your DAW’s built-in latency measurement tool or third-party utilities like Oblique Audio’s RTL Utility. These tools send a signal out of your DAC and measure how long it takes to return through your ADC, giving you the true round-trip figure.
Don’t trust the reported latency alone. Drivers often report theoretical minimums that don’t account for conversion delays, safety buffers, and system overhead. Measure multiple times under different CPU loads. If your measured latency is consistently higher than reported by more than 1-2ms, investigate background processes or driver settings.
Optimizing Your System for Minimal Latency
Your DAC and drivers can only perform as well as the system they’re installed on. A few targeted optimizations can shave precious milliseconds off your latency without requiring new hardware.
BIOS and Power Management Settings
Disable CPU power saving features like C-states and SpeedStep in your BIOS. These features throttle your CPU to save power, but the ramp-up time when audio processing demands spike causes dropouts. Set your Windows power plan to “High Performance” and disable USB selective suspend.
Some motherboards have a “BIOS High Precision Event Timer” setting—enable this for more stable audio timing. If your BIOS has an “Above 4G decoding” option, test enabling it; on some systems, this improves PCIe device performance, which can benefit Thunderbolt DACs.
Eliminating Background Process Interference
Use Task Manager to identify processes with high CPU or disk usage spikes. Windows Update, indexing services, and cloud sync clients are common culprits. Set your network adapter’s power management to prevent it from sleeping, as wake-up latency can cause audio glitches.
Consider using a stripped-down user account for audio work with minimal startup programs. Disable Windows Defender’s real-time scanning on your audio project folders. Every background task steals CPU cycles that could be used for maintaining your tiny audio buffers.
The Importance of Quality Cabling and Ports
Use the shortest practical USB cable—long cables increase signal degradation and can cause the DAC to negotiate lower speeds. Connect directly to a motherboard USB port, not a front-panel case connector or hub. Front-panel connectors often have poor shielding and longer internal cable runs.
If you must use a hub, invest in a powered hub with its own power supply. Bus-powered DACs sharing power with other devices can experience voltage drops that cause instability. For desktop setups, consider a PCIe USB expansion card with a dedicated controller for your audio interface, isolating it from other USB traffic.
Troubleshooting Common ASIO and Latency Issues
Even perfectly configured systems encounter problems. Knowing how to diagnose and fix common issues quickly saves sessions and sanity.
Eliminating Dropouts and Crackling Audio
If you hear periodic crackles, your buffer size is too small for your current CPU load. Increase it incrementally until they disappear. If crackles persist even at large buffer sizes, check for IRQ conflicts in Device Manager. Audio devices sharing interrupts with GPUs or network cards can cause instability.
Thermal throttling is another hidden cause. Use monitoring software to check CPU temperatures during audio playback. If your CPU hits its thermal limit and throttles down, you’ll get dropouts. Clean your computer’s fans and consider better cooling if temperatures exceed 85°C under load.
Resolving Driver Conflicts and Blue Screens
Blue screens when initializing ASIO drivers often indicate driver conflicts. Use the Windows Driver Verifier tool to identify problematic drivers. Uninstall old audio drivers completely using a tool like Display Driver Uninstaller (which works for audio drivers too) before installing new ones.
If two ASIO applications can’t run simultaneously, check if your driver supports “multi-client ASIO.” Some drivers allow multiple applications to share the ASIO device; others lock exclusive access. The “Release ASIO driver in background” setting can help, but may add reinitialization delay when switching applications.
Addressing Inconsistent Latency Performance
If your measured latency varies between sessions, suspect background processes or thermal issues. Create a system restore point when you achieve stable low latency, so you can roll back if Windows updates or software installations degrade performance.
Check for firmware updates for your DAC. Manufacturers occasionally release firmware that improves timing stability or reduces internal processing delays. Updating firmware carries risks, so only do this if you’re experiencing specific issues the update addresses.
The Future of Low-Latency Audio: Beyond ASIO
ASIO isn’t the final word in low-latency audio. New technologies promise even better performance and greater convenience, though adoption remains limited.
Emerging Standards and Protocols
Windows’ new “Audio Graph” API and the “Windows Audio Session API (WASAPI) Low Latency Mode” aim to provide ASIO-like performance without exclusive mode. Apple’s Core Audio has offered similar capabilities for years, with buffer sizes comparable to ASIO but without locking out other applications.
The professional audio industry is watching these developments closely. If Microsoft can deliver sub-5ms latency through standard APIs, the need for ASIO-specific hardware might diminish. However, ASIO’s entrenched position in the pro audio ecosystem means it will remain relevant for years.
Hardware Acceleration and DSP Trends
Modern DACs increasingly include onboard DSP (Digital Signal Processing) chips. These can handle mixing, effects, and routing internally, offloading work from your CPU and enabling even lower latency. Some units allow loading convolution reverbs or amp simulations directly into the hardware, achieving sub-2ms latency for monitoring.
Thunderbolt 4 and USB4’s integration of PCIe tunneling could enable DACs with direct memory access, potentially eliminating buffer-based latency entirely. While current implementations don’t yet leverage this fully, the hardware foundation exists for a latency-free future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the lowest latency achievable with a consumer-grade ASIO DAC?
With a well-optimized system and a quality USB DAC, you can achieve round-trip latency around 3-5ms at 44.1kHz with a 32-sample buffer. This is low enough for virtually any musical performance. The practical limit is often around 2ms due to conversion and safety buffers within the hardware itself.
Do I need an external DAC if my motherboard has “low-latency” audio features?
Motherboard audio has improved, but it still relies on generic Windows drivers that can’t match ASIO performance. Even premium motherboards with “audio isolation” and “low-latency paths” typically achieve 15-30ms minimum latency. A dedicated ASIO DAC can cut this by 70-80% and provides superior analog circuitry for better sound quality.
Can ASIO drivers damage my hardware or void warranties?
No. ASIO drivers use standard hardware protocols and can’t physically damage your DAC. However, running extremely small buffers at high sample rates can cause your CPU to run hotter and work harder. This is no different from any other intensive application. Always ensure adequate cooling and don’t attempt to modify driver code yourself.
Why does my ASIO performance degrade over long sessions?
This is almost always due to thermal throttling or memory leaks in your DAW or plugins. Monitor your CPU temperature throughout a session. If it gradually increases, improve your cooling. If temperature isn’t the issue, try disabling plugins one by one to identify leaky ones. Some older 32-bit plugins cause memory bloat in 64-bit hosts.
Is USB-C automatically better than USB-A for latency?
No. USB-C is a connector standard, not a speed guarantee. Many USB-C DACs use USB 2.0 internally. What matters is the USB protocol version (2.0 vs 3.x) and the driver’s quality. A USB-A 2.0 DAC with excellent ASIO drivers will outperform a USB-C 3.0 DAC with mediocre drivers every time.
How do I know if my DAC’s ASIO driver is working correctly?
Open your DAW’s audio settings and select the ASIO driver. You should see the manufacturer’s name in the driver name, not “Generic” or “ASIO4ALL.” Play audio and check that other applications are silent (exclusive mode is working). Use a latency measurement tool to verify actual performance matches the reported latency.
Can I use multiple ASIO DACs simultaneously?
Generally, no. ASIO is designed for exclusive hardware access. Some advanced drivers support “aggregating” multiple devices, but this adds complexity and often increases latency. For multi-device setups, consider a single interface with enough I/O or use a DAW that supports different drivers for input and output (though this introduces its own sync issues).
What’s the difference between ASIO and “ASIO4ALL”?
ASIO4ALL is a universal wrapper that provides ASIO-like functionality for any WDM audio device. It doesn’t bypass the Windows audio stack—it just makes it look like ASIO to your DAW. While useful for compatibility, it can’t match the latency of true hardware ASIO drivers. Use ASIO4ALL only as a last resort if no native ASIO driver exists.
Do Mac users need ASIO?
No. macOS includes Core Audio, which provides equivalent low-latency performance without requiring proprietary drivers. Most Mac-compatible audio interfaces use Core Audio drivers that achieve sub-10ms latency natively. ASIO is primarily a Windows ecosystem solution, though some cross-platform interfaces include ASIO for Windows and Core Audio for Mac.
How often should I update my ASIO drivers?
Update only when experiencing specific issues or when upgrading your OS. Unlike graphics drivers, audio drivers rarely benefit from frequent updates and each update carries a small risk of introducing new bugs. Read update release notes carefully. If your current drivers are stable and perform well, the old adage applies: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”