I know the POD X3 Live is. Format with the ASIO drivers that Line6. And is the recommended driver for use with a POD. Additionally, Line 6 makes no claims.

• Pod X3 Live Driver
• Pod X3 Live Setup

Pod X3 Live Driver

Vista 32 bit - Sonar 7 - POD X3 driver issues by on 2008-06-05 08: GearBox 3.60.9C Driver 3.4.0.7 USB Firmware 1.0.2 Flash Memory v 1.12 Vista Ultimate, 32 bit Sonar Pro 7.01 I finally got around to some testing with Vista 32 bit (I have a dual boot config on the same DAW PC that I normally use XP on, which all works fine with the latest Line 6 stuff). With POD X3, I can use GearBox 3.60.9c just fine as a stand alone app. But I tried using the X3 ASIO driver with Sonar and it just will not work. Sonar allows me to choose the X3 ASIO driver, and activate all ASIO in/out channels in the Audio settings.

And in the Sonar tracks I can select any ASIO in/out channels, but when I hit play I just get the 'Unable to access device' error. Sonar is the only app running, and I also tried checking the 'Share Driver with other apps' option in Sonar (which would allow the ASIO driver to be used by Sonar, even if another ASIO app were running), but as soon as I select this option Sonar pops up its 'Audio Device Error' warning asking to disable the X3 since it is not working properly. I also tried switching Sonar to WDM.

This works with X3, but playback is very bad and full of crackles, even with the buffer set high. I plugged in my UX2 instead and tried all the same with Sonar and it works perfectly.

I have not tried UX8 yet, but I'll try to get to that today. Anyone else try Sonar 7 - Vista 32 bit - X3 with the beta driver?? Re: Vista 32 bit - Sonar 7 - POD X3 driver issues by on 2008-06-05 09: Hi Ryan, Well, I usually avoid making ANY changes in the L6 Control Panel while Sonar is open (at least when Sonar is using the L6 ASIO driver) since it often causes Sonar to freeze up. Sonar has always seemed to prefer you make any ASIO changes outside the app.

Even changes within the Sonar Audio settings will usually prompt you to restart Sonar, as you have probably seen. I realized I did not have the Vista SP1 installed yet so I am doing that now (it takes a long time to run this update!) I'll try things again after that and let you know. Do you see problems with UX8 too? I was wondering if the driver issue pertains to USB2 or just the X3 architecture (since my UX2 works fine). Re: Vista 32 bit - Sonar 7 - POD X3 driver issues by on 2008-06-05 10: I just tried things in Sonar again after the Vista SP1 update.

No difference. I cannot seem to make any L6 panel or Sonar Audio or Global settings that will allow Sonar to play with the ASIO X3 driver. I tried different combinations of 44.1/48 and bit rates, L6 buffer slider, relaunching Sonar, nothing works for me. I did try the ASIO X3 with Ableton Live 7.01 and it works perfectly. Let me know if anything else I should try. Re: Vista 32 bit - Sonar 7 - POD X3 driver issues by on 2008-06-05 15: Hi Ryan, I found the problem!

I did install the 7.02 Sonar update, but that is not the issue here. Apparently, Sonar does not like it if you have POD X3 set as the 'Default' audio device in the Vista Control Panel Sound dialog, AND if you have the Properties there set to a different sample rate than Sonar is set to use. To see what I mean, with POD X3 on (but with Sonar closed), launch the L6 driver panel, press the Sound Control Panel in the Driver tab. In the Vista Sound Playback dialog, select the POD X3 playback device and press the 'Set Default' button if it is not already set as the default device. Then click the Properties button and go to the Advanced tab. Here you'll see that you can select a sample & bit rate.

It turns out this was set to 44.1/16 for me, but Sonar's project was 48/24. So it seems this Vista applet is holding control over the ASIO driver, which I don;t think it should be doing, but Sonar is not over-riding it. Strange this does NOT matter with the UX2 though. Also strange is that this Vista Sound panel Sample Rate setting does not cause a problem with Ableton Live. I tired it with Live set to 48k/24 bit and the Vista panel set to 44.1/16 and Live still works fine - so either Live is converting the rate on the fly, or it is over-riding the Vista sample rate setting.

I also noticed that if I simply set a different audio device in the Vista Panel as the 'default' playback device, then this also fixes the issue with X3/Sonar, apparently since then there is nothing preventing Sonar from changing the Sample Rate/Bit settings. Maybe the driver guys can see what the issue is with this info. Re: Vista 32 bit - Sonar 7 - POD X3 driver issues by on 2008-06-06 06: Update - driver 3.4.0.8.

Pod X3 Live Setup

POD X3 USB V 1.02 Firmware V 1.12 Vista Ultimate, SP1 GearBox 3.60.9c I just tried the new driver and it now pops up a warning dialog to allow the user to avoid the Vista 'default audio device' issue I described in my last post - see attached. Before launching Sonar and with X3 connected and powered on, I first went into the Vista Control Panel Sounds dialog and made sure the X3 was purposely selected as the 'default' device, which it automatically was. I then also set the Playback settings to '44100 Hz, 16 bit' operation. Then I launched Sonar, and as soon as I click to load my Project (a 48k/24 bit project), I got the new warning dialog (see attached jpg). This should resolve the problem, but I will say that some users are likely going to be a bit frustrated since this dialog does not really tell them HOW to make this change, and it is not that easy to discover in Vista.

I also noticed the dialog does not dismiss - I had to click the OK button 3 times before it went away, and then of course the same problem still exists and it is up to the user to still need to make the Vista Cntrol Panel change. It would be better if there was another sentence directing the user to the Vista Control Panel Sounds dialog rather than just telling them to go to Line 6 Support (and it might result in a few less Support calls too!) Note that it is also necessary to EXIT Sonar - if you change the Vista default audio device away from X3, Sonar will apparently not detect that change and still error out until you relaunch Sonar once again. Re: Vista 32 bit - Sonar 7 - POD X3 driver issues by on 2008-06-06 10: Hi Howard, Yes! You are correct that this is another workaround that just worked for me. (I think you meant to 'try turning OFF the Msoft GS MIDI device').

I kept the X3 as the Vista 'default' playback device, kept it set to 44100 Hz/16 bit and then launched Sonar. Then I went into Sonar's OptionsMIDI Devices and UNchecked the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth within the MIDI Outputs. Then I tried recording and playback in a session and it all works fine! Lufkin well manager software. So apparently this is another thing that prevents Sonar from accessing the X3 ASIO driver if active.

One caveat for this workaround though is that this little MSoft GS synth has come in handy such as in the cases where I want to just pull into Sonar a pre-recorded General MIDI file and just hear it for reference. Its an easy way to do this since General MIDI files will auto map to the 'correct' instruments (although, cheesy sounding, but good enough just to hear what something is intended to sound like, such as a game soundtrack MIDI file).

Maybe not a pressing need for the typical POD X3/Sonar user though.