FL Studio input lag: Solved but....

[Masque]

Fl Studio + usb keyboard:

With i5-4460 (and every other chip I've had since FL Studio was called Fruity Loops) -- lots of lag.

With i7-4790k -- absolutely zero lag.

How did people use FL Studio (and other DAWs) before the i7? I've literally never had zero lag until I upgraded to the i7-4790k. Did people have to use dedicated MIDI cards or something?

Because only now, after all these years, can I hit a key and the sound happens RIGHTNOW.

Like, how did people with Pentium 4 (or older) processors even use a keyboard on a DAW and be able to play their keyboard without input latency?
I don't get it. And through four different towers, I've had a Asus Xonar Essense ST audio card.

[Jaunitta 🌸]

If I rememeber what solved the lags for me was to use ASIO for all.
http://www.asio4all.org/
Been a long time since I used Fruity Loops from ImageLine probably changed a lot since then.
https://www.image-line.com/flstudio/
You should consider checking out their discussion page for solutions.
https://forum.image-line.com/viewforum.php?f=100

[Masque]

Originally posted by Jaunitta 🌸:

If I rememeber what solved the lags for me was to use ASIO for all.
http://www.asio4all.org/
Been a long time since I used Fruity Loops from ImageLine probably changed a lot since then.
https://www.image-line.com/flstudio/
You should consider checking out their discussion page for solutions.
https://forum.image-line.com/viewforum.php?f=100

I understand ASIO. Like I said, I have no input latency now.

I just wonder how people used it before good processors. When I had pentiums, core 2 duos, core i5, I got input latency, even with ASIO4All, or the one I use now, cmasiopx.

So how did people do it? Only the i7 worked for me.

[Snow]

Try setting the app to low priority in task manager so it doesn't interfere with USB polling.
Back in P4 times people used PS/2 devices, and PS/2 works a bit differently, it sends interrupts to CPU the moment you press anything, so CPU processes the inputs immediately.

[Raoul]

Used a 2nd gen i5 2500k windows 7 system with FL and cubase with no lag at all and measured dpc latency was like ~20us average so optimizing your os and drivers would have helped somewhat.