Download.it search icon
Advertisement

Asio4All is a free and independent audio driver that allows you to create music on your PC without sacrificing usability

Asio4All is a free and independent audio driver that allows you to create music on your PC without sacrificing usability

Vote: (70 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Steinberg Media Technologies

Version: 2.15

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(70 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Steinberg Media Technologies

2.15

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Freeware
  • Feature-rich WDM driver package
  • Lower latencies than most factory-issued audio drivers
  • Compatible with most WDM-compatible audio hardware
  • Compatible with all WDM-compatible operating systems
  • Can be easily installed and uninstalled without disrupting existing configurations

Cons

  • Not compatible with all WDM-compatible audio hardware
  • No guarantee of improved audio hardware performance
  • Requires some tweaking and trial and error to maximize efficiency

ASIO4ALL is a freeware universal ASIO solution. It serves as a generic driver to help the user interface with a computer's various audio hardware. What makes ASIO4ALL so useful is that it allows most WDM-compatible hardware to interface with Windows software in a streamlined fashion with latencies at or below the rates of most factory-issued sound drivers. While this is not always the case, the majority of hardware and software configurations will see a notable latency benefit by utilizing ASIO4ALL.

The interface presents the user with a clean and simple access point to the system's WDM devices. It includes options such as ASIO buffer size, latency compensation, WaveRT buffer offset, simple resampling rate overrides, and the ability to force the WDM driver for a specific device to 16-bit. This enables the user to configure each piece of hardware for maximum efficiency and tweak settings for the optimal audio quality. This user-driven optimization becomes especially important when trying to juggle multiple WDM devices. In most cases ASIO4ALL will prove a beneficial alternative, it does sometimes require some trial-and-error to get things just right on a user's specific configuration.

Another nice touch is that the ASIO4ALL software runs along side the user's existing sound card drivers. In the rare case that ASIO4ALL does not improve an audio device's performance, ASIO4ALL can be bypassed or removed entirely without causing headaches. For such an already feature-rich piece of software, the ability to try it without fear of corrupting existing configurations irreparably is outstanding.

Pros

  • Freeware
  • Feature-rich WDM driver package
  • Lower latencies than most factory-issued audio drivers
  • Compatible with most WDM-compatible audio hardware
  • Compatible with all WDM-compatible operating systems
  • Can be easily installed and uninstalled without disrupting existing configurations

Cons

  • Not compatible with all WDM-compatible audio hardware
  • No guarantee of improved audio hardware performance
  • Requires some tweaking and trial and error to maximize efficiency