ASIO Channels
The physical inputs and outputs of your primary audio interface - the lowest-latency path in Routling.
ASIO Channels are the physical inputs and outputs of your primary device. This is the fastest path Routling has - audio here never leaves the primary clock.
Adding channels#
Right-click the canvas → ASIO Channels:
| Submenu | Gives you |
|---|---|
| Input | Physical inputs - microphones, instruments, line sources |
| Output | Physical outputs - speakers, headphones, hardware sends |
Each entry is one mono channel, named and numbered as your driver reports it. Mic in input 1 → Input 1.
Stereo needs two nodes#
ASIO channels are added one at a time, so a stereo signal is two nodes, each connected separately - there is no combined stereo node:
Connecting only one of them is the usual cause of audio that plays in one ear.
Keep the sides straight - left to left, right to right. Crossing them swaps the stereo image, which is easy to miss on a quick listen and obvious on headphones.
Identifying the right channel#
The fastest check is the meter. Add the node, make sound at the source, and watch. If the meter does not move, you have the wrong channel.
Numbering follows the driver, which may not match the labels printed on the box. If the sides sound reversed, trust the meters.
Why these are the lowest latency#
ASIO channels belong to the primary device, which drives the whole engine. There is no second clock and no adaptive buffering between them - just the device buffer. See Primary and Secondary Devices.
Keep anything latency-critical here: live monitoring, an instrument you are playing, in-ear mixes.
Adding many at once#
The Add Channels & Devices dialog lists the whole interface at once, plus your WASAPI, WDM/MME and Kernel Streaming devices. Quicker than the right-click menu on a large interface.
Channel availability#
Available channels come from the device as opened. If you reopen the device at a different configuration and channels disappear, nodes using them are removed and the log reports N nodes removed - channels no longer available.
Closing the primary device removes all its channel nodes. Secondary devices stay active.
Limits and gotchas#
- Channel count is your interface's, not Routling's.
- ASIO is usually exclusive - another app holding the interface blocks Routling.
- Every channel is mono. Stereo means two nodes and two connections.
Related#
- Your First Route - your first ASIO input to output
- Primary and Secondary Devices - why these are fastest
- Latency and Buffers - buffer size
ASIO® is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH, registered in Europe and other countries.