CEntrance has released their Ideal Driver for FireWire audio interfaces. According to CEntrance, the Windows audio software features one-third of the latency and higher stability than the typical drivers that are shipped with FireWire audio interfaces.

The CEntrance Ideal Driver’s unique technology bypasses the Windows audio engine to bring the recording latency down to previously unattainable levels. Musicians who routinely perform live or overdub with a DAW will appreciate the immediacy of response afforded by the new Ideal Driver. The CEntrance Ideal Driver (ID) is compatible with ASIO2, GSIF2, and MIDI applications and supports sample rates of 44.1 through 192kHz at 16 or 24-bit resolution. The product is offered for sale directly to consumers from the CEntrance website at $39.95 US.

“We’ve noticed that some FireWire audio products could perform significantly better if only they had better drivers. The Ideal Driver is the answer to those consumers who want to push their gear up a notch,” said Michael Goodman, Managing Director of CEntrance. “Our technology works with all major FireWire chips, so it was possible to create the replacement driver compatible with many FireWire audio products.”

The CEntrance Ideal Driver features easy installation and robust performance while achieving latencies as low as 5.9mS roundtrip, about one-third of many existing audio interfaces. To measure the true roundtrip latency CEntrance offers a free download of the Latency Test Utility, a handy way to compare different drivers and optimize a DAW-based recording setup.

CEntrance developed the software to be compatible with the majority of commercially available audio hardware, including Alesis, Apogee, Behringer, Focusrite, Mackie, M-Audio, Presonus, Tascam, and most ASIO and GSIF software applications. Support for other audio interfaces is constantly added. Please check the company’s website for an up-to-date list of hardware and software compatibility.

Earlier this year, CEntrance released the “Universal Driver” (UD), which combines interfaces from several vendors into a single recording setup. The Ideal Driver is based on the same technology, but differs from the UD in that it works with a single audio interface.

More information is available at the CEntrance site.