I wrote one excersize where the rolls sounded pretty decent.  BUt other excersizes i write have poor diddle play back.

Im using finale, and VDL2 of course, I have all the midi set up, and i have the latency low since my rolls sometimes come out choppy

I have verrry old memory, i dont know how much ram I have etc.  But its basically so old that If i try to upload snare, tenor and bass, by the time it gets to the bass, it gives a warning that it might cause audio problems.

I know i need to get new memory, so any advice with what i should look for??

thank you

Hmm...

Not sure if I'm misunderstanding you, but just in case, [i]memory[/i] and [i]RAM[/i] are the same thing.

How much RAM do you have?
Mac or Windows?
What kind of soundcard are you using?
What audio drivers is your soundcard using? (check 'interface' in the VDL2 soundcard options)
What are your settings in the soundcard setup?
Are you using DFD?

I could be wrong, but I've never heard of ";old"; memory causing a problem, unless it's [i]bad[/i] memory.

If you're using Windows, right click on ";My Computer"; and it will show your processor and RAM specifications.

- or -

Go to:  http://www.crucial.com/

You can either search for your system by manufacturer or download a quick plugin that will read your system specs and show you how much RAM you currently have and if you have any available slots (to add more RAM). You can also get prices for different upgrades.  I bought some RAM from this company a while back and it works great.

But as Jim said, with more detail we can help you better.  You may have enough RAM already, but if your soundcard settings aren't setup properly, it won't matter how much RAM you have.

Hope this helps
- OT

sorry about the lack of details

Im using Windows XP
i downloaded DFD
the interface listed is DirectSound, my sample rate is 44100
I dont really know what kind of soundcard i have, ive been using it for years and I know that its nothing extraordinary, I will try to find those details later.

My dad and i built my computer a few years ago with the idea of gaming in my mind.  So i was more concerned about the graphics card hehe.

Ill try to get some more details on the soundcard, but i know its old.

It's just kind of strange because the first few excersizes i wrote and saved sounded great.  The diddles and open stroke rolls etc.  in a triplets excersize I wrote sounded natural and real.  Now it seems like every other thing i write, the diddles and open strokes become choppy and uneven and sound unreal.

I dont really understand how that could be

Check your playback options in Finale and make sure Human Playback is turned OFF. 

So ive made a discovery and it is that when im in a common time signature or any signature that isnt a triplet based meter, the diddle playback is choppy whenever i create triplets.

if i make a measure like 1e&a 2e&a  3&a 4&a...  and diddle the two counts of triplets, the diddle on those triplets is choppy.  The sound doesnt come out as two seperate strokes, instead like a crushed-several notes.

When i place diddles on the regular 16th notes, or 8th notes, it comes out fine.

The same goes for if im in  a  triplet time signature like 12/8, the diddles on the notes come out even, and sounding fine.

Wobbly rhythms may be something related to Finale. Not sure what version you're using, but that'd be something to check with them.

Your latency setting in the VDL2 soundcard setup is important. Don't know what you have that set to.

You downloaded the DFD extension, but did you install it? If so, what are your DFD settings?

DirectSound isn't as reliable of an audio driver format as ASIO (check the VDL2 glossary). If you have a cheap soundcard without ASIO drivers, this could be a big part of your problem.

Ok, Thanks Jim.

I going to look into getting a better soundcard.

I might not have installed the DFD extension but i will try again

I would bet $100 that buying a new soundcard won't solve your problem.

You still have not listed how much RAM you have, or what cpu you have.  Right click on ";My Computer"; and select Properties. 

You said your latency is set low- that is the source of many problems.  It should be HIGH unless you have a pro sound card and a screaming fast computer.  Raise it to 50ms if you have an audigy, or 100ms if you have a generic brand. 

A computer that's a ";few years old"; is usually not good.  Assuming it wasn't top of the line when it was made, it is probably significantly slower than anything out today.  Both AMD and Intel have shifted to multi-core CPUs and most audio software requires A LOT more RAM than games and other common programs.