Hearing crackles, pops or dropouts while recording or playing music on your PC? LatencyMon, a free tool from Resplendence (makers of WhoCrashed), measures how quickly Windows handles hardware requests and tells you whether the PC can play audio without glitches, and which driver is to blame if not.
What does LatencyMon measure?
LatencyMon examines kernel latency and timing activity that can affect the delivery of audio data. It tracks Deferred Procedure Calls (DPCs) and Interrupt Service Routines (ISRs), which are part of how Windows handles hardware requests. Delays in this work can keep audio buffers from reaching devices on time, leading to glitches or dropouts.
Start a monitoring run while the PC is in normal use, then check the report’s assessment of real-time audio performance. Reproducing the problem during the run gives the measurements a chance to capture the conditions associated with it.
Driver and process findings
The Drivers view reports timing statistics for individual drivers, making it easier to spot entries associated with unusually long DPC or ISR activity. LatencyMon also reports process activity and hard pagefaults, which can point to other sources of delays during a run.
Use these details to narrow down where to investigate when audio problems occur. The report identifies activity to examine; changing a driver or audio configuration is a separate step.
Reading a monitoring run
Begin with the overall assessment, then review the timing statistics and the driver or process details. If a dropout occurs during the run, note which entries show high activity around that period. Typical culprits are network, Wi-Fi, graphics and ACPI power-management drivers; updating or disabling the named driver is often the fix.
- Run the analysis while the audio application is active.
- Compare the summary with driver and process statistics.
- Let it run for several minutes, since spikes can be rare.
Pros
- Reports DPC and ISR timing associated with driver activity
- Shows latency statistics by driver
- Checks system readiness for real-time audio
- Includes process and hard pagefault information
Cons
- Results are technical and need some interpretation
- Does not change drivers or settings itself
System requirements: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11 · 32-bit and 64-bit
Can LatencyMon identify a driver linked to audio dropouts?
Yes. The Drivers tab ranks drivers by their DPC and ISR execution times, showing which one causes the longest delays.
Is LatencyMon free?
Yes, for home use. A Pro edition is sold for commercial use and adds extra features.
