Use Cubase, Ableton Live, DaVinci Resolve and other ASIO hosts with the sound devices Windows already has.
Built-in sound, USB headsets, HDMI monitors, Bluetooth headphones - no audio interface needed.
Download · Quick start · FAQ · Full manual · Report a problem
Note
Public beta (0.9.x). The installer is not code-signed yet (signing through SignPath Foundation is in progress),
so Windows SmartScreen may warn: choose More info > Run anyway. Download only from the
Releases page and compare the SHA-256 with SHA256SUMS.txt.
Most DAWs talk to audio hardware through ASIO. Without an audio interface, Windows users usually rely on a generic driver. Some of them take the sound device exclusively: while the DAW is open, YouTube, calls, system sounds and screen recordings go silent.
WASAPI Driver for ASIO runs in Shared mode by default: your DAW and the rest of Windows play through the same headphones or speakers at the same time. When you need the lowest latency, switch to Exclusive mode in one click.
It can also follow the Windows default output: switch from speakers to headphones in Windows and the DAW follows. Put your Bluetooth headphones in their case and the sound moves to the next device; take them out and it comes back by itself - no need to open any settings again.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Modern Windows audio | WASAPI with the low-latency IAudioClient3 engine at the device's native rate (typically 10 ms periods) |
| Shared or Exclusive | Shared by default (everything keeps playing); Exclusive for minimum latency |
| Any project rate | Internal conversion when the project rate differs from the device (e.g. 44.1 kHz project on a 48 kHz device): low-latency 128-tap sinc by default, or soxr (SoX Resampler library, HQ) for the best quality (adds ~8-10 ms at 44.1-192 kHz, more at 16-32 kHz) |
| Bluetooth aware | Detects Bluetooth outputs, recommends a buffer, latency offsets; keeps playing when headphones go into their case and come back |
| Several devices | Main device plus up to 3 extra inputs/outputs with clock-drift correction, output routing and loopback of a single application |
| Monitoring and safety | Direct monitoring, hearing-safety limiter, dither, live level meters and DSP load |
| Control panel | Profiles (also per program), floating monitor window, tray icon, 6 themes, 5 languages (EN/ES/PT/FR/DE), keyboard and screen-reader support |
| Windows on Arm | One Arm64X DLL serves native ARM64 hosts and emulated x64 hosts |
| Troubleshooting | Log file, Diagnostics tool, automatic ASIO host test, TraceLogging provider with a ready-made .wprp profile |
| Privacy | No telemetry. The optional update check is off by default (PRIVACY.txt) |
Cubase, Nuendo and other Steinberg products install a generic driver for computers without an audio interface: the current Steinberg built-in ASIO Driver or, on older installations, the Generic Low Latency ASIO Driver, which Steinberg no longer develops.
Steinberg built-in ASIO Driver - release history (Steinberg release notes):
| Version | Date | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0.7 | July 2023 | First release (with WaveLab Cast 2) |
| 1.0.8 | 24 October 2024 | Windows 11 on Arm (preview) |
| 1.0.9 | 18 December 2024 | Unified installer. Latest version as of October 2026 (file version 1.0.9.26) |
Important
Same driver, two names. The built-in driver's control panel still shows the old name in some languages, so it is easy to mistake it for the discontinued Generic driver. Check the version in the title: 1.0.9.x = built-in.
| Language | Title of the built-in driver's panel (1.0.9.26) | Name |
|---|---|---|
| English | Steinberg built-in ASIO Driver - Version 1.0.9.26 | correct |
| German | Steinberg eingebauter ASIO-Treiber - Version 1.0.9.26 | correct |
| Spanish | Controlador Genérico ASIO de Baja Latencia - Version 1.0.9.26 | old name |
| French | Pilote ASIO générique à faible Latence - Version 1.0.9.26 | old name |
| Italian | Driver ASIO generico a bassa latenza - versione 1.0.9.26 | old name |
| Japanese | 共通低レイテンシー ASIO ドライバ：Vers. 1.0.9.26 | old name |
| Feature | Generic Low Latency ASIO Driver (discontinued) | Steinberg built-in ASIO Driver 1.0.9 (18 Dec 2024) | WASAPI Driver for ASIO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other apps while the DAW is open | Exclusive in our tests: other apps went silent | Shared in our tests: other apps kept playing | Shared by default, Exclusive optional |
| Sample-rate conversion | - | Automatic (soxr library) | Automatic (built-in 128-tap sinc, low latency; soxr library HQ selectable) |
| Follows the Windows default output | - | No: a device must be picked in its port list (Bluetooth only while already connected) | Yes: "(Windows default)" follows Windows, e.g. headphones on/off |
| Bluetooth | No special handling | Works when picked directly; after the headphones disconnect the selection is lost and must be set again in the panel | Detection, buffer advice, latency offsets; output moves to the next device and comes back by itself on reconnect |
| Several devices | Port list | Port list | Up to 3 extra devices with drift correction, routing, app loopback |
| Windows on Arm | - | Windows 11 on Arm (preview, per Steinberg) | ARM64 and Arm64X (one DLL for ARM64 and emulated x64 hosts) |
| 32-bit hosts | - | Not available | x86 DLL included |
| Diagnostics | - | - | Log, diagnostics tool, host test, TraceLogging |
| Source code | Closed | Closed | Open (GPL-3.0) |
Steinberg's drivers have years of use on many machines; this driver is a public beta. The built-in driver column is based on version 1.0.9.26 (x64), Steinberg's published information and our own tests; "-" means we found no such feature. The Generic Low Latency ASIO Driver and the Steinberg built-in ASIO Driver are products of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. WASAPI Driver for ASIO is an independent open-source project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Steinberg.
- Close your DAW.
- Download
WASAPI-Driver-for-ASIO-<version>-Setup.exefrom Releases and run it. - In your DAW, choose WASAPI Driver for ASIO as the ASIO driver (Cubase: Studio > Studio Setup > Audio System).
- Open the driver's Control Panel to pick the output device, mode and buffer.
No reboot needed. A portable bin.zip with install.bat is also available. Full steps: QUICK-START.txt.
| Host | Status |
|---|---|
| Cubase 15 (x64) - built-in, USB, HDMI and Bluetooth outputs | Tested: hours of use, Bluetooth on/off, sleep/resume |
| Cubase 15 (x64) - Steinberg UR22mkII (USB interface, inputs) | Shared mode: recording clean at 256 and 512 since 0.9.12. Exclusive mode with an input: works at buffer 512 or larger; at 256 it fails (KI-13, open, not fixed in any version) |
| DaVinci Resolve Studio | Tested (0.9.4). Current Resolve versions also offer I/O Engine = System Audio (no ASIO needed); this driver is optional there |
| Ableton Live, REAPER, FL Studio, Studio One, Bitwig | Not tested yet - reports welcome |
| Cubase for Arm on a Snapdragon X Plus laptop (Arm64X, native ARM64 half) | Tested by a user: Shared mode, output, 12-18 ms with buffers 32-256 |
| x64 DAWs emulated on Windows on Arm (ARM64EC half) | Not tested yet - testers welcome |
See COMPATIBILITY.txt and KNOWN-ISSUES.txt.
- Exception barriers on every entry point: an internal error cannot crash your DAW.
- Validation of every call and argument from the host; bounded waits on device I/O.
- 18 offline test suites, including fuzz tests under AddressSanitizer / UndefinedBehaviorSanitizer; a release is only built when all of them pass.
- Built in public by GitHub Actions from this repository.
- Every review finding is documented in CODE-REVIEW.txt.
Open an issue and attach the Diagnostics report and, if possible,
a trace made with Start trace.bat / Stop trace.bat (TRACING.txt). Security problems: report them privately
(Security > Report a vulnerability, see SECURITY.txt).
| Document | Contents |
|---|---|
| QUICK-START.txt | One page: install, select the driver, recommended settings |
| README.txt | Complete manual |
| FAQ.txt | Common questions |
| VERSION.txt | Changelog |
| BUILDING.txt / ARCHITECTURE.txt | Building from source and how it works |
| CODE-SIGNING-POLICY.txt | Code signing policy and team roles |
| CONTRIBUTING.txt | How to contribute |
GPL-3.0-or-later - see LICENSE.txt, COPYRIGHT.txt and THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt.
ASIO is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH (TRADEMARKS.txt). Provided without any warranty (DISCLAIMER.txt); an audio driver can produce very loud sound - start at a low volume.