I didn't said you HAVE to switch platforms, it's just an option. I have only one wish from every computer that comes into our studio, and that's to do it's work and do it good and needs as little time as possible for maintainance and problem solving. A Mac gave me this, a PC couldn't (we had 4 different PC over 4 years so i think I know something about a PC, I even did repairs for a while to make some extra money.) I PC doesn't HAVE to be a problem, but it CAN be a problem ! I ran a bunch of synths from a 486, but my 200Mhz couldn't get a note on time (that's not normal or is it?)!!

Aurastar- You say you use the soundcards MPU. Normally this should work fine (on my old 486 that worked). But what cable do you use? Those Y-cables tend to be "not really OK" to drive a studio. MAYBE a decent Midi interface solves your problem. You could always try...

Keep in mind the modular structure of windows can "disturb" the OS if much software has been installed or removed or just after a while of hard working. It's a good thing to reinstall your system once a year or so and defragment, even reformat your drive. Your PC should fly after this and maybe it solves your problem too.