diff --git a/spa/lib/debug.c b/spa/lib/debug.c
index c2c15b886..8c03f77dc 100644
--- a/spa/lib/debug.c
+++ b/spa/lib/debug.c
@@ -474,7 +474,7 @@ spa_debug_dict (const SpaDict *dict)
 }
 
 
-#define DEFAULT_LOG_LEVEL SPA_LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
+#define DEFAULT_LOG_LEVEL SPA_LOG_LEVEL_INFO
 
 static void
 do_logv (SpaLog        *log,
diff --git a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-utils.c b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-utils.c
index ddef266b1..179fcc3f9 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-utils.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/alsa/alsa-utils.c
@@ -408,15 +408,10 @@ calc_timeout (size_t target,
               snd_htimestamp_t *now,
               struct timespec *ts)
 {
-  size_t to_sleep_nsec;
-
   ts->tv_sec = now->tv_sec;
+  ts->tv_nsec = now->tv_nsec;
   if (target > current)
-    to_sleep_nsec = (target - current) * SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC / rate;
-  else
-    to_sleep_nsec = 0;
-
-  ts->tv_nsec = to_sleep_nsec + now->tv_nsec;
+    ts->tv_nsec += (target - current) * SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC / rate;
 
   while (ts->tv_nsec > SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC) {
     ts->tv_sec++;
@@ -458,7 +453,7 @@ alsa_on_playback_timeout_event (SpaSource *source)
   state->last_ticks = state->sample_count - filled;
   state->last_monotonic = (int64_t)htstamp.tv_sec * SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC + (int64_t)htstamp.tv_nsec;
 
-  if (filled > state->threshold + 16) {
+  if (filled > state->threshold) {
     if (snd_pcm_state (hndl) == SND_PCM_STATE_SUSPENDED) {
       spa_log_error (state->log, "suspended: try resume");
       if ((res = alsa_try_resume (state)) < 0)
@@ -495,7 +490,7 @@ alsa_on_playback_timeout_event (SpaSource *source)
     state->sample_count += total_written;
   }
   if (!state->alsa_started && total_written > 0) {
-    spa_log_trace (state->log, "snd_pcm_start");
+    spa_log_debug (state->log, "snd_pcm_start");
     if ((res = snd_pcm_start (state->hndl)) < 0) {
       spa_log_error (state->log, "snd_pcm_start: %s", snd_strerror (res));
       return;
diff --git a/spa/plugins/audiotestsrc/audiotestsrc.c b/spa/plugins/audiotestsrc/audiotestsrc.c
index 30be66a53..16f73cd15 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/audiotestsrc/audiotestsrc.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/audiotestsrc/audiotestsrc.c
@@ -248,20 +248,33 @@ send_have_output (SpaAudioTestSrc *this)
 static void
 set_timer (SpaAudioTestSrc *this, bool enabled)
 {
-  if (enabled) {
-    if (this->props.live) {
-      uint64_t next_time = this->start_time + this->elapsed_time;
-      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = next_time / SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
-      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = next_time % SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
+  if (this->async || this->props.live) {
+    if (enabled) {
+      if (this->props.live) {
+        uint64_t next_time = this->start_time + this->elapsed_time;
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = next_time / SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = next_time % SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
+      } else {
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = 0;
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 1;
+      }
     } else {
       this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = 0;
-      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 1;
+      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 0;
     }
-  } else {
-    this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = 0;
-    this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 0;
+    timerfd_settime (this->timer_source.fd, TFD_TIMER_ABSTIME, &this->timerspec, NULL);
+  }
+}
+
+static void
+read_timer (SpaAudioTestSrc *this)
+{
+  uint64_t expirations;
+
+  if (this->async || this->props.live) {
+    if (read (this->timer_source.fd, &expirations, sizeof (uint64_t)) < sizeof (uint64_t))
+      perror ("read timerfd");
   }
-  timerfd_settime (this->timer_source.fd, TFD_TIMER_ABSTIME, &this->timerspec, NULL);
 }
 
 static SpaResult
@@ -269,11 +282,9 @@ audiotestsrc_make_buffer (SpaAudioTestSrc *this)
 {
   ATSBuffer *b;
   SpaPortIO *io = this->io;
-  uint64_t expirations;
   int n_bytes, n_samples;
 
-  if (read (this->timer_source.fd, &expirations, sizeof (uint64_t)) < sizeof (uint64_t))
-    perror ("read timerfd");
+  read_timer (this);
 
   if (spa_list_is_empty (&this->empty)) {
     set_timer (this, false);
@@ -942,7 +953,8 @@ audiotestsrc_clear (SpaHandle *handle)
 
   this = (SpaAudioTestSrc *) handle;
 
-  spa_loop_remove_source (this->data_loop, &this->timer_source);
+  if (this->data_loop)
+    spa_loop_remove_source (this->data_loop, &this->timer_source);
   close (this->timer_source.fd);
 
   return SPA_RESULT_OK;
@@ -1006,7 +1018,7 @@ audiotestsrc_init (const SpaHandleFactory  *factory,
   this->timerspec.it_interval.tv_sec = 0;
   this->timerspec.it_interval.tv_nsec = 0;
 
-  if (this->data_loop && this->async)
+  if (this->data_loop)
     spa_loop_add_source (this->data_loop, &this->timer_source);
 
   this->info.flags = SPA_PORT_INFO_FLAG_CAN_USE_BUFFERS |
diff --git a/spa/plugins/videotestsrc/videotestsrc.c b/spa/plugins/videotestsrc/videotestsrc.c
index b2e0561d3..869fc8237 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/videotestsrc/videotestsrc.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/videotestsrc/videotestsrc.c
@@ -236,20 +236,33 @@ fill_buffer (SpaVideoTestSrc *this, VTSBuffer *b)
 static void
 set_timer (SpaVideoTestSrc *this, bool enabled)
 {
-  if (enabled) {
-    if (this->props.live) {
-      uint64_t next_time = this->start_time + this->elapsed_time;
-      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = next_time / SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
-      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = next_time % SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
+  if (this->async || this->props.live) {
+    if (enabled) {
+      if (this->props.live) {
+        uint64_t next_time = this->start_time + this->elapsed_time;
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = next_time / SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = next_time % SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
+      } else {
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = 0;
+        this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 1;
+      }
     } else {
       this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = 0;
-      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 1;
+      this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 0;
     }
-  } else {
-    this->timerspec.it_value.tv_sec = 0;
-    this->timerspec.it_value.tv_nsec = 0;
+    timerfd_settime (this->timer_source.fd, TFD_TIMER_ABSTIME, &this->timerspec, NULL);
+  }
+}
+
+static void
+read_timer (SpaVideoTestSrc *this)
+{
+  uint64_t expirations;
+
+  if (this->async || this->props.live) {
+    if (read (this->timer_source.fd, &expirations, sizeof (uint64_t)) < sizeof (uint64_t))
+      perror ("read timerfd");
   }
-  timerfd_settime (this->timer_source.fd, TFD_TIMER_ABSTIME, &this->timerspec, NULL);
 }
 
 static SpaResult
@@ -257,11 +270,9 @@ videotestsrc_make_buffer (SpaVideoTestSrc *this)
 {
   VTSBuffer *b;
   SpaPortIO *io = this->io;
-  uint64_t expirations;
   int n_bytes;
 
-  if (read (this->timer_source.fd, &expirations, sizeof (uint64_t)) < sizeof (uint64_t))
-    perror ("read timerfd");
+  read_timer (this);
 
   if (spa_list_is_empty (&this->empty)) {
     set_timer (this, false);
@@ -927,7 +938,8 @@ videotestsrc_clear (SpaHandle *handle)
 
   this = (SpaVideoTestSrc *) handle;
 
-  spa_loop_remove_source (this->data_loop, &this->timer_source);
+  if (this->data_loop)
+    spa_loop_remove_source (this->data_loop, &this->timer_source);
   close (this->timer_source.fd);
 
   return SPA_RESULT_OK;
@@ -991,7 +1003,7 @@ videotestsrc_init (const SpaHandleFactory  *factory,
   this->timerspec.it_interval.tv_sec = 0;
   this->timerspec.it_interval.tv_nsec = 0;
 
-  if (this->data_loop && this->async)
+  if (this->data_loop)
     spa_loop_add_source (this->data_loop, &this->timer_source);
 
   this->info.flags = SPA_PORT_INFO_FLAG_CAN_USE_BUFFERS |
diff --git a/spa/tests/test-mixer.c b/spa/tests/test-mixer.c
index f41089503..b23ccf12a 100644
--- a/spa/tests/test-mixer.c
+++ b/spa/tests/test-mixer.c
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ make_nodes (AppData *data)
   spa_pod_builder_init (&b, buffer, sizeof (buffer));
   spa_pod_builder_props (&b, &f[0], data->type.props,
       SPA_POD_PROP (&f[1], data->type.props_device, 0, SPA_POD_TYPE_STRING, 1, "hw:0"),
-      SPA_POD_PROP (&f[1], data->type.props_min_latency, 0, SPA_POD_TYPE_INT, 1, 1024),
+      SPA_POD_PROP (&f[1], data->type.props_min_latency, 0, SPA_POD_TYPE_INT, 1, 256),
       SPA_POD_PROP (&f[1], data->type.props_live, 0, SPA_POD_TYPE_BOOL, 1, false));
   props = SPA_POD_BUILDER_DEREF (&b, f[0].ref, SpaProps);
 
@@ -557,6 +557,8 @@ main (int argc, char *argv[])
   data.data_loop.remove_source = do_remove_source;
   data.data_loop.invoke = do_invoke;
 
+//  data.log->level = SPA_LOG_LEVEL_TRACE;
+
   data.support[0].type = SPA_TYPE__TypeMap;
   data.support[0].data = data.map;
   data.support[1].type = SPA_TYPE__Log;