Reference Guide

855
Improving Performance with Digital Audio
Improving Audio Performance
Status Bar/CPU Meter/Disk Meter
SONAR has several tools to help you identify and correct audio problems, including the CPU meter,
the Disk meter, and the Dropout indicator. These tools are all located on the Status bar, which is at
the bottom of the screen. The Status bar also contains a measurement of available hard disk space.
If you do not see the Status bar, go to Options > Global, select the General tab, and make sure
Show Status Bar is selected. The Status bar contains the following fields, reading from left to right:
• Cursor location. The left-most field on the Status bar shows the location of your mouse cursor.
• Audio Running. Whenever the Audio Engine button in the Transport toolbar is
depressed, the Audio Running indicator lights up.
• Dropout indicator. The Dropout indicator is in the same field as the Audio Running indicator.
The Dropout indicator displays the word Dropout whenever your project requires more resources
than your CPU, main memory, and disk can supply.
• Mute. Whenever a track is muted, the Mute indicator lights up. You can click the Mute indicator
to unmute all muted tracks.
• Solo. Whenever a track is soloed, the solo indicator lights up. You can click the Solo indicator to
unsolo all soloed tracks.
• Arm. Whenever a track is armed for recording audio or MIDI data, the red Arm indicator lights
up. This indicator is in the same field as the red Aut indicator. You can click the Arm indicator to
disarm all armed tracks.
• Automation Write. Whenever a parameter is armed for automation recording, the Automation
Write indicator lights up. This indicator is in the same field as the red Arm indicator. You can click
the Write indicator to disarm all armed parameters.
• AUTO. Whenever any control is armed for automation recording, the red Aut indicator lights up.
This indicator is in the same field as the red Arm indicator. You can click the Aut indicator to
disarm all armed tracks
• Sample rate and record bit depth. This field lists the project’s sample rate and the current
recording bit depth
• Disk Space. This field shows how many megabytes of disk space you have left on the hard
drive where your wave data directory is. It also shows this amount of space as a percentage of
that drive’s total space.
• CPU meter. The CPU meter displays the time it takes to process a buffer full of audio data as a
percentage of the maximum time available to process that data and maintain uninterrupted
playback. There is some tolerance built into the meter, so it's very possible that it will exceed
100% at times (more so during recording than playback). When the meter exceeds 100%, it
displays the word "Overload."
• Disk meter. The Disk meter measures how much of the available time SONAR is using to
perform input/output functions on your hard disk. The size of your setup’s I/O buffer (listed in the
Audio Options dialog box, in the Advanced tab) determines how much time is allowed to
perform disk operations and maintain uninterrupted playback. When SONAR performs disk
operations, the Disk meter jumps up in value and shows the percentage of the allowed time