Reference Guide

1190 Improving audio performance
Improving performance with digital audio
There are a variety of things you can do to increase the number of audio tracks and effects you can
play on your computer, as outlined in the following table.
Approach How it works
Avoid compressed disks If you use DoubleSpace, Stacker, or some other disk compression
system, it will slow down playback of audio tremendously. Configure
your system so that the Data directory is on a hard disk that is not
compressed.
Exit other programs The more programs you have open, the more CPU cycles you are taking
away from your project. Exit any programs unnecessary to the task at
hand.
Refrain from other activity during
playback
If you open and close windows or do lots of editing while playback is in
progress, you may steal CPU cycles that would otherwise be used for
playback.
Apply some audio effects offline If you are happy with your real-time effects, consider using the
Process > Apply Effect > Audio Effects command to apply those
effects offline. Then remove those effects from real-time use and free up
lots of CPU power.
Archive unused audio tracks Audio tracks that are muted continue to place a load on your processor.
To lessen the burden and free up cycles to handle more audio, archive
all unused audio tracks. See “To archive or unarchive tracks” on page
198 for more information.
Mix down or freeze your audio/synth
tracks
If your project contains many different audio/synth tracks or many real-
time effects, you can use the Track view Tracks > Bounce to Track(s)
command or click a track’s Freeze Track button to reduce all of this
content to an audio track or tracks with no active effects.
Change I/O Buffer Size on the
Advanced tab of the Audio
Options dialog box
The default setting is 64 KB. Yours may work better with 128, 32, or 16.
If those values don’t help, try 256, 512, or move on to another remedy.
Defragment your hard disk If your hard disk is fragmented, playback of audio will be slower. Use the
Disk Defragmenter to correct the situation.
Turn off dithering in the Edit >
Preferences > Audio - Playback
and Recording dialog box (choose
None in the Dithering field).
Dithering subtly improves your mix, but most people can’t hear it. Turn it
back on for mastering.
Table 214.