User guide

Chapter 6: Configuring Your Pro Tools System 49
• DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than
1500 msec (Level 2) allow higher track count,
higher density of edits in a session, or the use of
slower hard drives. However, a higher setting
may increase the time lag when starting play-
back or recording, or cause a longer audible time
lag while editing during playback.
To change the DAE Playback Buffer Size:
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
2 From the DAE Playback Buffer pop-up menu, se-
lect a buffer size. Memory requirements for each
setting are shown at the bottom of the Playback
Engine dialog.
3 Click OK.
If Pro Tools needs more system memory for the
DAE Playback Buffer, it will prompt you to re-
start your computer.
Cache Size
The Cache Size setting determines the amount
of memory DAE allocates to pre-buffer audio for
playback and looping when using Elastic Audio.
The optimum Cache Size for most sessions is
Normal.
• A Cache Size setting of Minimum reduces the
amount of system memory used for disk opera-
tions and frees up memory for other system
tasks. However, using Elastic Audio features at
this setting may decrease performance.
• A Cache Size of Large improves performance
when using Elastic Audio features, but it also de-
creases the amount of memory available for
other system tasks, such as RTAS processing.
To change the Cache Size:
1 Choose Setup > Playback Engine.
2 From the Cache Size pop-up menu, select a
disk cache size.
3 Click OK.
Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size
(Structure Plug-in Only)
This setting appears in the Playback Engine dia-
log only if the Structure sampler instrument
plug-in is installed on your system (Structure or
Structure Free). The Plug-in Streaming Buffer Size
determines the amount of memory DAE allo-
cates for streaming playback from disk with the
Structure plug-in. This setting only affects play-
back if disk streaming is activated in Structure’s
plug-in controls.
Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size
leaves less system memory for other tasks.
The default setting of 1500 msec (Level 2)
is recommended unless you are encountering
-9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”)
errors.
Using a larger Cache Size leaves less system
memory for other tasks. The default setting of
Normal is recommended unless you are en-
countering -9500 (“Cache too small”) errors.
For more information on Structure, see the
AIR Virtual Instruments Guide.
For more information on Structure Free, see
the Audio Plug-ins Guide (Help > Audio
Plug-ins Guide).