User Manual

UAD Powered Plug-Ins Manual - 40 - Using UAD Powered Plug-Ins
DSP Settings These controls limit the maximum UAD CPU load before no more plugins will
be processed by the UAD.
Limit CPU Load Without UAD Powered Plug-Ins installed, overloading the host system with na-
tive (host based) plugins can cause dropouts and possibly system lockup.
Steinberg hosts, for example, provide a switch that allows you to trade la-
tency for stability when the system is overloaded. Similarly, the UAD DSP load
cannot exceed 100% without unpredictable behavior.
With the Limit CPU Load feature, the UAD CPU can also be limited so the load
cannot exceed 100%, thereby increasing overall system stability in high load
situations. With very heavy UAD loads, CPU load limiting may also improve
host CPU performance.
There are many variables that affect DSP load (sample rate, bit depth, buffer
size, parameter values, mono/stereo, automation, host system, etc). Although
these variables are taken into account, the resulting measurement cannot be
absolutely accurate. This is due to variations in system configurations, specif-
ically PCI bus loading which is impossible to predict. Systems that are heavily
loaded due to the presence of other devices or suboptimal configuration may
cause additional DSP loading that cannot be predicted by the plugin load cal-
culator. The CPU load limit should be reduced in this case.
It is possible for certain (non-typical) conditions to be met where another
UAD plugin can’t be added, even when the UAD Meter says you should have
CPU available when compared to the CPU Load Limit value.
Limit CPU Load
UAD CPU Load Limiting is enabled when this box is checked.
CPU Load Limit
This setting controls the maximum UAD CPU when load limiting is enabled. It
has no affect when CPU load limiting is off.
Note: When Limit CPU Load is enabled and the CPU Load Limit is exceeded
when instantiating a new UAD plugin, the plugin that was just added will be
disabled. Even though its interface will load, it will not process audio.