Website for optimizing computer performance for Audio

[GDEnt]

I recently bought my First Mac. What do i Need to Know that it Works Best for Audio?
Thanks in advance.

[studer58]

Originally Posted by i604

No deletion, just some part of the system, if not needed, is not loaded, leaving the Mac to run lighter. Same as Windoze, with the running services.

I'd like to streamline my system, so which parts are not needed which Diablotin can switch off safely ?

[tribeofenki]

iTunes and/or Screensavers to me. enable/disable/re-enable without problems with admin privilege.

[DaVinci]

Sorry if this has been given a clear answer, but I'm still unsure, and also unsure as to how old some of the answers are, so:

I'm running Logic 9.1.1 on osx 10.6.3 on my macpro

Should I actually erase my audio drive and reformat it as "extended"

It is formatted as journaled right now. Is there a way that does not involve reformatting?

What about library (non system) drive?

[vicenzajay]

Originally Posted by jjw

What about W7 users? Would it just be the same processes as the XP guides or is there a different approach needed?

for this - would love Win 7 optimization rules/stuff!

[studer58]

Originally Posted by i604

iTunes and/or Screensavers to me. enable/disable/re-enable without problems with admin privilege.

Thank you i604....and I don't need Diablotin to disable/enable those !

[Timur Born]

Originally Posted by vicenzajay

for this - would love Win 7 optimization rules/stuff!

Forget about it, simply no need to! This includes any exotic Services tweaks like deactivating Indexing (very stupid thing to do on a Vista/W7 machine). You can try the foreground/background priority settings, that's about it.

If you are low on memory you could think about disabling Superfetch, Aero and Defender, all three of which can sum up to well over 100 mb (with Superfetch being the worst). But who is low on memory running Win 7 on a modern computer?

One CPU priority related problem is that many Windows DAW applications still don't make proper use of real-time priorities and thus can conflict with Aero/DWM (which uses the same highest *non* real-time priority that many DAWs still use). To get over this you either have to disable Aero, manually force the DAW to use real-time priority (introduces various problems) or get some DAW that makes use of a modern OS instead of using yesterday's solutions.

Any other tweaks are not Windows 7 specific but rather driver/hardware specific and usually involve to get low DPC latencies.

If you feel that your have disc performance problems every Wednesday night you could delete the scheduler job that runs Defrag. But even that should not be necessary, since the task is scheduled to only run when the computer is idle.

[throbert]

And now for W7 Welcome to RT Se7en Lite - Slipstream Service Pack,Integrate Updates,Integrate Drivers,Integrate LP,Remove Components,Enable or Disable features,Unattended Setup,Apply Tweaks,Add Icons,Wallpapers,Themes,Bootable USB or DVD
you might want to take a look at this first though
Windows 7 Roadmap - MSFN Forums

[tribeofenki]

Should I actually erase my audio drive and reformat it as "extended"

It is formatted as journaled right now. Is there a way that does not involve reformatting?

No. To change the format of a disk it has to be reformatted.

[DaVinci]

ok.

Just audio drive or any non system drive like library drive for instance?

[throbert]

One CPU priority related problem is that many Windows DAW applications still don't make proper use of real-time priorities and thus can conflict with Aero/DWM (which uses the same highest *non* real-time priority that many DAWs still use). To get over this you either have to disable Aero, manually force the DAW to use real-time priority (introduces various problems) or get some DAW that makes use of a modern OS instead of using yesterday's solutions.

I read it isn't just aero, it's the whole graphical subsystem.

[lowpassfilter]

I have tried the journaling option off for mac and did some tests... the results were negligible. for a single 7200 drive, I went from write/reads averaging 88.2mb/sec to 86.8mb/sec. Which to me isn't worth losing the safety of journaling. I think at best you would gain a few more tracks for record playback or could load samples a fraction of a second sooner.

You can always RAID 0 for more speed, which has been working great for me.

[rubadube]

You can always RAID 0 for more speed, which has been working great for me.

^^^QUOTE ^^^

1.) What is / How do I RAID 0 my Macbook Pro (1st Gen)

2.) How do I properly embed quotes in reply posts such as this?


Thanks in advance.

[Robobaby]

I dunno about Macbook Pro but first you need a chipset that can support RAID. Then you need to enable it in your BIOS. Once in RAID mode you need multiple disks and you can assign a RAID volume spanning however many disks you want it to. Et voila. If you don't have hardware RAID then you can probably try it in software but I dunno how that works or if it works well.

To embed quotes you do (quote)text(/quote) except you use square brackets instead.

[garnish]

Here's a video on saving CPU in Logic if anyone's interested: YouTube - cpu overload.mov

[chev]

Originally Posted by garnish

Here's a video on saving CPU in Logic if anyone's interested: YouTube - cpu overload.mov

nice! thanks, that might help for the disc too slow error I get sometimes...!

[DAW PLUS]

Originally Posted by Randall

Windoze 7 peeps.. has anybody tried this yet?

RT Seven Lite - Features and Information

As Timur wrote: Win7 hardly needs tweaks. Such software only clutters your brain with decisionmaking about tweaks which won't bring a noticable result.

Install Win7, tweak the few thingies you know (disable screensaver, never turn off harddrive etc) and start producing.

[FOURTHTUNZ]

Originally Posted by Lagerfeldt

Always follow Digidesigns latest advice (they've changed stance on this twice). I'm talking Logic Pro or other audio applications.


Yes, not a lot though.


I recommend not putting hard disks or screens to sleep.


Yes.

questions about memory:
I've just read a thread on the duc that say on a Mac running protools that
protools can only use 2 gigs of memory.
I have 4 gigs on my G5 dual 2Ghz running protools 8.01cs2
does it make any sense to upgrade to 8 gigs of ram?
thanks!

[Timur Born]

Absolutely install Service Pack 1. Not only does it include half a dozen hotfixes for Firewire, but the "High Performance" profile has changed to the better, too.

[astroidmist]

I think I may have already mentioned this earlier in the thread, but disabling Indexing (at least on Vista) can help stop disk thrashing which, yes, can be helpful as a modern day tweak. You can still search for files without having to wait a million years for the results...

Just use something like

SearchMyFiles (freeware) or the search window in A43 File Manager. Both of them don't rely upon the Microsoft Index and just search your files really quickly according to your criteria with easier to use user interfaces than what Microsoft offers.

Alternative to Windows Search For Files + Duplicates Search
Home of A43

These programs only run when you want them to... which is presumably when you need to search for files. Indexing is a bit of modern day nonsense. It's really a waste of resources. I assume some hyped up dude is going to argue with me, but download the programs, disable indexing and test it yourself. Let the facts speak for themselves.

[AgentSanchez]

Originally Posted by Lester

every place i'v read about journaling i've never found a straight answer. if i recall, even apple says on in one faq and off in another with regards to audio. people seemed split on the issue. some say they've haven't taken any performance hit with it turned on. ymmv

There MAY be a performance hit, but minimal - This is always true of journalling file systems, but generally the difference is so minimal that it's hard to measure let alone perceive.

You WILL, however, have a more reliable file system if it uses some form of journalling - it's one of the reasons NTFS is such a great file system vs fat 32 et al.

[interstella]

Originally Posted by True North

I got a recommendation from Raketen to add the following Gearslutz thread - very cool for MACbook Pro users, give it a looksee
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music...books-pro.html

Don't know if someone already brought this up, but I just clicked this link and got "404 Not Found"

I'm dying to read it!

[Timur Born]

XP Myths

[Finnish]

Just put my i7 2600k/win7 SP1 setup together today.

What are recommended tweaks for win7 and also for BIOS? Do I need to use legacy firewire driver if things work ok as it is out of the box?

Here's a pic of dawbench test in Reaper:

[Seanol]

CCleaner is always good to run, dont know how well it helps audio, but it will keep your pc/mac running good

[Finnish]

Ok, getting there...


I heard one click when I added the last 8 plugs, but that's the only click that I've heard with this setup. YEAH!

Still haven't touched BIOS, just ccleaner and added some missing motherboard drivers.

It's funny, I did this test with my old laptop some year ago, I couldn't add no more than few (less than 8!) reaxcomps... Gotta love this new technology!

[Finnish]

Stupid me,

My latency was 128 after testing PT M-Powered, so the test doesn't show performance under 64 samples. But, I just did a new test and under 64 samples I get 200 reaxcomps. I'm still happy...

[Ingi Mar]

Originally Posted by DAW PLUS

As Timur wrote: Win7 hardly needs tweaks. Such software only clutters your brain with decisionmaking about tweaks which won't bring a noticable result.

Install Win7, tweak the few thingies you know (disable screensaver, never turn off harddrive etc) and start producing.

Never hurts to go through some of the things mentioned there - Speed Up Windows 7 - Ultimate Guide To Make Windows 7 Blazing Fast!!!

[Timur Born]

WRONG! It does hurt, a lot even! The very first "tweak" mentioned on that page is a big bitter lemon already, utter nonsense!

People, please stop trying to tweak things of which you don't even know how they work. If you think you deserve better than what you got then go buy better hardware. If you cannot afford that then learn to live with what you've got. Snake-oil won't make your Windows experience any better.

[npetralias]

You may also want to try our "Do It Yourself" free memory player (Windows only).
http://www.purediy.gr/downloads/pureplayer.zip

Disabling virtual memory recommended.

Installation:
Unzip folder pureplayer to c:
Run PurePlayer.exe
A shortcut is included to copy anywhere you like.

Existing installation:
Replace c:\pureplayer folder


Microsoft .NET Framework 4 is required, available at:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/e...displaylang=en


I believe it's sound worths the effort...