For example, the default setting permits up to 85 percent of total CPU resources to be devoted to running RTAS plug–ins, with only 15 percent left over for all other duties. The CPU Usage Limit option sets the maximum proportion of your computer’s processing power that will be allocated to Pro Tools’ audio engine. In this window (the screens below are from my HD2 TDM system running on a dual 1.42GHz G4 Mac and my M Box 2 Pro system running on a 1.67GHz G4 Powerbook) you can adjust the following: The Playback Engine window provides different options depending on whether you are running a TDM or host–based Pro Tools system.The first place to visit is the Playback Engine window (under the Setup menu) where you can adjust various settings to help you get extra performance in some areas at the expense of a hit in other areas. Whether that means fewer plug–ins for lower latency, or rendering effects to reduce the number of active RTAS plug–ins, to quote just two examples, you will end up having to make a choice between several evils. Squeezing the last ounce of performance out of your system is nearly always going to be a trade–off of some description. Either way, your host computer has a finite amount of processing power and when it’s gone, it’s gone! Hard–drive bandwidth can also be an issue, so although you may be able to play back a Session with 32 tracks just fine, the system may start to cough if you do some heavy editing or add lots of plug–ins and automation. It matters even more on host–based systems such as LE and M–Powered, because TDM systems have DSP cards to take care of most audio processing duties, leaving the host processor to manage data management, routing, driving the screen and so on. Ultimately, the raw processing power of your computer is the key to how well your Pro Tools system will perform, whether you use a Mac or PC, TDM, LE or M–Powered system. In this month’s workshop we’ll be looking at ways in which Pro Tool users can do just that.
The increasing sophistication and popularity of software instruments, samplers and the like means that conserving CPU power is still crucial for many of us.
We explain how to wring that last ounce of power from your Pro Tools rig.Ĭomputer power grows every year, but so to do the demands we place on our systems. We’ve all been in that situation - desperate to add one more plug–in, but with a computer on the verge of collapse.