Easing the CPU's work load for Production

[rockonin]

My PC specs are:

Cubase 5.5
32 bit Windows Vista Home Premium
4 Gig Ram
Intel Core Quad CPU Q6600 2.4Ghz

But with my productions having larger track counts and more vst's etc the CPU has started spiking.

I have seen loads of blogs and videos on changing settings in windows for audio production. I have taken the following steps so far:

Changed the Windows theme to the bare default (No Aero)
Stopped unnecessary background tasks and start up programs
Ready Boost not viable
Changed the power settings and disk settings to never turn off

I have been looking at external DSP units like UAD etc but they cost to much and i want to use my current vst's.
They only thing that's available for me to do is to upgrade my pc.

How do you guys cope with your large productions needs with your available computing power.

[webstarr]

I have the same processor and RAM as you, have you tried bouncing to audio any parts that you're not going to change? Other than that I think you're going to be looking at an upgrade.

[rockonin]

I have the same processor and RAM as you, have you tried bouncing to audio any parts that you're not going to change? Other than that I think you're going to be looking at an upgrade.

Yeah I prefer to work with vst's/midi, but I have started to bounce down audio recently. It's 2014 computers should be 100 times more powerful than they currently are by default.
Going to have look at some parts and think about making a build around an Intel i7 system.

Someone needs to create an consumer affordable external DSP box to offload the the workload of the cpu. UAD are a joke with their prices and plugin restrictions.

[Sure_Fire]

Take a look at how many of your plugins you actually need. Might be worth bussing things to reduce the amount of EQ's and compressor's you're using. Remember that synths with lots of voices will take up the most cpu, whilst samplers will usually use up ram.

Also look up your DAW manual for ways to improve performance with the DAW, if you haven't already.

[rockonin]

Take a look at how many of your plugins you actually need. Might be worth bussing things to reduce the amount of EQ's and compressor's you're using. Remember that synths with lots of voices will take up the most cpu, whilst samplers will usually use up ram.

Also look up your DAW manual for ways to improve performance with the DAW, if you haven't already.

Yeah i don't even use inserts because of this, I have about 7-10 send effects that I share for the whole project, and I do buss most of the tracks. I use quiet a few instances of Massive and other synths that do use a lot of CPU though, if you put Massive in Eco mode its sounds pretty terrible.

I'm thinking about just writing the whole song, then when it's finished bouncing everything to audio in a new project for the mixdown. Its a ball ache though because i prefer to mix during writing a track.

Might start saving up for an upgrade later on this year.

[Simulant]

Changed the Windows theme to the bare default (No Aero)

This will increase CPU usage, as Aero is accelerated by the GPU. By disabling it you're giving the CPU more workload.

In Cubase you can give the audio higher priority if it's glitching. It's in the settings, you can set it to boost and try adjusting the disk preload. Cubase steams audio from the HDD, so if your HDD is slow and you have tons of audio tracks then the audio will glitch and drop out.

What synths and effects are you using? Are you running the project at 44.1khz?

[fragments]

It's 2014 computers should be 100 times more powerful than they currently are by default. ...
Going to have look at some parts and think about making a build around an Intel i7 system.

But dude, you computer isn't from 2014 (no offense). Hate to say it, but just build/buy a new computer. I don't think UAD is the answer. Your synths and such are still going to create CPU load anyway. UAD will really only be a temporary fix for you realistically. And as you say, its 2014, computers should be able to handle a lot. I hear as much bitching as praise for UAD for exactly the same reasons you state. I looked into UAD not long ago, for the money of a basic setup might as well get the new workstation.

[AxeD]

UAD is worth the money. Your computer is fine. Yes, do mixing and producing separate.

We hear the same story every time, but in the end, is your computer really holding you back?

[fragments]

We hear the same story every time, but in the end, is your computer really holding you back?

Cubase 5.5
32 bit Windows Vista Home Premium
4 Gig Ram
Intel Core Quad CPU Q6600 2.4Ghz


IMHO this setup might actually be holding one back. Vista is practically ancient at this point (OK, hyperbole...but Vista is more than a few versions behind). And I can only assume one would only be running Vista if that is the OS the computer came with or was upgraded to. I don't think most would willingly run Vista at this point.

Perhaps I was being a bit short sighted with my suggestion on UAD--but honestly for most users on this board its not really worth the money unless they have a significant disposable income. Most of the time when people bring up threads about more practical gear like headphones and monitors they are hesitant to spend more than 300-400 hundred. Doesn't get you very far with UAD.

Do you really recommend UAD for the average bedroom producer with a modest budget?

EDIT: To be clear, AxeD, this questioning really comes from the vagueness of "UAD is worth it". That's all.

[rockonin]

Changed the Windows theme to the bare default (No Aero)

This will increase CPU usage, as Aero is accelerated by the GPU. By disabling it you're giving the CPU more workload.

In Cubase you can give the audio higher priority if it's glitching. It's in the settings, you can set it to boost and try adjusting the disk preload. Cubase steams audio from the HDD, so if your HDD is slow and you have tons of audio tracks then the audio will glitch and drop out.

What synths and effects are you using? Are you running the project at 44.1khz?

Are you sure about the the Aero theme? Tutorials recommend turning Aero off. I'm using mostly Massive, and a couple of other synths, Groove Agent One sampler for the drums. I use a chain of sends rather than inserts. Yeah i'm using 24 bit/44.1khz as my project settings.

[Still Young]

like people here said using buses & sends to lower the amouth of plugins
if using kontakt bouncing to audio is a must shits rly heavy on cpu
not sure if cubase has a cpu feature but look for somthing like this:

[Simulant]

Are you sure about the the Aero theme? Tutorials recommend turning Aero off. I'm using mostly Massive, and a couple of other synths, Groove Agent One sampler for the drums. I use a chain of sends rather than inserts. Yeah i'm using 24 bit/44.1khz as my project settings.

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/does-disa ... -windows-7

Well if you have a graphics card, it should be offloading Aero from the CPU. I'd only disable it if I didn't have any graphics card at all. Turning off some of the effects could help though if your GPU is weak. Do you have a graphics card? A lot of musicians say they don't need a graphics card, but I find it helps a system run smoother overall.

To be fair, your CPU is pretty old now. The i7's have onboard graphics and memory controllers which can speed things up a lot. Your CPU might be struggling with some of the newer synths, but Massive is a fairly old synth now and should run fine. I'd check the settings on some of your newer plugins - things like oversampling can add a massive CPU hit.

Like I said with Cubase, if you have a ton of audio tracks, a slow HDD isn't going to cut it as the drive won't be able to stream them all. There's a disk preload setting that you can increase, I think it goes up to a few seconds. In Ableton you can just put the samples into memory but Cubase didn't have that option from what I remember.

[rockonin]

Are you sure about the the Aero theme? Tutorials recommend turning Aero off. I'm using mostly Massive, and a couple of other synths, Groove Agent One sampler for the drums. I use a chain of sends rather than inserts. Yeah i'm using 24 bit/44.1khz as my project settings.

http://www.thewindowsclub.com/does-disa ... -windows-7

Well if you have a graphics card, it should be offloading Aero from the CPU. I'd only disable it if I didn't have any graphics card at all. Turning off some of the effects could help though if your GPU is weak. Do you have a graphics card? A lot of musicians say they don't need a graphics card, but I find it helps a system run smoother overall.

To be fair, your CPU is pretty old now. The i7's have onboard graphics and memory controllers which can speed things up a lot. Your CPU might be struggling with some of the newer synths, but Massive is a fairly old synth now and should run fine. I'd check the settings on some of your newer plugins - things like oversampling can add a massive CPU hit.

Like I said with Cubase, if you have a ton of audio tracks, a slow HDD isn't going to cut it as the drive won't be able to stream them all. There's a disk preload setting that you can increase, I think it goes up to a few seconds. In Ableton you can just put the samples into memory but Cubase didn't have that option from what I remember.

I have two Nvidia GT 640'S in SLi mode. I bought this computer around 2007/2008. It's a gaming computer that i adapted for music production. Its a Packard Bell IPower x9200




I only recently had to replace the motherboard because the old one fried when i stupidly dusted the inside of the tower with a vaccum cleaner
I'll also have a look at the Cubase settings. But yeah an upgrade will have to be the way forward.
Thanks for your feedback.

[Simulant]

NP. I forgot to mention that increasing the audio buffer size usually lowers the CPU usage. Although this adds latency it can help if your system is struggling.

[bennyfroobs]

i cba to read the thread (sry 2 much textwall for my dyslexic eyes) but i produce a lot of beats on my shit laptop, before i take the rpoject onto my decent pc, and i found that the amount of plugins massively effects cpu usage. if u know ur not gonna edit parts of ur tune u could bounce some of ur tracks down to audio & it takes like way less cpu (Y)

[fiveone]

i started learning to produce tracks on a couple of (now) shitty dell computers 2gb/3.5g RAM & 2/2.4GHZ processor. my projects used to glitch/splutter all the time. little bit more RAM = very little improvement. turned down windows 7 graphics/animations to no avail. i also used to be convinced that an external sound card would speed things up too.

then I bought a 12gb RAM, 3.4GHZ, zoostorm PC (windows 8 x64)... all problems solved and no spiking whatsoever. seriously, just buy a new computer. trust me, the unit i have is extremely decent value for money. check em out

(on a side note if you don't have a graphics card and don't wanna buy a pc yet, get a decent one for your current computer if you want to make small improvements)

[eldoogle]

Increase your buffer size. When you're recording a instrument or vocal, turn the buffer size down low, but if you aren't recording jack it up to say 1024. Also freeze tracks you aren't working on.

[sunny_b_uk]

I use a mere dual core 2ghz with 2gb ram and i just bounce everything. I use 80-99 channels per project & the cpu limitation isnt a big deal, im used to the workflow.
I guess its because i commonly use synth1, helix, DUNE, EQuick, camelcrusher and all the other lightweight plugins.. rather than massive, ohmicide etc.

[forbidden]

as most people have suggested, just get a new tower. your cpu and ram are insufficient, and considering the age of your setup the motherboard probably is as well. if you skip a gpu you can build a rock solid pc tower for 500 bucks that will be able to run circles around what you currently have. flip that thing you have on craigslist if you're hurting for cash.

UAD is something to consider after the new computer, to give you even more edge. a lot of paper though.

[rockonin]

I reckon this would do the job lol I'll have to start saving for a while to get this at £2,299
Intel i7 Ultimate Music PC