What's yer max?

[natpub]

Hi all,

I am figuring that this kinda thread has probably been done before here, but I wanted to post it again anyway, since I am new to this forum. I had used a Digi001 set up, and they were constantly trying to post their max loads to test which DAW configs worked best, trying to crash their systems=)

To do this test, set up 24 tracks of audio to start, assuming you use Sonar2. Then, pop in 2 minutes of some kinda audio, loops or whatever, and copy it to all 24 tracks. Then pop in at least 4 real time effects on each track. If that hasn't crashed you already, hehe, then begin copying and adding more tracks and RT effects.

NOTE: When you start duplicating tracks, it is gonna distort no matter what, since you are doing addative dB redundantly. Just keep riding your input gain down until it stops.

Post results and systems here, including your sound card/interface.

I have not maxed mine yet, but I just ran a little test, and had the following results:

Audio Tracks: 24
RT effects per track: 4
Time Length of "song": 3 mins
Total CPU usage: 38%
Total Drive usage: approx 10% on avg.

As you can see, this didn't even come close to crashing the system. Using Digi001, this would come near to crashing or crash. Using Qbase, it would tax the system about double these results (I tried it). Using Nuendo, I believe it would be about even, though Nuendo is a pretty fucking awesome audio recorder, but Sonar adds all the kewl sequencing options. Using ProTools, yeah, OK, but hey, who has 10K lying around? If you do, plz lend me some cash! hehehe.

System:
--AMD Athlon XP 1700+ CPU
--ABIT KR7A-RAID mobo (all VIA chipset, heh, ignore the Aardvark claims that VIA chipsets sux, that is just plain wrong)
--Aadrvark Q10 using their latest A/WDM drivers (they ROCK!)
--Mushkin, 512mb of their pro line 2-2-2 (ownz)
--two Maxtor ATA133 40GB HDD's bussed on the Highpoint 133 raid posts on the mobo, but not run as a RAID. The second drive is dedicated for audio files.


Not a bad system, but not really all that bleeding edge. Future plans here are to switch to serial HDD as soon as they come available (seagate has some coming out this month, and Highpoint already has a nifty PCI card available to bus it)--if you dont know about em, I suggest you look--FAST. They are gonna change things alot and SCSI is bye bye.

Also, I am gonna dump the XP1700+ and go to the 2400+. Over 2400, you need the 333mhz fsb, and my mobo wont support that, so that will about top me out unless i loose the mobo, which i dont wanna do for a while. I'd rather spend the cash on a new Avalon micpre/comp/eq--damn those things are godly...

later all=)

[Teacher]

at what bit and sample rate?

ur hard drives are super fast

i didn't know they made THAT much of a difference

also what plug-ins the default sonar plug-ins are the "higher-end" ones? because i know if i use the sonar compressor and lets say an RCL. 4 instances of the sonar compressor will take up as much CPU usage as one RCL

[Track Rat]

Also which plug ins? Try running 4 C-4s per track at 4/96 and see how many tracks you can run.

[natpub]

OK, guess i wasnt too specific here.

On the Digi maxing test they had posted on their boards, the guy who set it up had some very specific tracks and plug ins layed out. I would have said that, but it was late and I was thinking that folks could at least give an idea of how much they are able to do with Sonar using different computer set ups.

i heard about one guy at the recent Axis of Audio tour that Cakewalk put on, who was running 98 Tracks and plug ins!! Jeesh!

From what I hear though, he had two comps that were linked. I dont know if Sonar supports dual processors, though if it doesnt, I believe it will soon. I heard somethin about it, but forget.

I will admit that there are plug ins that if I add too many of the whole thing crashes hard or locks, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

[Lomitus]

Well, just for reference sake, I'm running on a Duron 700 system w/512 megs of RAM, and (2)20gig Maxtor ATA 100 drives. (I really want to upgrade to a T-bird 1.5 or higher and get better ram, but don't have the $). At the moment I couldn't tell ya what video card I'm running...(ummm S-3 Savage?) and I'm using the SB compatable sound that's built into the motherboard (could be quieter, but it works). I'm runnig CWPA 9 (I edit in Sound Forge 5.0), and I'm getting a solid 20 tracks with a pretty generous amount of effects (mostly reverb, compression, eq, occasional delay etc...and I don' t run anything thru the Aux channels...it's all right in the tracks themselves)...CPU usage is at about 70% doing this of course, but I use this system as a dedicated DAW so nothing else is really running on it and at 70%, she remains pretty stable (around 80% I start getting dropouts). Without the effects, I've had her up to 30+ tracks and only 20% CPU usage...those DX effects really chew up the CPU. I have chewed up a ton of harddrive space (currently around 12 gigs on something like 9 songs), but I tend to go crazy with adding stuff and have not sorted thru the "junk" files yet.

As I said, I do want to eventually bump it up to a 1.5 T-bird or higher CPU and the RAM I have...well...I only payed $20 for a 512meg chip....I have a feeling that's part of my occasional "flakey problems"...cheap ram. I also would like to pick up something like a Delta 10/10 or similar one of these days too...but have to get my butt back to work first. All and all though, I can't really complain...it beats the hell outta my old Tascam Porta 3 4-track unit!!!!!!!!!

Have a Better One!
Jim