How do I use plugins without hogging up the CPU?

undrgrnd studio

undrgrnd studio

New member
I have always had an issue with this, but recently it's been more pronounced as I just started mixing down a song for a band I recorded recently. I have some compression plugins on kick, and two tracks of vocals, eq on vocals, and reverb on vocals. When I apply a couple CPU intensive fx like this I get pops and clicks during playback and this makes it difficult to continue mixing. I know I can mix each track down with the fx, but I want to be able to refer back to the clean track and then adjust fx settings in real time. I am using bussing where I can in order to cut down on duplication of plugins. What else might I do? I use AA3 by the way.
 
How small is your soundcard/interface buffer size set?

You could try increasing the buffer size and number of buffers for mixing, I usually use 4x1024 for mixing.
 
I set it at 128 I think. It works fine when recording, no click and pops. It's just the plugins. So, I didn't know latency was an issue with playback as well as recording. So I can just set the buffer to a higher number and then try mixing?
 
undrgrnd studio said:
I set it at 128 I think. It works fine when recording, no click and pops. It's just the plugins. So, I didn't know latency was an issue with playback as well as recording. So I can just set the buffer to a higher number and then try mixing?
Click to expand...

Lower buffer settings = lower latency - better for recording
Higher buffer settings = more power allocated to plug-in processing - better for mixing

Also, what processor do you have? What about RAM? Seems to me like that's imperative information for the question.
 
Detailed computer specs? 128 is quite low... try a setting of 512, or even 1024 if you don't mind the added playback latency. Your PC shouldn't be struggling with just a handful of plugins; my computer ain't like some of the i7 beasts that are knocking around nowadays, but in the past it has handled upwards of 100 tracks into 20 busses with probably 100+ VSTs running as well.


Other than that, solutions are...

Computer upgrade, or invest in plugins that run on DSP cards, i.e. UAD.
 
Good advice everybody's giving. I just checked on the laptop I use for mixing, and my buffering for Reaper is 4x4096. Most might consider that excessive but it works for me. Seems most of the plugs I like are cpu killers... PLPar EQ in high res, or Nebula, or Waves Lin MB, or Soniformer, or...
 
What Sample rate are you recording at?
the Plugins are performing x number of calculations per second besed on the sample rate,
so in very general terms 88k sample rate requires 2x more calculations than 44.1k, 176k sample rate requires 2x more calculations than 88k.

in general terms, the higher the sample rate you record at the faster your plugins will eat up CPU power
 
Another thing you might try is Freeze your tracks. That is to render to a new wav file that include the plug-ins, then put the new wav file in place of the old one. Then you can remove the plug-ins from that track and save cpu clicks.

If your DAW doesn't have a freeze option, then just perform a Mixdown while soloing one track at a time. Be sure to remember what tracks are Mono or Stereo.
 
What Sample rate are you recording at?
Click to expand...
That's an interesting question, partly because I've been told numerous times that some plugs sound better at higher sample rates, compared to 44.1. I always work at 44.1 myself, start to finish, and haven't had time to do a comparison. Has anybody noticed a difference? If so, with what plug?
 
undrgrnd studio said:
I'm running 44.1.
Click to expand...

Still no specs?

XLR said:
That's an interesting question, partly because I've been told numerous times that some plugs sound better at higher sample rates, compared to 44.1. I always work at 44.1 myself, start to finish, and haven't had time to do a comparison. Has anybody noticed a difference? If so, with what plug?
Click to expand...

I haven't really done a shootout, nor have I ever noticed a difference. That's why I stick with 44.1 from start to finish: There's no audible difference to me, and the file sizes are smaller.

However, a lot of instrument/sampler contain samples that were nearly all recorded at 48k, so I think the only thing about running at 44.1 is the real-time downsampling (or maybe I'm talkin' shite :confused: )
 
philbagg said:
Still no specs?



I haven't really done a shootout, nor have I ever noticed a difference. That's why I stick with 44.1 from start to finish: There's no audible difference to me, and the file sizes are smaller.

However, a lot of instrument/sampler contain samples that were nearly all recorded at 48k, so I think the only thing about running at 44.1 is the real-time downsampling (or maybe I'm talkin' shite :confused: )
Click to expand...

What do you mean no specs? I already posted them, just not in specific detail which really doesn't matter seeing as people have been running plugins without as much problem as me before my PC was even on the market.

I'm running XP (32 bit), on a PC with a a core two duo E6300 (regardless of the exact version, they should all be more than sufficient), ASUS P5L-MX LGA 775 Intel 945G Micro ATX Intel Motherboard, maxed out RAM for XP (4 GB DDR 667), 7200 RPM 3.0 Gb/s serial OS hard drive, 7200 RPM 3.0 Gb/s serial storage drive, and one additional 7200 RPM internal IDE hard drive, for storage. I have a 256 MB video card that should relieve CPU and RAM load. I'm using a Delta 1010 interface, with Adobe Audition 3.

By all measures I should have no issues with the plugins, but I did go and up the buffer size to 512. I'll have to play around with it and see how much that helps. Thanks for the suggestions everyone.
 
depending algorithm reverb should be the only thing stressing your system (on a system much older and lower spc'd then OP's I can run compression and automated EQ live on 18-24 tracks with a very low buffer size)

Reverb tends to be a different story

As suggested, while mixing increase buffer size until latency becomes counterproductive.

Other option in AA3 is to 'freeze' the track. This pre processes and edits (still not destructively) prior to play back, but you can not make running changes. i.e. you have to un-freeze to alter any parameter. Freeze is found in the FX tab of the multi-track view. see attached image

realistic reverb algorithms are going to be CPU intensive and it has typically remained a horse between CPU capability and algorithm demands, CPU gets faster reverb becomes more realistically complex.
 

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