more RAM or faster CPU

  • Thread starter Thread starter Bullet Days
  • Start date Start date
B

Bullet Days

New member
i'm having a lot of dropout problems with sonar 3.0 prod. edition when the project i'm working on starts getting tracks and effects heavy. i've messed with different combos of the slider on "safe" and the buffer sizes, but i think my hardware just can't take it anymore.

currently, my system consists of a P4 1.7 with 512 KB of ram. my motherboard is an ASUS P4B, and i have two big hard drives (80 GB where the programs are, and 120 GB slave where i keep my bundles). should i go and boost my ram to 1 Gig, or should i upgrade my CPU (assuming it's upgradable) to it's maximum which might be a 2.4?
 
How many tracks are we talking about and which sample rate. 44.1kHz? 48? 96?
A P4 1.7 and 512MB should give you dozens of tracks without a hitch.
At this point I suspect the bottleneck is somewhere else. Are the hard drives all working in DMA mode?
 
one project that's giving me the most dropouts has 45 tracks. the sample rate is 44.1. i wish i can give you the answer to the DMA question, but i don't know. how do i find out about it? all i can tell you is that they're both NTFS if that helps.
 
a 7200rpm drive set up right SHOULD push 45 tracks.....i dont think RAM will help......

i think efffects are what is slowing you down.....what effects and how many are on the project......

to test this theory, pull all the effects off the project and see if it plays.....add effects 1 at a time until you get stutters/dropouts......
 
Bullet Days said:
512 KB of ram.
Click to expand...

512KB of RAM is your bottleneck right there :)

Seriously, I don't think upgrading your CPU or RAM will help. I would use ASIO drivers if you aren't already, and try to get your soundcard on its own IRQ (many times it shares with the graphics card). Also make sure your HDDs are defragged regularly (every couple weeks).
 
Bullet Days said:
i'm having a lot of dropout problems with sonar 3.0 prod. edition when the project i'm working on starts getting tracks and effects heavy. i've messed with different combos of the slider on "safe" and the buffer sizes, but i think my hardware just can't take it anymore.

currently, my system consists of a P4 1.7 with 512 KB of ram. my motherboard is an ASUS P4B, and i have two big hard drives (80 GB where the programs are, and 120 GB slave where i keep my bundles). should i go and boost my ram to 1 Gig, or should i upgrade my CPU (assuming it's upgradable) to it's maximum which might be a 2.4?
Click to expand...

You don't say what soundcard you are using...
 
sorry, i use an audiophile 2496. i have no clue as to what drivers i am using or how to change IRQ's.

gidge, i'll definitely do that test tonight and post the results.

hmm, does having my DSL always on affecting my processing?

i just came back from guitar center and my next purchase might be a firewire audio interface, maybe the audiophile since the mkII is too expensive (and too many features i don't think i need).
 
hmm, does having my DSL always on affecting my processing
Click to expand...

I hate to say this but... err.. DUH!!!!

Having your DSL going is going to tie up system resources. Ideally, if you are serious about recording, you shouldn't EVER have the computer open to the internet!

I have been experiencing similar problems, but the computer I am using Sonar on is basically a test.. I just wanted to get the feel of Sonar before I get my "studio" PC ready to go. I would be eager to learn more about the actual amount of plug-ins I can use at once.
 
In addition to turning off your DSL, make sure your virus scanning software is off as well. Ideally you only want the programs required for recording running in the background in order to optimize available resources.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top