Optimization of Windows XP for Audio 1
By default, Windows sets virtual memory automatically, which can limit system
performance when it comes to audio. It would be wise to disable virtual memory
to get the most out of your Windows-based system. To do this, perform the
following:
1. Go to Control Panel, select System, and select the Advanced tab.
2. Under Performance, click the "Settings" button and select the Advanced tab.
3. Under Virtual Memory, click the "Change" button.
4. Select "No Paging File" and press "Set," then "OK."
It would be a good idea to defragment your hard drive after performing this task.
Defragmenting your disk places the data for your files next to each other (rather
than scattered randomly throughout the disk), which speeds up reading writing to
and from the disk, increasing system stability.
Optimization of Windows XP for Audio 2
Disabling write-behind caching will increase your system performance by writing
data immediately to disk. To disable write-behind caching:
1. Right click on My Computer and choose Properties, or open the Control Panel
and select System.
2. Select the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
3. Click the "plus" sign next to Disk Drives and select a drive.
4. Choose Properties and uncheck "Write Cache Enabled."
5. Repeat for any and all drives in your system.
Optimization of Windows XP for Audio 3
Disabling the continual logging of Input and Output data to your hard drive will
free up some system resources. To disable this, go to the Start menu and select
Run. Type in "diskperf —n" (without the quotes) and hit Okay.
Conserving Plug-in Resources in Windows XP
Plug-ins can consume large amounts of CPU resources, and it’s is a good idea to
use as few instances of each plug-in as possible. Reverbs can be inserted to
auxiliary tracks, and audio can be bussed to these tracks from multiple sources.
Similarly, multiple MIDI tracks can send to a single virtual instrument. Both
methods conserve resources by loading the plug-in, and thus the CPU load, only
once. Limiting the number of active plug-ins has the added benefit of keeping
your session smaller and more streamlined.
To monitor how your computer is utilizing its resources, right-click in an empty
space on the bottom task bar (somewhere between the Start button and the
clock). Select Task Manager. The Performance tab will give you a fairly accurate
idea of the load put on your CPU. This meter takes into account everything that is
running. Keep in mind that it can be a little jerky; what you’re looking for is an
average measurement over several seconds. Try to keep the processor below an
upper limit of 65-75%. Higher loads than this cause dropouts, freezes, and
crashes. If the load is too high, you can remove plug-ins or applications. If this
still doesn’t help, then the solution very well could be to increase the amount of
RAM installed in your computer.