Diagnose and Optimization of Windows performance
Ok - i've been looking into performance in much greater detail. I feel like i'm 14 with my first PC again 
This is a good place to get some more speed out of your machine. My laptop is flying now:
http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/2007 ... indows-xp/
I had best results from creating a consistently-sized swap file and the menu tweak (the one which reduced the time between clicking on a menu and its appearance).
Now I need a Firewire card (I just realised my laptop has a firewire port..).
In particular, check out TCPOptimizer for internet speed and Bootvis for ultra-fast booting times. Also, disable all unwated services (see the link above).
This is a good place to get some more speed out of your machine. My laptop is flying now:
http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/2007 ... indows-xp/
I had best results from creating a consistently-sized swap file and the menu tweak (the one which reduced the time between clicking on a menu and its appearance).
Now I need a Firewire card (I just realised my laptop has a firewire port..).
In particular, check out TCPOptimizer for internet speed and Bootvis for ultra-fast booting times. Also, disable all unwated services (see the link above).
Got the TPC utility and was quite shocked: The highest values i get are around 1400, which seems to be quite bad? What are others getting?
When building my PC I took care of everything imaginable: The right hardware like the one many musicians are using e.g. the Gigabyte EP35 maiboard) and optimizing my audio-only Winxp SP3 install.
I'm using a M-Audio Audiophile card and even at a buffer of 256 samples there are clicks from time to time.
It will take a year or more til I can switch to a Mac Pro when all the plugins are available I need, but what to do until then?
Markus
When building my PC I took care of everything imaginable: The right hardware like the one many musicians are using e.g. the Gigabyte EP35 maiboard) and optimizing my audio-only Winxp SP3 install.
I'm using a M-Audio Audiophile card and even at a buffer of 256 samples there are clicks from time to time.
It will take a year or more til I can switch to a Mac Pro when all the plugins are available I need, but what to do until then?
Markus
Win XP Pro SP3, Live 7
Q9450@3.2Ghz, 4 GB RAM,
BCF2000, M-Audio Audiophile 2496, Mindprint TRIO
Q9450@3.2Ghz, 4 GB RAM,
BCF2000, M-Audio Audiophile 2496, Mindprint TRIO
Take a look at the Screenshots from post 1 for very good values. 
Try turning off device by device via Hardware-Manager while the DPC Latency tools is running. Possible culprits are Network interface (especially Wireless), USB Card-Reader (!), and sometimes graphic-card (which cannot be turned off, but can try disabling all visual goodies like animated menues and show windows while dragging).
Try turning off device by device via Hardware-Manager while the DPC Latency tools is running. Possible culprits are Network interface (especially Wireless), USB Card-Reader (!), and sometimes graphic-card (which cannot be turned off, but can try disabling all visual goodies like animated menues and show windows while dragging).
I tried some of the suggestions, but it seems my Gigabyte P35 motherboard is the problem:
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview ... TMP=Linear
This is really amazing as I did choose it cause of the suggestions of audio pc builders and musicians from relevant forums. Now it looks like those mainboards are total shit for audio if you want low latency like 128 or 64 samples. Even 256 isn't working 100%.
From the anandtech thread it isn't clear if there is a bios fix there or coming. I will contact Gigabyte support about that.
Otherwise I will have to replace it with a P45 board, which don't seem to have such problems
http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview ... TMP=Linear
This is really amazing as I did choose it cause of the suggestions of audio pc builders and musicians from relevant forums. Now it looks like those mainboards are total shit for audio if you want low latency like 128 or 64 samples. Even 256 isn't working 100%.
From the anandtech thread it isn't clear if there is a bios fix there or coming. I will contact Gigabyte support about that.
Otherwise I will have to replace it with a P45 board, which don't seem to have such problems
Win XP Pro SP3, Live 7
Q9450@3.2Ghz, 4 GB RAM,
BCF2000, M-Audio Audiophile 2496, Mindprint TRIO
Q9450@3.2Ghz, 4 GB RAM,
BCF2000, M-Audio Audiophile 2496, Mindprint TRIO
Re: Diagnose and Optimization of Windows performance
Hi
I had terrible "crackling/clacking" on my RME Fireface 400 outputs when playing on Ableton Live 8.2.
Every other second some clack
I use lots of VST Plugins like Rob Papens Blue, Native Instruments and more.
System
Gigabyte Mainboard MA790X-UD4
AMD Phenom II X4
Saphire 4870 Graphic Card
8GB RAM
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Ableton Live 8.2
Option 1
I was desperate an tried to set "Windows Visual Effects" to "Windows Classic" and the "Compatibility Mode" for Ableton Live 8.2 to "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)".
This eliminated the "crackling/clacking" but has the Issue that Ableton is not authorised anymore, so no work can be saved
So this, to me is no option.
Option 2
I found a better solution using Abletons Audio Preferences combined with the RME Fireface settings.
In Ableton under Options, Preferences, CPU there is the setting "Buffer size for Plugins". I set this value to the minimum (in my case 32).
On the RME Fireface Settings I set the value for the Buffer to 96 (3 times 32).
With this setting everything works fine. No "crackling/clacking". I can even set the "Windows Visual Effects" to "Windows 7".
Hope this helps
Cheers
I had terrible "crackling/clacking" on my RME Fireface 400 outputs when playing on Ableton Live 8.2.
Every other second some clack
I use lots of VST Plugins like Rob Papens Blue, Native Instruments and more.
System
Gigabyte Mainboard MA790X-UD4
AMD Phenom II X4
Saphire 4870 Graphic Card
8GB RAM
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
Ableton Live 8.2
Option 1
I was desperate an tried to set "Windows Visual Effects" to "Windows Classic" and the "Compatibility Mode" for Ableton Live 8.2 to "Windows XP (Service Pack 3)".
This eliminated the "crackling/clacking" but has the Issue that Ableton is not authorised anymore, so no work can be saved
So this, to me is no option.
Option 2
I found a better solution using Abletons Audio Preferences combined with the RME Fireface settings.
In Ableton under Options, Preferences, CPU there is the setting "Buffer size for Plugins". I set this value to the minimum (in my case 32).
On the RME Fireface Settings I set the value for the Buffer to 96 (3 times 32).
With this setting everything works fine. No "crackling/clacking". I can even set the "Windows Visual Effects" to "Windows 7".
Hope this helps
Cheers
Re: Diagnose and Optimization of Windows performance
Hmmm
The setting of the buffer sizes resolved most of the crackling but not all. After several testing an opening/reopening Ableton, changing projects there the crackling was again, but not that often.
I found the most effective solution now! (Me blind dumbass)
Turn on "High Performance" under Power Options really resolves the crackling. I can even set the buffer sizes to the absolute minimum for Fireface (48).
Buffersize for Plugins (Abletson Options Preferences CPU) can be set to "As Audio Buffer".
To me now everything works fine!!!
Sorry for the first post, because it is somekind of missleading, i thought the setting of the buffer size could eliminate the problem, but was looking at the wrong end.
Cheers
The setting of the buffer sizes resolved most of the crackling but not all. After several testing an opening/reopening Ableton, changing projects there the crackling was again, but not that often.
I found the most effective solution now! (Me blind dumbass)
Turn on "High Performance" under Power Options really resolves the crackling. I can even set the buffer sizes to the absolute minimum for Fireface (48).
Buffersize for Plugins (Abletson Options Preferences CPU) can be set to "As Audio Buffer".
To me now everything works fine!!!
Sorry for the first post, because it is somekind of missleading, i thought the setting of the buffer size could eliminate the problem, but was looking at the wrong end.
Cheers