LIVE 8 PLUGIN PERFORMANCE TEST (alfa)

[ze2be]

Live 8 Plugin Performance Test

This test is not meant to be 100% exact, but rather to give a good impression of the plugins overall performance. It is very difficult to measure with all the different systems around, and there are different ways of using the plug.
However, it should give a good indication on how your system is running. When measuring synths: use only one note, and turn of all effects if it has effects. Activate all its oscillators, lfos, filters etc, if they are turned of. Don't have to assign the lfos, just make shore the synths parameters are active.


Live uses CPU cores by spreading them one by one on the tracks, in some kind of loop:
A quad/4x core cpu would use core 1 on track 1, core 2 on track 2, and on track 5 core 1 again.
8 cores will use 8 tracks, and dual core would use 2 tracks.
To make this test easy to read, we shall use only one core.

Instructions for the test:

1. Close all running programs on your system.

2. Read your Systems Ram and CPU usage.

On Windows XP: Hit ctrl + alt + delete. Open the Task Manager.
In the Performance tab, read the ram from: PF Usage.
Read the CPU Usage: % and check your system, before loading Live.

On OSX: Open the Activity Monitor. (Applications/Utilities)

3. Open an empty Live set with only one midi track: 1 bar loop of one long note.
Make shore the sends are empty.

4. Load a plug and read CPU usage from Lives CPU Load Meter, top right on the GUI.
When testing Effects: Use one simple synth in the midi track that you have a clear reading from. If it uses 1% cpu and 2mb ram, subtract those numbers when reading the Effects usage.

5. On Abletons and other 3rd party plugs, make shore all parameters are switched on.

6. Use a calculator to find the plugs Ram usage by subtracting from the system usage. Example: If the System uses 100mb, and it reads 102mb when adding a plug, the plug uses 2mb.

7. Make shore Live is playing when reading the Ram usage.



Please use the following format:

1. LIVE version: 8.2
2. SYSTEM: WinXP
3. CPU Name and Speed: Intel Q6600, 4x 2.4Ghz
4. RAM: 3gb
5. SYSTEM Ram usage: 178mb
6. SYSTEM + LIVE Ram usage: 332mb

1. PLUGIN: Ableton Tension
2. PLUGIN CPU usage: 4%
3. PLUGIN RAM usage: 33mb
4. GUI Pixel Noise: 10%
5. GUI Functionality (1=bad, 10=good): 5


Comment: GUI Pixel Noise and GUI Functionality is very subjective, and not accurate at all. But it gives a good hint. GUI Pixel noise is meant to measure % of dead pixels in the Plugins window. In other words: % of the GUI which has no function at all. 10 - 20% should be normal, as some spacing is needed in the layout. GUI Functionality: how easy is it to get your head around operating the plug, and are the text and parameters easily readable.
After all, when working in a software based studio, screen space efficiency matters a lot.

When we start to get a decent amount of data, I can collect it into an Excel type spreadsheet for easy readability.

[ze2be]

1. LIVE version: 8.2
2. SYSTEM: WinXP
3. CPU Name and Speed: Intel Q6600, 4x 2.4Ghz
4. RAM: 3gb
5. SYSTEM Ram usage: 178mb
6. SYSTEM + LIVE Ram usage: 341mb

1. PLUGIN: Ableton Tension
2. PLUGIN CPU usage: 4%
3. PLUGIN RAM usage: 30mb
4. GUI Pixel Noise: 10%
5. GUI Functionality (1=bad, 10=good): 5

1. PLUGIN: Ableton Analog
2. PLUGIN CPU usage: 3%
3. PLUGIN RAM usage: 36mb
4. GUI Pixel Noise: 5%
5. GUI Functionality (1=bad, 10=good): 8

1. PLUGIN: Spectrasonic Stylus RMX
2. PLUGIN CPU usage: 2%
3. PLUGIN RAM usage: 234mb
4. GUI Pixel Noise: 30%
5. GUI Functionality (1=bad, 10=good): 7