AP Cuts Out

Hi everyone,

Tried AP as 24 bit sound version and did not get any dropouts with extensive playing on the 4 pianos without room functions. CPU load seems to be 10% lower than the 16bit version and ram is ok at 123mb free, an increase over the 16bit sound. On install the drive is heavily fragmented according to diskeeper software which also does a quick fix. The Turtle Beach sound card does make noise sometimes but I don't want to use M-Audio because even with minimum settings the cpu load jumps up to over 20-30% more. The dry sound is the way to go on minimum hardware, plus I like it best that way. Going to give the EMU card a shot in a few weeks, the 0404 model.

 

Hi Ernie,
The PIII 1.2 is an ok chip. When I first got it this box used a few distributed computing programs, where the processor is maxed out 100% all day, where the program kicked in during "idle time". For many months the results could be compared to other processors. At the time this PIII 1.2 out performed the fairly new P4 1.7. Later I heard that the P4's would secretly throttle down when hot, and at 100% processor use they were usually always in "slow mode". The later p4's may have stopped doing that. This chip stays at 86 degrees F when under full load.

Also there may be a nice tip on formatting the drive to have larger cluster size. I think the xp default is 16k or something, it can be optioned to do 64k or 512k etc. Tried this before when a lot of drives were used and mixed seagate/maxtor, and the system did not work right.

 

Cimmay is right. After installation, files are fragmented!! I reinstalled last week all my audio applications, removing cubase sx3 and all VST plug-insto my C-drive, and installing all content libraries on my dedicated non system HD. The latter is indeed heavily fragmentyed (following the analyse of windows XP, which I performed after this thread by Cimmay ...).
Has NI any indication why this happens on installation? (In my case, I reformatted the dedicated HD, so that is wwas completely clean before the mentionned reinstallation ..... I suppose an well non-fragmented state is important?
Kind regards
Luc BE

 

Absolutely Syder, defragmentation is vital for good system performance. All software installs fragmented. If you ever clean install xp, run the defragmentor when finished with xp, and you will see what a mess it is. Whenever installing any software you need to defragment. Large files get broken up on drive and the read/write head has to look for all the missing parts and that takes time. Don't let a drive fill up over 50%, when space is low fragmenting is common all the time in a big way. Also install the most used applications first and least used last. Diskeeper is low cost, it has some nice features, one is screen saver mode and another is smart mode. Smart mode starts up at anytime, low priority, no matter what you're doing and screensaver mode runs only when idle. That way your drive is always working in peak form. Be sure and run 'clean drive' when doing dedicated defragmenting, clean drive gets rid off all the junk. Also, diskeeper is the company that made the microsoft version, but restricted in functions, don't expect MS to make any improvements.

 

I don't see it.

You want to give the mechanism for this?

Ernie

 

Visual experience with Diskeeper. The MS version usually says defragmenting not needed. I have 3 computers, two with xp one nt. One has been under heavy upgrading the past year and I have installed xp on it around 10 times to get it working right. It's just the way software installs on a clean drive. DK has various drive maps, graphic and statistical, and files are laid down everywhere on the map in colors. When defragged they are moved tight at the start. The bigger the program the more fragmented it will be after installing it.

 

This pdf is 13 pages of tips on what xp services can be safely turned off, a lot of them can. Need to sign up free membership to download it, 161k.

http://techrepublic.com.com/5138-10877-5747817.html?tag=tr.dl.zddr

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Isn't it possible to build in a function in AP, that - when enabled - elimanates all non essential windows processes and non essential audio processes to access Ram, HD, CPU .....
Kind regards
Luc
BE

 

Hi Luc,

great stuff - I got the list and will play around with it on my home laptop. it's on my list to cut down on system resources on it anyways ;-)

I tried with a freeware tool a while ago but it was not so clear to me which services I can safely disable.

however, I am not so sure about including this into one of our products. I would rather publish a tutorial on this or find a freeware tool that does it. somehow I don't think that our apps should do such far reaching system changes.


Best,
Markus

 

I just found it interesting. You should be able to cause fragmentation by simply adding files. Fragmentation is caused by deleting and then adding files. The new files get placed in blocks freed by the previously deleted files i.e. fragmented.

Ernie

 

Hello Markus and Cimmay,

Thanks a lot for the tip.
Indeed a very good list: explains very clear what the concerned processes stand for and the pros and cons of disabling them. Maybe I could give 'autohotkey' a try to make some utility for disabling/enabling those one I want to get rid off while palying AP ....
But .. Markus I still think it would be nice to have a (optional) utility build-in in AP which disables all not Windows-functional processes when opening AP and which enables them again on closing AP (1)? (Maybe in agreement with MS? (At least they (MS) have some "debts" towards audio-users because Windows contains too many turn-arounds for audio? (for what should otherwards should ASIO have been invented?). But maybe ohernie is right, it's just about dreaming ....
Kind regards,
Luc
(1) I suppose almost no one is in need for non-audio services like networking, internetting, etc while playing or recording AP, but could need them having finished on AP.

 

The tweak list you have may include this but what I think is actually needed is an in-depth guide to all the services coupled to a "TweakUI" type program.

Ernie

 

Hi all,

I agree with Ernie here. this should be a generic utitlity that works for all audio scenarios or provides some informed choices.

hm, I can try to check with Microsoft. sounds like a longer project though ;-)

I am in the same situation - my laptop has 512 MB RAM and almost half of that is filled with OS stuff. already reduced things to a minimum but there are all these little services running that really add up.


Best,
Markus

 

Here's a free tool. Company knows their stuff, they hold seminars at microsoft. There is much more hidden in xp that can be turned off, but sort of risky. I would use the simple PDF as a guide and the tool to look around and maybe do a few things with it. This company is qualified to write a special tool for NI, drop them a line. Tool name is "Autoruns"

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Autoruns.html

The PDF guide turned this old dog into a hot performer, plus I went further and turned off others and removed the UPS software/service, firewall/security center and others.

20 services "automatic"
44 services "disabled"
19 services "manual" 3 are started.

 

Hi all,

Autoruns is the tool I tried a while ago - but I did not dare switch off too much. it is also too complex for the regular AP user.

let's see if my inquiry to Microsoft points to these tools as well or if they can offer something else targeted to computer musicians.


Best,
Markus