Multicore Synth Playback

SporkimusPrime wrote on 1/14/2023, 8:58 AM

Does anyone know how "effective" the "use multi-core softsynth playback" is? So I recently had to reload my PC and realized that button wasn't checked--it was before. I can't really seem to see much difference, but at the same time I haven't gotten to a point where I am truly stacking midi instruments up yet. I will say Acid does seem to run very much single core. I will get cracking / popping well before my CPU gets up.

Anyone have expert experience with the performance side of CPU usage and Acid? Worth mentioning maybe I have a Focusrite 2i2, I run at 96Khz, 24-bit and 256 samples, and my processor is a Corei5 10400. I THINK I would be able to run this fine. Maybe I have incorrect expectations of what is possible.

Comments

sheppo wrote on 1/16/2023, 6:41 AM

Ultimately you're at the mercy of the plugins you're using. Not all plugins/synths support multiple cores. Looking at the online help, enabling Track Buffering also enables multiple cores, so should split processing up across additional cores per additional track. This would bring it somewhat inline to Ableton, for example where everything (plugins, etc) on a single track runs on a single core - if it did what it said. :)

With a Threadripper 3970x in Game mode I have 32 cores. With acid playing a project with 4 tracks, 2 buses, no virtual instruments, but plugins evenly used at event, track, and bus level I see processor usage of around ~50% average on 1 core, and usage in the <10% across the other 8 or so cores, and trickle usage from Acid across all other cores. So, at some level, Acid is definitely spreading its workload, but mostly everything is running on one core. I think those additional 8 cores running at <10% are probably per event,channel,bus processes, as that adds up.

If you're getting audio clicks the options would be, if you don't mind Acid getting exclusive audio access, to use an ASIO driver, which is usually more performant and less prone to clicks (or is the Focusrite already an ASIO device?). Or dropping your realtime sample rate. For me there's no reason I'd use 96khz 24bit for anything but a final render. If you want a higher sample precision to reduce artifacting on distortion plugins I'd suggest you use a plugin that oversamples rather than forcing your entire project in to 96khz, and then potentially over sampling that.. Also, some plugins, especially older ones, don't like running that that precision anyway.

LooneyBinJim wrote on 1/16/2023, 8:26 AM

Ultimately you're at the mercy of the plugins you're using. Not all plugins/synths support multiple cores. Looking at the online help, enabling Track Buffering also enables multiple cores, so should split processing up across additional cores per additional track. This would bring it somewhat inline to Ableton, for example where everything (plugins, etc) on a single track runs on a single core - if it did what it said. :)

With a Threadripper 3970x in Game mode I have 32 cores. With acid playing a project with 4 tracks, 2 buses, no virtual instruments, but plugins evenly used at event, track, and bus level I see processor usage of around ~50% average on 1 core, and usage in the <10% across the other 8 or so cores, and trickle usage from Acid across all other cores. So, at some level, Acid is definitely spreading its workload, but mostly everything is running on one core. I think those additional 8 cores running at <10% are probably per event,channel,bus processes, as that adds up.

If you're getting audio clicks the options would be, if you don't mind Acid getting exclusive audio access, to use an ASIO driver, which is usually more performant and less prone to clicks (or is the Focusrite already an ASIO device?). Or dropping your realtime sample rate. For me there's no reason I'd use 96khz 24bit for anything but a final render. If you want a higher sample precision to reduce artifacting on distortion plugins I'd suggest you use a plugin that oversamples rather than forcing your entire project in to 96khz, and then potentially over sampling that.. Also, some plugins, especially older ones, don't like running that that precision anyway.

Im, from the old days of hardware samplers that used to run 12bit 44k (Roland W30 )and recording to tape.

When Acid Pro was released, my pc was a p2 500MhZ 1gb ram Yamaha sound card .CD recording wasnt cheap but available, making the 16bit 44k Cd the people's choice. All my tracks were exported to 16bit 444k wav files.

To this day I still work in 16bit 44k in my DAW and still sample at 44k 16bit,any commercial samples are 24bit until I save them out as 16bit .

Acid runs so much better 16bit ASIO drivers all day every day,

however, when I render its 24bit wav stems or finished track,