Computer Optimization Tips

So you bought an audio recording interface, followed all the instructions, and set everything up. Now what? A typical PC or Mac recording setup may contain software and hardware products from a dozen or more companies such as Apple, Steinberg, MOTU, FXpansion, Native Instruments, Akai Professional, and Alesis. Even with a minimalist setup, getting all the separate hardware and software components to work together smoothly can be tricky. One components manual might not pick up exactly where the other one left off, and there are very few manuals which will discuss how to optimize your system over-all for the best performance. In this article, we'll cover some measures you can take to optimize your system for maximum recording performance, prevent audio-dropouts, and manage latency. You cant walk into a car dealership and buy a car thats ready to enter a race. Even highperformance sports cars come tuned for the road, not the racetrack. The suspension, gearing, and timing all need to be tweaked before a car is ready to be pushed to their limits. The same is true of computers. While most new computers will perform well right out of the box, whether you buy a Mac, or a PC, you still have some work to do before youll see your new computer perform to its maximum potential. Recording and mixing music is one of the most demanding tasks you can ask of your computer, sometimes more taxing than professional graphics and video work. The suggestions below can be used to squeeze more speed, more tracks, and more plug-in power out of any computer. Before you begin, make sure that your recording software and your audio device drivers are up-to-date.

1. Dont let your computers boot drive get too full.

Make sure to leave about 20% of your computers main hard disk free for system tasks and virtual memory operations. This is crucial to maintain system speed. If your main hard disk gets more than 80% full, it is time to go out and buy a second hard disk, or either get rid of some files. External USB and FireWire drives are more affordable than ever. Internal drives are even less expensive! While youre at it, buy an extra drive just for backing up!

2. Get more RAM.

Your operating system can use up to 1GB of RAM all by itself. On a recording computer, youll want to have more than that so your power-hungry applications have all the resources they need. 4GB is a great place to start. If youll be using lots of virtual instruments, samplers, and

other sound generators, youll want to get even morethink 6 or 8GB. Is there such thing as overkill? At this point, yes, there is. While many of todays computers can accommodate 8GB or more RAM, even in virtual instrument and sample-heavy projects, its almost impossible to use up that much RAM. For the most part, the only time youll need more than 8GB of ram is in video and 3D-modeling applications.

3. Record to a second hard disk.

While even the 5,400 RPM drives in most laptops can handle recording eight or even 16 simultaneous tracks, you can really improve system performance by dedicating a 7,200 or 10,000 RPM drive to your recording projects. Certain files on your computer change all the time, such as your email, internet search history, and bookmarks. Other files stay more or less the same. These include music and photo libraries, amd large audio files. Your system will perform better and wont have to work as hard if you get a second drive to record on. This will result in less fragmented drive space, and faster loading and writing of large files. This is also makes things easier when it comes to backing up.

4. Use the best ports on your computer for recording devices.

If you have a desktop or a tower, be sure to connect your audio interface to a port that is on the back of the computer. Generally, ports on the front of the computer, on the monitor, or keyboard dont perform as well as those on the back. This can help prevent noise, dropouts and connection issues. Not all USB ports are considered equal. If the port on your computer performs poorly, or your device has problems being recognized, consider purchasing a new USB card. If you use a USB hub to connect your device, use a hub that has its own AC power adapter. If necessary, upgrade to a premium USB cable. If you are in an area that has a high level of radio or electrical interference, and you experience noise or hum when using USB audio, upgrade your USB cable to a premium cable with extra shielding and a ferrite bead (a cylindrical bump on one end of the cable), which can filter out some external noise.

5. Optimize Windows XP (Mac users can skip this one)

Make sure your Windows installation is up to date. Keep in mind that the latest audio device drivers, and the latest recording software are designed on the most current version of XP. If your computer isn't up to date, its performance will likely suffer. Go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com to update your system. It may take a few visits to the site to get all the fixes to the updates (install updates and then do the Windows Update scan again). Minimize programs running in the background.The icons at the bottom-right of the screen, next to the clock represent most of the programs that are running in the background. This will include virus protection, spyware protection, and more. While recording, it is advisable to exit from these. Right-clicking any of these icons will bring up a menu. If there is a Close, Exit, or Quit option for any of these icons, choose it so that you have exited out of any background programs. You can double-check which applications and processes are running by looking at the Applications and Processes tabs of the Task Manager. (To access the Task Manager, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and then click Task Manager.) Turn off Hard Disk Sleep. Make sure your hard drive is not set to sleep or turn off after a short amount of time. If your hard drive goes to sleep (stops spinning to save power) while you are recording, your recording will be interrupted. Click on the Start Menu at the bottom left of your screen and select Settings, then Control Panel. Open the Power Options control panel. Set the Turn Off Hard Disks option to Never. Turn off Automatic Updates. It can be a good idea to turn off any scheduled tasks. The last thing you want is for a 150MB update to start downloading in the middle of a recording session. Open the Automatic Updates control panel, and select Turn off Automatic Updates. This means that its up to you to manually check for updates yourself. All you have to do is either revisit this Control Panel, or go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Turn off wireless networking. Wireless networking can sometimes interfere with or interrupt recording. Wireless cards in computers automatically scan the airwaves for available networks. This takes up some of your system resources, and can sometimes hurt performance. If a removable wireless networking card is being used on a laptop, the card can simply be removed. If you are on a wireless network, and the card is internal, you can disable the card in the device manager while you record. Its easy to turn back on when you're not recording. For additional tips on optimizing Windows XP, check out this excellent article.

6. Optimize Windows 7 and Vista (Mac users can skip this one)
Disable graphical effects. When troubleshooting or optimizing system performance issues in Windows Vista, it is often a good idea to disable some or all of Vista's graphical

effects. While they look nice, these effects can actually be just as demanding, or more demanding on your computer's system than many professional level programs available on the market. Performance on even the highest-end systems can suffer if too much demand is placed on the processor(s) at once. Disabling these graphical effects is one step towards getting the highest level of performance out of your existing computer. To disable the aero effects:

1. Right+click the background picture on your computer's desktop. 2. Select Personalize from the drop-down menu that appears. 3. In the window that opens, click on Window Color and Appearance. 4. The Window Color and Appearance control panel will open. Click on Open classic appearance properties for more color options. 5. A window titled Appearance Settings will open. Under Color scheme, select Windows Vista Basic. 6. Click Apply. 7. Click OK to close the Theme Settings window. 8. Close the Personalization control panel by clicking on the X in the upper-right corner of the window. 9. The borders of your windows will no longer be clear, freeing up system resources for other programs.
To free up even more system resources

1. Right+click the background picture on your computer's desktop. 2. Select Personalize from the drop-down menu that appears. 3. In the window that opens, click on Theme. 4. The Theme Settings window will open. Under Theme, select Windows Classic from the drop-down menu. 5. Click Apply. 6. Click OK to close the Theme Settings window.

7. Close the Personalization control panel by clicking on the X in the upper-right corner of the window.
Minimize Programs running in the background. The icons at the bottom-right of the screen, next to the clock (mostly) represent programs that are running in the background. This will include virus protection spy-ware protection etc. While recording, it is advisable to exit from these. Right-clicking any of these icons will bring up a menu. If there is a Close, Exit, or Quit option for any of these icons, choose it so that you have exited out of any background programs. You can double-check what applications and processes are running by looking at the Applications and Processes tabs of the Task Manager. To access the Task Manager, press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and then click Start Task Manager. Turn off Automatic Updates. It can be a good idea to turn off any scheduled tasks. The last thing you want is for a 150MB update to start downloading in the middle of a recording session. Open the Windows Updates control panel. Then, on the left-hand side of the window, click Change Settings, then choose Never check for updates. This means that its up to you to manually check for updates yourself. All you have to do is either revisit this Control Panel, or go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Turn off wireless networking. Wireless networking can sometimes interfere with or interrupt recording. Wireless cards in computers automatically scan the airwaves for available networks. This takes up some of your system resources, and can sometimes hurt performance. If a removable wireless networking card is being used on a laptop, the card can simply be removed. If you are on a wireless network, and the card is internal, you can disable the card in the device manager while you record. Its easy to turn back on when youre not recording. Set your Power Options to High Performance. In the Power Options, Control Panel, choose High Performance. Then click Change plan settings button, and set Put the computer to sleep to Never. Then click Save Changes. For additional tips on optimizing Windows Vista, check out this excellent article.

7. Macintosh Optimization Tips (Windows users can skip this one.)

Turn off System Sleep. In the Energy Saver System Preferences Panel, select the Sleep tab, and set the option titled Put the computer to sleep when its inactive for to Never. Turn off Hard Disk Sleep. In the same System Preferences Panel, uncheck the option titled Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible. Turn off AirPort. In the upper-right of the screen, next to the clock, click the AirPort icon, and select

Turn AirPort Off. The airport automatically scans the airwaves for available networks. This takes up some of your system resources, and can sometimes hurt performance. Its easy to turn back on when youre not recording. Turn off Bluetooth. In the Bluetooth Preferences Panel, uncheck On, and uncheck Discoverable. Its easy to turn back on when youre not recording. Turn off Time Machine. If you use Time Machine to back up your computer (which is a great idea), turn it off when youre recording. Your Mac may pick some inconvenient times to start a backup. Select the Time Machine System Preferences Panel, set Time Machine to OFF. Its easy to turn back on when youre not recording. Turn off unnecessary startup items. In the Accounts System Preferences Panel, under Login Items, uncheck any items you dont need open everytime your system boots. Quit any unnecessary applications. When recording, make sure to exit out of any programs unrelated to your current project. This will free up the most memory possible for your recording apps. You can monitor how much of your computers resources any program is using with the Activity Monitor Utility (located in Applications > Utilities).

8. Know what latency is and how it affects recording.

Every recording program has an options, settings or preferences page in which the user can adjust the buffer size. Buffer size governs the amount of time the computer is given to respond to requests (for audio processing in this case). The larger the buffer size, the more time the computer has to respond. Large buffer sizes allow the computer to handle more work, but at the cost of higher latency. Smaller buffer sizes reduce the overall amount of work the computer can handle, but it can do so with lower latency. Latency refers to the time it takes the computer to respond to input. If latency is high, signals routed into the computer and back out to speakers or headphones may be audibly delayed. Buffer sizes should be adjusted in increments of 64 (64, 192, 128, 256, 512, 768, 1024 etc). When is low latency important? A good example of latency is the time it takes for the computer to output a sound when a key is struck on a MIDI keyboard connected to it. In this situation, it is important to have low latency so that there is no audible delay between the time the key is struck, and when the note is heard. Another situation in which it is important to have low latency is when using an ampmodeling plugin for guitar or bass. The guitarist or bassist plugs directly into the audio interface, and uses a software plugin to emulate the sound of a guitar amplifier. Any delay between the time the player plucks a string and the time the note is heard would be disruptive to the performance.

In the modern digital studio, these two situations are essentially the only times in which it is important to have very low latency and buffer sizes. Depending on the computer, a buffer size of 192, or 128 should result in very low latency suitable for the above situations. A properly configured iO|14 or iO|26 can exhibit latency as low as 6ms. The human ear cannot distinguish delays lower than 20-30ms. When is low latency not important? All Akai recording interfaces feature zero-latency input monitoring. This makes monitoring live audio sources like microphones, keyboards, basses, MPCs etc effortless. When monitoring inputs like these, do so using the audio interfaces zero-latency monitoring feature as opposed to monitoring through the recording software. This way latency is never a factor. The Akai EIE and EIE PRO feature a Monitor knob that allows you blend a zero-latency input signal into your mix. For more information on using zero-latency monitoring on the EIE and EIE PRO, check out the this article. The only situations in which it is necessary to monitor through the recording software (as opposed to a zero-latency option) are described above: monitoring MIDI input through a software instrument, or monitoring guitar through an amp modeling plugin. When using a zero-latency option for your monitoring, you can set your buffer size to 1024 for maximum performance. This gives your computer more time to process things, which translates into more total tracks and plugins that can be handled. We hope these eight steps will have you and your computer on the way to faster, easier, and better recordings. We take pride in helping recording engineers make better use of their tools with the aim of making great music and great recordings. Happy tracking!

Windows XP Optimization Guide

PC Optimization Guide for Windows XP

Introduction - Getting a PC Welcome to the Windows XP PC Optimization Guide. Here you will find a comprehensive guide to optimization of any Windows XP Machine for use as a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) It is important that you read through this documentation as it covers several crucial optimization steps recommended when setting up your DAW. Because Windows XP is meant for an entire spectrum of users, by default, the user interface is designed to have a nice GUI. (Graphical User Interface) Many of these GUI settings are nice to look at but every visual element comes at a price ? CPU resources. This guide is intended to step you through optimizing your machine in preparation for your new Hardware and Software to gain the most out of your system without experiencing the heavy processor loads of poorly optimized machines.

Deciding on an OS
Although there are several choices for Operating Systems, Windows XP is now the industry standard for any Audio based machines and applications. For anyone still using Windows 2000, Windows 98 or ME, it is strongly recommended that you consider upgrading the OS. There are five basic editions of Windows XP: Home, Professional, Media Center Edition, Tablet Edition, and Pro x64. Home and Professional are the standard accepted editions, and are the two that DAW applications are designed for. They provide the most stable environment, the widest support, and the simplest configuration of the Windows XP editions. There is more discussion of these versions in the next section. Windows Media Center is fast becoming the most popular edition on new off-the-shelf PC's. It is based on Windows XP, but be aware that additional applications and services reduce the amount of CPU resources you have. Many sequencing applications are not supported in Media Center at all (see Knowledgebase article #30163), and therefore only the Home and Professional versions are recommended. When running Media Center, it is always recommended to reduce the number of visual enhancements to allow for more CPU overhead. Tablet PC's are also an option. While not fully tested, they nevertheless appear to provide a stable working environment for DAW applications. Keep in mind, though, that the extra services embedded in the OS can conflict with processor-intensive sequencers or plugins. There has also been much discussion lately of 64-bit operating systems. Microsoft currently has one such OS available: Windows XP Pro x64. This OS is extremely powerful (it utilizes a 64-bit processor and can support up to 128 Gigabytes of RAM), but is not yet universally compatible. Most software is designed for use in a 32-bit OS. Unless you have software that specifically lists support in XP Pro x64 (such as Sonar 5 x64), stick with XP Home or Pro.

Windows XP ? Home or Professional?

Assuming you?re going with XP, you?ve essentially got a choice of two versions. For the most part, the differences between the Home and Professional versions of XP have little relevance to the audio user. XP Professional contains

much more by way of networking and connectivity, features absent from XP Home. As a basic rule of thumb, if you? re not planning on using your computer for any network based functions, the Home edition should serve your needs.

Update or Fresh Install?

Generally speaking, a fresh install on a wiped (full-formatted or brand new) hard drive is the best insurance against potential problems; leftover registry items and other orphaned legacy files can lurk in your system for months, only to cause unanticipated conflicts with a newly-installed program or driver at a later date. A fresh install is recommended.

Here's What You Need to Install and Use Windows XP Home/Professional:

PC with 300 megahertz or higher processor clock speed recommended; 233 MHz minimum required (single or dual processor system);* Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD/Duron family, or compatible processor recommended 128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported; may limit performance and some features) 1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor

This is recommended to ensure smooth operation of your DAW: PC with a 2.0 Gigahertz (GHz) or higher processor clock speed. 1 Gigabyte (GB) of RAM or higher recommended (512 MB minimum supported; this may limit performance and some features) 80 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space, with drive speeds of 7200 RPM. It's common to see configurations with an 80GB System drive and an additional 120GB ? 200GB Audio drive for storing samples and Session data. Super VGA (1024x768) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor

Updates and Service Packs

Microsoft has issued updates and fixes for every operating system they?ve ever released, and XP is no exception. It's pretty much unavoidable with a new OS that there will be some programs and/or hardware that don't function as expected, and that's what the updates are intended to address. XP is currently at Service Pack 2, which has no compatibility issues with the LATEST software versions. Keep in mind, however, that older software may not work. Ensure that all of your software is up to date before deciding to upgrade to SP2 to avoid any unwanted incompatibilities. Check the software requirements to see if there are any SPrelated requirements.

Mass Storage Devices

A single track of audio for an average song can easily take up more than 20-30 MB - multiply that by 24 tracks and you can see that larger drives are no longer a luxury. With the price of hard drives dropping almost by the hour, many

users are now opting for larger drives and even RAID arrays. Redundant Array Inexpensive Disks protect your data by writing simultaneously to more than one drive (when used in traditional RAID format). However, many professional audio setups also employ RAID arrays in a different mode where multiple physical drives are seen as one large drive, allowing for throughput far exceeding that of a single drive. In the event of a hard disk crash, the data is replicated on a second or redundant drive.)

Hard Drive File Systems

A file system is essentially a blueprint for storing data. It determines how the data is arranged on a drive. File systems are often referred to as formats. This is not quite accurate, though; there are many more types of data formats than there are hard drive file systems. While a file system is technically a format, the two terms are not interchangeable. File system is a specific reference to data arrangement on a hard drive. There are a few choices of file systems on the PC, the primary ones being FAT32 and NTFS. All DAW applications will perform the best using an NTFS file system on all drives, and some will actually not work at all without it. See the entry on file systems below for details on how to check and/or change your file system.

System Performance Tweaks ? Stuff to Do After Installing

Performance
Under Start > Control Panel > System, select the Advanced tab. Click the Performance "Settings" button and select the Visual Effects tab. Choose ?adjust for best performance? and then select the Advanced tab. Under Processor Scheduling, select "Background services" to ensure lowest latency with ASIO-based drivers (ASIO drivers run as background services in Windows). Select "Programs" under Memory Usage to ensure that enough RAM gets allocated to your applications.

Virtual Memory
Windows defaults to setting virtual memory (sometimes referred to as Page Swap or Swap File) automatically. Under most circumstances this is fine, but for audio it can sometimes be a hindrance to performance. For this reason, we recommend you disable virtual memory. Go to Control Panel > System and select the Advanced tab. Under Performance, click the "Settings" button and select the Advanced tab. Under Virtual Memory, click the "Change" button. Select "No paging file" and press "Set," then "OK." It's also a good idea to defrag your drive after changing virtual memory settings (see below for more on defragmenting). NOTE: In some circumstances, you may need to enable virtual memory. These situations might include errors related to paging files, not enough physical RAM of an application, or a program that requires the use of virtual memory. If this is the case, then rather than choosing "No paging file," choose "Custom size" and set the minimum and maximum values to a multiple of 2 (for example, 128, 256, or 512), to a maximum of 512 MB. Be sure to set the minimum and maximum to the same value. Then, choose "Set," "OK."

Power Options
Windows allows for custom configuration of its power settings. This is useful for conserving energy when the

computer is not in use. It works by automatically powering down or 'hibernating' one or more components of the computer system when the computer has been idle for a predetermined amount of time. This can pose a major problem for users who record long session, as the computer may power itself down in the middle of recording! To optimize the power setting for audio performance, go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options. Under Power Schemes, select, in order: "Always On," "Never," "Never," "Never." Also make sure that "Hibernate" is unchecked. You should also allow you peripherals (USB devices and Firewire hard drives) to run off the maximum amount of power available. To set this up, right-click on My Computer and go to Manage > Device Manager > Universal Serial Bus controllers. On all USB Root Hubs, right-click and choose Properties > power Management, and uncheck the "Allow the computer to turn off this device..." box. Then, while still in the Device Manager, click the "+" next to Disk drives. On any Firewire drive, right-click and go to Properties > Policies, and make sure the device is set to "Optimize for Quick Removal." Click "Okay."

DMA (Direct Memory Access)

There are several different ways in which data on a disk can be accessed. DMA is one of them. This format is the best and fastest method available, so it is recommended for audio. To make sure you are running DMA, go to your Device Manager by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting "Manage" and then "Device Manager." Select the "+" next to IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Right-click on the Primary IDE Channel and select "Properties." Under the Advanced Settings tab, make sure that the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Press "OK." Repeat these steps for the Seconday IDE Channel. If there are two of each device listed, do this for all listed Primary and Secondary Channels. After doing this, do not be alarmed if the Current Transfer Mode is either "Not Applicable" or "PIO." Some devices are unable to run in DMA mode; the goal is to make sure that DMA is on IF available. NOTE: There is a third class of controller under the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. In some cases, changing this listing to "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" has been known to increase performance. Note, however, that this is not a known step to optimize your system. It is an optional step that MAY increase performance. For full instructions, see the 7-step process in Sweetwater's Knowledgebase article #30047. NOTE: Intel-based PC's have been known to perform better with updated chipset software. Again, this is only an optional step, but one you might consider. See Sweetwater's Knowledgebase article #30063 for full instructions.

On-Board Devices
An on-board device is any device built in to the computer. Examples include built-in modems, audio cards, ethernet devices, etc. Most of these are fairly benign, but some have been known to interfere with digital audio software. The most offending devices are wireless internet cards and audio cards; we recommend disabling these, at least while using your software. On-board wireless internet cards periodically send and receive information when activated, and these bursts of data transfer can cause audible pops and clicks in DAW applications. On-board audio cards can cause driver conflict problems, and are not as high in quality as professional interfaces. To disable these devices, go to the Device Manager again and look under Network Adapters. All devices in this category can be disabled (right-click on the device and choose "Disable") EXCEPT 1394 Net Adapters (1394 is shorthand for FireWire). If you need the devices again after your DAW application, simply right-click on them and

choose "Enable." Now look under Sound, Video and Game Controllers and locate and disable your on-board audio card. Make sure you do NOT disable any of the following: Audio Codecs, Legacy Audio Drivers, Legacy Video Capture Devices, Media Control Devices, Video Codecs, any other devices that you regularly use.

Virus Protection, Firewalls, and Other Utilities

While virus protection software is almost a necessity for general-use systems, they often run in the background and can cause problems with audio systems. If you're running a dedicated audio machine with no or a very limited internet connection, it's best to not install them at all. If your machine is connected to the web, it's safer to protect yourself, but try to find utilities that only run when called up. System tune-up utilities are also quite useful in most circumstances, but some tend to optimize according to the needs of general usage, and can change settings that can compromise audio performance. A clean, minimal setup is your best insurance. Firewalls will have a similar effect as virus protection software, but it is more pronounced in computers with Service pack 2 installed. SP2 includes a Windows firewall (Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall) that is best left turned off (from the General tab). It it must be left on for security and protection, then disable the Firewire firewall. Go to the Advanced tab and uncheck "1394 Connection" and press OK.

Display Properties
The display properties affect how Windows handles graphics, video, and the overall appearance of the OS. The processing required to keep the display at its sharpest can interfere with the processing needed to keep audio at its cleanest. Some of these properties are adjusted with the general performance settings, yet a few other small tweaks may still be necessary. Right-click anywhere on the desktop and select "Properties." Set the theme to "Windows Classic" if it isn't already. Screen Savers should be turned to none. Under Appearance, make sure "Windows Classic style" is selected for Windows and buttons; the Color scheme and Font size will not affect performance. Under the Settings tab, adjust your Screen Resolution to the desired size. Most applications work the best with "1024 by 768 pixels" selected; other sizes make make submenus and windows the wrong size for the text within. Finally, your Color quality should be set to "Medium (16 bit)" (also in the Settings tab), unless you have an application that specifically requires or advises higher color depth. Also, in the settings tab, click "Advanced" and make sure you are running at 96-DPI (Dots Per Inch). Keep in mind that these adjustments are optional settings and will likely not make or break your audio performance. They are merely suggestions that will nonetheless give you a boost in resources. If you do a lot of work with video, then these suggestions can be customized, or even disregarded, as the project requires.

Windows Sounds
Windows XP incorporates a sound scheme in the OS. Essentially, certain functions, such as connecting a device, are signaled by a corresponding short sound. While quite helpful (especially for the visually impaired) in distinguishing between events, these sounds often interfere with normal audio work. We recommend these sounds be turned off. To do this, go to Start > Control Panel > Sounds and Audio Devices and select the Sounds tab. Choose "No Sounds" for the Sound scheme, and press "OK."

Write Caching
Write caching, or write-behind caching, is a technique that keeps a small amount of data in a cache prior to writing it to the disk. While normally a good thing, performance can be increased by writing data directly to the hard drive, in essence bypassing the cache. Practically speaking, adjusting this will allow your audio to be written immediately to the hard drive, improving speed while recording. To set this, go to the Device Manager by right-clicking on My Computer and selecting "Manage" and then "Device Manager." Click on the "+" next to "Disk Drives." Right-click on a drive and choose "Properties," then "Policies." Uncheck the box that says "Enable write caching..." and press "OK." Repeat this for all of your hard drives.

File Systems
As stated earlier, DAW applications need to be using the NTFS file system. You can check what file system your drives are using by double-clicking My Computer, right-clicking on the hard disk drive you wish to check, and selecting "Properties." The file system in use will be listed near the top of this window. If your drives are already NTFS, skip this step. If you have any drives using the FAT32 file system, you will need to convert them to NTFS. Go to Start > Run, type in "cmd" (without the " " marks) and then press "OK." In the command prompt, type in "Convert C: /FS:NTFS" (without the " " marks) and press "Enter." Close the command prompt when finished.

System Restore
By default, Windows saves several 'restore points' at periodic intervals. These can be used to revert back to a previous image of the OS should anything happen to it, such as a file corruption or a virus infection. Under normal circumstances, using this feature is a smart idea, but unfortunately, it can pose problems for audio applications. The restore process, when activated, is run automatically. It also takes a fair amount of processing to update the restore points. This surge in processing can be enough to crash an application, and thus, ruin a take. To disable System Restore, go to Start > Control Panel > System, and select the System Restore tab. Check the box next to "Turn off System Restore on all drives." The best solution to maintain a restore point is to image your hard drive using an independent disk imaging application (such as Acronis TrueImage or Ghost). These applications work by creating an image of the entire system drive and saving it either a CD, DVD, or an extra partition on the hard drive. In the event the OS must be restored, the image will completely overwrite the entire system drive, restoring the OS to the condition it was in when the image was created. One downside is that anything saved or installed after the image was created will also be erased. It is a good idea to install everything and make sure it is working before imaging a drive; that way, you will not have to reinstall all of your applications after a restore.

Startup Services/Applications
By default, Windows pre-loads applications and services from installed programs and deposits icons in the system tray. The goal is to both decrease load times and provide easy access to a variety of programs. While very helpful in theory, these partially launched applications are a CPU drain. Disabling them helps Windows allocate more resources to running applications. Windows will also load faster, since it is not pre-loading every application during startup. To disable these applications from loading on startup, do the following. CAUTION: Make absolutely sure you follow the directions EXACTLY as printed below. Startup configuration is

powerful stuff, and if used carelessly, can cause problems. Follow the directions, DO NOT treat this section lightly, and you will be fine: Go to Start > Run, type in "msconfig" (without the " " marks) and press OK. When the System Configuration Utility comes up, click on the Startup tab. Press the button to "Disable All." Click on the Services tab. Check the box at the bottom of the window to "Hide All Microsoft Services." Press the "Disable All" button, but only AFTER hiding the microsoft services. Press "OK," then "Restart." When Windows boots back up, check the box next to "Don't show this message..." and then press "OK." NOTE: After pressing "Disable All," Pro Tools users must re-check "MMERefresh" in the Startup tab and "Digidesign MME Refresh Service" in the Services tab. GigaStudio users must check "msg32" in the Startup tab, even if GigaStudio was installed and then uninstalled later. All users will notice that the system tray is now empty (or very close to being empty). If there are certain applications that you would like pre-loaded on startup (and thus back in your system tray), simply go back to the utility and re-check them. Be advised, though, that each application that is checked (and loaded) will draw CPU resources away from your audio applications.

Audio Streamlining and File Management - Things to Do to Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly
Now your computer is ready for the intense demands put on it by audio processing. There are still a few things to remember so your system stays in optimal condition. These steps will allow you to work efficiently without having to reconfigure your computer.

Defrag Often
Defragmenting your hard drives is recommended in all Windows OS's, and particularly in systems running and editing large audio and multimedia files. Defragmenting your disks places the data for files next to each other (rather than fragmented throughout the disk), which speeds up reading from and writing to the disk, and increases system stability. In Windows 2000 and XP, regular defragging offers even more benefits. XP and 2000 monitor the files that are used when the computer starts up, and when your most-used applications start. By monitoring those files the OS can 'prefetch' them; which means data that is expected to be requested is read ahead into the cache. Prefetching is improved if the files are located next to each other on the outer edge of the disk, and XP/2000 optimizes the location of these boot and application files while the computer is idle. This optimization is done in the background and lasts only a minute or two, but even this activity can cut into audio performance if Windows decides the system is 'idle' at the wrong time. The defragger will run this task during disk defragmenting instead, so Windows won't decide to do it while you're working. If you have access to a third party defragging utility (like System Suite, Disk Keeper, etc.), it's preferable to defrag with it, rather than Windows defrag utility, which doesn't do a true reorder of the swap file. Defragmenting should be done about every 2-3 months.

Driver Modes
Windows essentially utilizes three driver modes: MMe, WDM/KS, and ASIO. Of these three, ASIO provides the most stability and least latency (delay). Some older audio cards may not have ASIO support. This should be OK, provided you do not overly tax your CPU. When possible, it is always recommended you use ASIO as your primary

driver mode. For more information on the benefits and shortcomings of each mode, see Sweetwater's Knowledgebase article #29827. GigaStudio, however, uses its own driver mode called GSIF. If you are planning on using Giga, make sure you get an interface that has GSIF capability.

Plug-in Resources
Plug-ins can take the form of inserts (reverb, compression, etc.) and virtual instruments (synths, rewire applications, etc.). Both types can consume large amounts of CPU resources when instantiated. It is a good idea to use as few instances of each plug-in as possible. Reverbs, typically the most hungry kind of plugins, 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. Additionally, analog emulation plugins can take up a large amount of CPU resources. Rather then inserting a modelled compressor on, say, 7 drum tracks, create a group channel for your drums and only insert it once. With this method, you still get the sound you want on the drums, but you save your CPU six instantiaitions of a plugin. Limiting the amount of active plug-ins has the added benefit of keeping your session smaller and more streamlined. To monitor how your computer is utilizing it's 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 average 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 are looking for is an average measurement over several seconds. Try to keep the processor at an upper limit of 70-75%. Higher loads than this cause stuttering, dropouts, freezes, and crashes. If the load is too high, you can remove plugins 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.

Saving and File Management

The preferred setup for all audio computers makes use of at least two hard drives. One drive, the system or C: drive, will only have the OS and all applications installed on it. All data will be saved to other drives. This prevents the C: drive from becoming too full and/or fragmented. Full system drives run much slower than their clean counterparts because there is less data to search through when trying to find system or application files. It is strongly advised to save everything (sessions, downloads, documents, EVERYTHING) to a second (or third) hard drive. The general principle is that things you INSTALL go to the C: drive, while things you SAVE go to a different drive. External hard drives are becoming very popular because the data can be easily transported to a different computer. Whichever type of hard drive you opt for, make sure that it has a minimum speed of 7,200 RPM (revolutions per minute). Drives running at 10,000 RPM are ideal, especially when running large sessions (over 24 tracks). Slower drives may not be able to keep up with the demands of recording and streaming audio. A word on saving: Often, when creating a new session, it is easy to choose the default name and location provided. Be careful NOT to do this! The default settings are usually to name the session "Untitled" and save it somewhere in the C: drive. You will soon get a full C: drive and too many "Untitled" sessions to tell which is which! Use the same amount of care with file management that you do when recording.

Archiving
Even when taking care to save to a second (or third) hard drive, you can still run short on space. This is especially true if there are many sessions (complete with audio files) on the same drive. A good idea is to archive these sessions. Archiving in this sense means either burning to a removable disk (CD or DVD), or transferring to a backup drive. DVD's are the preferred method of removable storage because they can hold over 5 times more data: 4.7 Gigabytes on a DVD versus 800 Megabytes on a CD. If you archive to a backup hard drive, make sure to access the drive frequently (every 6 months to ensure smooth operation). Also, keeping a hrd drive in a freezer tends to extend hard drive life. Make sure to thaw it out prior to firing it up! Another reason to archive is to prevent data loss. An entire drive full of sessions can be lost at any time due to a hrad drive crash. Having all of your sessions backed up on removable media will allow you to maintain a copy that can be copied back onto a drive. Removable media has the added bonus of being impervious to data loss; unless you physically lose or damage the disk, your data will not be lost (translated = CD's and DVD's don't crash).

The Manual is Your Friend

All audio applications are complicated; it's the nature of the beast. However, they all include extensive help files, and in many cases, thorough tutorials. The vast majority of operational questions can be answered from the manual. We strongly advise that you read at least the introductory sections, if not the entire manual, before you attempt to use your software. This will allow you to understand where key tools and menus are, give you insights into what you can and can't do, walk you through HOW to do things, and ultimately will increase efficiency when making music. If there's a section you don't understand, read it several times. Walk through the procedure step by step as you read it. Repeat this as many times as you need. Use the index and table of contents to find the section in the manual.

Enjoy your PC!

At this point, your computer is fully optimized. You also have all the information necessary to keep it running smoothly. We hope that this guide has been helpful, and that you are getting the most out of your PC. Enjoy making music!

The Sweetwater PC Team

Windows Vista Optimization Guide Introduction: Getting a PC

Welcome to the Windows Vista PC Optimization Guide. Here you will find a comprehensive guide to optimization of any Vista computer for use as a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). It is important that you read through this documentation as it covers several crucial optimization steps recommended when setting up your DAW. Because Vista is meant for an entire spectrum of users, by default, the user interface is designed to have a very nice GUI (Graphical User Interface), plenty of security, a pleasing set of sounds, and several other features. Some of these are not the ideal settings for dedicated DAW users, though. This guide is intended to step you through optimizing your machine in preparation for your new hardware and software to gain the most out of your system without experiencing the unnecessary heavy processor loads of poorly optimized machines.

Vista: Update or Fresh Install?

Generally speaking, a fresh install on a wiped (full-formatted or brand new) hard drive is the best insurance against potential problems; leftover registry items and other orphaned legacy files can lurk in your system for months, only to cause unanticipated conflicts with a newly-installed program or driver at a later date. A fresh install is recommended. However, as many programs still do not offer Vista compatibility yet, a dual-boot system may be called for. In this case, it is still better to install Vista on a newly formatted partition rather than as an overwrite or additional on an existing one.

Choosing an Edition
Windows Vista is not just one operating system. It is a collection of several editions, each designed for a specific function and user base. Complete side-by-side comparisons can be found on Microsoft's website, but for our purposes, the editions and major differences relevant to a DAW user are as follows.

Home Basic: 512 megabytes (MB) minimum required RAM; maximum 8 gigabytes (GB) RAM in 64-bit edition; Aero interface not supported. Home Premium: max. 16 GB RAM in 64-bit. Business: 128+ GB RAM support in 64-bit; Windows Complete PC Backup. Ultimate: 128+ GB RAM support in 64-bit; Windows Complete PC Backup; BitLocker drive encryption. Enterprise: 128+ GB RAM support in 64-bit; Windows Complete PC Backup; BitLocker drive encryption; simultaneous multi-language support.

While any of the editions will be sufficient for most DAW users, these difference may come into play when choosing an edition (especially the 64-bit editions). Keep in mind that DAW applications will be able to support all Vista editions, unless specifically stated otherwise in the system requirements.

Vista DAW System Requirements

All software should display minimum system requirements to give you an idea of what the application will consume. It!s important to realize that the minimum is never the recommended configuration for a DAW. Here are Vista's recommended requirements:

1 GHz processor (x64 if you are using a 64-bit edition of Vista) 1 GB RAM 40 GB hard drive with 15 GB free space Graphics card with support for DirectX 9, 32 bites/pixel, Pixel Shader 2.0, and a WDDM driver A DVD drive Internet access (for activation) Additional requirements for each edition of Vista can be found at www.microsoft.com/windows/products/ windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx Note that most DAW applications have minimum requirements that are higher than these.

Here's what's additionally recommended to ensure smooth operation of your DAW:

2 GHz multi-core processor ** 2 GB RAM 80 GB of available system drive hard disk space, separate physical system and audio drives, with drive speeds of 7200 RPM. It!s common to see configurations with an 80GB system drive and additional 200-400GB audio drives for storing samples and session data.

** Note that some Intel Core series processors have slower clock speeds, but achieve higher performance than older, "faster" processors. Most any "newer" (read: Pentium 4, D, and Core series; AMD Athlon 64) processor should be sufficient. To get an idea of how yours performs, see this chart: http://www23.tomshardware.com/ cpu.html? modelx=33&model1=432&model2=439&chart=171

System Performance Tweaks Stuff to Do After Installing

A few conventions are used in the following sections: 1. This guide assumes that you are working off a fresh install of Vista. Therefore, if you have modified the way your windows are displayed, or otherwise customized the OS, some of the instructions may be slightly different. 2. Classic View is used in the Control Panel. There is a link on the left-hand pane in the Control Panel window to engage Classic View. 3. When navigating Vista, the ">" symbol is used to show the next step. For example, instead of seeing "doubleclick on Computer, then double-click on C:, then double-click on Program Files," you will see this: "Go to Computer > C: > Program Files." 4. It is assumed you can access the The Device Manager. Here are a number of ways: o Right-click on Computer > Manage > Device Manager. o Start > type in "Device Manager" and press "Enter."

Start . Control Panel > Device Manager.

Performance
These adjustments are some of the more sweeping optimizations in this guide. They address the visual aspects, processor handling, and DEP for the Vista OS. One of the most highly-touted aspects of Vista has been the new visual effects, or "eye candy." As impressive as they are, Aero effects do take a significant amount of system resources. These are valuable resources that can instead be devoted to your audio software. If you do have a powerful enough video card, then it will assume all video processing; in that case, it is more than OK to leave Aero enabled. Processor scheduling determines which types of processing are given a higher priority by Vista. The default setting is to devote more to your programs. This seems good on the surface; however, audio drivers run in the background, and NOT as separate programs. In order to get the most performance from AUDIO gear, it is best to set your processor to handle background services first. Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a set of hardware and software technologies that perform additional checks on memory to help prevent malicious code from running on a system. This is a technology originally developed in Windows XP that is now a part of Vista. While great in theory, DEP can sometimes see audio applications as "malicious code." Leaving it on to prevent attacks on essential Windows files is preferable. To make these adjustments, right-click on Computer > Properties > Advanced System Settings > Performance > Settings, and select:

Visual Effects > Adjust for best Performance (this disables all Aero effects). Advanced > Processor Scheduling > Background Services. Advanced > Data Execution Prevention > Turn on DEP for essential Windows programs and services only. Press OK when done. This will disable the Windows Aero theme. If you would like to enable it again, rightclick on the desktop and choose Personalize > Theme > Windows Vista. Resource usage from the Vista theme is negligible. See the section on Personalization for more details.

Power Options
Windows allows for custom configuration of its power settings. This is useful for conserving energy when the computer is not in use. It works by automatically powering down or 'hibernating' one or more components of the computer system when the computer has been idle for a predetermined amount of time. This can pose a major problem for users who record long sessions, as the computer may power itself down in the middle of recording! To optimize you power settings for audio performance, go to Start > Control Panel > Power Options > choose "High Performance." Click the "Change plan settings" button, and make sure both options are set to "Never."

User Account Control

The new User Account Control in Vista is among the more controversial features. It is beneficial for preventing unwanted changes to the system, and especially for protecting against unauthorized installations and file executions. However, the constant prompts asking to allow or deny access can interfere with overall workflow; all activity is

suspended while the prompt waits for a reply. Furthermore, the user account monitoring uses extra CPU cycles (in fact, almost a negligible amount), so disabling the feature improves performance ever so slightly. All in all, the impediments in a DAW seem to outweigh the added security, especially if the system is kept off the internet. To disable UAC, go to Start > Control Panel > User Accounts (your account) > "Turn User Control on or off" > Uncheck "Use UAC" > OK > Restart. Keep in mind that some programs may require UAC to be enabled to complete the installation. If this is the case, then follow the instructions of the manufacturer.

Windows Security Center

Another enhancement in Vista is the increased efficiency and centralized configuration of the Security Center. It is great for keeping out intruders, spyware, viruses, etc., but does so at the cost of CPU cycles. If you are online, it is best to leave the Security Center alone and active. Otherwise, you risk losing data, the integrity of your system drive, and even your identity. If you are not online with your Vista DAW, then disabling the Security Center features will free up some extra resources for you. The following instructions are for the offline user. To access the Security Center, go to Start > Control Panel > Security Center. There are several adjustments to be made from the Security Center window:

Click on Windows Update on the left-hand pane > Change Settings > Never Check for Updates... > OK > close the update window. Click on Windows Firewall > Change settings > Off > OK > close the Firewall window. Click on Windows Defender > Tools > Options > uncheck "Automatically scan my computer" > Save> close the Defender window. You can manually scan at any time by pressing the "Scan" button from the main Defender window. Again, this is not an issue if you're offline. Note that if you make these adjustments, Windows will continually remind you that your computer is at risk. To stop these reminders, go to "Change the way Security Center alerts me" > "Don't notify me and don't display the icon."

Bear in mind that in this state, you are at risk if you should choose to go online. Before doing so, it is highly recommended that you re-enable everything in the Security center, and also connect immediately to Windows Update for the latest security updates from Microsoft. Antivirus software is another subcategory of Windows security. While not included as part of the Security Center, antivirus software is another near-necessity for everyday computing. For the online DAW user, it is best to disable antivirus software before using an audio applications. Since you will not be actively online, Windows Firewall and Defender (provided they are up to date) will be enough to monitor the background. For the offline DAW user, it's best to not install it in the first place. In Vista Ultimate and Enterprise editions, another relevant security feature is BitLocker drive encryption. While it is a fantastic tool to prevent theft and piracy, the added encryption is not suitable for a high-performance DAW. It is best to leave BitLocker off on any drive that will actively be running DAW applications or streaming audio. However, for backup and non-DAW related drives, it id fine to leave it enabled. To adjust BitLocker on your drives, go to Start > Control Panel > Control Panel Home > Security > BitLocker Drive Encryption.

Virtual Memory and ReadyBoost

Virtual memory (or paging files) is a technique that involves using a dedicated section of the hard drive as though it were additional RAM. The downside is that hard drive invariably process data slower than RAM, so using paging files does decrease performance. This can be beneficial for low-performance, high-data applications, where lots of material is loaded into RAM, but does not process extremely quickly. With audio applications, this is not a good idea. As they are very demanding on system resources, using a lower-speed hard drive is not a viable solution. However, some applications may require the use of a paging file, for one reason or another. If this is the case, then make sure to set all of your buffer sizes in your audio application as high as possible to compensate for the hard drive's latency. Right-click on "Computer" (either from desktop or Start button) > Properties > Advanced System Settings. This will bring you to the Advanced tab in the System Properties window. Under the Performance section, go to Settings tab and select Advanced, the press the "Change" button under Virtual memory. Uncheck "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives." For each drive listed, click on "No paging file" and "Set." You will be warned that a crash file may not be recorded if you have no paging file. Choose "Yes" to this message. Once all drives have been modified, choose "OK." Restart your computer for the changes to take effect. If you do need to enable a paging file, for whatever reason, it is usually best to use a multiple of 2 for the size. Examples would be 256 MB, 512 MB, 1024 MB, etc. There is no need to exceed the amount of physical RAM installed for a paging file. If you find yourself continually needing to increase the paging file size, it is probably time to upgrade your system RAM. One alternative to paging files is a new Vista technology called ReadyBoost. It essentially uses a USB flash drive as a high-speed paging file. Not all flash drives will work, though. A device must have the following minimum specifications:

The device must be at least 64 MB The device must be USB 2.0 It has to be able to read at 3.5 MB/s It has to be able to write at 2.5 MB/s

To activate ReadyBoost on a USB flash drive, go to Computer > right-click on the drive > Properties > ReadyBoost > select "Use this Device" and choose the amount of space you wish to dedicate to ReadyBoost > "OK" when finished. As with paging files, it is best to stay with multiples of 2.

Hard Drive Performance

Vista has an option to boost the normal performance of ATA and SATA drives by enhancing write caching. One problem with this is that if power is interrupted to the hard drive, then the risk of data loss or corruption is greatly increased. However, if you use a battery backup or some other type of uninterruptible power, then you should not have anything to worry about. To speed up your dives, navigate to the Device Manager. Click on the "+" next to Disk Drives, then right-click on the drive you wish to change and choose Properties > Policies > check the box next to "Enable advanced performance."

There are several different ways in which data on a hard disk can be accessed. DMA is one of them. This format is the best and fastest method available, so it is recommended for audio. To make sure DMA is enabled on your hard drives, go to the Device Manager > IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers. You will see one or more ATA Channels. On each channel, right-click and choose Properties > Advanced Settings > make sure "Enable DMA" is checked > press "OK." There is another type of device beyond the ATA Controllers. In some cases, changing this listing (which varies according to the motherboard) to "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" has been known to increase performance. Note, however, that this is not a required step to optimize your system. It is an optional step that MAY increase performance. If you choose to do this, then right-click on it and choose "Update Driver Software..." > "Browse my Computer..." > "Let me pick..." > "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller" > Next > Close. You do have to restart your computer for this change to take effect. There are also two other drive properties to consider. These can be accessed by going to Computer and rightclicking on the drive in question, and:

Under the General tab, make sure "Compress this drive..." is unchecked. Under the Quota tab, you have "Do not limit disk usage" selected, but nothing else.

Indexing Options
Another feature in Vista is its ability to automatically index all the files in the Start Menu, user profile folders, and files setup for offline access. Too many files in these locations, especially when the files change often, causes the indexing service to add to the overall CPU load. While this change speed up your overall performance, it will also adversely affect your searching speed in those locations. However, with a good file management strategy, this will be irrelevant for the DAW user. To adjust your indexing options, go to Start > type in "indexing options" > press Enter > Modify. In the "Change selected locations" window, uncheck everything except for the Start menu, located in C: > ProgramData > Microsoft > Windows.

On-Board Devices
An on-board device is any device built in to the computer. Examples include built-in wireless adapters, audio cards, web-cams, etc. Most of these are fairly benign, but some have the potential to interfere with digital audio software and hardware. Historically speaking, the most problematic devices are wireless internet cards and audio cards; we typically recommend disabling these, at least while using your software. On-board wireless internet cards periodically send and receive information when activated (even without an internet browser open), and these bursts of data transfer take CPU cycles, to the point of causing audible pops and clicks in DAW applications. On-board audio cards can cause driver conflict problems, and are not as high in quality as professional interfaces. Additionally, they are often selected as the default driver in most DAW applications, forcing you to manually select your primary interface instead. In the Device Manager, you can right-click on any device and choose "Disable." This will essentially turn that device off, releasing its drivers and stopping any resources from being used to run it. Internet and other wireless cards are typically found under the "Network Adapters" category. On-board audio cards and webcams will be found under "Sound, video and game controllers."

Windows Sidebar
Windows Sidebar's gadgets provide some very useful information. They also take up some very useful CPU cycles. For the serious DAW user, it's best to have Sidebar disabled, at least while working on audio. This will not only allow for extra CPU power, it will also clear the desktop to make room for applications to be seen. If Sidebar is active, double-click on the icon in the system tray and uncheck "Start Sidebar when Windows starts." Click "OK." It will be disabled the next time you reboot.

Personalization
Like all previous version of Windows, Vista allows for a high level of customization, allowing users to configure the OS to look and sound almost any way they want. Unfortunately, some of the popular settings can interfere with DAW workflow. Under the Personalize window (which can be accessed by right-clicking on the desktop), here are some settings to look out for:

Screen Saver. When screen savers become active, DAW users lose all sense of what is happening in their system (for example, visually monitoring recording levels). For this reason, it is better to set your screen saver to "none." Sounds. As certain events happen, Vista notifies you by playing a sound. This can be problematic while recording, since the sound may cause a driver problem by trying to access the driver currently in use. For this reason, it is usually best to set your sound scheme to "No sounds." Using the Aero theme usually does not cause any problems. Since Vista outsources visual processing to your video card, it will not take up any additional resources. If your video card is robust enough for Aero's effects, then leaving the theme enabled will not cause any problems. If you do not have a dedicated video card, or have one that is underpowered, then it may be better to use the Windows Classic theme instead, but switching to the Vista theme should not use any more resources.

Startup Service and Applications

By default, recent versions of Windows pre-load applications and services from installed programs and deposits icons in the system tray. The goal is to both decrease load times and provide easy access to a variety of programs. While very helpful in theory, these partially launched applications are a major CPU drain. Disabling them helps Windows allocate more resources to running applications. Vista will also load faster, since it is not bogged down by pre-loading every application during startup. To disable these applications from loading on startup, do the following. CAUTION: Make absolutely sure you follow the directions EXACTLY as printed below. Startup configuration is powerful stuff, and if used carelessly, can cause problems. Follow the directions, DO NOT treat this section lightly, and you will be fine: Start > in the search box, type in "msconfig" > press "Enter."

in the Startup tab, choose "Disable All." In the Service tab, check the box near the bottom of the screen to "Hide all Microsoft services." Then choose "Disable All."

Click "OK," then "Restart." Check the "OK" box on reboot.

When your PC boots back up, you will see a message on the screen regarding your use of the System Configuration utility. read through it, and decide if you would like to be reminded every time the PC boots. Check the box and press "OK" if you don't. In case you accidentally disable something that you need to have enabled, don't worry; msconfig is always reversible. Simply check the items that you need in either section, or to fully reverse the process, choose the "Enable All" option in each tab.

Audio Streamlining and File Management - Things to Do to Keep Your Computer Running Smoothly
Now your computer is ready for the intense demands of audio processing. There are still a few things to remember so your system stays in optimal condition. These steps will allow you to work efficiently without having to reconfigure your computer.

Defrag Often
Defragmenting your hard drives is recommended in all Windows OS!s, and particularly in systems running and editing large audio and multimedia files. As data begins to be physically written to the disk, it is placed by the drive on the first available empty location. Eventually, the file will run out of space by approaching the next file on the disk. At this point, the file is split, and the remainder of it is written elsewhere on the disk. Large files on often-used drives can end up with hundreds of these fragments. Defragmenting your disks places the data for files next to each other (rather than fragmented throughout the disk), which speeds up reading from and writing to the disk, and increases system stability. In Vista, you can defragment a disk by going to Start > Computer > right-click on the drive to defragment > Properties > Tools > Defragment now. Vista offers the option to automatically schedule a defrag. Think of this as a regularly scheduled oil change. It is preferable to schedule these automatic defrags for times when you know the PC will not be in use. Early in the morning or very late at night are preferable times. Defragmenting should be done about every 80-100 hours of studio use (or more, if you constantly record and delete new files).

Driver Modes
Windows essentially utilizes three driver modes: WDM, and ASIO, and WaveRT. WDM is the oldest of the three, provides the widest range of compatibility (especially with consumer-level, built-in audio cards), and operates with the slowest response. ASIO is a third-party standard developed by Steinberg, and is more than adequate for a DAW user. WaveRT is a new driver mode developed specifically for Vista that provides a kernel-level data transfer, allowing for the most stability and least latency (delay) of the three. Some interfaces may not have WaveRT support, so in this case, ASIO is a necessity. This is fine, as ASIO has been the preferred standard for years for DAW use, and is still very widely used. However, if WaveRT is available, it is the preferred driver mode due to its speed and OS integration.

Plug-in Resources

Plug-ins can take the form of inserts (reverb, compression, etc.) and virtual instruments (synths, rewire applications, etc.). Both types can consume large amounts of CPU resources when instantiated. It is a good idea to use as few instances of each plug-in as possible. Reverbs and hardware emulators, typically the most hungry kind of plugins, 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. Additionally, analog emulation plugins can take up a large amount of CPU resources. Rather then inserting a modeled compressor on, say, 7 drum tracks, create a group channel for your drums and only insert it once. With this method, you still get the sound you want on the drums, but you save your CPU six instantiations of a plugin. Limiting the amount of active plug-ins has the added benefit of keeping your session smaller and more streamlined. To monitor how your computer is utilizing it's resources, right-click in an empty space on the 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 average 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 are looking for is an average measurement over several seconds. Try to keep the processor (there will be more than 1 processor window on a multi-core CPU) at an upper limit of 70-75%. Higher loads than this are known to cause stuttering, dropouts, freezes, and crashes. If the load is too high, you can remove plugins 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.

Saving and File Management

The preferred setup for all audio computers makes use of at least two hard drives. One drive, the system or C: drive, will only have the OS and all applications installed on it. All data will be saved to other drives. This prevents the C: drive from becoming too full and/or fragmented, and allows for faster transfer rates for your audio files, thus increasing track counts. Full system drives run much slower than their clean counterparts because there is more data to search through when trying to find system or application files, and fewer open spaces to write files. It is strongly advised to save everything (sessions, downloads, documents, EVERYTHING) to a second (or third, fourth, etc.) hard drive. The general principle is that things you INSTALL go to the C: drive, while things you SAVE go to a different drive. External hard drives are becoming very popular because the data can be easily transported to a different computer. Whichever type of hard drive you opt for, make sure that it has a minimum speed of 7,200 RPM (revolutions per minute). Drives running at 10,000 RPM are ideal, especially when running large sessions (over 24 tracks). Slower drives may not be able to keep up with the demands of recording and streaming audio. A word on saving: Often, when creating a new session, it is easy to choose the default name and location provided. Be careful NOT to do this! The default settings are usually to name the session "Untitled" and save it somewhere in the C: drive. You will soon get a full C: drive and too many "Untitled" sessions to tell which is which! Use the same amount of care with file management that you do when recording.

Archiving
Even when taking care to save to multiple hard drives, you can still run short on space. This is especially true if there are many sessions (complete with audio files) and sample libraries on the same drive. A good idea is to archive these sessions. Archiving in this sense means either burning to a removable disk (CD or DVD), or transferring to a backup drive. DVD's are the preferred method of removable storage because they can hold over 5 times more data: 4.7 Gigabytes on a DVD versus 800 Megabytes on a CD. If you archive to a backup hard drive, make sure to access the drive frequently (every 6 months to ensure smooth operation). Also, keeping a hard drive in a freezer tends to extend

hard drive life. Make sure to thaw it out prior to firing it up! Another reason to archive is to prevent data loss. An entire drive full of sessions can be lost at any time due to a hard drive crash. Having all of your sessions backed up on removable media will allow you to maintain a copy that can then be copied back onto a new drive, if necessary. Removable media has the added bonus of being relatively impervious to data loss; unless you physically lose or damage the disk, your data will not be lost (translated = CD's and DVD's don't crash).

The Manual is Your Friend

All audio applications are complicated; it's the nature of the beast. However, they all include extensive help files, and in many cases, thorough tutorials. The vast majority of operational questions can be answered from the manual. We strongly advise that you read at least the introductory sections, if not the entire manual, before you attempt to use your software. This will allow you to understand where key tools and menus are, give you insights into what you can and can't do, walk you through HOW to do various tasks, and ultimately will increase efficiency and reduce stress when making music. If there's a section you don't understand, read it several times. Walk through the procedure step by step as you read it. Repeat this as many times as you need. Use the index and table of contents to find areas in which you need to brush. Never assume that will know every feature in any piece of hardware/software. Always read your manual.

Ready...Set...Record!
Now that your system is optimized and you have the tools to keep it that way, there is nothing preventing you from getting the most out of your gear. If you do get stuck, do not hesitate to use all available support channels to get back up and running. We hope this guide has been helpful. - The Sweetwater PC Team Sources: http://www.microsoft.com http://www.vistaultimate.com/tips.htm http://www.tweakvista.com http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=432&model2=439&chart=171 Para Windows 7 Ahora hay una solucin fcil que le permitir cambiar entre IDE y AHCI en el BIOS y Windows se iniciar sin ningn problema. La clave es permitir que el controlador AHCI en Windows antes de hacer el cambio de configuracin en la BIOS. Para la mayora de los usuarios de este punto: Abra el Editor del Registro y navegue hasta HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM CurrentControlSet Services msahci.

Haga clic derecho sobre el registro DWORD en Inicio y seleccione Modificar. Establecer el valor a 0 y haga clic en Aceptar. Ahora la configuracin de inicio se debe establecer en 0. Reinicie el sistema y habilitar la opcin AHCI en la BIOS. Si usted est usando un adaptador RAID u otra interfaz, intente lo siguiente: Abra el Editor del Registro y de naviage Repita los pasos anteriores. No todos los usuarios vern una mejora de rendimiento importante con AHCI, y un disco duro SATA con NCQ, pero puede ser muy til en la carga de trabajo adecuada. Despus de su experiencia y puesta en marcha en los comentarios.