Playback Engine Optimizations

[ryst]

Hello,

Regarding the Playback Engine Optimizations, which ones should and should not be checked?

Currently I only have Dynamic Plugin Processing and Optimize performance at Low Buffer Sized checked. I'm on an M2 Mac Studio with 192g ram.

I read somewhere here that some of the options should not be checked as they can cause more problems than help. Unfortunately, I cannot find that post.

Thanks!

[Cheesehead]

I have them all checked on an intel mac, it works fine.

[Darryl Ramm]

I would not run with ignore errors checked. I don't want clicks and pops sneaking into recordings, and I want to see errors if they happen. And at times this has also been broken and introduced improperly corrected input timing. I don't know if that is still broken. Ignore errors should be a last ditch effort to get something to work.

Dynamic plugin processing was a bit of a mess with some workloads when it was first introduced but is now very stable and I would start with it on. Lots of old advice was to turn it off, probably good advice at the time.

Optimize at small buffer size I have on at small buffer size. No idea if it makes much difference.

The main setting is the HW buffer size, if you are recording live inputs or at least software monitoring live inputs--that affects the latency you hear and the load on the CPU and CPU error latency fragility--if not and everything is just in playback, then it is irrelevant. Don't make the mistake of adjusting it on playback only sessions then being surprised when you get CPU errors when you put tracks into record/input monitor. Yes "playback engine" is a misnomer here.

For many of these settings there is no "correct" value, they may not change what you can actually do and are more things you get to try out to see if they help if you run into problems on your particular system, with your particular plugins, your particular interface/driver, and your particular workload.

[audiolex1]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

I would not run with ignore errors checked. I don't want clicks and pops sneaking into recordings, and I want to see errors if they happen. And at times this has also been broken and introduced improperly corrected input timing. I don't know if that is still broken. Ignore errors should be a last ditch effort to get something to work.

Dynamic plugin processing was a bit of a mess with some workloads when it was first introduced but is now very stable and I would start with it on. Lots of old advice was to turn it off, probably good advice at the time.

Optimize at small buffer size I have on at small buffer size. No idea if it makes much difference.

The main setting is the HW buffer size, if you are recording live inputs or at least software monitoring live inputs--that affects the latency you hear and the load on the CPU and CPU error latency fragility--if not and everything is just in playback, then it is irrelevant. Don't make the mistake of adjusting it on playback only sessions then being surprised when you get CPU errors when you put tracks into record/input monitor. Yes "playback engine" is a misnomer here.

For many of these settings there is no "correct" value, they may not change what you can actually do and are more things you get to try out to see if they help if you run into problems on your particular system, with your particular plugins, your particular interface/driver, and your particular workload.

There was a point in time, probably back in V8 that you really needed to run with ignore errors as the performance suffered.
But I've had it on since V8 and haven't had an issue, but having done a large recording in a while.
Mixed a indie during the pandemic and had no issues.

Would would the need for this preference be?

[Darryl Ramm]

I'm not sure I understand the question. But I'll throw out some general comments.

There are tons of things that cause CPU errors. If you have them and need to try stuff and increasing HW buffer size further and standard troubhleshooting is impractical or does not work then sure try ignore errors.

And the point I made before is many of these things depend on your situation, so you need to play and see what works once you are pushing stuff enough to run into CPU errors, otherwise any advice anybody gives is meh, just a guess.

And especially for troubleshooting, don't to do that with ignore errors on. You want to be running in a situation where you can produce CPU errors fairly frequently as you troubleshoot. The point of troubleshooting should ideally be to find what is causing problems. Not a hail Mary effort to change thing an get something that magically is stable enough, but sure sometimes there are not other options (but not recognizing you need to stop and put aside time to solve problems can lead to thrashing and never helping find the problem/fixing things/getting stuff as really best if can be).

Anyhow that's my 2 pence worth.