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  #1  
Old 05-18-2017, 10:58 AM
Marsdy Marsdy is offline
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Default PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

It seems that some of us, including me don't fully understand or are even aware of how Pro Tools' dual low latency buffer introduced with PT11 works. I'm wondering if people are being fooled into using lower buffers than their system or PT session can cope with because of this?

In another thread, ( http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=390774 ,) there is mention of an Avid video showing 99 instances of Mini Grand running. It definitely rings a bell with me. In the same thread there was talk of how Pro Tools dual low latency buffer works. I couldn't find any reference to the 99 Mini Grand instances but I did find an old video by Avid explaining exactly how the dual low latency buffer works. Since this is OT in the original thread I've started this one.
The video is here: https://youtu.be/6JzwngQbgHE - The info is 2'19" in.

I got it completely the wrong way round in the original thread linked to above. It seems that tracks in playback mode are in a permanent high buffer state which the user has no control over. Only Record enabled or input monitor enabled tracks use the buffer the user sets in Playback Engine. This obviously explains why I often get BIG jumps in CPU usage when I record enable a Kontakt instrument, especially ones with high polyphony counts and complex scripting.

Getting back to the 99 instances of Mini Grand. I've just run a test and got 110 individual instances of Kontakt, (each using one instrument - the factory library Grand Piano.) With a buffer of 128 in PTHD 12.6.1 and OSX 10.12.3, CPU usage was reasonably stable hovering at the lower range of 48 to 60%. Each of the 110 instances maxed at 30 voices or 3300 voices of polyphony. It seemed stable too. (I got up to 130 instances but then started getting a few -9171 and -9173 errors.) The weird thing is, there wasn't much apparent difference in CPU usage when a track was recorded to and I went nuts bashing away on a MIDI keyboard. Maybe the instrument in question wasn't CPU demanding enough but I was running a heap of instances.

(BTW, I tried the exact same thing in Logic. Again, 110 instances although Logic's CPU meter looked to be running higher, (more stable admittedly.) OSX's Activity Monitor also showed surprisingly similar results. Both Pro Tools and Logic used very similar amounts of RAM - around 11GB.)

SO... In theory and according to Avid's video, playback is always at a high buffer setting internally preset by Pro Tools. It's only the record enabled/input monitor enabled tracks that are affected by the user buffer setting in Playback Engine. The thing is, to me it often doesn't feel like that is actually what is happening. I sometimes have to increase the buffer when VI and VE Pro polyphony and CPU usage gets above a certain level to stop pops and clicks. Why do I need to do that if PT is always running at a high buffer during playback?

As an aside - I felt that with PT11, given the same buffer settings as pre-AAX versions of PT, latency was better at higher buffer settings. Personally, I find a buffer of 256 or even 512 is quite playable for most VI's (not Maschine!) I didn't in previous versions. Overall system delay is usually more of a concern for me. (I can't get system delay as low with HDX than TDM. I'd like to be proved wrong but it seems to me the cause is that I have to run a lot more plug-ins natively because there's no HDX version.) ...But I digress.
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  #2  
Old 05-18-2017, 02:29 PM
john1192 john1192 is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marsdy View Post
It seems that some of us, including me don't fully understand or are even aware of how Pro Tools' dual low latency buffer introduced with PT11 works. I'm wondering if people are being fooled into using lower buffers than their system or PT session can cope with because of this?

In another thread, ( http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=390774 ,) there is mention of an Avid video showing 99 instances of Mini Grand running. It definitely rings a bell with me. In the same thread there was talk of how Pro Tools dual low latency buffer works. I couldn't find any reference to the 99 Mini Grand instances but I did find an old video by Avid explaining exactly how the dual low latency buffer works. Since this is OT in the original thread I've started this one.
The video is here: https://youtu.be/6JzwngQbgHE - The info is 2'19" in.

I got it completely the wrong way round in the original thread linked to above. It seems that tracks in playback mode are in a permanent high buffer state which the user has no control over. Only Record enabled or input monitor enabled tracks use the buffer the user sets in Playback Engine. This obviously explains why I often get BIG jumps in CPU usage when I record enable a Kontakt instrument, especially ones with high polyphony counts and complex scripting.

Getting back to the 99 instances of Mini Grand. I've just run a test and got 110 individual instances of Kontakt, (each using one instrument - the factory library Grand Piano.) With a buffer of 128 in PTHD 12.6.1 and OSX 10.12.3, CPU usage was reasonably stable hovering at the lower range of 48 to 60%. Each of the 110 instances maxed at 30 voices or 3300 voices of polyphony. It seemed stable too. (I got up to 130 instances but then started getting a few -9171 and -9173 errors.) The weird thing is, there wasn't much apparent difference in CPU usage when a track was recorded to and I went nuts bashing away on a MIDI keyboard. Maybe the instrument in question wasn't CPU demanding enough but I was running a heap of instances.

(BTW, I tried the exact same thing in Logic. Again, 110 instances although Logic's CPU meter looked to be running higher, (more stable admittedly.) OSX's Activity Monitor also showed surprisingly similar results. Both Pro Tools and Logic used very similar amounts of RAM - around 11GB.)

SO... In theory and according to Avid's video, playback is always at a high buffer setting internally preset by Pro Tools. It's only the record enabled/input monitor enabled tracks that are affected by the user buffer setting in Playback Engine. The thing is, to me it often doesn't feel like that is actually what is happening. I sometimes have to increase the buffer when VI and VE Pro polyphony and CPU usage gets above a certain level to stop pops and clicks. Why do I need to do that if PT is always running at a high buffer during playback?

As an aside - I felt that with PT11, given the same buffer settings as pre-AAX versions of PT, latency was better at higher buffer settings. Personally, I find a buffer of 256 or even 512 is quite playable for most VI's (not Maschine!) I didn't in previous versions. Overall system delay is usually more of a concern for me. (I can't get system delay as low with HDX than TDM. I'd like to be proved wrong but it seems to me the cause is that I have to run a lot more plug-ins natively because there's no HDX version.) ...But I digress.
"Why do I need to do that if PT is always running at a high buffer during playback?"

exactly ... no tracks in record but a low BUffer results in Pops and Clicks .. Why ??? i thought it was only when you had tracks in record or input monitoring .. ???
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  #3  
Old 05-18-2017, 04:20 PM
Carl Lie Carl Lie is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

Dave:

Thanks for the follow through! You beat me to it. I'm going to run some tests this weekend.

I suppose then that once other processes are brought in (plugins, elastic audio on audio tracks) that number comes down substantially. I'd like to then try to quantify those effects on native processing.

Agreed that it doesn't feel like we have this power in practice.

You rock!!

Carl
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Old 05-18-2017, 04:49 PM
jjnssn jjnssn is offline
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Default PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by john1192 View Post
"Why do I need to do that if PT is always running at a high buffer during playback?"



exactly ... no tracks in record but a low BUffer results in Pops and Clicks .. Why ??? i thought it was only when you had tracks in record or input monitoring .. ???


This my question as well. If no tracks are record enabled why would changing buffer size lower change the CPU usage? Other than the CPU usage is taking into account something other than the plugins.


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Old 05-18-2017, 10:05 PM
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clausiii clausiii is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

That's something that i want to know too!
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Old 05-18-2017, 10:25 PM
jesele jesele is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

Me too.

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  #7  
Old 05-18-2017, 11:29 PM
Jon_Atkinson Jon_Atkinson is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

Is it not the case that this super-low buffer thing only applies when all MIDI is kept within PT...?
I don't think it works when the VI is held within VEPro.

I'm out of the studio so can't easily check, but I think that's correct




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  #8  
Old 05-19-2017, 12:45 AM
Marsdy Marsdy is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Carl Lie View Post
Dave:

Thanks for the follow through! You beat me to it. I'm going to run some tests this weekend.

I suppose then that once other processes are brought in (plugins, elastic audio on audio tracks) that number comes down substantially. I'd like to then try to quantify those effects on native processing.

Agreed that it doesn't feel like we have this power in practice.

You rock!!

Carl
Thanks Carl!

I'd be very interested to hear what you come with on your tests!
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  #9  
Old 05-19-2017, 12:58 AM
Marsdy Marsdy is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jon_Atkinson View Post
Is it not the case that this super-low buffer thing only applies when all MIDI is kept within PT...?
I don't think it works when the VI is held within VEPro.

I'm out of the studio so can't easily check, but I think that's correct

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Hey Jon

I'm pretty sure VE Pro and the VI's it hosts are treated just like any other VI in Pro Tools. I'm sure I'm getting the same apparent latency when playing the same instruments in Pro Tools as when it's hosted in VE Pro. I need to do some testing myself though!!!

As I said, it seems the super-low buffer is what you set in Pro Tools' Playback Engine. I've got it the wrong way round in the past. I always assumed that the Playback Engine buffer setting affected playback and that Pro Tools set a magical super-low buffer in the background. It's the other way round according to the Avid video! But given that the Playback Engine buffer actually does affect playback... weird!
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  #10  
Old 05-19-2017, 01:04 AM
Sardi Sardi is offline
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Default Re: PT's dual low latency buffer, 110 instances of Kontakt 'n stuff.

IIRC correctly, there's 2 stages of buffer lengths dependent on what you set it too.

So for example, if you set it to 64 it has a playback buffer of 1024. If you set it to 512 it has a playback buffer of 2048.

I'm making those numbers up, but I recall reading something along those lines when 11 was launched.


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