Freeze vs Commit

[Mixmaster Rick]

Sorry - now I am confused.

From reading several posts or watching videos prior to starting this thread everyone discussed using Freeze or Commit a track in order to free up resources caused by heavy plugin use in tracks.

I appreciate your insight.

[JFreak]

Of course it frees up resources while using other resources (storage). In my point of view it is not needed for "normal" plugins apart from commiting to something as in "this track is done". It is however very useful in commiting to VI track once MIDI is done. And few posts up I told what is the easiest way of going back if needed to. Only commit to the VI, not other processing (apart of obviously what is essential to the sound of the instrument) which is mixing and likely changes over time.

[Mixmaster Rick]

Perfect!
Thanks Janne

[take77]

For me, "Freeze" = Temporary (during composing & tracking)
and "Commit", = Finalization (during and after mixing).

For example, I may temporarily freeze a set of instrument plugins after establishing some basic tracking accompaniment before recording audio tracks.
This is not always necessary on my setup, but sometimes really active cymbal parts in the drum plugin I use can cause CPU spikes when recording guitar through an amp/fx plugin at a lower buffer size.
Then if I want to modify a drum pattern, I can momentarily unfreeze the track.

I have a modest setup so it's just an efficiency method when needed.
It's mainly when the cymbals are really active or if I want to load more layers and free memory for more multi-sampled/processed instrument tracks while recording.

When mixing, I commit in sections/sub-groups as they are established to open up processing power for the mix & master bus.
Or commit lightly processed tracks for stem export so that a more professional mixer can import the tracks and have their way with them!

This is just my approach at a hobbyist level.
More professional producers can provide more ideas as to their own logistics & foresight.
And their machines likely have way more processing power so they can do as they please~ with such ease~ with no need to freeze***

[Mixmaster Rick]

What a fantastic response and thanks!

This is the type of feedback I need. My initial post was a result of a session I am working on for a client. I am in the process of upgrading (methodically) my environment and for now my MacBook only has 16GB of RAM. WIth the amount of tracks he's provided and the overall amount of plugins being used there have been a few times when my system has basically halted. Yes, I have gone through the proper optimization both on the system level as well as in Pro Tools so I am trying to regain as much resources as I can until I upgrade to another computer.

Having said that I have implemented some UAD Apollo gear and can get by when absolutely necessary by using LUNA and the UAD plugins. Because I'd rather work in Pro Tools I'm guessing occasional freeze or commit on some tracks may help me resource-wise?

Again, thanks for your response.

[Extreme Mixing]

Use Commit. It creates an audio file that becomes a permanent part of the session. Freeze makes a temporary audio file that disappears when you, or someone else un freezes the track. That can be inconvenient if you are not expecting it.

And, yes it can save resources. If you are using, say Trillian for bass, playing back the audio file is a lot less DSP intensive than having the instrument up.

Steve

[Mixmaster Rick]

I'll give it a try Steve.
Thanks for the feedback.

Rick

[JFreak]

Yes, as said freezing is intermediate solution. As long as you are not sure if your Trillian track is done, freezing may help on some occasion, but once the track is "final" (what is that) then you better commit and not touch it again.

[take77]

Originally Posted by Extreme Mixing

Use Commit. It creates an audio file that becomes a permanent part of the session. Freeze makes a temporary audio file that disappears when you, or someone else un freezes the track. That can be inconvenient if you are not expecting it.

And, yes it can save resources. If you are using, say Trillian for bass, playing back the audio file is a lot less DSP intensive than having the instrument up.

Steve

Going along with that advice, Commit gives the option of keeping the the original track in an inactive state.
So you could opt to commit even on a temp basis and reactivate the original track if need be.

*Tip: Make sure to establish all your tempos before temporarily freezing too. Otherwise you'll have to unfreeze & re-freeze everything to adjust tempos while recording and that can interrupt a good recording vibe & workflow.

I use the Trilian bass module also. Sometimes two instances for different sections. Rock & Synth Bass trade offs!
As JFreak mentioned, I'll commit the instrument only to free up resources and THEN insert plugins on the committed track.
That way I have a "lighter" audio clip of the bass track that I can still experiment with plugin-wise (as the mix changes) or apply clip gain & fades during the mix phase.

When VI drums are done, I'll commit multi-output to separate audio tracks. Again, just the instrument plugin and maybe a limiter.
That way I can remix and save various versions of the unprocessed committed tracks.
After my instrument tracks are done, I usually have enough resources for mix plugins and would only need commit again if exporting as session stems.

Whether you choose to freeze or commit, restarting Pro Tools frees up the RAM allotted to previously active instrument plugins.

[Extreme Mixing]

Yes. Commit up to this insert is a beautiful thing. And Hide and Make Inactive is best option for the original instrument track.

I also usually commit Melodyne when I'm done tuning because I love the Clip Gain line for automation.

Steve