PROTOOLS AND DUAL PROCESSORS

[MACPRODUCTIONS]

Where can I find more info on ProTools utilizing dual processors????? How would I find out if both processors are being used appropriately. Please advise.

[where02190]

If you are using PT6 and OSX, then you are geting about 30% utilization of the second processor. Any other OS or PT version only uses one processor.

[MACPRODUCTIONS]

Thank you very much. The manual that came with my pc version (XP)says that version 6 supports dual no matter what OS. I have 2 AMD MP 2100+ processors,1gig RAM,2X60 gig and a 40 gig hard drives.

[tele_player]

Supporting dual procs and using them efficiently are two different things.

For multiprocessing to be really effective, the real work needs to be distributed across multiple threads of execution. In PTLE, it appears the real worker is DAE, which (I'd bet) is a single thread, and all plugins operate as part of that thread. A thread can only execute on a single CPU at ay given time.

Software is my business, and has been for a long time. I haven't seen the internals of PTLE, but I'd venture to say that without major redesign of DAE, PTLE won't use dual procs very efficiently. This is not to say dual procs are useless, just that you'll start running out of CPU power before the second CPU is at 100%

[BesnikB]

soo, this means that if I buy a dual processor PC it will be the same as I bought single processor one?
Since I use my PC only with PTLE, including Reason and some other similar programs what about them will they have help from the second processor?
Thanks' & Peace

[where02190]

If you are using PT6 and OSX, then you are geting about 30% utilization of the second processor. Any other OS or PT version only uses one processor.

Opps, sorry i thought I was on the other forum(Mac). I take it all back, I have no clue.

More coffee please....

[Riad]

Dude, that's pretty funny. I read your response and thought it was odd but I chaulked it up to meaning OSX or WinXP.

I do see processor activity on both processors while running PT on my dual AMD. Don't have any real scientific data on percentage or speed though.

If PT ran the DAE engine as a .exe you could set the processor affinity but alas they don't so we have no control.

Rob

[tele_player]

No, it means for ProTools alone, doubling your CPU doesn't double your performance. I haven't seen any benchmarks for PT and Reason together, but I'd expect a dual proc system to have an advantage in that case.

soo, this means that if I buy a dual processor PC it will be the same as I bought single processor one?
Since I use my PC only with PTLE, including Reason and some other similar programs what about them will they have help from the second processor?
Thanks' & Peace

[BesnikB]

then what's the use of second processor if PTLE is not using it as it should.

[tele_player]

That's my point - right now, there's not much use for a second CPU for ProTools. HOWEVER, a dual proc system may work well for some other apps, and since 6.1, dual proc systems are 'supported systems'. Before that, PT wasn't even guaranteed to run.