# Optimising Windows 10 and other settings for VST performance in Studio One



## CatComposer (Oct 1, 2021)

I have already followed most of the recommendations in this post:








Optimizing Your Computer for Audio - Windows 10


Why would I need to optimize Windows 10? If your computer's audio has: Pops Clicks Audio Dropouts Distorted Audio Noise High CPU usage PC Optimization Guide for Windows 10 Welcome to the Window...




support.presonus.com





However, I installed Noire piano yesterday and was getting terrible popping which did not go away with reduced polyphony.
(even down to 12 voices)
However when I turned off my Windows Antivirus, all the popping went away.

When I go into the task manager, there is still the Antimalware service executable running (which I cannot stop)
and it's consuming 822 MB RAM.
Of course, I don't need that when I'm making music.

So, having discovered the huge impact Windows is having on my system, 
I'm wondering what else I could simply change to improve performance.
Is there a way to disable the Antimalware service executable temporarily while I work in Studio One?

I have had to severely cut down on the voices in my Spitfire Intimate Strings to avoid popping.

If there are other settings you know of (eg. in the BIOS or Studio One) that you've found make an impact, please let me know.


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## Harry (Oct 1, 2021)

What are your computer specs?


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## CatComposer (Oct 1, 2021)

Harry said:


> What are your computer specs?


*Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9700 CPU @ 3.00GHz
16GB RAM
1TB M2 SSD drive for samples.

I just tried pushing the limits with a spitfire plugin. (no other plugins loaded)
With antivirus turned off, I can go much higher - up to 300 voices before popping occurs.
(With antivirus on, I'm limited to around 150 voices)
With 256 voices, and antivirus off, the Spitfire plugin registers CPU at 65%,
While Windows records CPU at 21%, with Studio one at 19%.
Max RAM usage was 34%.*


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## Al Maurice (Oct 2, 2021)

First thing to try if you haven't is check your buffer settings, altering them can have an impact on reducing CPU load. Windows 10 out of the box is quite well optimised, it's just once you start to add apps sevices start to increase and they can impact your usage.

With 16GB RAM once you get to 150 voices, you'll notice a different on system performance. Also some plugins enable you to reduce the number of voices for each instrument, I find reducing that helps if I don't need them in my compositions. Effect plugins are the largest culprit so try turning those off whilst composing, and if necessary bounce some of the tracks to audio.

Some DAWs support the ability to pregenerate the effects which reduces the load further.


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## CatComposer (Oct 2, 2021)

Al Maurice said:


> First thing to try if you haven't is check your buffer settings, altering them can have an impact on reducing CPU load. Windows 10 out of the box is quite well optimised, it's just once you start to add apps sevices start to increase and they can impact your usage.
> 
> With 16GB RAM once you get to 150 voices, you'll notice a different on system performance. Also some plugins enable you to reduce the number of voices for each instrument, I find reducing that helps if I don't need them in my compositions. Effect plugins are the largest culprit so try turning those off whilst composing, and if necessary bounce some of the tracks to audio.
> 
> Some DAWs support the ability to pregenerate the effects which reduces the load further.


I have tried all the various buffer options.
Around 1024 samples is ideal, because if I go up to 2048, the latency becomes noticeable.
At 512 samples, I'll get popping a lot sooner.

Yes, I'm aware of the effect of some plugins on CPU, especially convolution reverbs!

Never heard of pregenerating effects. I might look into that if I need it.

What I'm looking for in this thread is perhaps some unusual tweaks to BIOS, Windows or Studio One that will improve performance that I haven't considered.
I know there are people here far more knowledgeable than me about these things!


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## ennbr (Oct 2, 2021)

What is your Dropout Protection set at I keep mine a medium with 512 Block Size


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## CatComposer (Oct 2, 2021)

ennbr said:


> What is your Dropout Protection set at I keep mine a medium with 512 Block Size


Mine is medium with 1024 block size.


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## GigStage (Nov 3, 2021)

Sseltenrych said:


> So, having discovered the huge impact Windows is having on my system,
> I'm wondering what else I could simply change to improve performance.
> 
> If there are other settings you know of (eg. in the BIOS or Studio One) that you've found make an impact, please let me know.


I suggest that you check out this guide: https://vi-control.net/community/threads/free-ebook-on-windows-optimization-for-audio.99788/


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## easyrider (Nov 3, 2021)

Create some exceptions to windows defender and turn off real time scanning of all your sample libraries directories.

👍


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## CatComposer (Nov 3, 2021)

GigStage said:


> I suggest that you check out this guide: https://vi-control.net/community/threads/free-ebook-on-windows-optimization-for-audio.99788/


This is exactly what I imagined when I started this thread.
Almost 100 pages of alterations is needed to get the ideal setup,
Not the default settings...


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## easyrider (Nov 3, 2021)

Sseltenrych said:


> This is exactly what I imagined when I started this thread.
> Almost 100 pages of alterations is needed to get the ideal setup,
> Not the default settings...


Total overkilll….half of the guide is out of date….

Do you have the latest BIOS ?
Is your windows install up to date?


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## rgames (Nov 3, 2021)

Sseltenrych said:


> This is exactly what I imagined when I started this thread.
> Almost 100 pages of alterations is needed to get the ideal setup,
> Not the default settings...


Definitely not true. As of 5-7 years ago there are only two things you need to do for a DAW:

1. Disable virus scanning on your sample drives (not an issue if you don't do much sample streaming)
2. Set CPU to run at full speed. Cubase does this automatically. For other DAWs you need to do it manually (as far as I know).

Unless you have bad drivers or faulty hardware, those are the only two Windows-related things that really have an impact on DAW use. #2 is almost never necessary but can improve performance at the expense of more power consumption.

Over the last 5-7 years I've seen more problems *caused* by Windows tweaks than *solved* by Windows tweaks. Windows is fine. It's the hardware and/or drivers that are almost always the problem.

rgames


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## CatComposer (Nov 3, 2021)

easyrider said:


> Total overkilll….half of the guide is out of date….
> 
> Do you have the latest BIOS ?
> Is your windows install up to date?


Yes, it's all up to date.
Windows 10 forces updates, so I have no choice in the matter anyway.

If you have a more up to date guide, I would be happy to read it.


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## Anthony (Nov 3, 2021)

rgames said:


> Definitely not true. As of 5-7 years ago there are only two things you need to do for a DAW:
> 
> 1. Disable virus scanning on your sample drives (not an issue if you don't do much sample streaming)
> 2. Set CPU to run at full speed. Cubase does this automatically. For other DAWs you need to do it manually (as far as I know).
> ...


Does your advice above mean that it's not necessary to use Windows' "Ultimate Performance" Power Option?

I'd like to allow my CPUs to throttle-down when not in use. However if this is going to cause audio drop-outs, I'll just leave the setting as is. Cheers...


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## rgames (Nov 3, 2021)

Anthony said:


> Does your advice above mean that it's not necessary to use Windows' "Ultimate Performance" Power Option?
> 
> I'd like to allow my CPUs to throttle-down when not in use. However if this is going to cause audio drop-outs, I'll just leave the setting as is. Cheers...


Correct - it's usually not necessary but I have seen it solve some problems for some people. And it does have a quantifiable effect on min latency on most systems.

It makes the DAW run "better" but the truth is it's usually "good enough" without forcing the CPU to full speed. (EDIT: I do not run my slave machines at full clock speed and they run fine at ~3 ms latency.) It's a simple tweak so give it a shot and see if there's a meaningful difference on your system. There's no harm in trying it.

It does increase power consumption but the truth is it's not much for a single user. Where it helps is in enterprise situations where you're running many hundreds or thousands of computers.

rgames


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## GigStage (Nov 4, 2021)

Sseltenrych said:


> This is exactly what I imagined when I started this thread.
> Almost 100 pages of alterations is needed to get the ideal setup,
> Not the default settings...


Of course, not the default settings.  

Many things can interfere with your setup and cause glitches. 
There have been compiled lots of solved cases from musicians and hobbyists, with many community-driven tips. 

Happy reading.


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## CatComposer (Nov 4, 2021)

I actually solved the popping problem by reinstalling Windows and following a basic tweaking guide..
I think some older free plugins had affected Windows, so I have avoided them this time.


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## easyrider (Nov 4, 2021)

Sseltenrych said:


> Yes, it's all up to date.
> Windows 10 forces updates, so I have no choice in the matter anyway.
> 
> If you have a more up to date guide, I would be happy to read it.
> ...


what Bios version are you running ?


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## GigStage (Nov 4, 2021)

Great!

I've been merciless to Windows, used to squeeze out every single bit of CPU and RAM for my workstations.


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## CatComposer (Nov 4, 2021)

GigStage said:


> Great!
> 
> I've been merciless to Windows, used to squeeze out every single bit of CPU and RAM for my workstations.


Yes, it's a pleasure to disable an unnecessary service, or uninstall a useless program that will be sucking resources.


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