SUMMERY:
For this next Tutorial I want to talk about Optimizing your Pro Tools rig for better performance. We are going to look at some of the most important key settings for you to have that effects how to get Pro Tools to run it's best with your computer.
Let's first take a look at the CPU Usage Limit. The CPU Usage Limit is the amount of your computer's total processing power that you can choose to assign to Pro Tools. For example, if you assign 75% to Pro Tools then 25% is left for other applications which includes your operating system. My computer is an 8 Core processor so I set mine at 99%. The only reason not to set this at the highest setting is if you were going to have other CPU demanding programs running at the same time as using Pro Tools.
Next is the Hardware Buffer Size. This is related to Latency. All computer recording systems have latency. It's unavoidable, however we can adjust the amount of latency by changing the Hardware Buffer Size. I can go into the science of all of this but all you really need to know is to have it set at it's lowest if possible when recording and at around 512 or 1024 when Editing or Mixing. This is how I do it and never have any problems.
Higher sample rates allow your computer more time to process data which is good when you are running a big session or have lots of plugins but it also allows for more latency. Lower sample rates allow for less latency but does not provide enough CPU processing to account for large session etc.
Moving on to the RTAS Processors. RTAS is short for Real Time Audio Suite. It refers to effects processing and takes place in Real Time. Therefore it requires a ton of processing and resources. The RTAS Processor setting you choose determines how many processors available on your computer are allowed for RTAS Plugin Processing. It's pretty simple. If you use a lot of RTAS Plugins then choose a high or your highest setting you have.
Just underneath it there is an option to check Ignore Errors During Playback. I have this UnChecked as it says (May cause clicks and pops). Pretty self explanatory why I have mine UnChecked.
Below these settings we have the DAE Playback Buffer setting. DAE stands for Digidesign Audio Engine. As you can see it says Lower values for the disk reduce disk latency and higher values improve disk performance. I just leave it on the default setting which is 1500 ms; Level 2 and the same for the Cache Size. Which is set on Normal.
Okay, Lets close that up and move on. Go to Setup - Hardware.
On this page we have a few options to go through but first let's take a look at the sample rate. This sets the default sample rate for any new session you create. The settings here are what is available for your system. If your on Pro Tools HD it can go all the way up to 192 khz. 44.1 khz will be your default setting unless you change it. I have mine on 48 khz. There are thousands of discussion and debates on what sample rate is best to record with. Seriously, thousands. I won't get into what my opinion is on the matter but like I said, mine is set to 48 khz.
Next up let's go to the Clock Source. Clock Source is the timing reference all your digital equipment in your Pro Tools system has to sync up with to ensure accurate playback and recording. The default is set to Internal. The only time you need to change this is when your syncing to another device such as a A/D D/A convertor. Here in this screenshot I have mine set to Internal but at my studio it is set to Optical.
The other two options you don't really need to worry about so just leave them as they are.
Knowledge in this area will help you move ahead with using Pro Tools and will help to avoid common problems that most beginner users experience.
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