VST processind sound card
Sergio T.P.
I'm looking for a sound card that I'm not sure if it does exists...
I use Cubase and Live with a lot of VST's. Although I have a quite
powerfull computer I sometimes experience some lack of performance due
to the CPU is saturated and working at it's 100%.
I wonder if I could resolve this problem (without having to freeze the
VST's) with a more powerful soundcard. I think that there might exist
soundcards with some kind of specialized DSP or processor that might
compute the sound synthesys made by the VSTs and free the CPU of some
work (the same that graphic cards, that processes the task of
rendering the graphics in a dedicated processor).
I've been searching in Google and in groups but I could'nt find
anything... The nearest thing I've discovered are "hardware VST
hosts" (Muse Receptor and Audioplug), but I was thinking just about a
more professional sound card...
Appart the CPU (and probably the sound card), what are the other
hardware factors that might me help to improve the performance? Does
the RAM memory have a big impact (when I open the task manager I
realize the CPU is at its 100%; but there seem to be free RAM memory).
My set up is:
Intel Core DUO2
1GB of RAM
Sound Blaster Live, with Project KX drivers.
WinXP
Cubase SX3
Thank you very much.
SODDI the Hateful
"Sergio T.P." <sergioto...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:f81a0976-42c0-41d7...@q27g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Get more RAM.
If that Sound Blaster is running at 48, there's a big part of your problem
there.
Deputy Dumbya Dawg
peace
dawg
Arny Krueger
message
news:f81a0976-42c0-41d7...@q27g2000prf.googlegroups.com
> I'm looking for a sound card that I'm not sure if it does
> exists...
> I use Cubase and Live with a lot of VST's. Although I
> have a quite powerfull computer I sometimes experience
> some lack of performance due to the CPU is saturated and
> working at it's 100%.
You said that your CPU is an Intel Core Duo2. You know that title covers a
wide variety of processors, so you really didn't say a lot, right?
> I wonder if I could resolve this problem (without having
> to freeze the VST's) with a more powerful soundcard. I
> think that there might exist soundcards with some kind of
> specialized DSP or processor that might compute the sound
> synthesys made by the VSTs and free the CPU of some work
> (the same that graphic cards, that processes the task of
> rendering the graphics in a dedicated processor).
Rule of thumb is that the cheapest processing power at hand comes in the
form of the CPU on the system board.
Most coprocessors are used for situations where it is impractical to have a
system CPU and everything that it takes to run it, at hand. Or, they are
used for very narrow, well-defined applications where a highly specialized
architecture is appreciably more optimal.
Julien BH
> wide variety of processors, so you really didn't say a lot, right?
Still with a C2D (whatever power if it is a desktop), he shouldn't
have trouble running lots of VST's except if those said VST's are
configured badly.
If it's a laptop, then it means nothing since there are lousy C2D
available for them.
I have a C2D 2.66ghz and I still wonder how I could make it sweat
without having 2 Cubase projects opened at the same time...
Philipp Wachtel
> I'm looking for a sound card that I'm not sure if it does exists...
>
> I use Cubase and Live with a lot of VST's. Although I have a quite
> powerfull computer I sometimes experience some lack of performance due
> to the CPU is saturated and working at it's 100%.
If you use the right VST plug-ins, it愀 easy to saturate ANY cpu, no matter
how powerful it is. ;-) They all have different amounts of CPU load... there
are light-weights and heavy-weights. For example, a convolution reverb
plug-in will easily require a big CPU load, whilst you might instead load 20
eq plug-ins to put stress on your CPU...
> I wonder if I could resolve this problem (without having to freeze the
> VST's) with a more powerful soundcard. I think that there might exist
> soundcards with some kind of specialized DSP or processor that might
> compute the sound synthesys made by the VSTs and free the CPU of some
> work (the same that graphic cards, that processes the task of
> rendering the graphics in a dedicated processor).
Of course, you can get a DSP card, like the UAD-1, TC PowerCore, SSL
Duende - BUT neither of these will work with standard VSTs, they only accept
specific proprietary plug-ins! I haven愒 heard of a card, that can be used
for standard VST plug-ins yet.
> I've been searching in Google and in groups but I could'nt find
> anything... The nearest thing I've discovered are "hardware VST
> hosts" (Muse Receptor and Audioplug), but I was thinking just about a
> more professional sound card...
About anything is "more professional" than the SB live you mentioned below.
Rather get a card with a real and well-written ASIO drivers. Many people get
along well with the "M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496". Good drivers, better
sounding converters and even cheaper than a current Creative Audigy card.
Should be around 100 US$ or less. Big improvement over a SB live!!!
> My set up is:
>
> Intel Core DUO2
how fast?
> 1GB of RAM
RAM has become dirt cheap, get as much as possible in your machine
> Sound Blaster Live, with Project KX drivers.
rather a work-around, than a serious sound card
cheers,
Phil
Laurence Payne
<sergioto...@gmail.com> wrote:
>I'm looking for a sound card that I'm not sure if it does exists...
>
>I use Cubase and Live with a lot of VST's. Although I have a quite
>powerfull computer I sometimes experience some lack of performance due
>to the CPU is saturated and working at it's 100%.
>
>I wonder if I could resolve this problem (without having to freeze the
>VST's) with a more powerful soundcard. I think that there might exist
>soundcards with some kind of specialized DSP or processor that might
>compute the sound synthesys made by the VSTs and free the CPU of some
>work (the same that graphic cards, that processes the task of
>rendering the graphics in a dedicated processor).
Ditch the Soundblaster. The bottom-line replacement continues to be
the M-Audio 2496 Audiophile PCI card. Or you can pay a lot more, get
a (very) little more quality and no better performance with VSTi
whatsoever!
Plugin effects use processing power. UNLESS they are sample-playing
VST Instruments, in which case they also greatly benefit from enough
RAM to cache all the required samples. So double your RAM.
In Control Panel/System/Advanced make sure that Processor Priority is
set to Background Services (your soundcard driver is a background
service).
Make sure your Cubase Projects use 44.1KHz sample rate, unless you
have a particular reason for another rate. And, on a Project using
VSTIs I'll be VERY interested to hear that reason :-)
You'll still manage to max out your computer if you try hard! Use
Send effects instead of Insert Effects when appropriate. Consider
setting a lower latency figure while tracking in realtime from a MIDI
keyboard, a higher one when mixing.
Terry Cano
Keep in mind that not all VST will work in
the DSP sound card. You can find effects, reverbs, compressors etc.
These tend to be the high end stuff and not cheap.
The VST device has to be written to work with the sound card
not many of these do.
Terrynews:f81a0976-42c0-41d7...@q27g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
Federico
Since PT HD the TDM system is now affordable.
You'll have full access to PT (up to 6.4 version) and you'll be able to use
RTAS plugins too.
With FXpansion VST to RTAS you can use almost all of your VST plugins.
And the system becames expandable since you can add as many cards you like.
But it won't add processing power when you use Cubase or Live...
F.
Laurence Payne
wrote:
Well, that's why not then, isn't it? :-)
Sergio T.P.
Thank you to all of you for your replies.
I'll take a look to the Audiophile sound card. But the way, what is
the main drawback of an USB card in comparation with a PCI one? I
suppose it will be latency (MIDI latency), but are USB cards worse
when speaking about processing power? (when comparing, for example,
the PCI / USB versions of the Audiophile).
Anyway, my project was configured to 48 KHz, and changing that has
helped a lot.
I've been messing with the VST's and changing FX from insert to send,
and I've realized that the plugin that most CPU uses is the Steinberg
Multiband Compressor... do you find it reasonable?
Btw, my CPU speed is 1.86Ghz.
Again, thanks you all for replying.
Federico
Just curious...
F.
Mike Rivers
> I'll take a look to the Audiophile sound card. But the way, what is
> the main drawback of an USB card in comparation with a PCI one?
Mostly the difference is that with one you have to open up the computer
and the other you don't. If you get into the area where your computer is
just marginal, then perhaps a PCI card will have the edge, as long as
you don't have problems with interrupt conflicts, but with most modern
computers, it doesn't really matter much.
--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me here:
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
(mriv...@d-and-d.com)
Laurence Payne
wrote:
>> I'll take a look to the Audiophile sound card. But the way, what is
>> the main drawback of an USB card in comparation with a PCI one?
>
>Mostly the difference is that with one you have to open up the computer
>and the other you don't. If you get into the area where your computer is
>just marginal, then perhaps a PCI card will have the edge, as long as
>you don't have problems with interrupt conflicts, but with most modern
>computers, it doesn't really matter much.
Careful. There may be no technical reason why a USB2 card couldn't
have good performance, but a lot of the ones out there are USB 1.1
compatible, and don't.
Fluffy
<x@x.x> wrote:
> bout anything is "more professional" than the SB live you mentioned below.
> Rather get a card with a real and well-written ASIO drivers. Many people get
> along well with the "M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496". Good drivers, better
> sounding converters and even cheaper than a current Creative Audigy card.
> Should be around 100 US$ or less. Big improvement over a SB live!!!
Be careful that it will fit though.
I just bought one for my Core 8 and had to send it back because the PCI
card slots are different.
Philipp Wachtel
> Philipp Wachtel wrote:
>
>> bout anything is "more professional" than the SB live you mentioned
>> below. Rather get a card with a real and well-written ASIO drivers.
>> Many people get along well with the "M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496".
>> Good drivers, better sounding converters and even cheaper than a
>> current Creative Audigy card. Should be around 100 US$ or less. Big
>> improvement over a SB live!!!
>
>
> Be careful that it will fit though.
> I just bought one for my Core 8 and had to send it back because the
> PCI card slots are different.
Maybe your board has only PCIe slots - these are much shorter than normal
PCI slots?!
I don´t know, if there´s a PCIe version of the Delta2496, but I haven´t had
problems with mine (standard PCI) in 3 different mainboards now. I also
haven´t heard any complaints from the other people, I know who have such a
card.
Just make sure, your mainboard does have normal PCI slots (often besides
PCIe slots on "newer" boards) and there should be no problem, putting a
Delta PCI card into your system.
Or did you mean, there was a manufacturing error on your specific card???
Phil
Laurence Payne
>
>Be careful that it will fit though.
>I just bought one for my Core 8 and had to send it back because the PCI
>card slots are different.
Be aware that PCI and PCIe are quite different animals :-)
Deputy Dumbya Dawg
"Laurence Payne" <l...@laurencepayne.co.uk> wrote in message
news:51g7v3l50k5c3udeu...@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 2 Apr 2008 17:09:10 +0200, "Federico"
> <8....@tiscali.it>
> wrote:
>
>>Why not a Digidesign TDM card?
>>Since PT HD the TDM system is now affordable.
How affordable compared to ......say adding a used UAD-1 card
for say 300 bux to his existing system? Pro Fools would then
be only ten to a hundred times more expensive than the UAD
solution after he gets the Mac and the profools six.
peace
dawg
Federico
> How affordable compared to ......say adding a used UAD-1 card
> for say 300 bux to his existing system? Pro Fools would then be only ten
> to a hundred times more expensive than the UAD solution after he gets the
> Mac and the profools six.
One of my PT rigs runs on a PC, flawlessly.
HD priced are still very high.... but used PT TDM cards are about $120 for a
DSP farm and $400 for Mix Core and Mix Farms....
And that's not ten times more expensive then the UAD.
I wouldn't want to buy a card that tells me which plugings to use and UAD
does.
(I admit that the TDM card tells me which program to use... and you have to
take this into cosideration)
But.. if you are using Cubase then why not PT? Ableton Live is another
things indeed.
F.
Deputy Dumbya Dawg
"Federico" <8....@tiscali.it> wrote in message
news:47f4ce9f$0$4798$4faf...@reader4.news.tin.it...
Didn't know about the TDM cards used so cheap.
I use Steinberg, but why in the world would I want to trade a
tool I know for one everyone but me knows? Transferring files
and compatibility is a non issue since a project on one rig
will rarely run exactly like it does on another unless they
are configured exactly the same hardware and software. Why
bother with that kind of "compatibility"?
Peace
dawg
Fluffy
<x@x.x> wrote:
> Maybe your board has only PCIe slots - these are much shorter than normal
> PCI slots?!
> I don´t know, if there´s a PCIe version of the Delta2496, but I haven´t had
> problems with mine (standard PCI) in 3 different mainboards now. I also
> haven´t heard any complaints from the other people, I know who have such a
> card.
> Just make sure, your mainboard does have normal PCI slots (often besides
> PCIe slots on "newer" boards) and there should be no problem, putting a
> Delta PCI card into your system.
>
> Or did you mean, there was a manufacturing error on your specific card???
>
>
> Phil
Nope, the card doesn't actually fit.
Not sure what new Macs take now, but I figured after 15 years of buying
PCI cards I'd be safe getting one for the Core 8.
I contacted M-Audio and they don't make anything that'll fit.
fran...@gmail.com
try exporting all your vst tracks to audio, add all your midi files to
a folder track for later ajustment (save all vst preset), in ableton
just save the vst as clips then bonce to audio. You'll find that all
your pc power will be freed up, you'll need this for added efxs later
when mixing.
Get rid of the soundblaster if your going to take it serious, M-audio
24/96 are dirt cheap now (under 50quid) on ebay, But its not the card
thats the prob (well it is but not the problem your discribing), its
to many instruments running at the same time, so when doing audio on
cubase etc turn everything off including antivirus software these are
constantly taking up cpu power. But dont forget to turn it back on
before connecting to the net.
the only think you should have on your cubase etc is audio tracks
ready for a mix useing compression eqs reverb etc these them self need
alot off cpu, so keep this in mind all the time....?