Huge performance improvement post tweaks!

Cubase
#1

For years i’ve always ended up running into issues in Cubase where once I get to the mix stage I can’t play the project without lots of freezing of tracks, and even with my basic template which has my core plugins loaded, (almost all being effects, as I only really uses hardware synths), I couldn’t play below 512 buffer without crackles. Enabling constrain delay compensation always helped when I needed to play at low buffer settings, and I could see it disabled about a dozen what must be heavier latency inducing plugins which was fine, as I could just re enable them when I was mixing, but still, it was annoying, and the issues when I was trying to mix were often a real pain, often even leading to crashes if I tried to push my system too hard.

I’ve tried tweaking my system to improve performance many a time but nothing has made much difference. My usual is:

  • RME UCX @ 48khz with MMCSS for ASIO enabled
  • i7 4790K OC’d @ 4.4Ghz with the usual recommended tweaks for music production like disabling speed stepping etc
  • Cubase settings: Multi-processing on, Normal ASIO guard on, Stenberg Power Scheme on
  • Windows tweaks like optimising processing for background services

I had accepted this issue for years and just got by assuming I must just be happening to my use of demanding plugins, but today after I had crackles on my default template at all buffer sizes I went and did some more tweaking to my usual above.

The first was enable Audio Priority in Cubase (I think i’ve tried that before though and it made no difference), and the second was changing my graphics card setting via its control panel tray icon from Graphics Profile - balanced, to Optimize Performance. (I use an aging gaming card, AMD R290)

I then double checked my BIOS settings and everything was the same as usual for my modestly OC’d CPU and with the usual audio performance tweaks in place like disabled speed stepping, but when I rebooted and started up Cubase with my template I couldn’t believe the difference!

The performance meter with nothing playing had dropped 50% and I was able to play at 96 buffer no problem whatsoever. :sunglasses:

The key thing that I had never tried before was changing my graphics card to optimise for performance, and possibly boost on Audio Priority.

Anyway, I hope this helps someone else out.

#2

ASIO Guard helped in my situation, as well as GPU settings but there are things that are sure to be addressed over the update cycle.

#3

Hi All,

barryfell this indeed worked for me too. I tried each of these suggestions individually and for me it was setting my GPU to performance. I have an NVIDIA GPU (GTX1080) and what I did was to go to the Manage 3D Settings dialogue in the NVIDIA Control Panel. From there I added Cubase to the list of Programs and set the Power Management Mode to ‘Prefer Maximum Performance’ for Cubase only.

My real-time peaks went from being in the red to essential not even registering! This has annoyed me for decades and this seems like a fix. I have an RME Fireface UFX and a very powerful PC. It’s always bugged me as my rig should handle things with ease. Now I know why it wasn’t.

I hope this helps others too.

Cheers and thanks again.

#4

That’s really interesting, I’ll have to try that out. Thanks for the heads-up.

There is also a setting in the same menu called “Threaded optimization” . . . I wonder what impact, if any, it might have on Cubase’s performance…

#5

Didn’t know graphics optimization would affect audio. I’ll have to try that.
I hadn’t any problems with hangups or crackles but staying ahead of the game is prudent.
Thanks for the heads up!

#6

When I try this the only version of Cubase that is listed as being available to add to the list is Cubase 8 (which indeed is still on my system). And there doesn’t seem to be any mechanism that I can find to browse my PC’s folders to find the Cubase 10 exe.

EDIT:
While the dropdown menu only included C8, clicking Add does not add C8 when that is what is showing from the dropdown. Rather it opens a dialog that shows all my installed programs including C10.

#7

I’m guessing that it depends on the graphics program you have as to what layout is presented. I get 2 different scenarios from 2 different 'puters.
On one of them, I see what you’re seeing for choices but when I run the same dialog that shows all my installed programs, it lets me select C9 for option to add.