MixConsole triggers persistent DWM (Desktop Window Manager) memory leak — Cubase Pro 14.0.41

Cubase
1

Summary:
Opening the MixConsole in Cubase Pro 14 causes a large, permanent increase in Windows’ Desktop Window Manager (dwm.exe) memory usage. The leaked memory is not released when the MixConsole is closed, when the project is closed, or even after Cubase is fully quit. Only restarting dwm.exe or rebooting Windows recovers the memory.

Steps to reproduce:

  1. Reboot Windows for a clean baseline
  2. Open Cubase Pro 14 (no project loaded) — DWM memory: ~565MB
  3. Load a project (no MixConsole open) — DWM memory: ~699MB (+134MB, expected)
  4. Open the MixConsole — DWM memory: ~2,123MB (+1.4GB)
  5. Close the MixConsole — DWM memory: ~2,158MB (no recovery)
  6. Close the project — DWM memory: ~1,998MB (minor partial recovery)
  7. Quit Cubase entirely — DWM memory: ~2,049MB (no further recovery — leak persists after Cubase is closed)

System info:

  • Cubase Pro 14.0.41 (x64), built Nov 27 2025
  • ASUS ProArt 16 laptop
  • AMD Ryzen APU with integrated Radeon graphics + discrete Nvidia GPU (hybrid graphics)
  • External monitor connected via the discrete Nvidia GPU
  • Windows 11

Suspected cause:
Likely related to GPU-compositing of the MixConsole’s real-time meters/animated UI elements across the hybrid iGPU/dGPU setup, where DWM allocates but does not release compositing buffers.

Impact:
Repeated MixConsole use during a session leads to escalating system memory pressure, requiring manual DWM restarts or reboots to recover.

2

May be a Win 11 thing. Not seeing it here with Win 10.
DWM memory usage before opening Cubase was 42.5 megabytes.
After opening a Cubase project and all 4 consoles, DWM memory usage went up to 43.5 megabytes.
On closing Cubase DWM memory usage is 43.1 megabytes.
Win 10, Cubase 14.0.41, i9 12900, AMD 7900XTX, 64 gigs RAM

Is that :up_arrow: an AI post?