Optimizing for 13

Cubase
1

Hey, guys.

I’m looking for some general advice for tuning my systems. I came to 13 from 11, and audio performance issues seem to be more common in 13. However, I know a lot can be done with the right tuning.

I’m a classic rock guy, so my projects aren’t massive, nor are they excessively plugin heavy. With 13 I’ve uninstalled every third party plugin I own, and my use is typically just the stuff you need for mixing. The stock plugins are sufficient (and often quite good) for my needs, and if I need keyboards I record the audio & midi from physical gear.

I have three Windows 10 workstations. Two are identical desktops running 3.2 Gz 4 core Xeon, 24 gigs of memory. The laptop is a 2.5 Ghz 4 core i7 with 16 gigs of memory. So, obviously older systems with modest power, but they’ve served me well for what I do. The laptop uses a Focusrite 18i20, network desktop uses Focusrite 2i2 and the control room has a Yamaha TF 5 mixer that also serves as the audio interface.

Another consideration is that both the laptop station and one of the desktops access the project across the network. I have one gigabit network cards and throughput is generally good, but of course it’s never optimal to access over a network. The desktop in the control room accesses them locally and that’s where I work the most. The other two are for tracking keys and other conveniences. I’ve seen random Asio Guard spikes on the laptop and network desktop. I don’t know if disk access performance contributes to this or not. I didn’t see the disk usage peaking.

As an aside, I’ve been very happy with my decision to go 100% stock plugins. Steinberg has been leaning into their plugins the last few versions and there’s nothing I used to pay for that I need anymore. That allowed me to ditch the iLok and another dongle, so now I just walk into a room, bring up the project, and rock and roll. Obviously my approach wouldn’t work for a lot of you doing modern music, but I’m quite enjoying the minimalist approach. Once I get the computers all tuned, I think I’m going to enjoy this release very much.

With all that said, what are the common things I should look into optimizing for each environment to offer the best performance possible?

I’m sure there are threads that detail these things, so pointing me to links would be appreciated, as well as any tips and tricks you’ve picked up along the way.

I’ve been using Cubase since 6, but honestly I’ve never had to bother with tuning my systems. Everything just worked. 13 looks to require some effort in that area, so it’s worth taking the time to get things in order.

Thanks!

2

Wow! And congratulations on that.

I can’t say the same, but it’s refreshing to see anyone approaching this from your aspect. Years ago, you could generally think any 3rd party plugs are higher quality or better than stock plugs. You can’t assume that today. Some Cubase plugs are pretty close to some 3rd party plugs except a complete different name and GUI. Developers often need to out sousrce.

Take a look at Frequency2 if you ever need excellent dynamic compression, including multiple sources as well as multiple side chain sources that are not found in any other VST.

Cubase 6.5 was a fantastic version. With Cubase 7 came the new mix consoles and a lot of problems.

There are a few Windows 10 tweaks, but not nearly as many as W7. One I can think of is how to apply Windows Defender Windows 10 exceptions for files.

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I have no doubt that there are a ton of plugins out there that are far superior to what Cubase offers, but my current thinking is that what I have is close enough for rock and roll. Literally. Most of my songs are guitar, bass, drums, keys and vocals, and it just ain’t that complicated.

By limiting myself to the stock plugins, it forces me to think more about what I’m doing as a mixer. No amount of fancy plugins will compensate if I make bad decisions, so this gets me back to basics. Back in the BC era (Before Computers), people put out great songs using far less than what I have available even with stock plugins, so if I can’t make the mix sound great the problem is probably me.

I did a quick Google on file exceptions for Windows Defender but I’m not sure I’m following what I would want to do in relation to Cubase. Could you point me in the right direction on that?

1 Like
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I agree. A good composition, or maybe even just a hook with the right feel, knowing what works with what with the right instruments and correct mix is a good song. If you don’t get these basics up front, then down the road at mixing and mastering you end up polishing a turd.

Maybe and maybe not. Ask Max Martin who said sometimes it can be a complicated process to ultimately sound simple… But again, sometimes you just got the right feel and vibe, but you do another 100 takes only to go back to take 1. Seems like that was a Quincy/Jackson thing?

Thats so refreshing to hear. Or maybe I’m around the wrong people too much!

I think your in the right direction already. Think about your trusted files like your sample drive, or maybe folders, and think if you really want Defender to scan those files you know are good and not corrupted every time an application opens them?

I’m sure others will chime in here. I’m not an expert at all.

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Steinberg advice on this is here if you’ve not seen it:

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I can assure you, I’ve polished my share of turds, but in fairness they were of my own making. Live and learn. I’m a big fan of lightning in a bottle. If I nail it on the first take, there will be no second take. But of course, 100 takes is great when you’re an engineer getting paid by the hour.

I’ll look into the Defender thing. My projects are all under a single root, so if it can recursively exclude what’s under it that would be easy enough. Thanks for the help (and the insights).

7

Thanks for the link, man. Definitely the sort of thing I was looking for.

It was all pretty familiar stuff and ground I’ve already covered. What I discovered by the end of the day today is that the new Vocal Chain plugin is unusable on all three systems.

I ran with quite a few plugins all day today with zero problems. However, if I disabled all of them and added just one instance of Vocal Chain I got consistent Asio Guard spikes.

That’s a shame since it looks like a nice plugin, but with the performance problems it brings I’ll just have to stick with the individual plugin approach. Maybe as time goes on they’ll clean up some of the issues in 13 and I’ll be able to give it a try again.