Queue buffers

SONAR allows you to set the number of queue buffers in Edit > Preferences > Audio - Driver Settings. A higher number of queue buffers will take longer to fill, and therefore cause an increase in latency. A lower number of queue buffers decreases latency, but may cause “dropouts.” The default setting is 2. For more information, see Mixing latency, and Dropouts and other audio problems.

CPU meter/Disk meter/Dropout indicator

SONAR has several tools to help you identify and correct audio problems, including the CPU meter and Disk meter in the Control Bar’s Performance module, and the Dropout indicator in the Transport module.

Figure 381. The Transport module.

The Dropout Indicator appears whenever your project requires more resources than your CPU, main memory, and disk can supply. For details, see Dropouts and other audio problems.

Figure 382. The Performance module.

A. CPU meters (one per ) B. Disk Activity indicator C. Disk Space meter D. Memory Usage meter

The Performance module contains the following controls:

CPU meters. Displays the time it takes to process a buffer full of audio data as a percentage of the maximum time available to process that data and maintain uninterrupted playback. There is one CPU meter for each in your computer, up to 32 cores. There is some tolerance built into the meter, so it is possible that it will exceed 100% at times (more so during recording than playback).

Note: The width of the Performance module depends on the number of CPU cores available.

Disk Activity indicator . Measures how much of the available time SONAR is using to perform input/output functions on your hard disk. The size of your setup’s I/O buffer size (listed under File System in Edit > Preferences > Audio - Sync and Caching) determines how much time is allowed to perform disk operations and maintain uninterrupted playback. When SONAR performs disk operations, the Disk Activity indicator changes color from yellow to red to indicate the time SONAR is taking to complete each cycle of disk input/output. A red icon indicates very high data activity.

Disk Space meter. Shows the amount of available space on the drive where your wave data directory is located. The tooltip shows the actual remaining disk space on your audio disk.

Memory Usage (RAM) meter. Shows the total memory (RAM) usage by your computer, not just by SONAR.

Note: If you experience a dropout or your CPU or Disk meters are reading high, there are steps you can take to improve your audio performance. For more information, see Audio dropouts or crashes during playback.

 

See also:

Multiprocessor load balancing