Performance module

The Performance module lets you monitor your computer’s performance, including CPU, disk and memory activity.

Figure 265. Performance module sizes.

To show/hide the Performance module

Right-click the Control Bar and select Modules > Performance.

Figure 266. The Performance module.

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

The Performance module contains the following controls:

CPU meters. The CPU meters let you monitor your computer’s CPU activity. Right-click the CPU meters to specify the global CPU meter mode:

Audio Processing. Measures Sonar’s audio processing load, which is 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 core in your computer, up to 128 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).

System Performance. Displays the global system-wide load across all cores, as reported by the operating system rather than by measuring Sonar’s audio processing load.

Overall App Performance. Displays a single CPU meter for the entire Sonar process CPU utilization across all cores.

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.

CPU metrics

Diagnosing glitches in audio playback is easy with the Engine Load and Late Buffers metrics in the Performance module tooltip. To view these new metrics, hover the mouse over the Performance module. Note: you must have Show Tooltips enabled in Preferences > Customization - Display to see this.

The Engine Load value is a percentage of the total time the engine took to process an audio buffer. If it takes 100% or more of the allotted time, the buffer is processed too late and it will result in audio glitches/distortion. The value in parenthesis represents the max engine load since the time the engine started.

Engine load is a better metric to help troubleshoot audio glitches during playback since it accounts for other delays in synchronizing and processing audio workloads beyond what the CPU meters report. It's normal for engine load to be higher than the average CPU meter value shown.

The Late Buffers count indicates the total number of buffers that took too long to process since the time the engine started. Too many late buffers will result in audible glitches or distortion in playback due to the audio device not receiving buffers in time.

 

Note: It's OK to have a few sporadic late buffers during playback since it will not result in audible glitches.

The Audio Thread Priority can be useful for troubleshooting purposes.

If the main audio thread is running in MMCSS mode, the tooltip should read like this:

 

Note: If the tooltip shows “Time Critical” when MMCSS is enabled in ASIO mode, it's possible that the driver is not using MMCSS, or has set up MMCSS incorrectly. In Realtime mode, priority may be higher than 18.

 

See:

CPU meter/Disk meter/Dropout indicator

Improving audio performance

Getting the most out of your computer

Reduce GUI updates to improve playback performance

Improving recording performance

 

See also:

Export module

Tools module

Snap module

Transport module

Mix module

Loop module

Select module

Punch module

Screenset module

ACT module

Markers module

Event Inspector module

Sync Module

Custom module

Mix Recall module