How to optimise your computer for the best DAW performanceLeading Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) have decades of development behind them. They’re now supremely capable in all areas of audio production. Alongside these advancements, the computers we run them on have also become exponentially more powerful. But, of course, we all still run into performance issues.

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What we expect of our systems has increased dramatically. It’s immensely frustrating running into bottlenecks during a creative flow when all you want to do is add that seventh instance of Omnisphere without your system slowing down. Thankfully, there are some core settings you can tweak and some concepts that are common to most DAWs and computers that will help you avoid or fix any issues. Let’s dive in and find out what they are.
Multithreading is normal now
Most computers’ CPUs have, for many years, used multiple cores and within those, multi- or hyper-threading to maximise computing power, splitting complex tasks across multiple cores. All DAW developers have written their applications to use this, and it’s generally switched on by default.
In truth, there are few reasons why you’d ever need to lower the number of cores and threads your DAW has access to – maybe you really need to run a power-hungry video app at the same time – but it’s worth a visit to your DAW’s preferences to check it’s using the maximum amount of hardware available to it.
Despite modern computers being much faster than those of even a decade ago, it’s still a good rule of thumb to only run the apps you absolutely need, to ensure they receive maximum resources. Heavy apps like games or Final Cut Pro running in the background will sap power and steal RAM from your DAW, so keep it lean.
Logic Pro, like many other DAWs, lets you specify the number of cores or threads available to the software
Latency is still a thing
As powerful as computers are, there’s still the issue of latency to contend with – the gap between singing or playing a guitar, for example, and hearing the result back through your speakers or headphones. It’s compounded by the fact that we assume we can leave a project open with hundreds of live insert effects running and just carry on, but that loads up the system in a way that steals CPU cycles needed for low-latency processing.
DAW developers have come up with some clever ways of getting around this. In Cubase for example, Steinberg uses ASIO Guard, which pre-processes all channels and VST instruments that don’t need to be calculated in real-time, freeing up resources for you to use smaller buffer sizes. In Logic Pro, multithreading can be assigned differently to live and playback tracks, again to prioritise lower latency settings.
ASIO Guard in Cubase
In any DAW’s preferences, you can set your buffer size manually; as low as 32 samples for super quick processing, (virtually no latency but high CPU usage) and as high as 1,024 samples for less system load but more latency. When recording live – especially through plugin effects – you want the signal to be fed back to you with as short a delay as possible, and ideally none at all, otherwise the experience is disconcerting. But this requires more processing to be done by your computer
Typically, you’ll switch to a lower buffer setting when tracking and a higher value when mixing, at which time live input is less of a priority. Remember that you can always freeze tracks to temporarily remove the processor load of their instruments and effects, again freeing up power for smaller buffer sizes. Audio tracks that have been frozen require minimal power to play back since their effects have been ‘glued’ down. You can unfreeze them to make edits to their effects, at which point they start to consume more CPU cycles again.
FL Studio’s Audio Preferences where you can manage its performance settings
Practice good housekeeping
When it comes to general DAW performance, some things never change and there are general rules to keep things running as best as possible.
Be mindful of storing and sending files on cloud services. If they’re in the cloud, you can still use them and import them, but loading times will be much slower than if they are directly on your hard drive. Storing project-critical samples and recordings on your boot drive or a connected SSD (solid state) drive will ensure the best possible read and write speeds and hence overall performance.
Keeping project folders properly organised, as opposed to having files scattered all over the place, will minimise the risk of crucial data getting lost or deleted by accident.
Even something as simple as disconnecting unnecessary peripherals can head off potential issues with drivers and resource usage, so unhook those scanners, printers and game controllers.
The good news: your computer is smarter than it used to be
For many years, the first stop on your DAW-tweaking journey would be to dive into macOS or Windows’ systems and start changing the way they handle your DAW’s performance. This is, for the most part, no longer necessary or even possible.
Long gone are the days when you could manually choose RAM allocation on the Mac, or prioritise one app’s performance over others. Now, your system handles everything automatically and dynamically. In the case of Apple’s M-series Macs, this even extends to the unified memory that’s shared between all the system’s components.
But even if you are on a newer machine, and especially if you are on an older one, the advice we’ve set out still holds true. A lean, mean system that’s running only what you need, and where your data is properly organised, will give you the best possible DAW experience. Of course if you do have the option of upgrading components or adding RAM (we’re looking at Windows users here, Macs are barely user-upgradeable) then that’s another weapon in your arsenal. But even if that’s not on the cards, there’s plenty you can do to ensure your system is performing at its best.
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Out Take: Matt NovackMatt Novack

Composer

Web: mattnovack.com

Contact: kate.twilley@impact24pr.com

Most Recent: Miracle Workers: End Times

Composer Matt Novack, who wrote the music for TBS’ Miracle Workers: End Times, which premiered this summer, says this most recent project was a challenge in experimenting with synths to match the show’s ‘80s, VHS-movie aesthetic with the use of junkyard sorts of instruments working in conjunction with the synths. 

Novack’s credits also include the cult comedy series Children’s Hospital and Neftlix’s A Murderville Holiday Special, as well as work for podcasts and video games like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. With such a variety of genres and types of projects he’s worked on, including co-composing credits, Novack says he’s not sure if he has a distinct composing voice. “That’s something I think about a lot. I don’t know if I have a voice and could quantify it. There are things I know instinctively that I want to do musically with particular scenes, but I’m always trying to grow as a composer.” 

Novack said the comedy series Miracle Workers pushed him as a composer. “I’d used synths before, but never had the opportunity to dive deep with particular synth sounds and writing,” he says. “It was so much fun to get out of my comfort zone and learn new things. It reminded me of working on Children’s Hospital, which involved writing for so many parodies in different styles. That experience was a boot camp for a young composer.” 

With a degree in film scoring from USC, and an early-career gig as a composer’s assistant to Steven Stern, Novack took his own advice to aspiring composers: get a formal education and apprentice under a composer for real-world experience. 

“From a technical standpoint, aspiring composers should get to know different digital audio workstations (DAWs) like it’s your instrument, and learn how to write music in these programs and produce it,” Novack says. “And when you’re cold-emailing composers, producers, directors, etc., do your research on whomever you’re contacting. No one wants to read a generic email, and it’s obvious if you send one. If they’re a composer, check out their scores. If they’re a director, research their films.”

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The xx are making new music, Romy revealsBritish electronic trio The xx are making music for the first time in six years, band member Romy has said.

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Speaking to Spanish magazine Binaural, Romy, who released her solo album Mid Air in September, reveals that all three members, Romy, Oliver Sim – who released his own debut solo album, Hideous Bastard in 2022 – and Jamie XX have been in the studio making music this year.
“Well, the three of us recognised the need for something new to explore,” she says. “We all acknowledged the importance of giving ourselves the time and space to learn and grow.”
In the interview, she also shares her insights gained from collaborating with Fred again.. and others, expressing her desire “to offer Oliver and Jamie everything I’ve gathered.”

“This year, we’ve spent time in the studio together, with no pressure, although I’m mindful that our last album was released in 2017,” she says.
During a recent conversation with Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music 1, Romy discussed the potential direction of a new record with The xx and her eagerness to reconnect with the guitar.
“I have no idea,” she replies regarding the potential sonic palette. “We joke about it. Imagine trance pads from me, Oliver’s vocals, and Jamie on hectic drums. It’s amusing. However, we deeply appreciate The xx’s signature sound.”
She continues, “Personally, I’m thrilled to return to the guitar and revisit that sound in a fresh way. I believe in constant evolution. That’s why I embarked on this project, to learn and collaborate with others, to bring that newfound energy to Oliver and Jamie.”
Romy performed her solo show at All Points East festival in London this summer. MusicTech was there to witness the event, describing it as a “euphoric, technicolour performance” that saw the once introverted singer come out of her shell more.
Stream Romy’s solo album, Mid Air, via Bandcamp, and Oliver Sim’s Hideous Bastard via oliver-sim.com.
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AMSynths share the DIODE-01 Eurorack module, a Roland System 101 cloneAMSynths is working on the DIODE-01, a clone of the Roland System 101 synthesiser module with some features from the 102 section also incorporated in.

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The DIODE-01 is a pretty accurate replica of the 101 module, but with elements from the 102. It follows the layout and design of the 101, apart from the keyboard and its associated control panel. On the left, there’s an ADSR envelope and LFO, as well as the sample and hold from the 102.
Then there are the large oscillator sections, which have four waveforms, and pitch and range control with various modulations. Next is the audio mixer, which includes the noise generator from the 101 and ring modulation from the 102. It all goes into the high and low-pass diode filter the synth gets its name from. And, there’s a voltage-controlled amplifier.
The DIODE-01 is, at its essence, a wide Eurorack module. You could put it into a Moog Mother-32 60HP case, while it’ll also be available as a PCB & Panel DIY kit. However, you’ll have to source your own components.
The prototype is expected to be ready for next month, so it’s worth keeping an eye out for.
AMSynths is a small synthesiser manufacturer led by electronics engineer Rob Keeble. Keeble has plenty of experience when it comes to vintage synths, being behind both the Behringer System 100 and ARP 2500 modules.
Last month, Gear News reported that AMSynths revealed a Moog-like module, the AM-CP3 Console Panel. It’s actually a replica of the Moog CP3 Console Panel mixer module, and offers four channels of mixing.
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