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Processor maxing out with audio glitches when turning pages!

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neuticus

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Re: Processor maxing out with audio glitches when turning pa

PostMon Mar 14, 2016 8:54 pm

[quote="TheOrganDoc"]Hi,
I quess if all else fails, you could use a inexpensive second computer, for the Music Display ! :roll:

That is precisely how I solved the problem of page-turn-induced audio glitches on my Mac-based system.
Jim Park
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abaymajr

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Re: Processor maxing out with audio glitches when turning pa

PostSat Feb 17, 2018 5:56 am

neuticus wrote:
TheOrganDoc wrote:Hi,
I quess if all else fails, you could use a inexpensive second computer, for the Music Display ! :roll:

That is precisely how I solved the problem of page-turn-induced audio glitches on my Mac-based system.


Just to add some personal experience on this topic. For me, an Hauptwerk user since middle of 2015, I always shared a single tablet PC computer between the tasks of hosting Hauptwerk engine itself, operating it and reading/annotating PDF music files. It was never a 100% reliable combination, but glitch resilience became gradually worse since some Windows 10 updates, specially after CU release. DPC latency checks had rarely shown spikes, even during Hauptwerk meter spikes and/or audio glitches, second to some tests I did in the past. Turning all mobile battery-saving and performance-related features off in BIOS and Windows had not solved neither. I use Cantabile as a VST host, but the audio performance is the same with Reaper or Steinberg Cubase, or Hauptwerk-->ASIO interface direct output. The change that produced better results (but not 100% perfect) was to raise buffer size to 1024. But this, associated to Dirac Live own latency, turns the whole Hauptwerk setup intolerably laggy. One thing that occurred since my first Hauptwerk day among three different notebooks was HW CPU meter spikes, even when there's no load at all. Yesterday, looking for the cause and a possible solution for this, I tested a suggestion made by another user, to rise Hauptwerk process to realtime priority. Bingo. HW meter spikes disappeared. And the best thing was to come. All kind of audio glitches, even on some torture tests, in unreal situations, disappeared also. Now, I can even set buffer to 256 frames with a simple Steinberg or Focusrite USB audio interface, turn/jump/drag complex 2 or 4-page screen arrangements, changing opened PDF files, active pen annotating and switching application through touch movements (both operations cause sudden CPU usage increasing), nothing cause a single audio glitch anymore, even when done while playing the console or a recorded MIDI file. I did even a torture test, like streaming three audio/video sources while doing all those tasks. NO AUDIO PROBLEMS AT ALL!

I know this process priority changing is not encouraged nor supported by HW documentation or staff. Also, I do not know if there would be a hidden drawback in long run. But until now, this was the only thing the really and hugely increased resilience to audio glitches. Hauptwerk process priority change was made permanent using System Explorer (http://systemexplorer.net/).
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organsRgreat

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Re: Processor maxing out with audio glitches when turning pa

PostSat Feb 17, 2018 7:26 am

abaymajr: Please could you explain how to “rise Hauptwerk process to realtime priority”? Does that require System Explorer? I've just tried right-clicking on Hauptwerk in the Task Manager, and can't find the option there.

To mumblecake: If you turn off your modem at the mains, and don't install anything “new”, there's no way a virus or other nasty could reach your computer. So first turn off the modem, then the virus scanner. Obviously I can't be responsible for any negative results, but that is what I do on my computer, and there have been no problems so far. I also turn off my modem at night, to stop Windows re-setting my machine and doing any update which I may not want just then.
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mdyde

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Re: Processor maxing out with audio glitches when turning pa

PostSat Feb 17, 2018 7:45 am

Hello organsRgreat,

You can (temporarily) change the priority of a process by right-clicking on the process on the 'Details' tab in Windows Task Manager. However, all of Hauptwerk's audio engine and other audio performance-critcal threads already run at the highest priority that Windows allows within the process priority (THREAD_PRIORITY_TIME_CRITICAL, which is priority 15 for the NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS process priority), and increasing the process priority to 'Realtime', will give them a priority of 31, which is the highest possible priority that Windows allows, and higher than the ASIO driver's own threads (15) and the MIDI drivers' own threads, so you risk making performance worse, as well as making the computer unstable (especially given that Hauptwerk's audio threads are very CPU-intensive):

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/ms685100(v=vs.85).aspx

"You should almost never use REALTIME_PRIORITY_CLASS, because this interrupts system threads that manage mouse input, keyboard input, and background disk flushing. This class can be appropriate for applications that "talk" directly to hardware or that perform brief tasks that should have limited interruptions."

If you want to try it, it's at your own risk!

(Definitely don't set the process priority to 'High' or 'Above normal', since you would be increasing the priority of Hauptwerk's background models, such as the wind supply model, to the same level as its audio engine threads.)
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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organsRgreat

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Re: Processor maxing out with audio glitches when turning pa

PostMon Feb 19, 2018 5:57 pm

Thank you for such a detailed explanation Martin – I'd no idea Windows has so many levels of priority. I checked via the Task Manager and Hauptwerk's priority is set to normal.

Fortunately I have very few audio glitches on my desktop computer, and turning off the antivirus (with internet disconnected) reduces them still further. I know there are quite a few ideas listed in the User Guide that can help, so if necessary I'll work through them, which should avoid the need to do anything more drastic!
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mdyde

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Re: Processor maxing out with audio glitches when turning pa

PostTue Feb 20, 2018 5:24 am

Thanks, organsRgreat. You're very welcome.

As well as our own PC audio performance tuning/troubleshooting suggestions (in the user guide or here: https://www.hauptwerk.com/clientuploads/documentation/Tutorials/WindowsOptimizationsAndDiagnostics.pdf ), Cantabile also have an excellent free guide on the subject:

https://www.cantabilesoftware.com/glitchfree/
Best regards, Martin.
Hauptwerk software designer/developer, Milan Digital Audio.
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