Optimizing Songs

Below follows things you can check and change to make sure your song uses as little computer processing power and memory as possible:

Global

•	To reduce the Song file size, delete unused recordings on Audio Tracks.

This won’t affect the processing power but will reduce the Song file size, which might be desirable in many situations. See “Delete Unused Recordings”.

•	Use the “Save and Optimize” function when you’re finished editing your song.

As a final step, after you have recorded and edited your song, use the “Save and Optimize” function on the File menu. This will remove any “empty” disk areas in the song file, making the file as small as possible - see “Saving and optimizing a Song”.

•	Bounce Mixer Channels.

If you’re using a lot of devices in an instrument track, you could bounce the instrument track to an Audio Track. Doing so makes it possible to delete the instrument track afterwards and thus reduce the processing power. See “Bouncing Mixer Channels”.

•	Delete unused devices.

If a device isn’t actually doing anything, delete it from the rack.

•	Use fewer devices.

For example, instead of using several similar reverbs as separate insert effects, replace them all with one, set up as a send effect on a Send FX bus in the Main Mixer. By the same token, try to use one sampler playing several different samples instead of numerous samplers playing one sample each.

•	Don’t use stereo unless it is required.

For example, if a sampler or Dr. Octo Rex loop player is playing mono material, only connect the Left output and leave the Right output unconnected.

Main Mixer

•	Make sure you deactivate any channel strip parameters or sections you don’t use in your song.

This could, for example, be Input Gain and INV, EQ, Filters, Dynamics and Insert FX.

•	Delete any Mix Channel devices and/or Audio Track devices you don’t use in your song.

Sample Players – NN19, NNXT, Dr. Octo Rex, Grain and Redrum

•	Only activate High Quality Interpolation (where applicable) when it is required.

Listen to the sound in a context and determine whether you think this setting makes any difference.

•	If you are playing back a sample at a much higher pitch than it was recorded at, consider sample rate converting the actual sample file to a lower sample rate.

This will require an external sample editor with good sample rate conversion facilities.

•	Try to refrain from using stereo samples.

Filters – Subtractor, Thor, Malström, NN19, NNXT, Grain, Europa and Dr. Octo Rex

•	Deactivate filters that are not used.

Observe that if the Cutoff is all the way up or the envelope is set to open the filter fully, then the filter doesn’t affect the sound. Conserve processing power by disabling the filter altogether.

•	Where applicable, use the 12dB lowpass filter instead of the 24dB lowpass filter.

See if you can get the same sonic result by using the 12dB filter, since it uses up less processing power.

Polyphonic Devices – Subtractor, Thor, Malström, NN19, NNXT, Grain, Europa, Dr. Octo Rex and Redrum

•	Try making the device play fewer voices.

This can be done for example by lowering the release and setting the Polyphony setting to exactly the maximum number of notes played simultaneously by this device.

Note that just lowering the polyphony setting has no effect. Unused voices do not consume processing power.

•	Where applicable, try the Low Bandwidth (Low BW) setting.

This will remove some high frequency content from the sound of this particular device, but often this is not noticeable (this is especially true for bass sounds).

Subtractor

•	Try avoiding using Oscillator 2 altogether.

If you can create the sound you need with only one oscillator, this saves considerable amounts of processing power.

•	Do not use the oscillator Phase mode if you don’t need it.

In other words, set the Oscillator Mode switches to “o”, not “*” or “–”.

•	Do not activate Noise unless required.

•	Do not activate Filter 2 unless required.

•	Do not use FM unless required.

In other words, set the oscillator FM knob to “0” and make sure no modulation source is routed to FM.

Thor

•	In general, unload any filters or oscillators that aren’t used.

Malström

•	If it isn’t necessary, refrain from using Osc B at all.

If you can produce the desired sound by using Osc A only, this will save a lot of processing power.

•	If one or both Oscillators are routed to one Filter only, and/or the Spread parameter is set to “0”, only connect one of the outputs (the one to which the filter is connected) to the mixer, and leave the other one unconnected.

•	Try to see if you can achieve the desired effect by using only one of the filters, and without using the shaper.

Using both of the filters and the shaper in conjunction requires considerably more processing power than using just one of the filters and/or the shaper.

Redrum

•	Do not use the Tone feature available on channels 1, 2 and 9.

Make sure the Tone controls and their accompanying Vel knobs are set to “0” (“twelve o’ clock” position).

Mixer devices

•	Avoid using stereo inputs when not required.

For example, if your sampler or Dr. Octo Rex player is playing mono material, only connect it to the Left input on a mixer channel. Leave the Right input unconnected.

•	Do not activate EQ (Mixer 14:2 only) unless required.

If a channel doesn’t make use of EQ, make sure it’s EQ button is deactivated.

Distortion

•	The D-11 Foldback Distortion will use up less CPU power than the Scream 4 Distortion device.

Reverb

•	The RV-7 uses much less power than the RV7000.

For some applications the RV-7 might do just fine, and will use up much less power.

•	If you are running out of processing power, try the Low Density algorithm for the RV-7.

This uses up much less power than other algorithms.

Send Effects

•	When you are using mono effects as send effects, you can connect the effect returns in mono as well (disconnect the cable to Aux Return Right on the Main Mixer).

This is true for the following effects:

•	D-11 Distortion

•	Scream 4 Distortion

•	ECF-42 Envelope Controlled Filter

•	COMP-01 Compressor

•	PEQ-2 Parametric EQ

•	DDL-1 Delay (provided the Pan parameter is set to center position).

•	MClass effects; Equalizer, Compressor, Maximizer.