Build specifically for DAW/Reaper/Audio

Task Manager can vary quite a bit, which can be annoying when trying to get baselines. Something that helps me is the batch file below. I use it all the time for benchmarking, and after a clean install of Windows. It will run every scheduled task and forcibly work through all background activities until they are finished. There's a substantial amount of pending jobs after a clean install, and around 3,000 registry keys get updated in the process. Reboot after it finishes and the Task Manager will have much lower processes/threads/handles, and will fluctuate less too.
@ECHO OFF
ECHO Running Task Scheduler
ECHO (this may take 30 minutes or more to finish)
%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks
ECHO.
ECHO Task Scheduler Finished!
ECHO (please reboot your computer)
PAUSE

I put the script in the spoiler and attached a zipped folder with this file inside. The benefit of a batch file is it fits nicely into a tweaking and recovery toolbox, since it mimics the behavior of portable software, and you could modify the script further too. The pause option at the end of the batch file makes it so that the user is informed when the script is finished, but that same option can also be used in a Run or Command prompt with this: rundll32.exe advapi32.dll,ProcessIdleTasks & pause
 

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i get H/T/P's when ive done all the other stuff to windows after a fresh (captured image)install so windows has had time to do what it needs bla bla bla and is representative of the end product.
 
Hellbovine said:
Thedogsdinner is using an XML that doesn't remove/disable a lot right now, if he were to use my Optimized Image guide or the GamerOS
Click to expand...
Will be having a play with these soon i think. I did try the gamer os, i originally saw that from chris titus on youtube, for some reason i couldnt get the preset to load in my noobness tho. will play more
 
autologger event classes can be disabled on a live system, using ETW commands or a reg file. It's less risky to have NTLite manage it, rather than getting tripped up if you're not a Windows admin.
 
Hey Gents garlin Clanger
Just about to start tinkering on a build for my main audio PC, starting from lite and building up.

Just wanted to confirm if I may, with regard to the "disabling event loggers" and "autologgers" piece in the above few posts. Attached xml, is this what you mean? There were a few more things in that section than i anticipated and wasnt sure if you meant to disable ALL the parts in those sections, or just the parts as ive done in the attached xml. Just wanted to double check if possible !!

Thanks heaps
Best
 

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EDIT: I've read the posts now - maybe I'm overthinking it and (currently i9-9900K and I'm waiting for intel ARROW-LAKE for new build - watching AMD as well of course)

perhaps a general debloat and gamer ISO or similar will get me 95% of the way there - and just turn off wifi/ethernet when MAX needed.


- - - - - - - FIRST POSTED BELOW - - - - - - -
New member popping in pre-Christmas to say, BIG thanks, and, thanks also for great comments.

Forever fan-boy of REAPER -- and as of 2022, surprisingly, i updated my 2006 Cubase 4 license to 12 and now 13 - ONLY due to the definitely fresh-code and brilliant DEVs on Steinberg's VST LIVE PRO -- and that support for REAPER's "LiveConfigs" is iffy at best as I recall over at REAPER-WORLD. Long stories, like we all have.

NOTE: absolutely not close in any way - REAPER's brilliance (and, as you know CPU usage) is unique. CUBASE is what i've recently though of as, 'cozy/chubby' and fits part of my music day, and largely my IQ (regarding time-management). Love being with the brilliant over at the REAPER forums.

Right, so, A few of my fledgling thoughts are:

1) Clean as possible for LIVE playing means, NO online updates, I've wondered. Maybe even no ethernet/wifi at all - using that app that creates an updater for use offline (WIN11 Pro) OR, just manually downloading from Microsoft Update Catalog

2) then there's the drivers reality - maybe find out all the hardware drivers needed via driver saving program and reinstalling/importing that - though not sure that would be good for having the most recent. UPSHOT: maybe i HAVE to leave the internet working and just turning it off for best performance is most logical.

I could ramble on here though I'll just post this and then READ ALL here, for the first time, as haven't yet.

best wishes to all.
 
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winius said:
EDIT: I've read the posts now - maybe I'm overthinking it and (currently i9-9900K and I'm waiting for intel ARROW-LAKE for new build - watching AMD as well of course)

perhaps a general debloat and gamer ISO or similar will get me 95% of the way there - and just turn off wifi/ethernet when MAX needed.


- - - - - - - FIRST POSTED BELOW - - - - - - -
New member popping in pre-Christmas to say, BIG thanks, and, thanks also for great comments.

Forever fan-boy of REAPER -- and as of 2022, surprisingly, i updated my 2006 Cubase 4 license to 12 and now 13 - ONLY due to the definitely fresh-code and brilliant DEVs on Steinberg's VST LIVE PRO -- and that support for REAPER's "LiveConfigs" is iffy at best as I recall over at REAPER-WORLD. Long stories, like we all have.

NOTE: absolutely not close in any way - REAPER's brilliance (and, as you know CPU usage) is unique. CUBASE is what i've recently though of as, 'cozy/chubby' and fits part of my music day, and largely my IQ (regarding time-management). Love being with the brilliant over at the REAPER forums.

Right, so, A few of my fledgling thoughts are:

1) Clean as possible for LIVE playing means, NO online updates, I've wondered. Maybe even no ethernet/wifi at all - using that app that creates an updater for use offline (WIN11 Pro) OR, just manually downloading from Microsoft Update Catalog

2) then there's the drivers reality - maybe find out all the hardware drivers needed via driver saving program and reinstalling/importing that - though not sure that would be good for having the most recent. UPSHOT: maybe i HAVE to leave the internet working and just turning it off for best performance is most logical.

I could ramble on here though I'll just post this and then READ ALL here, for the first time, as haven't yet.

best wishes to all.
Click to expand...
Hey Mate, this is well worth checking out if you haven't already for us Audio enthusiasts :)

Introduction

This guide is intended to help musicians optimize their Windows PCs to process audio as fast as possible.
gigperformer.com

This coupled with a debloated iso works great for me
 
WHOA! that's full-on.
I just DL'ed the PDF version.

thanks tons! - reading/thinking shortly
 
There is no secret sauce for a music making pc that hasnt been done already on gaming pc's.
Barebones services scheduled tasks autologgers winevt channels, use free plugins or ones that dont require online activation and therefore no networking services. Set DAW or VST Host as alternate shell, this saves resources. NanoHost FREE vst host. DiscoDSP FREE HighLife sampler(plays akai s5000/6000 presets. sample the crap out of everything, 1 free host, 1 free vst, simple). Hermann Seib has a free vst host aswell as a clone of the ppg wave. I got a barebone services list for ltsc 1809 around here somewhere, if i havnt mentioned it already. 16bit 44100khz output will be good enough and not cause a machine to throw a fit.

All this also works for a home media player pc/audio editor/home enthusiast(which is what i do).
Ideal for repurposed old pcs and laptops and where a 2c/4t pentium is overly powerful and HT can be disabled.
Ive swapped my Lexicon Alpha USB Audio interface for a Topping D10S(works on windows 7 and upwards) and it works well enough :)
 
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I regularly use xp era programs(that havnt been updated in years) because they are stable and bug free for what i do, stability matters.
Stuff subscription programs, they can stick them where the sun dont shine.
 
I'm new here, but this thread caught my attention. I'm definitely building for audio. Currently, I've been messing about with Tiny 11... which is OK... nice to have Edge gone anyway. But for a really stripped-down OS specifically for audio I'm thinking of doing a custom build of win-10-21h2 LTSC using NTlite.

Anyway... apart from taming windows itself, there are two major things I can definitely recommend specifically for audio setup.
First is an oldie but still good info: go find a pdf called 'gltichfree' -- read it, and follow the steps therein.
Second, is a program called Process Lasso. It allows you to set processor priorities specifically for certain processes -- so in my case for Reaper.exe. Coupled with the right settings in Reaper as well, this has led to really stable low-latency performance unlike anything I've achieved before. When I get a moment I'll find the Reaper/Process Lasso settings I have saved somewhere.
 
Yes I like that glitchfree pdf, Very similar to

Introduction

This guide is intended to help musicians optimize their Windows PCs to process audio as fast as possible.
gigperformer.com

Haven't played with Process Lasso tho, be interested to see that coupled with your reaper prefs for stability.
 
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