98-99% CPU usage

[andy cross]

I'm running SS Lite on an old notebook - 256MB RAM, 1200MKz Pentium III, Win XP Pro SP3.

Both notebook and SSL are about as barebones as they can be, as the machine is used purely for location recording, so no wireless etc, no plug-ins.

Merely starting SSL puts the CPU usage, as specified in Task Manager, up to 100***37;, with SSL accounting for 98-99% of this. It records and plays back with out any apparent glitches, but the high CPU usage is a bit of a cause for concern.

Any ideas?

[Bob L]

256 mb ram may be the cause... not enough for SSL and it is probably forcing the Windows swap file to be engaged full time.

Bob L

[andy cross]

Thanks Bob,

I did wonder if that might be it, though I am (just) within the specs for SSL as listed in the help file. It's obviously worth the small investment in at least another 256Mb of RAM.

[Bob L]

The website lists SAWStudioLite as 512 mb min ram... you are correct that the helpfile lists lower numbers... that section should have been updated as the product requirements have grown considerably over the years with all of the new features added since the original release... I'll mark down that change for the next release.

Bob L

[Sean McCoy]

In my remote recording studio, where I do only live tracking, I'm still using a Pentium III 866 with 512Mb of RAM running W2K. With that, I'm able to record 24 or more tracks at 24/44.1, do overdubs and punchins, all glitch-free, and even add some native plugs and a Waves Renaissance Verb, and the meter never goes above about 30%, and only that high if I'm using the reverb.

I have a much more powerful system currently sitting idle that I keep meaning to move into that studio, if for nothing else than to do faster rough mixes with more processing, but this old dog is so stable I just haven't been able to make it a high priority. The SAW engine is amazingly efficient.