Optimizing your Music & Audio PC (Part 1)

Written by Scott R. Garrigus - 2005, Scott R. Garrigus. All Rights Reserved.

Just because you buy a computer with the latest specs, doesnt mean youll get the best performing
PC, especially when it comes to audio. There are certain configurations and settings that can make
your PC optimal for audio work.
PLEASE NOTE: The following tips are only suggestions that I have tried on my PC. They are not
requirements. Just because they work for me, doesnt automatically mean they will work for you. I
will not be held responsible for any damage they may cause, and I can not provide technical support if
something goes wrong. Try these suggestions at your own risk.
TWO DRIVES ARE BETTER
The first thing I did to boost my PCs performance was to add a second hard drive just for audio data.
So now my C drive contains Windows and all my software, and my D drive contains only the audio
data from my projects. This allows my audio software to access the audio data much more quickly.
Of course I also had to tell my software where to find the data. In Cakewalks Sonar, this meant
moving my WaveData folder to the second hard drive. And then in Sonar, choosing Options > Audio >
Advanced, and entering the new folder location in the Data Directory parameter. For Steinbergs
Cubase, you would need to move your Audio Files Folder. To find out the name of the current folder, in
Cubase choose Options > Audio Setup > Audio Files Folder. Take note of the folder, and then move it
to the new drive using Windows Explorer. In Cubase, choose Options > Audio Setup > Audio
Files Folder again, and this time select the new folder location.
TURN AUTO RUN OFF
Windows likes to scan the CD drive continuously to see if a CD has been inserted, allowing programs
to run automatically. This can possibly cause disruptions in audio recording and playback. I disabled it
as follows:
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7)

Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties.

Click the Device Manager tab.
Double-click on the CDROM listing.
Double-click on your CD-ROM drive shown in the list under CDROM.
Click the Settings tab.
Deactivate the Auto Insert Notification option and click OK.
Repeat for all CD drives you have in your system.

For WinXP users, the procedure is different:

1)
2)
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4)
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6)
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Choose Start > My Computer.

Right-click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Properties.
Click on the AutoPlay tab.
Choose a file type from the drop-down list.
Activate the Select An Action To Perform option.
Choose Take No Action.
Repeat steps 4 through 6 for each file type in the drop-down list.

This article is a continuation of Optimizing Your Music & Audio PC (Part 1).
TYPICAL ROLE OF THIS PC
(WinXP users can skip this one) Im not sure if any significant performance increase is provided by
this Windows change, but Ive made the change on my system none-the-less. Supposedly, by
telling Windows how your PC will be used determines the priority of hard drive access. So by
specifying your PC as a Network Server, Windows will give hard drive access a higher priority.

Heres how to do it:

1)
2)
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Right-click My Computer and choose Properties.

Click on the Performance tab and then on the File System button.
Click on the Hard Disk tab.
Choose Network Server for the Typical Role Of This Computer parameter.
Click OK.

LIMIT VIRTUAL MEMORY

Windows uses a swap file on your hard drive when it doesnt have enoughphysical memory to run
its operations. Usually, the size of the swap file is changed on-the-fly, which can cause excess disk
access (a definite no-no on an audio PC). So to specify an exact size for the swap file (thus
stopping the on-the-fly resizing and providing better audio performance), do the following:
1) (WinXP users choose Start first) Right-click on My Computer and chooseProperties.
2) Click on the Performance tab and then on the Virtual Memory button. (WinXP users click on the
Advanced tab, then click on the Settings button inthe Performance section, then click the Advanced
tab, and finally click the Change button in the Virtual Memory section)
3) Choose the Let Me Specify My Own Virtual Memory Settings option. (WinXP users choose the
Custom Size option)
4) In the Hard Disk drop-down list, choose a location for the virtual memory swap file. This should
be the same drive on which you have Windows installed. You probably won't have to change
this setting. (WinXP users can skip step 4)
5) For the Minimum and Maximum parameters enter the same value. The value should be
anywhere from 2 to 4 times the amount of physical memory you have installed in your computer.
Try going with 2 times at first. The higher the number you use the more disk space you need for
the swap file. For example, if you have 128MB of memory installed in your computer, you can try a
value of 256 for both the Minimum and Maximum parameters. (WinXP users enter values for the
Initial Size and Maximum Size parameters accordingly)
6) Click OK.
7) Click Yes. (WinXP users can skip step 7)
CRACK DOWN ON FILE CACHING
(WinXP users can skip this one) In an attempt to make reading and writing disk drive data more
efficient, Windows uses a cache to store some disk data in RAM. Unfortunately, this doesnt work
well at all for audio data, and can actually cause problems. So to limit the file caching, do the
following:
1) In Windows, choose Start > Run.
2) Type SYSEDIT in the Open field, and click OK to open the System Configuration Editor.
3) Click on the Window showing the SYSTEM.INI file.
4) Scroll down to find the section labeled [vcache].
5) Directly beneath the [vcache] heading type the following:
MaxFileCache=8192
MinFileCache=8192
6) Choose File > Exit to close the System Configuration Editor, and choose YES if asked to save
changes.
OTHER BASIC TWEAKS
There are a few other basic Windows parameters you can adjust to make things run more
smoothly. One such thing is the system sounds. You really dont need them, and they can be
distracting when working with audio and music. To disable them, do the following (see below for
WinXP):
1)
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4)

Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.

Double-click the Sounds applet.
In the Sounds Properties dialog box, choose No Sounds in the Schemes drop-down list.
Click OK.

WinXP users do the following:

1)
2)
3)
4)
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Choose Start > Control Panel.

Click the Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices category.
Under Pick A Task, choose Change The Sound Scheme.
In the Sound Scheme drop-down list, choose No Sounds.
Click OK.

Other nuisances you dont need are the various Windows effects and the Active Desktop. To disable
these, do the following (see below for WinXP):
1)
2)
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Right-click on the Windows Desktop and choose Properties.

Click on the Effects tab.
Deactivate all the options in this dialog box.
Click on the Web tab.
Deactivate the View My Active Desktop As A Web Page option.
Click OK.

WinXP users do the following:

1)
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Choose Start. Then right-click on My Computer and choose Properties.

Click the Advanced tab.
Click the Settings button in the Performance section.
Under the Visual Effects tab, choose the Adjust For Best Performance option.
Click OK.