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Old 03-27-2017, 02:50 PM   #21
borg64
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
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Quote:
Originally Posted by serr View Post
A while back someone was claiming the opposite. That using folder tracks instead of normal "universal" tracks (standard Reaper tracks that can be routed however you want with no restrictions) used less CPU.

I took a large-ish project (around 200 tracks and just as many plugins) and converted everything over to use folder tracks instead of the standard bus routing. 100% identical CPU use. An exercise in wasting time I will not be repeating!

What I do know is that if you stack up enough plugins that add to PDC on a track that PDC seems to get taxed and gets crashy after a point. I say crashy because you get clicks and pops even though you aren't hitting any wall with CPU use - the typical red flag that points to a plugin crashing.

You'll find that if you split the plugins across two (or more) tracks in that scenario that it fixes it. Just daisy chain route across two tracks.

Hope that helps.
Thanks serr, it could definitely be related to PDC calculations, some great suggestions here. A few of the mix jobs I get sent here are (at least partially) rescue projects that were recorded by clients under sub-par circumstances, so I usually end up reaching for the fancier forensics plugin stuff when doing my thing, which means PDC is often all over the place.

But, and excuse my grave ignorance on the matter, shouldn’t moving all the plugins on the problematic parent folder to a new ”grandparent” folder simply move the problem with it as well, as the plugins are still on one single track? Because in my case, it doesn’t; the grandparent folder track solves the issue!

Leaving just one ”heavier” plugin on the immediate parent track can make the project behave erratically (not always, but often enough), but as soon as it’s moved to the grandparent folder, things are smooth again. And again, the worst and most obvious case is the use of a 2BUSS folder track nesting everything directly underneath, i.e. maybe ”summing” a lot of PDC calculations…? I always leave this one completely free of FX and only use it for volume automation of the entire mix. If I mix into a software compressor or want to do small EQ tweaks on the entire mix, I put that/those plugin(s) directly on the Master Out and there are rarely any problems. Basically, in-between empty folder tracks alleviate the pain and make for smooth mix sessions.

I suppose I’m just wondering if I should get used to the idea of having a bunch of grandparents on my mixes.

Will definitely try daisy-chaining more when the next project comes in, thanks again for the tip!

//Sven
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