Using multiple Cores

[mnmwert]

Hi,
So I am using EWQLSO Gold Edition in Reaper 5.979 (I haven't updated to the latest version yet) for a pretty large project I have.

I'm using probably close to thirty tracks. Each using its own instance of play. I also have EQ on all the tracks, compression and reverb on the master track, and some limiters beyond that just to help me with mixing.

For the most part the piece is doing well, but when all of the instruments are playing I've been noticing that some instruments will cut out for a second.

Reaper is running my cpu is running at that point at around 20 percent. I have four cores so It is coming close to maxing out one core.

I know that Reaper supports multi core processing and my settings in Reaper are allowing for it (support for 8 cores).

My question is does Play or EWQLSO Support multi core processing? The CPU overload settings for EWQLSO is at 80 percent which is the default. 80 percent of 1 core is about 20 percent when viewed from task manager so I was wondering if play for some reason is interpreting my cpu as just 1 core or just cannot utilize any of the others for some reason.

My disk was saying it was running at about 4 percent during the playback test.

Any ideas what is going on or how to fix this?

[Philbo King]

Try running the plugin in a seoarate process. That might get it dispacthed to another core.

[mschnell]

AFAIU:

• Reaper uses one OS Thread for the GUI and internal stuff and one OS thread for each track.
• The OS assigns a core to any OS thread, as long as cores (or CPU threads) are available.
• Plugins can assign and manage additional OS threads, but Reaper can't do anything about this (prevent or force).

-Michael

[mnmwert]

Originally Posted by Philbo King

Try running the plugin in a seoarate process. That might get it dispacthed to another core.

Could you explain what you mean by separate process and how I would accomplish it?

[mnmwert]

Originally Posted by mschnell

AFAIU:

• Reaper uses one CPU Thread for the GUI and internal stuff and one OS thread for each track.
• The OS assigns a core to any OS thread, as long as cores (or CPU threads) are available.
• Plugins can assign and manage additional OS threads, but Reaper can't do anything about this (prevent or force).

-Michael

So what do you think is happening with my computer when some of the notes won't playback?

It is also in a very specific section and highly reproducible. Same note every single time drops out for same specific track.

[mschnell]

This does not seem like a CPU overload problem.

Did you try offline rendering the project ? Here the CPUs are always used as much as possible without any problem allowed to occur (latency completely ignored).
-Michael

[Philbo King]

Originally Posted by mnmwert

Could you explain what you mean by separate process and how I would accomplish it?

Reaper Preferences (Ctrl-P) ->Plugins->Compatibility->
VST bridging/firewalling: -> then one of these:
- In separate plugin process
- In dedicated process per-plugin

I presume the first choice puts all plugins into a single process outside of Reaper, and the second launches a separate process for each plugin instance.

I'm no expert, it's just something to try and see if it affects your problem.

[mschnell]

I understand this is only relevant for plugíns in bridged mode (i.e 32 Bit on a 64 bit Reaper).

-Michael

[mnmwert]

Originally Posted by mschnell

This does not seem like a CPU overload problem.

Did you try offline rendering the project ? Here the CPUs are always used as much as possible without any problem allowed to occur (latency completely ignored).
-Michael

In other problems with this It has affected my project during rendering as well.

Although at the moment I'm not so much worried about rendering as playback as the piece is no where near finished yet.

[mnmwert]

Originally Posted by Philbo King

Reaper Preferences (Ctrl-P) ->Plugins->Compatibility->
VST bridging/firewalling: -> then one of these:
- In separate plugin process
- In dedicated process per-plugin

I presume the first choice puts all plugins into a single process outside of Reaper, and the second launches a separate process for each plugin instance.

I'm no expert, it's just something to try and see if it affects your problem.

Okay I'll try that and get back to you on what happens.

I can definitely say for sure though that all the vsts are going through one separate process so this might be the problem if that process is taking up a full core.

[mnmwert]

Originally Posted by mschnell

I understand this is only relevant for plugíns in bridged mode (i.e 32 Bit on a 64 bit Reaper).

-Michael

I'm pretty sure PLAY is 64 bit, but I'll have to double check.

[mschnell]

Very likely there are undetected problems that have nothing to do with CPU performance / nor Reaper.
-Michael

[todoublez]

Originally Posted by mschnell

AFAIU:

• Reaper uses one CPU Thread for the GUI and internal stuff and one OS thread for each track.
• The OS assigns a core to any OS thread, as long as cores (or CPU threads) are available.
• Plugins can assign and manage additional OS threads, but Reaper can't do anything about this (prevent or force).

-Michael

Nice Michael, thx for the info very appreciated.
Is there any other page which is showing more details about the multi-core feature?
So I can be able to know more about how Reaper works ?
Thx

[Dr Bob]

It may be worth moving all your MASTER track fx to a new general reaper track, call it, e.g. "sub master" ... leave nothing on the reaper master track. Now route all your tracks to this new "sub master" and leave this one to route by default to the now empty reaper master.

The effect will be to have the fx on this track multi processed as well. On the master they tend to be on a single cpu as well as this same cpu handling the audio output.

This has helped many get better performance from a cpu bound project.

HTH

dB