Single x64 machine system performance report [with explanations]

[Vatroslav]

256 samples / 6ms latency

(The timeline is the one you can see in the media player, not the one written in the score)

Figure 1: Bar 3 (0:02-0:05)

CPU average: ~20%
CPU peak: 35%



Figure 2: Bars 4 - 9 (0:05 - 0:18)

CPU average: ~30%
CPU peak: 45%



Figure 3: Bars 9 - 15 (0:18 - 0:29)

CPU average: ~20%
CPU peak: 40%



Figure 4: Bars 15 - 21 (0:18 - 0:41)

CPU average: ~30%
CPU peak: 40%



Figure 5: Bars 21 - 27 (0:41 - 0:52)

CPU average: ~35%
CPU peak: 40%



Figure 6: Bars 17 - 37 (0:52 - 1:08)

CPU average: ~35%
CPU peak: 50%



Figure 7: Bars 37 - 44 (1:08 - 1:22)

CPU average: ~15%
CPU peak: 20%



Figure 8: Bars 44 - 54 (1:22 - 1:40)

CPU average: ~35%
CPU peak: 50%



Figure 9: Bars 54 - 62 (1:40 - 1:57)

CPU average: ~30%
CPU peak: 50% (at the very end)



Figure 10: Bars 62 - 67 (1:57 - 2:07)

CPU average: ~40%
CPU peak: 45%



Figure 11: Bars 67 - 73 (2:07 - 2:19)

CPU average: ~40%
CPU peak: 50%



Figure 12: Bars 73 - 80 (2:19 - 2:34)

CPU average: ~20%
CPU peak: 25%



Figure 13: Bars 80 - 94 (2:34 - 3:00)

CPU average: ~40%
CPU peak: 50%



Figure 14: Bars 94 - 102 (3:00 - 3:16)

CPU average: ~15%
CPU peak: 35%



Figure 15: Bars 102 - 106 (3:16 - 3:24)

CPU average: ~25%
CPU peak: 30%



Figure 16: Bars 106 and 107 (3:24 - 3:28)

CPU average: ~25%
CPU peak: 30%



So, as you can see, at 256 samples / 6ms driver latency, the CPU doesn't peak higher 50% even at the most massive orchestral moments at K2 standalone instance. Add to that the other two plug-in instances averaging at 5% CPU performance and peaking at 10% only at two points in the piece and we can freely say that 256 is the working setup for 400 simultaneous DFD voices for Q6600 with minimum 40% headroom for additional data.

Now to what many of you are anxiously waiting to see ...

Let's see what happens when we try to go as low as we can.

First, a very common latency setting in many DAWs:

...