Applies to: All audio interfaces and DAW Software

Windows 11 caters to many different users and applications and therefore is not configured by default for optimal audio performance. Below are some ways to improve your music production experience.

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You might want to check out this article if you are experiencing these problems:

• Pop’s, clicks, hums and distorted sounds when recording or playing back audio.
• A delay between when you play your instrument/microphone/MIDI instrument and hear the sound from your speakers/headphones (latency).
• Your Windows machine works slowly or crashes all the time.

Basic tips

Freeing up space

Don’t let your computer’s boot disk get too full. Be sure to always leave more than 20% of your computer’s main disk empty.
To see how much storage space has been used:

1. Click on the Windows icon and type and select “Settings.
2. Select “System.
3. Select “Storage.

The bar shows how much storage space has been used and is free. You can delete or move files you no longer need to external/cloud storage.

You can also use the Disk Cleanup tool to delete temporary files and files or folders you no longer need. This can save you a lot of space. Cleanup can take from a few minutes to as much as an hour, so try this only if you have time to spare. To use the Disk Cleanup utility:

• Click on the Windows icon, type and select “Disk Cleanup.
• Select your C: drive, check everything and click OK.
• Go back to Disk Cleanup, select the C: drive again, click Clean up System Files.
• Select all and click OK. This process may take a while, especially if you’ve never done this before, so don’t shut down your computer or restart it during the cleanup process. The window disappears as soon as it is finished.
  

  Use sufficient memory

  If you are running large projects with sample libraries and multiple plugins, we recommend that your computer has at least 8GB of RAM.
  Use an appropriate USB cable for your hardware

  Be sure to use a short USB cable, either the one in the box with your interface or one shorter than 2 meters. Using longer USB cables with your interface can lead to dropouts, glitches or your interface no longer working.
  Make sure your interface has its own USB port.

  USB hubs have been known to cause problems with audio devices. These problems may include noise and connection problems. Therefore, we recommend connecting your interface directly to its own USB port.
  Close all other background applications

  When you run your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), make sure you close applications you don’t use, such as

  Music streaming apps (Spotify etc.)
  Web browsers (Chrome, Edge etc.)
  Office applications (Word, Excel etc.).

  Anti virus and firewall programs

• This frees up processing power for your DAW and prevents your system from running slow when multiple programs are trying to use it.
• Graphics Cards/Graphic Processing Unit (GPU)
  Use the latest official Windows drivers, but do not install the extra software that comes with the driver! PhysX, GeForce Experience, AMD Settings (formerly Catalyst Control Center) are mostly game-related features not needed on a DAW. They consume additional CPU resources and can confuse processing priorities to the detriment of real-time audio processing.

• Key tips

• Make sure you have the latest version of your audio driver or operating software installed. You can find the latest version for your device on our manufacturer’s siteIf you are experiencing choppy audio with your interface, increase the buffer size and test the interface again. Increase the buffer size to 1024. If performance improves, you can try a lower setting.
  

  Disable USB selective suspend

  This feature may cause problems with devices connected via USB.

  Search for “Edit energy plan.
  Click “Change advanced power settings.
  Click on “USB settings.
  Click on “USB selective suspend.
  Click “Disable.

  If you have a laptop, two options appear. ‘On battery’ and ‘Connected’. Select “disable” for both.
  Set processor scheduling to “Background Services”

  To do this:

  Open Control Panel and select “System”.
  Go to “Advanced System Settings” and click the “Advanced” tab.
  Click “Settings” under Performance to bring up the “Performance Options” window.
  Go to the “Advanced” tab and set processor scheduling as “Background Services”.
  Click “Apply” and then “OK”.

Disabling startup programs

Sometimes your PC automatically starts programs at startup. This can negatively affect your computer’s performance.

• From the Start menu, search for “Task Manager” and open it.
• Select “Startup.
• At the top, select the “Startup Impact” tab.
• This will re-categorize the programs in order from high to low.
• Find the programs you don’t want at startup.
• Right-click on it and select disable.

NOTE: We strongly recommend disabling “Cortana” because this program sometimes tries to use the inputs of your audio interface at inopportune times (e.g., when you are in the middle of a recording session).

Turning off system sounds

Sometimes system noise can interrupt your recordings.

• From the start menu, search for Control Panel
• Select “Hardware and Sound.
• Select “Sound.
• Select the ‘Sounds’ tab
• Under the “Sound Schedule” menu, select “No Sounds.

• Click Apply and then OK

High performance energy plan

An energy plan is a collection of hardware and system settings that manages how your machine uses and saves energy.

• Open the Control Panel and look for “Power Management.
• From the menu on the left, select “Create an energy plan.
• Select “High Performance.
• Give your plan a name: for example, “Audio Workstation.
• Select “Never” for both “Turn off the display” and “Put the computer to sleep”.
• Select “Create.

You now come to the Energy Options page where your NEW custom energy plan is selected.

Select “Change Plan Settings” for your NEW custom energy plan.

• Open “Advanced power settings.
• Expand “USB settings.
• Disable “USB selective suspend.

If you have a laptop, two options appear. ‘On battery’ and ‘Connected’. Select disable for both.

• Expand “Processor power management.
• Set the minimum and maximum process state to 100.

If you have a laptop, two options appear. ‘On battery’ and ‘Connected’. Select disable for both.

Additional optimization

USB power management settings

This optimizes how your machine uses your USB ports

• From the start menu, search for “Device Manager.
• Select “Universal Serial Bus Controllers” and expand it.
• Right-click on the first item and select properties.
• Open “Power Management.
• Deselect the option, “Allow the computer to turn off the device to save power.”
• Apply steps 3 – 5 to each item.

If one item does not show “Power Management,” don’t worry, just ignore it and move on to the next item.
Disable Exclusive Mode

Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound.

Choose Playback Devices.

Select the sound device you want to customize (e.g. – Scarlett, Saffire).

• Click Properties.
• Choose the Advanced tab.
• Uncheck the Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device box (both boxes are now unchecked).

• Click “Apply,” then click OK.
• Repeat the steps in the Recording tab.
• Restart your computer to make the changes.

“Disable C-states” in the BIOS

To save power when the CPU is idle, the CPU can be instructed to enter a low-power mode. Different processors have different sets of power states collectively called “C-states” or “C-modes.” Different processors support different numbers of C-states (some do not support C-states at all).

We have found that enabling C-states on some systems can have adverse performance effects. If you have problems with audio performance, we recommend preventing your processor from activating power-saving C-states.

To do this, you usually need to boot into your computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). Contact the motherboard manufacturer if you are uncomfortable with this. I4studio Technical Support cannot help you adjust BIOS settings, as the BIOS layout and available options are different for each machine.

• Disable Hyper-Threading (Intel)/Simultaneous Multi-Threading (AMD) in the UEFI BIOS if your CPU supports it and if your BIOS allows you to change this setting.
• Disable advanced power saving and dynamic performance options for your CPU, if applicable.
  This should usually be done in your computer’s UEFI BIOS and includes “Enhanced Intel SpeedStep (EIST),” “AMD Cool ‘n’ Quiet,” “Intel Turbo Boost” and “AMD Turbo CORE.

Want to know more about our dedicated studio computers, contact us

Problems with nvidia video interface ?

Launch the NVIDIA configuration screen.

Click on “Manage 3D Settings” in the left panel.
Click on the Program Settings tab.
Under “Select a program to customize:” enter the location of Cubase10.exe (or whatever Cubase version you have) and click Add.
Under “Specify the settings for this program:” scroll down to Power management mode, click on the current setting to get the dropdown menu, and then select “Prefer maximum performance.”

If I understand it correctly, this setting causes the graphics card to respond at the highest speed so that the CPU cores are not occupied, leading to a latency problem. The setting is set when you start Cubase, and changes back to default when you shut it down.

Windows 11 & BIOS Optimization Guide for DAW Performance and Minimum Latency (2026) Steps Plan

For a Windows system to perform stably during intensive audio production, focused configuration of both the operating system and hardware control is essential. Real-time audio is extremely sensitive to CPU fluctuations and Deferred Procedure Call (DPC) latency.

With the professional configuration below – which is also the basis for our I4studio audio systems – you minimize the chance of audio clipping, crackles and pops.

Part 1: Windows 11 Optimization

1. Power Management: Maximum Performance

Standard Windows power plans continuously try to save power, which is disastrous for a DAW’s constant data flow.

• Navigation: Settings ->System -> Power Management (or through the classic Control Panel for advanced schedules).

• Configuration:

  • Select the power plan Best Performance (or activate the hidden Ultimate Performance / Ultimate Performance scheme via PowerShell).

  • Turn off the Power Saving Mode completely.

  • Set Sleep mode to “Never.

  • Go to the advanced adapter settings and disable Selective USB Suspend. This prevents USB ports (and thus your audio interface) from temporarily going into hibernation mode.

2. Processor scheduling (CPU Scheduling) optimization for Audio.

By default, Windows gives priority to active windows (programs in the foreground). However, audio processes lean heavily on background processes.

• Navigation: Settings -> Info-> Advanced System Settings ->tab Advanced ->section Performance (Settings) -> tab Advanced.

• Configuration: Under Assign Processor Time, choose Background Services.

• Why? ASIO drivers and communication with your audio interface run as background processes. This setting causes Windows to prioritize these critical audio streams over visual interface updates.

3. Deactivate harmful Windows features and Bloatware

Many standard Windows features cause unpredictable CPU spikes. Disable the following items for a streamlined system:

• Gaming features: Disable the Xbox Game Bar and Game Mode through Settings ->Gaming. Although Game Mode works for games, it can actually interfere with DAW priorities.

• Background processes: Disable Widgets and pause OneDrive’ s automatic syncing or deactivate it completely during sessions.

• Visual effects: Minimize animations and transparency effects(Settings -> Accessibility ->Visual Effects) to relieve GPU and CPU load.

4. Manage Updates and Maintenance

Unexpected updates and disk activity in the middle of a recording session should be strictly avoided.

• Configuration:

  • Set Active Hours within Windows Update so that the system never reboots during the day.

  • Pause updates manually when starting important projects.

  • Disable automatic driver updates via Windows Update. Updates to hardware drivers (such as GPU or chipset) are best performed manually, only when necessary for stability.

Part 2: Hardware & BIOS settings

The foundation of a stable audio PC is laid in the BIOS (or UEFI). This is where you determine how the hardware communicates. The guidelines below are based on the standards we use for I4Studio systems (particularly focused on Asus motherboards, although the terms are nearly identical at MSI, Gigabyte and ASRock).

1. CPU Power Management (C-States) Deactivation.

Modern CPUs try to save power millisecond by millisecond by turning off parts of the processor. This causes micro-delays in real-time audio.

• Set the following options to [Disabled]:

  • Intel C-States / Global C-State Control (AMD)

  • CPU Power Saving Mode

  • Package C-State Limit

• Result: The CPU remains in a constant, active state and does not have to “wake up” every time the DAW asks for computing power.

2. Disable Dynamic Clock Speeds.

Like C-States, technologies that dynamically adjust clock speed create unpredictable latency.

• Configuration:

  • Set Intel SpeedStep / SpeedShift or AMD Cool’n’Quiet to [Disabled].

  • If available, choose a High Performance or Fixed Clock profile in the BIOS.

• Result: The processor runs at its rated clock speed without unexpected drops in frequency.

3. Hyper-Threading (Intel) / SMT (AMD).

Splitting physical cores into virtual cores (threads) is a trade-off that depends on your specific workflow:

• [Enabled] (Recommended for mixing): If you are working on large projects with many heavy effect plugins and virtual instruments (VSTi’s). Modern DAWs can utilize the many threads efficiently.

• [Disabled] (Ultra-low latency option): If your priority is live playback/recording audio with an extremely small buffer (e.g., 32 or 64 samples). Disabling virtual cores can provide more stable, lower DPC latency in this particular scenario.

• Advice: Leave this option on by default unless you run into inexplicable audio drops at very low buffer sizes.

4. USB & Thunderbolt Stability

Audio interfaces require uninterrupted, pure data flow through the bus ports.

• USB Power Saving: Disable any power saving features for USB controllers in the BIOS.

• Port Selection: Always connect your audio interface directly to the back of the motherboard (preferably to a port that communicates directly with the CPU, see motherboard manual). Never use unsecured or passive USB hubs.

• Thunderbolt Security: If you are using a Thunderbolt interface, set the Thunderbolt Security Level in the BIOS to [No Security] (or Unique ID if the driver supports it properly). This prevents Windows from blocking or slowing down the interface because of authentication protocols.