Optimizing your PC for audio in Windows 11

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 experience for music production.Looking for a new Audio PC, take a look at our digital audio workstation computers

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 files you no longer need or move them 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 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 everything 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 will disappear as soon as it’s done.

  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 hardwareBe 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 may result in dropouts, glitches or your interface not working. Make sure your interface has its own USB port.USB hubs are known to cause problems with audio devices. These problems may include noise and connection problems. Therefore, we recommend that you connect your interface directly to its own USB port. Close all other background applicationsWhen you run your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), make sure you close applications you don’t use, such asMusic 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 don’t install the extra software that comes with the driver! PhysX, GeForce Experience, AMD Settings (formerly Catalyst Control Center) are mostly game-related features that are 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, 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 will appear. “On battery” and “Connected. Select ‘disable’ for both. Set processor schedule 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 adversely 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 will 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 ModeOpen 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 BIOSTo save energy when the CPU is idle, the CPU can be instructed to enter a low-power mode. Different processors have different sets of power modes 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 are having problems with audio performance, we recommend preventing your processor from enabling power-saving C-states.To do this, you usually have to boot into your computer’s BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). Contact the motherboard manufacturer if you are uncomfortable with this. I4studioTechnical 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.