FL Studio poor CPU / Audio performance compared to Presonus Studio / Cubase. How to optimize?

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Edit// Nov. 5th

The issue is almost "mostly resolved"

I had to go into each mixer plugin and hit "Use fixed size buffers" then "process maximum buffer"
This made the CPU usuage slowly drop for each plugin, which eventaully made the project below playable at 90% CPU usage. I still think there may be something to get more CPU out of FL Studio, and I'm not sure if Cubase "ASIO Guard" is giving me more CPU to run my project with, but as it is I still get more stability and CPU out of Cubase with the same project, I'd say about 25% more or such. But FL Studio is still the "best" daw for me. I just can't get my ideas out in Cubase lol






Edit// Here's a video comparing cubase and FL
https://youtu.be/fWG-sMiBzXo

I posted the problem on page 2, It's same problem but with updated example
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=489076&start=15#p6905840

Here's link to the video problem. Presonus Studio is more optimized than Cubase and gets even better performance, my trial ran out, so you can disregard current issue below, I understand some daws are more optimized than eachother, but FL seems to be way behind. like about 50% behind cubase in performance. Would upgrading my CPU help? Upgrading to WIN 10? Upgrading my i7 4790 from 2014, 300$ CPU is actually not an option right now lol






Hello, I've been using FL Studio since version 9, I really like using it. It's the fastest for composing my ideas. I seem to be able to just "flow" with it and create really fast midi music.


The problem I've been having, since I started using more advanced plugins, such as "Soundtoys, Slate Digital, Fabfilter, Amplitube, Bias" etc, MY CPU in DAW idling at 50 to 80, then when playing back it spikes from 50 to 99 or such, and my audio crackles / clicks and daw freeze/unfreeze. I think I fixed the "Spikes" by removing the bridged plugins. but my CPU used is still too high.

I have I7 4790, 16GB ram, Windows 8. FL Studio 12.5.
Settings I have in FL Studio
ASIO4All / FL Studio ASIO, all multithreaded options on, tried all options on and off from audio panel
in plugin wrappers, I have tried "Fixed buffer size, process maximum inputs, etc"

Recently fed up, from a simple project I had, I decided to try Cubase / Presonus Studio.

I rebuilt my project exactly, in Presonus I have 19% CPU being used while it plays back, in Cubase I have 25%, and it seems like they have tons of room for more plugins.
While in FL Studio I have 55 to 80% CPU usuage while playing back.

I decided to getting rid of all bridge plugins in FL Studio, this brought it down to sit around 50% CPU Used, but I also didn't have 9 of the plugins I needed for my project, BUT! It did stop "spiking to 99%" I think, the bridges in FL Studio cause spikes.


Now, I decided to create new projects in Prosonus Studio, and FL Studio
10 instances of AmpleSound Guitars each, with 16th midi notes power chords, transposed up n down etc routed to 10 mixer tracks, 10 Fabfilter Pro L, 5 Amplitube 3, 5 Bias FX, 5 Neutrun compressor plugins, all summed up to one mixer bus, then that sent to a reverb.

Presonus Studio CPU usage was around 19%, wow! I decided to copy a few more onto more channels, it only went up a couple percent.
FL Studio's was in the 55% and spiking up a bit when playing, only a bit. I tried adding more it went higher.

All plugins were native not bridged.


Also, when FL Studo uses 50% CPU in the program, my ACTUAL CPU used is only 20%, but none the less when FL reaches 99% my project just sucks.

With Prosonus Studio, when it uses 19%, my actual CPU used is 19%.


So, from my conclusion, FL Studio is NOT optimized for modern processors / Plugins. I don't know how code works, but it's mixer is mostly not optimized, I have no trouble with of plugin inserts, just when you start using the mixer, CPU goes up fast.

Now, I'm wondering if there's anything I might be missing here, or am I pretty on target with this here? Maybe I'm missing an optimization button that would make FL Studio work like the other daws? I love using it for composing, and if the mixer was optimized would love to set it up like a traditional bus/send mixer and used that as well, but as it is now, most of my projects I have created in FL Studio do not get completed, cause I end up using too MUCH CPU and it becomes a hassle disabling plugins here and there.

I think FL Studio needs Optimization now, it does not use multithreaded enough yet, the code is still using the power of normal core processors, instead of taking advantag of all the power of new processors and plugins. I wish the develoeprs would focus on optimization, and updating the mixer, cause it's amazing for composing, it just sucks for modern FX / Mixing.
Last edited by HREQ on Mon Nov 06, 2017 9:11 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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I'm a long, long, long time FL user. As much I love FL, there is no way to optimize anything. FL just use much more CPU than others. Don't go ask anything on forums as IL denies everything. It's always users fault etc.. So, live it or change the DAW, as I did.

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See the weirdest thing to me is that FL studio is about in-line with other hosts performance wise here since being forced into windows 10. Power settings at "high performance" and it's good to go. Before that with win 7 (same computer) it was dreadful. I have no idea why.

FL does things a little like live. It may show high cpu use but if you say, double the FX, it will likely stay about the same. One other thing to keep in mind is that FL has 32 and 64 bit versions. Some of the fx on their projects didn't port well and cause glitching.

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Afaik, the CPU meter in FLS shows always the first CPU and not the average between all cores like the windows one...
Nevertheless have I experienced more than once, that it maxes the first CPU out while there was enough headroom in the others... causing clicks and pops ...
Last edited by Trancit on Mon Aug 07, 2017 8:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

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I don't really believe that you are using FL Studio that long because I think that even intermediate users are aware of Tools/Macros/Switch smart disable for all plugins
which automatically prevents plugins which are not used to use CPU.
By using that macro it's impossible to have this:
MY CPU in DAW idling at 50 to 80
I'm not claiming that FL Studio is a well CPU optimized DAW, but not knowing even the basic stuff and then making claims is ridiculous, that's all.

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AstroCastro wrote:I don't really believe that you are using FL Studio that long because I think that even intermediate users are aware of Tools/Macros/Switch smart disable for all plugins
which automatically prevents plugins which are not used to use CPU.
By using that macro it's impossible to have this:
+1

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Really?

Here's what pisses me off: I've been nothing but honest and up front about failures and successes with this host. Now everyone who uses it and has issues knows everything?

Image

I seriously doubt it's that simple. But whatever, I guess as long as the good ol' boys club knows these things, all others are outcasts?

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BS I did... :D

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HREQ wrote:.... my CPU used is still too high.

I have I7 4790, 16GB ram, Windows 8. FL Studio 12.5....
If you truly have Windows 8, and not 8.1, then that may well be part of the problem. Win 8 had lots of issues that were ironed out with 8.1.

Get the 8.1 upgrade (it's free) and run all of the OS updates.

If you're already on 8.1, it's still important to be up to date with the OS updates and drivers.

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HREQ wrote:
So, from my conclusion, FL Studio is ...
Each time we benchmark like-for-like projects against the competition, results are comparable. There is no magic. One DAW does not get 90% cpu and another 20% unless something has been overlooked. FL Studio, for example (as I think you saw) is not picky about bit-size of plugins and will happily bridge behind your back. This uses ~ 2% CPU/plugin.

So, please drop into looptalk (that's why it exists) and let us help you to work out what else you have overlooked.

http://support.image-line.com/redirect/LoopTalk

Some background info on CPU usage, relevant to all DAWs

https://www.image-line.com/support/FLHe ... Processing

Also note that one DAWs CPU meter is not the same as anothers. What really matters is plugin-count until underruns.

Regards Scott
Image-Line are proud developers of - FL Studio, FL Studio Mobile & Audio Plugins.

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But everyone knows it's all about the power-play!

Facts? PWWWWET! Info, no. Slamming someone with an issue? Hell yeah. Cuz that's how forums (all the f**king forums) roll.

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incubus wrote:But everyone knows it's all about the power-play!

Facts? PWWWWET! Info, no. Slamming someone with an issue? Hell yeah. Cuz that's how forums (all the f**king forums) roll.
Can someone please translate this to English for me? :hihi:
Image

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Image-Line wrote: Each time we benchmark like-for-like projects against the competition, results are comparable. There is no magic. One DAW does not get 90% cpu and another 20% unless something has been overlooked.

Also note that one DAWs CPU meter is not the same as anothers. What really matters is plugin-count until underruns.
Just an aside to these two comments.
90% to 20% of course not, but in plugin count to right before compromised audio DAWs do indeed have different performance levels. I've never done FL Studio, but in the three DAWs I own there are big differences in CPU for sure. DP and Logic are about on par, but Live is significantly less capable of handling plug ins, it's just a more taxing host, probably due to it's compensations towards live performance etc. dunno? I get that you're dealing with a guy talking about "tests" not to failure on your product, but for instance Live dying at 60 of plugin X VS Logic/DP handling roughly 100 is a significant difference in performance.

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I do not agree FL Studio having poor CPU compared to Studio One or Cubase.

I have latest Studio One 3 version installed wich also includes new settings to have better performance.

I also have I7 4790, 16GB ram but mine is 4790K model (with turbo boost), and Windows 10 and Saffire PRo 24 audio interface (firewire) with 256 sample buffer size.

I have loaded up in FL Studio 12.5 and 22 instances of U-He Diva pad patch playing 4 chords on Divine setting. On same settings FL Studio 12.5 performed better then Studio One 3.5. I couldnt even set all the instances from Great to Divine on Studio One when dropout count was set to Normal, i had to increase to maximum (wich also adds alot of latency).

So in this case CPU optimisation:

FL Studio > Studio One

On the other hand FL Studio does seem to represent the information sometimes wrong. CPU use jumping alot, 35 000mb of ram use at the very beginning wtf? :D

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HREQ wrote: Settings I have in FL Studio
ASIO4ALL.....
This may be the issue as well. Do you have ASIO drivers for your sound card?

Probably not do to the fact your using this generic driver. I haven't used this driver in years but it was really bad handling buffers. It may have improved due to the fact that it seems to work in your other hosts. FL may not play well with this driver if the buffer is locked or drifts a little. I notice when I lock a factory driver for my sound card in Studio One the preformance is affected.

Maybe a tweek of the driver can sort this out. :?

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