Advice wanted before I decide on whether to buy Diva

[ScrLk]

It's not about CPU temperature but CPU usage.

You shouldn't worry about temperature if your computer has adequate cooling.

[ghostwhistler]

It's not about CPU temperature but CPU usage.

You shouldn't worry about temperature if your computer has adequate cooling.

What do you mean? Isn't heat a problem?

I assume it was built adequately, I haven't done anything about the fans/vents etc. I have a cooling pad but i don't think they do much, had it for years.

[ScrLk]

No, it's not a problem unless your hardware does not having proper cooling. If you use a laptop, also make sure it's not clogged up with dust.

By keeping an eye on CPU usage in your DAW, you can see whether it's close to maxing out which would cause a stutter. This would be a limitation of your computer, not Diva.

[ghostwhistler]

No, it's not a problem unless your hardware does not having proper cooling. If you use a laptop, also make sure it's not clogged up with dust.

By keeping an eye on CPU usage in your DAW, you can see whether it's close to maxing out which would cause a stutter. This would be a limitation of your computer, not Diva.

I've been going by heat as a judge on CPU usage. I use Reaper but didn't know it could monitor CPU usage (if that one can). Thanks

[martinjuenke]

This is interesting:

viewtopic.php?f=74&t=558592

[ScrLk]

Reaper can even show CPU usage % per plugin!

You can also check by using Task Manager, but for audio you'll want to check in the DAW.

[yellowmix]

I've been going by heat as a judge on CPU usage. I use Reaper but didn't know it could monitor CPU usage (if that one can). Thanks

That is a very poor metric. Modern CPUs will throttle (slow down) as they reach critical temperatures. You want to watch heat in order to know if better cooling is necessary and for maintenance so your system does not slow down, that is all it is useful for. This is why laptops at the same price as a desktop will run hotter and thus slower. Some people will use external graphic card enclosures to help dissipate heat (don't do this in a desktop, inside is better in every respect).

There is significant hysteresis between the processing and the changes in heat. It's also a very holistic view far away from the plugins.

REAPER has a Performance Meter that gives you information down to the exact plugin. The statistic you want to look at, however, is "Real Time CPU". This shows you how much of your CPU is needed to keep up with real time audio performance. 100% is the absolute limit or it will definitely break up. It can break up before then, due to DPC latency, GUI stuff, other apps, etc..

Since you're on REAPER you can put Diva into multicore mode and it should perform very well on a contemporary CPU. But adjust the accuracy as necessary, there are no artificial limits so you must be judicious. Note REAPER can inform on offline state so you can set OfflineAcc to your preference and Diva will respect it.

[ghostwhistler]

I've been going by heat as a judge on CPU usage. I use Reaper but didn't know it could monitor CPU usage (if that one can). Thanks

That is a very poor metric. Modern CPUs will throttle (slow down) as they reach critical temperatures. You want to watch heat in order to know if better cooling is necessary and for maintenance so your system does not slow down, that is all it is useful for. This is why laptops at the same price as a desktop will run hotter and thus slower. Some people will use external graphic card enclosures to help dissipate heat (don't do this in a desktop, inside is better in every respect).

There is significant hysteresis between the processing and the changes in heat. It's also a very holistic view far away from the plugins.

REAPER has a Performance Meter that gives you information down to the exact plugin. The statistic you want to look at, however, is "Real Time CPU". This shows you how much of your CPU is needed to keep up with real time audio performance. 100% is the absolute limit or it will definitely break up. It can break up before then, due to DPC latency, GUI stuff, other apps, etc..

Since you're on REAPER you can put Diva into multicore mode and it should perform very well on a contemporary CPU. But adjust the accuracy as necessary, there are no artificial limits so you must be judicious. Note REAPER can inform on offline state so you can set OfflineAcc to your preference and Diva will respect it.

It is a poor metric, I agree, and I appreciate your indepth reply.
Could you epxlain what you mean by inform on offline state? do you mean if i freeze/render/bounce down tracks?

I'm (as is quite obvious) no expert on pc tech. I just enjoy making the music However heat is an issue that concerns me. I started a separate thread as my laptop was getting to 70+ degrees at times, running tracks. Now I don't know if that's good or bad. My i5 has as listed max operating temp of 105 degrees, but I can't imagine it being good to run close to that regularly. But maybe it is, I dont' know. I was talking with a guy running a computer shop yesterday, as I'm looking to buy a new machine anyway, and I told him my laptop was 70degrees. I didn't specify that was under load and he said that was not good. I don't know if he's right, but of course I can pay him to solve the problem (I'm sure he's legit, it's just that I don't know).
Thanks

[carrieres]

there is no temp indicator on your Operating System, it's because you don't have to care about it.
Now if your computer shutdown unexpectedly or don't run at the higher speed (like turbo speed), check the temp and clean the dust with a vacuum cleaner.
https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/how ... emperature
If your computer struggle to maintain a healthy temp you should hear the cooler fan.
don't use Diva in divine mode because it will push your PC to its limit and you don't want that !

[ScrLk]

70 degrees is fine I promise! Processors were made to be used — the hardware itself is supposed to take care of keeping it in an optimal temperature range (by speeding up the fans or throttling), not you.

[yellowmix]

Could you epxlain what you mean by inform on offline state? do you mean if i freeze/render/bounce down tracks?

If REAPER is rendering offline it will tell the plugins, and plugins like Diva will switch to the offline accuracy setting. Make sure you're not doing a realtime render. Off the top of my head, other plugins that do this include 2C Audio's reverbs, and FXpansion's synths. A few more let you change quality mode like Seaweed Audio Fathom but won't automatically switch on offline notice.

heat is an issue that concerns me. I started a separate thread as my laptop was getting to 70+ degrees at times, running tracks. Now I don't know if that's good or bad. My i5 has as listed max operating temp of 105 degrees, but I can't imagine it being good to run close to that regularly.

There is little you or anyone can do about heat in a laptop and if they say they can they are fleecing you. The heat is inherent to the design. Like I said, there are some mitigation measures like an external graphics card enclosure which gamers tend to do since they want the most demanding graphics. Cooling pads can drop temperature from 2 to 13 degrees depending on ambient temperature. Some laptops are designed with cooling as an utmost priority but this is rare.

Unless you really need to be mobile, you want a desktop machine with fans that can direct massive amounts of air in an optimal way.

In the meantime, don't worry about heat damage. The CPU and BIOS will throttle to keep it under control. Unless the ambient temperature is also very hot and damp there won't be any damage. 70 under load sounds normal for a midrange laptop. Run Diva in draft mode and set offline accuracy to Divine or whatever. Sometimes the lower quality mode sounds plenty good.

[ghostwhistler]

there is no temp indicator on your Operating System, it's because you don't have to care about it.
Now if your computer shutdown unexpectedly or don't run at the higher speed (like turbo speed), check the temp and clean the dust with a vacuum cleaner.
https://www.tomshardware.com/how-to/how ... emperature
If your computer struggle to maintain a healthy temp you should hear the cooler fan.
don't use Diva in divine mode because it will push your PC to its limit and you don't want that !

Not sure I should use a vaccum clearner! But I do have some compressed air.

What do you consider a healthy temp? Is there anyway to check what speed I'm running at. I've been using Reaper's performance moniotr and a few instances of Diva gobble up the CPU quite considerably.

TBH I don't really tell the difference between Divine and Great. I don't have all the voices maxed out either. I don't think you need to, plus you can set the render rate if need be.

[ghostwhistler]

70 degrees is fine I promise! Processors were made to be used — the hardware itself is supposed to take care of keeping it in an optimal temperature range (by speeding up the fans or throttling), not you.

Good to hear, thanks. I'm just computer-paranoid (where's my teasmaid?)

[ghostwhistler]

Could you epxlain what you mean by inform on offline state? do you mean if i freeze/render/bounce down tracks?

If REAPER is rendering offline it will tell the plugins, and plugins like Diva will switch to the offline accuracy setting. Make sure you're not doing a realtime render. Off the top of my head, other plugins that do this include 2C Audio's reverbs, and FXpansion's synths. A few more let you change quality mode like Seaweed Audio Fathom but won't automatically switch on offline notice.

heat is an issue that concerns me. I started a separate thread as my laptop was getting to 70+ degrees at times, running tracks. Now I don't know if that's good or bad. My i5 has as listed max operating temp of 105 degrees, but I can't imagine it being good to run close to that regularly.

There is little you or anyone can do about heat in a laptop and if they say they can they are fleecing you. The heat is inherent to the design. Like I said, there are some mitigation measures like an external graphics card enclosure which gamers tend to do since they want the most demanding graphics. Cooling pads can drop temperature from 2 to 13 degrees depending on ambient temperature. Some laptops are designed with cooling as an utmost priority but this is rare.

Unless you really need to be mobile, you want a desktop machine with fans that can direct massive amounts of air in an optimal way.

In the meantime, don't worry about heat damage. The CPU and BIOS will throttle to keep it under control. Unless the ambient temperature is also very hot and damp there won't be any damage. 70 under load sounds normal for a midrange laptop. Run Diva in draft mode and set offline accuracy to Divine or whatever. Sometimes the lower quality mode sounds plenty good.

Thanks, can you explain the difference between offline render and realtime render. I just know there's 'render' or freeze. I just do that. Gives the CPU a little workout for the time it takes (depending on the amount of info). I assume that the setting it put in Diva is the setting it then renders at, which i set to maximum, since if i'm freezing for a track in progress i only need do that once. IYSWIM

[ghostwhistler]

Thanks for setting my mind at ease folks. These synths are pretty awesome