Resource Usage 101

A lot of our collections are pretty extensive, so on some systems, a bit of careful planning might be needed to get best resource usage.

In general, the demands of a collection are based on three factors:

1) the number of instruments in use at a time

2) the size and demand of the individual instruments

3) the number of microphone positions used

To give you an idea how to optimize your projects for the lowest resource usage while still getting the sound you want, here's some pointers to these three factors:

1) Number of instruments in use at a time

In terms of CPU usage, instruments only consume resources if they are actively playing. To avoid CPU bottlenecks, only play instruments you actually need, or use sections intelligently. If all your flutes play the same notes, use a section instead of three single flutes.

RAM usage is independent of what's playing; but of course unused instruments still consume RAM, so only load what you need if you're running out of memory.

2) Size and demand of individual instruments

In general, the more articulations an instrument has, the more RAM it needs. Consider only loading articulations you actually need and play.

Legato instruments generally use more resources than non-legato. If you do not need any legato, consider using sustains, especially in background passages, where pronounced legato actually can diminish realism. The more legato styles an instrument has, the more sample data it has to load. Using for example up and downbow articulations loads twice the amount of transitions. This adds realism, but in a pinch you might get away with just a single style.

Some instruments have lots of velocity layers, these use more RAM, too. When choosing instruments, try to choose one that best fits the purpose. Bigger is not always better!

3) Number of microphone positions used

The rule for mic positions is easy: Double the positions equals double the resource usage. So if you can get away with half the positions, you've saved 50% of resources.

SINEplayer helps with that by offering Mic Merge: Dial in your perfect mic mix, then merge it down to a single stereo signal. A common situation would be using a mic of 4 positions - with a mic merge that means your instruments will use 75% less resources while sounding the same.

Some of our collections have a lot of mic positions - choose carefully and enable only what you actually need!