Practical Recording Techniques, 6th Edition

Appendix B

Optimizing Your Computer for Multitrack Recording

Once you’ve chosen some recording software and installed it, you’ll want to make your computer run as fast and glitch-free as possible. Speed becomes critical as you use more tracks, more effects, high bit rates, and high sampling rates.

The data flow of multitrack digital audio places high demands on computer speed. Recording and playback of digital audio requires long, continuous periods of streaming audio data. The more tracks in use, and the higher the bit depth and sampling rate, the faster the data flow has to be. And the more soft synths and effects plug-ins that are in use, the greater the load on the CPU.

Clearly, you need a fast computer for multitrack recording. But you ...