System Usage - DigiDesign Pro Tools 8.0 Reference Manual

System Usage

Processing Bandwidth
Meters in the System Usage window indicate
how much of your system's processing power is
being used in processing audio, and when writ-
ing and playing back automation.
Pro Tools HD, LE, and M-Powered have four
common system activity meters:
PCI Displays the amount of PCI bus activity.
CPU (RTAS) Displays the amount of CPU pro-
cessing activity for RTAS processing.
CPU (Elastic) Displays the amount of processing
activity for Real-Time Elastic Audio processing.
Disk Displays the amount of hard disk process-
ing activity.
System Usage window (Pro Tools LE shown)
As these meters approach their limits, native
processing and recording or playback of auto-
mation data can be affected. If CPU or PCI Activ-
ity are high, a system error may occur. If Disk
Activity is high, Pro Tools may miss playback of
some automation data during particularly dense
periods of activity, such as while using the
Bounce to Disk command.
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With Pro Tools HD, there are additional meters:
TDM Voices Allocated Displays the total number
of TDM voices that can be allocated and the
number of voices currently allocated. This in-
cludes all voices whether they are allocated ex-
plicitly or dynamically, as well as any voices
used for routing RTAS processing.
TDM Time Slots Used Displays the total number
of TDM Time Slots available and the number of
TDM Time Slots currently used.
DSP Usage (Accel Core, HD Core, HD Accel, and
HD Process) Displays (in percent) how much of
each DSP chip on each Pro Tools|HD card is cur-
rently being used for mixer configurations and
TDM plug-ins.
System Usage window (Pro Tools HD 2 Accel shown)
System
Activity
TDM Voices
Allocated
TDM Time
Slots Used
DSP
Usage