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8. COMPUTER RECORDING BASICS
Even on the largest recording systems, as the track count grows the CPU becomes increasingly
taxed. This is especially the case if you are using numerous “instances” of plug-ins. Every time you
load a plug-in on a track whether you are using another instance of that plug-in on another track
already, you are adding to the load on your CPU. The following are a number of “best practices” that
will help you conserve CPU for when you will need it the most - tracking your final overdubs and
during the mix process.
8.1 MIXING AS YOU TRACK
A number of engineers are in the practice of crafting mixes as they track. This involves strategic use
of resources in combination with a well organised approach to what gets tracked and when. This can
vary depending on the song or artist, but using this tried and true approach will allow you to get the
most out of your OPC.
8.2 RESOURCES AND RE CORDING
If possible, record as many of your live tracks as early in the song development process as is
possible. By separating your production process into tracking and mixing phases you will be able to
get the most out of your resources.
8.3 LATENCY
As the name implies, Latency refers to a measurement of time. In the world of recording this is
traditionally the delay between when you play something and how long it takes for the computer to
play it back. The OPC DRIVER is capable of delivering an extremely low 48 samples of latency, which
is ideal for tracking. However, low latency also means your computer is working much harder, so as
you move from tracking to mixing, we'd suggest moving to a higher setting.
