TC electronic SDN BHD PowerCore - Manual (Page 14)

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GETTING THE MOST FROM POWERCORE
BUFFER SIZES
For optimal performance, set your audio buffer size (typically adjusted in the I/O
setup of your host application) to a value between 256 and 1024 samples. Rule of
thumb: The larger the audio buffer size, the lower your PowerCore plug-in’s
performance overhead on the DSPs and the CPU of the host computer. PowerCore is
optimized for best performance when using a buffer setting of 1024 samples. The
minimum I/O buffer size for PowerCore to work properly is 128 samples.
THE DISABLED STATE
When the Disabled State becomes active, the plug-in is bypassed due to a lack of
available DSP performance. This can happen when increasing the sample rate or you
try to load too many plug-ins. Only the audio processing will be bypassed on a
disabled plug-in – all of the parameters and presets updates will still be active,
preventing problems later on should you not notice that a plug-in has become
disabled.
Let us say that this error occurs when trying to load MegaReverb. In this case, you
will receive the following warning: "The following error occurred with the PowerCore
Effect ‘MegaReverb’: The PowerCore does not have enough free DSP resources
available to load the Plug-in. "
As an additional warning, there will be a status indication directly within the plug-in
that is disabled.
Figure 1: Many of the PowerCore plug-ins have a Disabled LED at the bottom of the
plug-in that will light-up red when disabled.
Some PowerCore plug-ins, such as EQSAT Custom, 24/7•C or the CLASSIC VERB,
will display the Disabled State message directly in the user interface.
Figure 2: The 24/7•C will appear as though the "lights
are out” and the disabled message will appear in the
VU Meter display.
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96 kHz PROCESSING
The included PowerCore plug-ins support 96 kHz processing. The golden rule of DSP
performance is: the higher the sample rate, the greater the DSP performance
required. So, a plug-in that requires 50% of a DSP at 48 kHz will require 100% of a
DSP at 96 kHz, as a doubling of sample rate also doubles the resulting DSP
performance required. As mentioned above, a plug-in will enter the Disabled State if
it can not handle a certain sample rate. In that case, simply switch back to the
supported sample rate.
LATENCY
WHAT IS LATENCY?
PowerCore plug-ins have a slight delay before the processed signal is returned to the
host application. The delay can be somewhat disorienting, resulting in an effect that
sounds like it is not in sync with the tempo of your song. To accommodate this, most
applications have something called Automatic Delay Compensation. Plug-ins report
back to the host application with a processing time, and the application offsets the
audio so that everything "lines up”.
The COMPENSATOR plug-in, included with your PowerCore, allows you to easily
setup delay compensation manually. Check the COMPENSATOR manual-PDF on your
installation CD for details.
NO LATENCY MODE
The PowerCore plug-ins offer the No Latency Mode. This mode is an alternative way
of communicating with the PowerCore. To enter No Latency Mode, click on the
PowerCore logo on the bottom of the plug-in. When enabled, the PowerCore logo will
have a red glow to indicate operation.
In most cases, No Latency Mode is not required as this much power comes at a
price; No Latency Mode will place a significant load on your host CPU! However, No
Latency Mode is ideal for record monitoring with a PowerCore reverb effect or playing
a PowerCore synth.
LATENCY IN THE MASTER FADER
When using PowerCore plug-ins in the Master output channel, latency is not an issue
as all of the audio is uniformly delayed.