Pro Tools 101_ An Introduction to Pro Tools 11 ( PDFDrive )

Tip: Mac users might want to create a shortcut to the Pro Tools
application on the Dock. To do this, simply drag the application icon
onto the Dock.
When you launch Pro Tools, the application starts with no session open.
From this point, you can change settings that affect the application’s overall
performance, depending on your needs. (Note that you might have to dismiss
the Quick Start dialog box first; see the “Quick Start Dialog Box” section in
Lesson 3.)
Optimizing Host-Based Pro Tools Performance
Native Pro Tools systems (systems without DSP cards) utilize the computer’s
processing capacity (called host-based processing) to carry out operations
such as recording, playback, mixing, and Native plug-in processing (effects
and virtual instruments). Systems with Pro Tools|HDX cards use dedicated
DSP chips for much of their audio processing power; however, they can also
use host-based processing capacity for Native plug-in processing.
While the default system settings are adequate for most processing tasks, Pro
Tools lets you adjust a system’s performance by changing settings that affect
its host-based processing capacity (the H/W Buffer Size and the Dynamic
Plug-In Processing settings).
Hardware Buffer Size
In Pro Tools 11, the Avid Audio Engine splits plug-in processing into two
domains: the low-latency domain operates at a user-selected hardware buffer
size, while the high-latency domain operates at a fixed, high buffer size.
The H/W Buffer Size setting in the Playback Engine dialog box controls the
size of the low-latency hardware cache. This cache is used to handle hostbased
tasks, such as Native plug-in processing, during recording or while
monitoring live input.
▪ Lower Hardware Buffer Size settings reduce monitoring latency when
you are recording or monitoring live input.
▪ Higher Hardware Buffer Size settings provide more processing power
for tracks that are recording or monitoring live input, at the expense of
increased latency.