PG Music Home Forums User-to-User Post your own Tips and Tricks here Windows hack for users without a dedicated audio production PC

In the "Optimizing Windows XP and 2000 for Audio" post, you are encouraged to use a separate machine for music production, one not used for any other applications, not even to connect to the Internet. It also tells you to disable seemingly-trivial features, such as screen savers, wallpaper, and power-saving options, and others not so trivial, like antivirus and firewalls. I don't have the luxury of that dedicated machine. If you don't either, here's a trick I use.

Windows has a feature called "User Profiles" which lets different users set up their Desktop and applications to look and run according to their preferences. Instead of setting up the machine for different individuals, I use this to set it up for different functions: Internet, music production, graphics, or whatever. This way my music-production profile comes up optimized as per my previous post; the Internet profile comes up "armored", with appropriate security apps that I don't want running while making music; a graphics profile will have all possible colors, bit depth and other visual goodies; and so on. You get the idea. If you just have the one machine, learn to use this feature.

Note: In XP you must disable the fast user switching feature, i.e., force each user to log out completely, for this to work; otherwise a user's profile remains active and all the programs and features left running remain in memory, which is then unavailable for what you REALLY want to do, i.e., make bootiful moosic.

For your delectation and edification,
R.

You just answered a question I had. Can you also have different hardware profiles to go along with your user profiles?

Absolutely. This allows you to make global system changes without having to worry about changing everything back or rebooting when you're through with that session. This would be the best way to choose among multiple soundcards/interfaces/monitors, etc. In Windows Help, see Hardware Profiles/Overview to get started; for once, they do a pretty good job of explaining things.

IMPORTANT: Note that (a) in order set up hardware profiles you must have administrator privileges, and (b) if you ever go online from within said profile it is essential that you have a current, effective password, virus protection and a firewall, since if you get hacked, they'll have admin privileges, too. That would be bad. You can switch off the firewall and antivirus when you're offline.

MS particularly emphasizes hardware profiles for laptops. I use mine to (among other things) work in friends' studios, running various apps that I don't usually use at home, and plugging into different interfaces. Frankly, I hadn't thought about using profiles for mobile apps, so I'm glad you brought it up.

I just realized I wasn't 100% clear in my question. What I meant is : can you have a hardware profile associated with a user profile so that, if I boot up the "music studio" profile it automatically loadu up the appropriate hardware profile?

For example, I would like to boot up in my "music studio" user profile and have it automatically boot up with a hardware profile with no modem, no hardware aceleration, none but absolutely essential services (i.e. no antivirus, firewall, etc). And if I boot up in my "web" profile, it would have modem, firewall, antivirus, etc. load up too. Or boot up in the "photo" profile and have the hardware profile optimized for Photoshop.

Can you associate hardware and user profiles like that, or would you have to boot up a hardware profile and then choose a user profile?

You are asking the exact right question; I may have obscured the answer. You have described exactly how I have my system configured, so you clearly have the right idea.

Hardware profiles are contained within User Profiles--which we are going to use as "Function" Profiles, as discussed earlier. You configure the User ("Function") Profile to open with whatever Windows settings and programs you wish to have running when you log in. The hardware profile is used to tell Windows which devices to start when you log into your User Profile, or what settings to use for each device. If you set only a single hardware profile for a User Profile, then that's how it will initialize when you log in. Just remember that you can have multiple hardware profiles, and that this is a particularly good thing with portable computers.

One more thing. You might not only not have a machine to use for music only; you might have to share it with others. Windows 2000 and upward allow you to isolate User Profiles from each other. If other people use the machine, learn how to do this (I leave it as an exercise for the student). You can then set up a "Guest" profile which does not have administrator privileges, but can go online, access printers and whatever programs you choose to allow, but not log into your profile(s), change settings or even view directories other than those you allow. This is a really good idea if you have kids, roommates, and/or store any type of sensitive material on your machine ("sensitive" meaning you don't want anyone else to see or mess with it). Even if none of this is so, it's still good practice to require a password to log in.

To conclude here, go to Windows Help/Index/User Profiles and /Hardware Profiles for specifics; there are links which will direct you to the settings you need to make. Happy hacking!

Here's another way to approach it.

I have two hard drives, both with Windows XP Pro installed.

When my system boots up, I have the option of selecting which drive to use. By default, it gives me 30 seconds to select and if I don't make a choice in that time, it boots into my C drive.
My C drive has all the bells and whistles, business & office applications, games, BIAB, etc.
My D drive is stricting for my DAW and recording programs, Cakewalk Sonar and several others. Everything else is turned off or tweaked to minimize CPU load. You'd be suprised how much better Windows works with everything turned off.

This efectively gives you two computers in one. It also gives you the ability to boot into the D drive if your system gets screwed up on the C drive. You can then access your files on the C drive.

Hope this is helpful.

Bob

Another elegant, outside-the-box take. Everything I have read about creating a dedicated PC said to leave programs not essential to producing music off your main drive, and to write letters and pay bills with another PC; you accomplish both with one machine. Very nice.

Perhaps you could say more about "everything turned off." What tweaks do you recommend beyond those referred to in the post "Optimizing Windows XP and 2000 for Audio"?

I essentially started by using the tweaks from this web site:

http://www.musicxp.net/tuning_tips.php

I also disabled all Windows updates and I also picked up some tips from various recording magazines but unfortunately I can't remember what they were. The main tips are in the link above.

It's also essential to not install ANYTHING other than your software required for your studio setup and the drivers and patches for that. I don't even have BIAB on that drive. You can run virus and security software for the D drive from the C drive when you have it booted up.

If I need anything from BIAB, I simply boot into the C drive and create it and save it as a midi file, then reboot into the D drive and open Sonar and import it. I usually then render it to audio for further recording.

I then save all my work on an external Glyph 150 GB firewire drive, further isolating it from the main computer in case of a major problem.

Why have 2 computers when you can have 2 hard drives and accomplish the same thing for half the price and half the space ? My home office and my home studio occupy the same room.

Take care and good luck !
Bob

Slick!

OK. Thanks to your advice, I've just created a MUSIC User's Profile because of the "quavery" piano sound problem that just began occurring in my regular profile. For the MUSIC profile I implemented most of the tips in "Tuning Tips." However, my Windows XP Task Manager shows that in my MUSIC profile there are still 54 processes running. I think that when one or more of these background processes start up, which they do automatically from time to time, and access the hard drive (I have two 500 Gb drives in a backup-RAID configuration), it (or they) interfere with the sound production of my Creative Labs X-Fi Elite Pro Synthesizer A, for the piano sound of my FATAR 88-key keyboard controller (which has NO local sound and is connected to the MIDI In port of the I/O module of the Elite Pro card) becomes "quavery." I can reset the piano sound to "true" by restarting the computer, but that lasts only for a while. The quavery sound occurs when I am using the Creative SoundFont Bank Manager (set to "Piano I"). It also occurs when I am using the eMedia "Piano and Keyboard Method" software . I haven't tested it out in BIAB yet, but it appears that it is not caused by any particular software.

I don't want to "End Task" in the Task Manager, because I don't know what I am doing ending tasks that are background programs. I'm afraid of losing something permanently that the XP system needs. Is there a "safe" way to end these background processes temporarily so that I can eventually discover what is causing the quavery sound?

I need to "stop" functions like Napster, AT&T Yahoo! Music Jukebox, my Logitech QuickCam, iPod.exe, etc.

I've noticed that when I disable the anti-virus, firewall, auto updating for the MUSIC profile, they remain disabled when I switch back into my regular profile, so I have to reset them.

I welcome any suggestions you can give me. Thanks!

Gordon
San Francisco

Yes, nice idea to ‘split’ the PC up to retain a Music Production only user profile.

While I may not go as far as this, there are certain tips here I find useful, but I have one question.

What is the best (i.e. easiest – one click if possible and just as quick and easy to reverse) method of disabling my wi-fi Internet connection for the duration of a recording session.

I realise, of course, that I could simply remove the wi-fi adaptor and replace it but that seems kind of radical.

For the record, the system runs Windows XP and the Internet connexion is with AOL via an Aolbox.

Many thanks,

I don't know of a "manual" one click solution, although there might be one.

You can disable any hardware attached or installed in the machine by using the Control Panel->System->Hardware Manager and then locate the particular device in the Hardware Manager window list, highlight it, RightClick and choose "disable".

A neat free program for stopping undesired background programs is called EndItAll -- the version for XP is called EndItAll2, a websearch should bring up the download sight. You have to experiment with it at first to select which programs on the list you need to kill when working with music hosts and which ones you need to tell EndItAll to leave running, but it works a treat. Only problem is that when done with the music programs there is no "Reverse EndItAll" button, you have to reboot the machine to get those programs back and running. Still, I use it quite a bit when recording, even from within my Recording Profile, because certain things still start running in there when I boot into the Profile. Fortunately, I only have to resort to EndItAll when wanting to record many multiple tracks at the same time here, most of the time when working as a "one man show" recording one track in at a time, the Profile ends enough things that it is not all that problematic.

EndItAll2 -- If your AOL thingy is listed in its programs list, there's a oneclick solution.


--Mac

THanks Mac - will give it a try

Regards,

Marc

Here's a link for managing profiles
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490257.aspx

Here's one about hardware profiles
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb740879.aspx

>What is the best (i.e. easiest – one click if possible and just as quick and easy to reverse) method of >disabling my wi-fi Internet connection for the duration of a recording session?

You can display a LAN connection icon in the tray (area in the right of your taskbar, under the time, if you are displaying it). The icon is two PCs which flash when network activity is taking place. To show it, select Start/Settings/Network and Dial-Up Connections/Local Area Connection, right click and select Properties, then select "Show icon in taskbar when connected."

Once there, just right click on it and select "Disable" to disconnect.

To re-enable, select Start/Settings/Network and Dial-Up Connections/Local Area Connection, right click again and select "Enable". If you don't see this particular path, just go to Control Panel and do the same thing. (Hey, Microsoft: It'd be really nice if you'd leave the LAN icon in the tray when disabled; however, it just disappears. Oh, well.)

"I think that when one or more of these background processes start up, which they do automatically from time to time, and access the hard drive (I have two 500 Gb drives in a backup-RAID configuration), the piano sound of my FATAR 88-key keyboard controller (which has NO local sound and is connected to the MIDI In port of the I/O module of the Elite Pro card) becomes "quavery." I can reset the piano sound to "true" by restarting the computer, but that lasts only for a while. The quavery sound occurs when I am using the Creative SoundFont Bank Manager (set to "Piano I"). It also occurs when I am using the eMedia "Piano and Keyboard Method" software . I haven't tested it out in BIAB yet, but it appears that it is not caused by any particular software."

Got nothing for you on the undesired vibrato/trem/whatever. You may want to get with the various hardware mfrs. First thing that occurs to ask, though, is whether you have enough RAM. Not suggesting you don't, just ruling it out. As I'm sure you know, more is always better in this case.

The RAID shouldn't do it, if configured properly. A friend of mine is doing this in a high-end home studio without issues. However, he is running 10,000 RPM drives and a machine with dual processors and 4 Gb of RAM. May make a difference. <Geek smiles>

"I don't want to "End Task" in the Task Manager, because I don't know what I am doing ending tasks that are background programs. I'm afraid of losing something permanently that the XP system needs. Is there a "safe" way to end these background processes temporarily so that I can eventually discover what is causing the quavery sound?"

Accepted technique here is to disable services one at a time--I can't stress that enough--and restart your machine. If it still works, you're OK. Go on to the next. Take notes as you do this so you will know exactly what you have done and can reverse it if necessary. But, so as not to work blind, get a good reference on your OS. There are many to choose from. Look under headings such as "optimizing", "performance", and anything else you can think of. For some reason, everybody seems to use a different term for the same process.

"I need to "stop" functions like Napster, AT&T Yahoo! Music Jukebox, my Logitech QuickCam, iPod.exe, etc."

Most of these have an option to disable themselves in their own Preferences menu. It's not always easy to find or implement, though, and they don't always stop all all modules of a program. Download a free program called Spybot S & D. I'm not recommending it here because of its spyware-removing properties, although it excels at that. Under its "Tools" heading is a "System Startup" listing. Here you will find programs which are not listed in Windows' equivalent. Simply uncheck them, restart Windows, and they are gone from your startup routine. (Recheck, though; some programs are quite persistent. I had a hard time getting QuickTime not to start with Windows, but Persistence Paid Off.)

I don't have an answer for you yet on the programs which all start (or don't) when you turn them off or on with Windows. You're supposed to be able to set up each profile to come up completely independent of the others. However, the same thing happens to me with my security programs. And even when I turn off AVG antivirus, something stays resident and won't let me turn it off. But at least it's not scanning everything going in and out of my PC.

I'm still checking this out, as well as the issue of background services. Unfortunately my XP machine is down and I'm using Win2K right now. But follow the link in "Optimizing XP and 2000 for Audio Production" if you haven't already. There's a lot there which should measurably speed up yur PC and reduce glitches.

Hope this helps,
-R.

I suspect an IRQ share with either the soundcard or a midi interface and some other device, quite likely video or network card, here.


--Mac

Have you guys considered using something like VMware or the Microsoft equivalent? It allows you to "sandbox" multiple XP installations on a single machine. I've got BIAB running under VMware workstation, and it appears to be working fine. However, I have lots of testing yet to do. For example, I haven't tried to MIDI yet.

Provided the hardware interfaces function properly, the advantages of using a virtual machine are many:
1. Very easy to dedicate a "workstation" to a single task.
2. The virtual workstation is portable: I can easily move it from one physical machine to another, depending on where I'm working at the time.
3. The portability makes hardware upgrades very simple. Buy a new PC? Load VMware, then copy over your virtual workstation and you are back up and running.
4. The portability makes disaster recovery a piece of cake too.

I wonder if anyone else has tried this?

Not having used (or heard of, for that matter) VMware, I can't speak to the uses you cite. However, using it would defeat the purpose of my original post--throwing all the resources of your machine at music production.

If anyone is stil tracking this thread, here are my latest thoughts.

EnditAll - thanks Mac. to be used with caution 'though, particularly the 'Kill programme' option.

For myself (home 'fun' use only - remember 'fun', the pros out there?) the only time system response times matter is in recording. For this, a really good, easily reversible solution may be as follows:
- disable Internet by disabling wi-fi adapter from dev. manager (as suggested by Mac above)
- once this is done, switch off AV & Firewall (surely these are the things that are eating system resources?)

As for having a whole new Internet DAW profile, the downside is you can't flip over to the net to find a lyric or a performance of a song etc. without changing profile.

But this brings me to another, oh so basic question.
Am I alone in finding that my system copes really well with a 'fully-built' midi file. (an x.mid or x.kar) whatever app I am using to read it, and irrespective of how many tracks/channels it has), but struggles somewhat with BIAB.

Is this because BIAB is, in a way, building the track as it goes along?