Topic: Configure Windows performance for Pianoteq

I just purchased a new PC that I consider as a substitute for my old Linux Mint setup to use w Pianoteq, but will also use it for other things - and then I ran into issues with cracks and pops because the CPU changed throttle when I played w Pianoteq. Changing performance settings to "High performance" solved the problem, but drained the battery of the laptop when I did not use it for playing piano. A little research on the net gave a few good advices that I want to share, with the hope that it can be helpful to someone else, too.

Step 1 - powercfg
There is a command in Windows, powercfg, that (among a lot of other things) can be used for setting the power plan on the pc, i.e. to change to "High performance" or what is desired.

What I did was to run the command "powercfg /l" in a command prompt, and it provides a list of all the available plans. It looks something like this in my setup

C:\Users\Torsten>powercfg /l

Existing Power Schemes (* Active)
-----------------------------------
Power Scheme GUID: 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e  (Balanced) *
Power Scheme GUID: 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c  (High performance)
Power Scheme GUID: a1841308-3541-4fab-bc81-f71556f20b4a  (Power saver)

And then it is possible, from the command prompt, to select any power scheme by the command "powercfg /s GUID", so e.g. "powercfg /s 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c" would select High performance.

Step 2 - create shortcut
I used this to create a desktop shortcut for starting Pianoteq, but instead of just opening Pianoteq, the shortcut will first change the power scheme to "High performance", then open Pianoteq, and when Pianoteq is closed, it switches to "Balanced".

I achieved this by creating a new shortcut (rightclick on the desktop, select "New --> Shortcut"), and then opening the shortcut properties.

In target I wrote

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /c "C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -s 8c5e7fda-e8bf-4a96-9a85-a6e23a8c635c && "C:\Program Files\Modartt\Pianoteq 5\Pianoteq 5.exe" && C:\Windows\System32\powercfg.exe -s 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e"

Please make sure that you find your own GUID values and insert, and also make sure that you point correctly to the Pianoteq executable. It got a little complicated how to call powercfg, this worked, and I am not sure if it can be done simpler, and did not invest more time in further investigation once I achieved what I intended. Suggestions are welcome.

Just to make it look nicer I also changed the shortcut icon (click the "Change icon" button, and navigate to the Pianoteq executable and select the icon).

Hardware: Studiologic SL 88s + SL Mixface, Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, Lenovo Yoga I5 Windows 10 Pro
VST host: Cantabile
Other instruments: hammond (GSi VB3 II), saxophone (Selmer), harmonicas (Hohners)

Re: Configure Windows performance for Pianoteq

This might also be of interest:

https://www.native-instruments.com/en/s...rocessing/



.       Charles

Re: Configure Windows performance for Pianoteq

For those with laptops where 'high performance' power plan option is not available -as on my new zenbook-, here is a tweak that restores the option. Other 'power optimized'  power plan are sources of glitches...

This has saved my laptop from crashing on the wall for so bad performances... and now everything works smoothly

Philippe

source:
https://support.serato.com/hc/en-us/art...-computer-

in summary:

How to unlock additional Windows 10 power plan settings

NOTE: Making changes to your registry can have serious implications. Before making any changes to your registry, we strongly recommend creating a back-up of the registry, which you can restore in the unlikely event anything goes wrong. Find steps on how to back-up the registry, here

    Press and hold the 'Windows' and 'R' key on your keyboard, or right-click on the Start menu button and choose 'Run'.
    When the 'Run' prompt appears, type "regedit" (without quotes) and then press enter on your keyboard, or hit the 'Ok' button.
    In the left hand pane of the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Power
    Locate the item entitled CsEnabled, and double-click on it.
    In the next window that appears, change the Value data field from 1 --> 0.
    Click 'OK' to confirm your choice, then restart your computer.
    You should now be able to proceed with the steps from our PC Optimization Guide for Windows, under the Adjust Power Options section, from Step 3.

Re: Configure Windows performance for Pianoteq

In addition to all that has already been said, we must also remember that it is important to keep the computer well ventilated, with the air vents unobstructed. For this, I place my notebook on a textured surface where the air flows freely, my computer is 4 cm away from the main base. This procedure greatly improved the performance of my notebook, preventing the fan from turning on, without making noise, and avoiding overheating of the equipment.

Respeito, Esforço e Sabedoria

Re: Configure Windows performance for Pianoteq

And then, there is dust... You would be amazed by the quantity of dust that comes into a fan... Solution: compressor or vacuum cleaner ! EZ