Hi guys,

I have been using Ableton Live for mixing for a while. Sometimes when I put some CPU-heavy plugins, the cpu meter inside live is really high while the cpu usage from Windows Task Manager is very low. Which number should I trust? And why is there such a big different between these two numbers?

System spec: Windows 11, 13900HX CPU, 32GB RAM.
DAW: Legit Ableton Live 12.0.1

 

The thing to remember with CPU meters in a DAW is that it's showing you the most stressed single thread, not the overall performance of the CPU. Iirc Ableton delegates each track to a thread, so large amounts of processing on a single thread will make it seem like your CPU is super loaded down when you've actually got more headroom to go if you spread it out across more tracks.

 

Thank you brother, so do I only need to worry about the number from the windows task manager?

 

The Cpu Load Meter On The Upper Right Corner shows you the overall CPU load within your interface. The load meter on each track narrows the problem to the specific track. They are helpful tools there to help you decide if you need to make changes, switch tools, bounce down a track or whatever. It’s letting you know you are using up your resources.

 

Last edited: Apr 17, 2024

Hi, no cracking sounds, no issues with latency, and buffer size is fine. I am just checking the meter inside Live and Windows task manager, and wonder why there is such a big difference.

 

Thank you！