I edit audio files while the machine is sometimes recording 2 HD streams and playing out a 3rd HD stream over the LAN. CPU activity rarely hits 20%. I don't understand your problem with too much activity.
G²
Right. Therefore I recommend you use an async USB DAC with separate clock domains, where the RPi clock has no direct effect on the outgoing audio.
A BBB or one of the other more advanced boards are a better choice if you are OK with the slightly more specialized environment.
The beauty (for me) of the RPi was to tap right off the I2S ...
But this thread is about optimizers not RPi
I wouldn't install it, but for security reasons:
- It requires a network connection
- It asks you to disable your firewall
- It asks you for your password
From a purely technical point of view, running a streaming service over WiFi is probably the worst transport you can have since it's the most susceptible to interference.
- It requires a network connection
- It asks you to disable your firewall
- It asks you for your password
From a purely technical point of view, running a streaming service over WiFi is probably the worst transport you can have since it's the most susceptible to interference.
Hello TheTubeAmper,
I'm with you, for years I have used linux with mpd or Logitech Media Server and SqueezePlay/SqueezeLite.
Just last weekend my wife came home from her brother, she helped him setup his new laptop with Windows 8.1. She told me that she really liked Windows 8.1 with the Modern UI apps.
Until then, I have stayed away from Windows 8, but I got interested, after all I like to play with computers. So I installed Windows 8.1 Evaluation on one desktop and I'm surprised how well designed it is. And very fast, much faster than Windows 7. I find the negative reviews about Windows 8 misleading. And somewhere a journalist admits that negative reviews do sell better...
Then I was reading about this Audiophile Optimizer and I decided to swap a harddisk in my audio server and play with operating systems. Windows 8.1 on the audio server sounds similar to linux.
But after I installed Windows Server 2012 Essentials Evaluation and played a few flac tracks with Foobar2000/wasapi, both my wife and I were *wow*ed by the difference in sound. And we listened to a fresh installation without any audiophile optimizations. Really, all I could do was listen and listen more.
Our daughter will be a student for two semesters and I hope to be able to get student discount for Microsoft software, otherwise I stick with the evaluation release and reset the evaluation perido with a command like 'slmgr /rear'
I'm not sure how I want to 'optimize' this Windows based server, perhaps just stripping the GUI and use server core only (command line). Spending €100 on a hobbyist optimizer is for my budget a steep prize, perhaps it's just a bunch of scripts compiled into an executable.
Anyway, this Windows Server Essentials 2012 will be my music server from now on, and I admit that I need to study the ins and outs, like I had to to with linux before.
I'm using LiveTuner, it lets you tune windows for low latency.
I use my PC for everything: audiostreaming, surfing on the internet, video encoding, simulation, ...
Sometimes when I do CPU/HD intensive stuff I get hick ups on my USB DAC.
With this tool no more hick ups
I use the following settings:
Device optimizations: desktop
Application optimizations: office/internet
Decrease windows defender priority
Remove temporary files
Optimize windows timer resolution for low latency
Deselect: set windows X's live as default
When you click on analyze it let you see the different optimizations it will do depending on your choices, only when you click on configure those optimizations are done.
Nice tool and it's free
I use my PC for everything: audiostreaming, surfing on the internet, video encoding, simulation, ...
Sometimes when I do CPU/HD intensive stuff I get hick ups on my USB DAC.
With this tool no more hick ups
I use the following settings:
Device optimizations: desktop
Application optimizations: office/internet
Decrease windows defender priority
Remove temporary files
Optimize windows timer resolution for low latency
Deselect: set windows X's live as default
When you click on analyze it let you see the different optimizations it will do depending on your choices, only when you click on configure those optimizations are done.
Nice tool and it's free
Was able to download 8.1 licenses for 2 pc as well as 2012 R2 Essentials with updates.... For free!
2012 says I have to have a legit copy of 8.1...
I dunno if this means I can only update over a legit 8.1 machine, or if they just need verification (but 2012 comes with its own activation key)
The 4 services you need to run your PC as an audio device ONLY on WXP are:
Event Log
Plug and Play
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Windows Audio
It will play music, but not much else and will appear like W95.
There is a ""Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator"" service, that is not the same as above and this can be disabled.
HOWEVER the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service that is needed MUST BE ENABLED or your machine will not boot. If you disable RPC, your OS and machine will NEVER BOOT AGAIN.
Tweaking these services can destroy your machine beyond the repair of any tech geek. Reinstall as well as BIOS level switch adjustments will be needed to get your machine back if you make a mistake.
Task manager:
You can set the priority of the music player app to ''realtime''.
You can also close explorer.exe once you get your music player running.
You can then close task manager, and your pc will be a bare blue screen with one app.
I make no guarantees, and if you destroy your PC it is not my fault.
The above is the barest most stripped version of XP that will run music. I have a dedicated laptop configured like this playing music now into my main system. This laptop cannot do anything else once set up this way - it is a music appliance, nothing more.
Event Log
Plug and Play
Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Windows Audio
It will play music, but not much else and will appear like W95.
There is a ""Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator"" service, that is not the same as above and this can be disabled.
HOWEVER the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) service that is needed MUST BE ENABLED or your machine will not boot. If you disable RPC, your OS and machine will NEVER BOOT AGAIN.
Tweaking these services can destroy your machine beyond the repair of any tech geek. Reinstall as well as BIOS level switch adjustments will be needed to get your machine back if you make a mistake.
Task manager:
You can set the priority of the music player app to ''realtime''.
You can also close explorer.exe once you get your music player running.
You can then close task manager, and your pc will be a bare blue screen with one app.
I make no guarantees, and if you destroy your PC it is not my fault.
The above is the barest most stripped version of XP that will run music. I have a dedicated laptop configured like this playing music now into my main system. This laptop cannot do anything else once set up this way - it is a music appliance, nothing more.
But if you want to strip it down that drastically, does it really make sense to use Windows at all? Wouldn't it be better to use Linux or some other open-source, fully configurable OS?
The best playback solutions I've found are Foobar2000 with the ASIO plugin on various versions of Windows, and MPD on Linux.
In both cases I compared the SPDIF output with the original FLAC files and verified it to be identical bit for bit. This is a standard test I do on any serious computer audio setup, and once I've proven it to be bit perfect I leave it alone. If the digital side is bit perfect, and you're using an asynchronous DAC that generates its own low-jitter clock, what is there left to tweak?
Windows can be dreadful at introducing clicks, pops and stutters especially on older machines. Using ASIO with a soundcard that supports it does help, and I guess removing the unnecessary services helps too.
In both cases I compared the SPDIF output with the original FLAC files and verified it to be identical bit for bit. This is a standard test I do on any serious computer audio setup, and once I've proven it to be bit perfect I leave it alone. If the digital side is bit perfect, and you're using an asynchronous DAC that generates its own low-jitter clock, what is there left to tweak?
Windows can be dreadful at introducing clicks, pops and stutters especially on older machines. Using ASIO with a soundcard that supports it does help, and I guess removing the unnecessary services helps too.
If the DAC clock is fed back to the soundcard (external/slaved clock) then there is no effect of jitter. If only asynchronous resampling is used (ASRC), the effect is only reduced, never eliminated.
That does not say that SW can influence the soundcard output jitter in any controllable/repeatable way.
Yes, this is the meaning of "asynchronous" in the context of USB audio. The DAC sampling clock comes from a local crystal oscillator and the audio data is "pulled" out of the computer at a rate to match this oscillator.
Most USB audio devices are "adaptive" which works the other way around: the computer pushes the audio data out, and the DAC sampling clock is varied to match the rate of the incoming USB packets. Software can influence jitter slightly in this case, but certainly not in a controllable or repeatable way.
- Status
- This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.