Line 6 POD Farm Plug-In, POD Studio GX, POD Studio UX1, POD Studio UX2, POD Farm User Manual
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Wi n d o W s
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XP ® & Vi s t a
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au d i o ti P s & oP t i m i z at i o n s
Improve the performance of your computer with
Line 6 POD® Farm & audio recording software
Windows® XP® & Vista® - Audio Tips & Optimizations
ta b l e o f Co n t e n t s
Digital Audio and Your Computer ............................................................. 1
Windows® XP® Optimizations .................................................................1
Making System Tweaks in Windows® XP
Disable Your Onboard or Add-in Sound Card ....................................................................1
Turn Off Windows System Sounds .....................................................................................2
Disable Error Reporting .......................................................................................................3
Disable the Remote Assistance Option ..............................................................................3
Turn Automatic Updates Off .............................................................................................3
Processor Scheduling ...........................................................................................................3
Set Virtual Memory to a Fixed Size .....................................................................................4
Enable DMA Mode for All IDE Hard Disk Drives .............................................................4
Disable the Indexing Service ...............................................................................................5
Exit All Unnecessary Applications .....................................................................................5
Disable Startup Programs with the System Configuration Utility .....................................6
Internet and Network Connections ....................................................................................6
Disable Windows System Restore .......................................................................................6
Display & Power Settings ....................................................................................................6
Maintenance Tasks ..............................................................................................................8
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Windows® Vista® Optimizations ...............................................................1
Making System Tweaks in Vista ..........................................................................................1
Disable Your Onboard or Add-in Sound Card ....................................................................2
Turn Off Windows System Sounds .....................................................................................3
Turn Off Visual Effects ........................................................................................................4
Disable the Remote Assistance Option ..............................................................................5
Turn Automatic Updates Off .............................................................................................5
Processor Scheduling ...........................................................................................................5
Set Virtual Memory to a Fixed Size .....................................................................................5
Enable DMA Mode for All IDE Hard Disk Drives .............................................................6
Exit all Unnecessary Applications ......................................................................................7
Disable Startup Programs with the System Configuration Utility .....................................8
Internet and Network Connections ....................................................................................8
Display & Power Settings ....................................................................................................8
Maintenance & System Tools ...........................................................................................10
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Windows® XP® & Vista® - Audio Tips & Optimizations
Additional Resources ..................................................................................1
Helpful Computer Optimization Sites ................................................................................1
Line 6 Online Resources ......................................................................................................1
Line 6, POD, PODxt, POD X3, POD Farm, POD Farm Plug-In, TonePort, GearBox, GearBox Plug-In, Line
6 Monkey, ToneDirect Monitoring, GuitarPort, FBV, Variax, Line 6 Edit and Custom Tone are trademarks of
Line 6, Inc. All other product names, trademarks, and artists’ names are the property of their respective owners,
which are in no way associated or affiliated with Line 6.
© 2008 Line 6, Inc.
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Digital Audio and Your Computer
di g i ta l au d i o a n d Y o u r Co m P u t e r
Modern Windows® PC’s are now quite powerful and more than capable of being used as powerful Digital
Audio Workstation (DAW). However, most are not typically configured for optimal performance for
the specific demands of digital audio right out of the box. The following tips are offered as suggested
optimizations you might try on your Windows® XP® or Vista® system to possibly improve the
performance with your Line 6 POD® Studio, TonePort®, POD®xt, POD® X3, POD® Farm software,
POD ® Farm Plug-In, as well as their use with other audio applications.
It is important to note that many of the default Windows settings do offer some advantages, conveniences,
and even security improvements for the general use of your computer. You should evaluate the tradeoff of the security and conveniences some of these services offer to your everyday computing work
before you go disabling all of them. It is also a good idea to always back up your system and data
before changing system settings, and to keep a written list of all settings you’ve changed and know
how to reset them back in case you encounter decreased performance issues.
Note - PC configurations can differ widely. The following tips are offered as suggestions only and Line 6
cannot be held responsible for problems caused to your system by applying settings changes. Please seek
the assistance of a qualified service technician if you are not familiar with these Windows operating system
settings. So we’ll say it once again - back up your system first before making changes!
Digital Audio Demands
A few basic understandings are helpful as you start working with digital audio hardware & software,
and the demands they make on your computer system. Here are a few helpful insights...
CPU Usage
This refers to the processing power that your computer uses to do lots of very complex math for such
things as applying all those cool effects and amp models to your sound. Once you start running other
audio applications and multiple Plug-Ins, this starts using more CPU cycles. It is best to run only the
applications and processes you need to get the most out of your computer’s finite amount of CPU
resources. And of course, the faster processor your computer has, the better. The newer Dual-Core and
Quad-Core processors offer even better performance than earlier processors since they are indeed like
having multiple CPUs all sharing the processing load!
Hard Disk Access
This is the “input/output” speed at which audio data can be written to your hard disk during recording,
and read from your hard disk during playback. You disc access capability directly affects how many
tracks you can record/play back in a Multitrack software project, for example. Recording digital audio
also uses a great deal of hard disk space, so it is a good idea to have lots of free Gigabytes available. The
speed of your hard disk itself is important here. It is best to have a hard disk with a 7200 RPM speed
or higher. Also, newer PC’s support the Serial ATA (SATA) interface for internal hard disks - if yours
does than you should purchase a SATA type hard disk rather than IDE since SATA is a bit faster. A
common practice among folks using their computer for audio work is to add a second hard disk and
use it strictly for storing and recording audio files, while the original drive is used primarily as your “C”
drive where Windows®, POD Farm, and all applications are installed.
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Digital Audio and Your Computer
Note that often laptops come standard with a 5400 RPM speed internal hard disk, which may not be
quite up to the task of more than simple multitrack audio recording projects. It is possible to purchase
an external hard disk, such as one with a USB 2 or Firewire interface, that is 7200 RPM or faster to
use as a secondary audio disk. External hard disk drives are also handy for back-ups as well (you are
backing up your data, right?)
RAM
(Random Access Memory) Many modern applications use lots of this type of memory, so the more
RAM you have, the better, up to the 3.2 GB maximum that Windows XP & Vista 32 bit operating
systems support. One of the big advantages of the Windows XP and Vista 64 bit systems is that these
support more than 3.2 GB of RAM. As RAM is getting cheaper all the time, and as hardware and
software support increases for 64 bit systems, these are quite likely to be the next big thing for DAW
systems.
If you are running a Multitrack recording application, effects plug-ins and soft-synths along with POD
Farm, then RAM will be used up quickly. So it a great investment to fill up those RAM slots with all
you can afford (but remember that it will not reduce these applications’ additional needs for CPU
processing). Be sure to check your PC or motherboard documentation to see specifically what type of
RAM it takes, and the capacity of RAM it will hold per RAM slot before you order the wrong type and
have to face the dreaded chore of trying to return electronics parts!
Hardware Conflicts
It is best to avoid connecting unnecessary peripheral hardware devices when working with audio on
your PC. Since POD Studio, TonePort, PODxt and POD X3 devices connect to your USB port, you
especially want to avoid any devices sharing the same USB bus. It can require advanced technical skills
to track down device conflicts, and this is beyond the scope of this document – consult a technician for
assistance if needed. But you can often avoid conflicts by simply not installing or disabling unneeded
devices. For example, adding devices such as document scanners, Bluetooth adapters, printers, a USB
coffee warmer, etc. can all raise the chances of conflicting with your audio device. Strive to keep your
audio PC lean and mean, at least while running your audio applications.
Cables
Note that digital connections, such as the S/PDIF outputs on POD Studio & TonePort UX2, UX8,
KB37, PODxt Pro and POD X3, require the use of a special 75-ohm coaxial cable to effectively transmit
digital signals without loss or interference. Be sure to get this cable type for any digital connections to/
from your Line 6 hardware. For all analog audio connections, get yourself some good quality shielded
instrument cables. Cheap cables often do not hold up well and can be a source of noise and tone loss if
not well constructed. It is a good idea to invest in a few good quality cables and keep them away from
cats and drummers. Before spending an entire day trying to figure out why you aren’t getting a signal
through your setup, check your cables!
With the above understandings, you can already see one common rule of thumb – more processing,
speed and memory is better! But you do not necessarily need to go upgrade your PC right now. If your
computer meets the recommended requirements then it is likely just fine to get going with your Line
6 hardware and POD Farm needs. To squeeze more out of your current system, take a look at the
following sections for plenty of tips and tweaks!
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Windows® XP® Optimizations
Wi n d o W s® XP® oP t i m i z at i o n s
To follow is a number of settings changes that have been proven to optimize Windows® XP® specifically
for better performance of audio software. It is worth mentioning once again... it is a really good idea to
do a complete backup of your system and data before making any of these system changes so that
you can restore your system to its previous state if any problems are encountered!
Making System Tweaks in Windows® XP
First a bit of information about accessing system settings in Windows...
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Switch to the Classic Start Menu Mode
Within this document, instructions are provided assuming you have Windows® XP® set to use the
Classic Start Menu mode, which remains the preference of most computer geeks everywhere. To
switch to this mode, right-click on the Windows Start button and choose Properties > Start Menu
tab > Classic Start Menu option. While you are here, click on the Customize button, and then check
the box for Expand Control Panel. Click OK to close both dialogs.
The Windows Control Panel
Many of the following settings are accessed in the Windows Control Panel, which you intelligently
just chose in the previous step to display as “Expanded” as a convenient sub-menu. Click on the Start
button and choose Settings to get to the expanded Control Panel sub-menu as needed:
Accessing the Windows Control Panel Menu
Disable Your Onboard or Add-in Sound Card
When using Line 6 POD Studio, TonePort, PODxt or POD X3 hardware as your sound card device
for recording and playback in audio applications, you may not need to have any other sound card
enabled. In some cases you may even encounter a hardware conflict with some “onboard” and/or addin sound cards such as SoundBlaster® Live! or OEM cards. The best solution is to simply disable any
unnecessary, additional sound card within Windows Device Manager.
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Windows® XP® Optimizations
Go to Control Panel > System > Hardware tab > Device Manager button. Click the + symbol to the
left of Sound, video and game controllers to expand it. Now right-click on your onboard sound card
device, or other sound card device that is not in use, and choose Disable. Click Ye s when it prompts
you if you really want to disable the device. The device then appears in the list with a red “X” to show
it is disabled. You can come back to Device Manager any time, right click on the disabled device and
choose Enable to enable it again.
Windows Device Manager - OEM Sound Card (a SoundMax device) has been disabled
Note that if you disable another sound card, Windows will often then automatically assign your connected
Line 6 USB device as the Windows “default device” for all sound playback. This means that many audio
applications such as Windows Media Player, iTunes, or games, will route their sound to your Line 6
device, which may or may not be what you want. The audio capabilities of Line 6 USB hardware are likely
much higher quality than your on-board or add-on sound card, but Line 6 devices do not support some
features such as MIDI playback, 5.1 surround output, or accelerated 3D audio for games. If you need
these features, then it is best to set a sound card that does for the Windows default playback device, or
specifically for the applications with these requirements. You can, however, avoid Windows system sounds
playing through your Line 6 device independently of the Windows default playback device assignment – see
the next section.
Turn Off Windows System Sounds
These little dings and beeps can be handy alerts, but not very pleasant to hear blaring at high volume,
especially if they are assigned to play through your POD Studio. To turn them off, go to Control Panel
> Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds tab. Choose No Sounds as the Sound Scheme. Click OK to
exit the dialog. You can always come back here and turn the sounds back on if you really miss them.
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Windows® XP® Optimizations
The Sounds and Audio Devices Properties dialog - setting the No Sound scheme
Disable Error Reporting
Eliminate those pesky pop-up warnings by disabling this error reporting feature. Go to Control Panel
> System > Advanced Tab > Error Reporting and then click the Disable Error Reporting button.
Keep the checkbox checked for the But notify me if critical errors occur option.
Disable the Remote Assistance Option
Some technical support departments may ask you to keep this service active, but if this is not the case
for you, then you can disable it. Go to Control Panel > System > Remote Tab and uncheck the option
for Allow Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer.
Turn Automatic Updates Off
Windows updates are actually highly recommended by Microsoft, and indeed many are for security
enhancements and offer critical fixes. But you may prefer to set the Automatic Updates feature off
and check manually at the Windows Update web site for your updates to avoid this service kicking in
while you are tending to audio processes. Go to Control Panel > System > Automatic Updates tab,
and select Turn Off Automatic Updates. If you do choose to turn this option off, then be sure to check
manually on the Microsoft Windows Update site for critical updates on a regular basis.
Processor Scheduling
Some audio applications recommend setting the Processor Scheduling setting to “Background
Services” rather than the XP default of “Programs”. Others claim it can be detrimental to processing,
so evaluate its advantages on your system. Go to Control Panel > System > Advanced Tab >
Performance Settings > Advanced Tab, and set the Processor Scheduling to Background Services.
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