CPU Performancer: Bussing vs. Individual FX

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Daniel Jerrehian
Wed Jun 28, 2017 2:11 pm

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CPU Performancer: Bussing vs. Individual FX

Hi Image Line! :)

I read through in the manual and some other posts which explain that using an FX bus mixer track will generally be harder on CPU performance than adding plug ins to individual mixer tracks. I was wondering at what point it makes sense more to use a bus in terms of CPU performance. I haven't had any problems thus far with my new computer but I wanted to make sure I'm being as efficient as possible once my projects get very CPU hungry.

I think an example will illustrate this better:
Imagine I have 4 instance of Serum running (or any VST synth) and assign each synth to a mixer track, like numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. Then, I bus these 4 tracks to channel 5, calling it my "Synth bus."

From my research, it seems that since a only a single CPU core can process one mixer track at a time, you suggest to add FX plug-ins to each individual mixer tracks (1, 2, 3, and 4) opposed to stacking on 8 plug ins to the channel 5 synth bus.

This makes sense from a mixing standpoint, as I don't want to EQ all 4 synths the same way, but sometimes I want to compress them the same amount to glue them together. But at what point/number of channels/number of plug-ins does adding 4 compressors to each individual synth take up more processing power than adding a single one to the bus? I understand the bus will have to work with 4 different channels, but it is only 1 instance of the compressor compared to 4.

Often times, I EQ each synth individually, sometimes add some individual compression and distortion, then on the FX synth bus have a general EQ compress them all to 'glue' them together, fruity flangus, etc. Lastly, I send this bus to a reverb send in addition to the master.

Is there a better way to do my example? Is adding 4 instances of individual plug ins really more efficient than a bus? Or should I add that glue compressor on the bus to each channel with the same settings?

Maybe this is a better example:
Or what about busing all of my up-sweeps and risers to the same place and adding 1 instance of EQ to high pass them all. Is that really more CPU intensive than adding individual high pass filters to all of them?

So does EQing them in a bus (EQ is not a CPU hungry plug-in but for example sake) cause more CPU burden than adding 10 different instances of EQ? Where is the cutoff between 10 invidual EQs takes up may more CPU than a single one?

Any direction here is really appreciated! :D :)

Sorry for the long post, it's my first time. :lol:

Thanks guys! <3 :)

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