The following strategies can be used when your computer experiences slow downs, drop outs, or other audio issues while using a DAW.

1. Freeze tracks or render instrument tracks to audio [CPU, RAM, disk]

***See resources on Canvas.

Logic Pro X Tutorial: How to Freeze Tracks & Optimize Computer Performance

2. Close running apps [RAM, CPU]

Chrome, in particular, is not CPU or RAM friendly—especially if you leave many tabs open. If you need to open a browser on your computer while working: Firefox is better, but Safari is best on MacOS.

Bonus tip: unplug peripheral devices you have plugged in (e.g. charging your phone through the laptop, printers, extra webcams, etc).

3. Free up space on your internal storage [disk]

Ideally, 10-20% of your internal SSD should be left unused. Never go below 10GBs of available space.

2TB external drives can be purchased for ~$60. That is enough space to archive your data and keep a backup of your system.

Additionally, 5TB of cloud storage is available through OneDrive. This is another great way of freeing up space on your drive.

Bonus tip: Run your DAW projects from an external SSD drive.

4. Adjust your buffer setting [CPU]

Higher buffer = more latency, but fewer audio issues.

https://whylogicprorules.com/logic-pro-x-preferences/

Scroll down to the last tip. Read the rest for some bonus tips in Logic.

NOTE: Logic and Cubase have some cleaver engineering where there are separate buffers for playback and recording.

5. Purge samples in Kontakt or Opus [RAM]

This will free up significant amounts of RAM. As you use the instrument, the samples will reload as needed.