A collection of scripts for optimising Windows 10 for real-time and network audio.
Warning: these scripts edit values in the registry. I recommnend backing up your registry first.
Warning: running this script will remove your existing Power Configurations.
To optimise Windows for real-time audio, simply run 'optimise.bat'.
To automatically start a process with real-time priority, run:
start_realtime.bat <path_to_app_without_quotes>
For example:
start_realtime.bat C:\Windows\notepad.exe
If you don't have administrator priviledges, you will recieve a prompt.
The script provided is designed to automate some of the actions that improve performance of real-time and network audio. The optimise.bat script performs the following actions:
- Add a custom, high performance power plan
- Set sleep and hibernation options to 'Never'
- Disable hard disk and USB suspend
- Set processing scheduling to 'Background Services'
- Disable Visual Effects
- Turn off paging
- Disable all WiFi adapters
- Disable Flow Control and Interrupt Moderation
- Disable Nagle's algorithm
- Disable system sounds
- Disable Windows background apps
- Disable User Account Control
- Disable Bluetooth adapters
- Disable automatic Windows Updates
- TODO: Disable 'Windows updates from more than one place'
Some of the steps to better audio performance can't be automated. You can perform the following changes manually to try and improve performance:
- Disable Fast Boot/Fast Startup
- Disable C-state transitions
- Disable Turbo Boost
- Disable SpeedStep
- Disable hyper-threading
- Disable spread sprectrum
- Set buffer size to the highest possible value (with acceptable latency)
- Set the ASIO latency to the highest possible setting
- Set the network audio driver latency to the highest possible setting
The recommend changes here are based on the following resources:
- Serato - PC Optimization Guide for Windows
- Focusrite - Optimising your PC for Audio on Windows 10
- Universal Audio - Windows Optimization - Optional Settings
- Ableton - Optimizing Windows for Audio
- Avid - Windows 10 Optimizations and Troubleshooting
- Audinate - How can I tune a windows PC for best audio performance?
- Cantabile ‘Glitch Free’ guide