I use laptops running Windows 11 for audio engineering tasks for work and research: audio measurements, multitrack recording and mixing, audio processing, statistical analysis, and so forth.
An oft recommended tool to self-qualify / diagnose Windows computers for acceptable real-time audio purposes is Latency Mon from Resplendence Software:
Resplendence Software – LatencyMon: suitability checker for real-time audio and other tasks
When there is a reported problem of ACPI.sys or other core Windows software taking too long to respond it is difficult to find sensible and reliable advice on what to do.
Based up many hours of web research and personal experience of using Windows > 25 years my Windows 11 ‘tweaks’ are currently limited to:
- System > About > Advanced system settings > Performance [Settings] > Visual effects [‘Adjust for best performance’]
- System > About > Advanced system settings > Performance [Settings] > Advanced > Adjust for best performance of [Background services]
- Privacy and security > Device security > Core isolation details > Memory Integrity [Off]
I would be most grateful for any advice or experience in this area.
Perhaps the topic is worth a section in a newsletter?
I have found it useful to periodically do a fresh install of Windows (every 12-18 months) in an attempt to ensure acceptable real-time audio performance (no drop-outs), but this doesn’t always ensure good performance. I use a checklist to keep track of what software to install, and in which order. I would like to avoid adjusting the OS or BIOS unnecessarily. I maximize the RAM when purchasing a new laptop, and try not to tax the machine unnecessarily (sufficient SSD free space, disable unwanted Startup apps, enable Flight Mode when doing audio critical tasks, etc).
Many thanks for the consistent and reliable source of good information.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Digby
[Lenovo P16s Gen 3, Lenovo T16 Gen 1, Lenovo T490, Microsoft Surface Pro 7]
