First Vienna Instruments Stress Test results on PC
We have tested the Vienna Instruments on various computers and doublechecked on similar machines. All computers are fully equipped DAW´s that are used in everyday studio work, no additional tuning.
More tests are in the works, with different processors and hosts. Our tests with Sonar, FX Teleport, Chainer, Plogue Bidule, Forte showed the same results, the Vienna Instruments behave the same way as in Steinberg Cubase SX or Vstack.
The test results for Audio Units on Apple will follow as soon as possible.
Please bear in mind, that the RAM available is also used by the hosts (around 300 MB) and Windows (another 300 MB), which is why the limit of RAM usage is 1.3-1.5 GB for the Vienna Instruments in a computer equipped with 2 GB RAM.
The testing routine: Play a (really stressy!) stress test song with different loading options (more instruments, less RAM, and the other way around). All instruments are playing all the time, using all kinds of matrices and patches, and of course including additional MIDI data like ModWheel and different assigned sliders.
You always see the maximum Vienna Instruments possible in the given setup without any sonic trouble.
TEST COMPUTER 1
Processor: Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: internal SATA
Host application: Cubase SX3
Soundcard: RME HDSP Multiface
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 24 (CPU 75%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 75%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.3 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 20 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 75%)
TEST COMPUTER 2
Processor: Pentium 4, 3 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: Cubase SX2
Soundcard: RME DIGI 9652
Latency at 1024 Samples (24 ms) / 1.3 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 24 (CPU 50%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 60%)
Latency at 512 Samples (12 ms) / 1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 18 (CPU 50%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 60%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 14 (CPU 60%)
Maximum polyphony: 180 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
TEST COMPUTER 3
Processor: AMD 2.6 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: Cubase SX3
Soundcard: Creamware Pulsar & Luna
Latency at 13ms / 1.3 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 20 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 70%)
Latency at 7 ms / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 16 (CPU 65%)
Maximum polyphony: 174 stereo voices / (CPU 60%)
TEST COMPUTER 4
Processor: Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: internal SATA
Host application: VSTack
Soundcard: RME DIGI9632
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1.4 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 16 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 180 stereo voices / (CPU 70%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.4 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 8 (CPU 55%)
Maximum polyphony: 160 stereo voices / (CPU 70%)
TEST COMPUTER 5
Processor: Pentium 4, 2.4 GHz,
Ram: 1.5 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: VSTack
Soundcard: Steinberg VSL 2020
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 16 (CPU 60%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 80%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 14 (CPU 60%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 80%)
TEST COMPUTER 6
Processor: Laptop Pentium M, 2 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: Cubase SX3
Soundcard: RME HDSP Multiface
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 14 (CPU 65%)
Maximum polyphony: 160 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 10 (CPU 55%)
Maximum polyphony: 150 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
TEST COMPUTER 7
Processor: Pentium 3, 1 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: VStack
Soundcard: RME DIGI 9632
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 0.6 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 5 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 90 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
We have tested the Vienna Instruments on various computers and doublechecked on similar machines. All computers are fully equipped DAW´s that are used in everyday studio work, no additional tuning.
More tests are in the works, with different processors and hosts. Our tests with Sonar, FX Teleport, Chainer, Plogue Bidule, Forte showed the same results, the Vienna Instruments behave the same way as in Steinberg Cubase SX or Vstack.
The test results for Audio Units on Apple will follow as soon as possible.
Please bear in mind, that the RAM available is also used by the hosts (around 300 MB) and Windows (another 300 MB), which is why the limit of RAM usage is 1.3-1.5 GB for the Vienna Instruments in a computer equipped with 2 GB RAM.
The testing routine: Play a (really stressy!) stress test song with different loading options (more instruments, less RAM, and the other way around). All instruments are playing all the time, using all kinds of matrices and patches, and of course including additional MIDI data like ModWheel and different assigned sliders.
You always see the maximum Vienna Instruments possible in the given setup without any sonic trouble.
TEST COMPUTER 1
Processor: Pentium 4, 3.2 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: internal SATA
Host application: Cubase SX3
Soundcard: RME HDSP Multiface
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 24 (CPU 75%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 75%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.3 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 20 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 75%)
TEST COMPUTER 2
Processor: Pentium 4, 3 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: Cubase SX2
Soundcard: RME DIGI 9652
Latency at 1024 Samples (24 ms) / 1.3 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 24 (CPU 50%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 60%)
Latency at 512 Samples (12 ms) / 1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 18 (CPU 50%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 60%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 14 (CPU 60%)
Maximum polyphony: 180 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
TEST COMPUTER 3
Processor: AMD 2.6 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: Cubase SX3
Soundcard: Creamware Pulsar & Luna
Latency at 13ms / 1.3 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 20 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 70%)
Latency at 7 ms / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 16 (CPU 65%)
Maximum polyphony: 174 stereo voices / (CPU 60%)
TEST COMPUTER 4
Processor: Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: internal SATA
Host application: VSTack
Soundcard: RME DIGI9632
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1.4 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 16 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 180 stereo voices / (CPU 70%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.4 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 8 (CPU 55%)
Maximum polyphony: 160 stereo voices / (CPU 70%)
TEST COMPUTER 5
Processor: Pentium 4, 2.4 GHz,
Ram: 1.5 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: VSTack
Soundcard: Steinberg VSL 2020
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 16 (CPU 60%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 80%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 14 (CPU 60%)
Maximum polyphony: 200 stereo voices / (CPU 80%)
TEST COMPUTER 6
Processor: Laptop Pentium M, 2 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: Cubase SX3
Soundcard: RME HDSP Multiface
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 1.2 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 14 (CPU 65%)
Maximum polyphony: 160 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
Latency at 256 Samples (6 ms) / 1.1 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 10 (CPU 55%)
Maximum polyphony: 150 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
TEST COMPUTER 7
Processor: Pentium 3, 1 GHz,
Ram: 2 GB
Data storage: Firewire 400
Host application: VStack
Soundcard: RME DIGI 9632
Latency at 512 Samples (12ms) / 0.6 GB Ram usage
Maximum Vienna Instrument instances: 5 (CPU 70%)
Maximum polyphony: 90 stereo voices / (CPU 65%)
Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL