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#1 2009-05-12 09:59:29
- harumph
- Member
- Registered: 2009-04-24
- Posts: 12
Is a rt kernel mandatory for pro audio?
I have an intel i7 cpu and 6gb ddr3 ram. Do I still need a real time kernel for pro audio production using Ardour and other composition tools? Or is the rt kernel for lower end hardware?
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#2 2009-05-14 03:33:37
- ngoonee
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- From: Between Thailand and Singapore
- Registered: 2009-03-17
- Posts: 7,355
Re: Is a rt kernel mandatory for pro audio?
The answer is - it depends.
RT kernel is NOT for lower end hardware. It is for low-latency work, and however fast your CPU, you WILL need an RT kernel if you want to get really low latencies.
The question is, then, do you need low latencies? You will need that if you're mixing your music from various sources within your computer, for example. For audio production that is down outside the machine, with your machine only behaving as a recorder, then the RT kernel is not needed.
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#3 2009-05-26 18:29:06
- schivmeister
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- From: Singapore
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Re: Is a rt kernel mandatory for pro audio?
If your machine is the recorder, low-latency is a requirement, and hence RT. The stream of data being passed to be written to disk will lose its track if the latency is not low enough.
Inbound traffic (software-software i/o) does not stress the hardware as much. In this case RT is not necessary. However, that doesn't mean it does not stress the hardware at all - just try sequencing and playing back constant blast beats of 32nd notes at 220bpm while adding and removing notes. Similar process is going on here - data is passed to be written to disk but seems to be overflowing.
If you record/use outboard gear, stick to a realtime kernel.
If all you do is make electronic music with the computer, you don't need realtime.
I need real, proper pen and paper for this.
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