Question

Initially I believed this to be an issue with some of the plugins I was using taking up too much CPU. But I was able to set up my system and software to the settings recommended by Presonus. I've gotten my CPU usage down to 20% using different plugins, and the issue goes away for about 5 minutes and then comes back. I'm using Studio One 5 Professional on a Surface 4 with an i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and Windows 10 64 bit through a set of Presonus Eris speakers. If I use the Windows audio drivers, it's not as bad, but it uses more CPU power. I've consulted with Presonus several times and can't get a straight answer. They just suggest I check my system settings. I'm using ASIO4All for the most part with a 1024 buffer and 44.1 sample rate. I tried increasing my buffer size to 2048 but it didn't make much of a difference. PLEASE HELP!!!

Answer 1

I get clicks and pops too and Presonus has been unable to resolve. Not good.

Answer 2

With it happening every 5 minutes I would honestly focus on that portion of your issue, and track that down to see if it leads to the issues. A timed variable in a computer environment should be easy to find.

Also, you said something that caught my attention by switching to Windows Audio; it uses more resources. The only way that should happen is if the buffer is set differently than the previous audio setting. Unless the specific audio device has internal processors dedicated to decoding audio, your CPU still does the decoding.

You say you're using a Surface 4, I would research what built in software is running any automatic sequences. It honestly sounds like either something updating every 5 minutes and/ or something trying to save power.

What I would do. Download Revo uninstaller (free one). Check auto start programs and disable ones you don't need. Also, I'm not too familiar with a Surface pro, but if it's running Windows I bet a ton is working in the background.

For example in Windows 10 REVO I disable just about everything, except for Chrome update ahha. You can also remove services Windows won't allow you from the OS with that software, so be careful.