Measure your CPU with different bit lengths, sample rates, channels, and buffer sizes. (click for larger image)

Minneapolis, Minn., July 31, 2000 -- If you have ever run a recording project with a large number of plug-ins, you have probably experienced running out of CPU power. When the CPU runs low, the audio starts skipping.

Ever wonder which of those plug-ins is hogging the CPU? Now, with Minnetonka’s CPU HAWG, you can find out exactly how much CPU each of those plug-ins is using. The CPU HAWG is easy to use. Just select from the list of Direct-X plug-ins installed on your system, and hit the “Test” button. The CPU HAWG displays the percentage of available CPU power that is used by that plug-in.

You can also test the performance of your plug-ins using different file formats. You can choose 16-and 24-bit audio, or 32-bit floating point. You can choose different sample rates, up to 192 kHz. And you can choose mono or stereo.

Ever wonder if the plug-in’s user interface is hogging the CPU, such as with a metering display? Just click on the HAWG’s “Display” button, to bring up the user interface and keep it active during the test. Sometimes a plug-in’s performance is dependent on the audio data. For this reason, the CPU HAWG lets you supply your own soundfile for testing, if you want.

The CPU HAWG can also determine which audio formats your plug-in can use. Want to know if your plug-in will support 32-bit floating point at 96 kHz? Just dial it into the CPU HAWG and hit the “Test” button. The HAWG will either perform the test, or tell you if the plug-in can’t support that format.

The CPU HAWG is a free download.

Other News:

Minnetonka Audio Software is now shipping it’s new Native Version of MxTrax. MxTrax Native will run on Layla, MOTU 2408 and 1224, and other Windows audio hardware that use ASIO or .wav drivers. MxTrax brings it’s drag-and-drop mixer architecture to the Windows platform. The user literally creates a custom mixer by dragging mixer components from a toolkit and dropping them onto a mixer. Components include input and output faders, panners, EQ, solo/mute, compressor, gate, and more. Mixer channels can be connected to disk tracks, external i/o, and to internal busses. All mixer controls can be automated. MxTrax’s convenient Automation Update mode makes it a snap to change the automation of any component of any channel at any time. Custom mixers can be saved, and recalled at any time. The disk tracks, custom mixer, automation, and edits are saved together as a Project. Not only can you recall an entire Project at a later time, but MxTrax actually remembers edits done in previous sessions. You can literally load a Project, and Undo an edit you made last week.

MxTrax Native Editing features include instantaneous fades, crossfades, gain change, and normalize. All edits are nondestructive, with unlimited undos and redos. MxTrax supports the use of control surfaces, using a bidirectional MIDIinterface. Control surfaces supported include the Mackie HUI, CM Automation MotorMix, and the Yamaha 01V and 02R. MxTrax uses the motorized faders to play back automation, and uses the touch-sensitive faders to update automation.

Source: Minnetonka Audio Software
Web: www.minnetonkaaudio.com