Sweetwater TC PowerCore FAQ

Sweetwater

TC PowerCore FAQ

Why does Digital Performer still show that the (host) CPU is still being used a lot when instantiating Powercore plugins?
What kind of Performance can I expect out of my Power Core?
In order to Digital Performer to send audio to the Powercore card, the audio has to be “prepped”. Also, when audio returns to DP from the Powercore, the same “prepping” needs to happen. This takes a small amount of CPU power from your host processor (your Mac). Every Powercore plugin will require the about same amount of CPU power for this preparation.
What this amounts to is that less power-demanding plugins, like EQ’s and Compressors may actually require more host CPU power than their native (host-based) twins. However plug-ins with higher power demands (like Reverbs) will actually take less CPU power than their native twins.
Here’s an arbitrary comparison -* Please note * that your results WILL vary based on the type of computer you have, processor type and speed, etc. Use this as a guideline, but NOT as exactly what you should expect.
– 10 native EQ’s take 20% CPU power <<>> 10 PowerCore EQ’s take 30% power
– 2 native Reverbs take 60% CPU power <<>> 2 Power Core Reverbs take 5% CPU power
You can see that getting MORE small plugins with the PowerCore simply won’t be the case, but getting more Reverbs with the PowerCore may be possible.
The key is that the PowerCore won’t necessarily give you MORE Plugins, it will give you BETTER plug-ins.

I am experiencing latency when inserting PowerCore Plugins in Digital Performer.
Once audio is sent to the PowerCore and processed, it must be loaded back into the host applications sample buffer. This adds an additional degree of latency. For lowest possible latency, set DP’s hardware “Buffer Size” as low as possible. *(CPU load will increase as buffer sizes are lowered. Use Performance Monitor window to monitor CPU load)
Another solution is to nudge audio (on the track using PowerCore) forward to compensate for latency. this can either be done on original take, or the audio can be bounced to disk. Then the bounced file could be nudged.

Will POWERCORE run my VST or MAS Plug-ins?
The easy answer:
POWERCORE is not an accelerator card for existing native plug-ins. POWERCORE offers a new format that fully integrates with your existing VST and MAS environment.
The complicated answer:
Native Plug-ins use a Floating Point Algorithm in order to run on the CPU of the computer. POWERCORE, like ProTools, employs fixed-point algorithms. As these are very different technical solutions for processing, one cannot simply accelerate existing native plug-ins with
POWERCORE.

Can I use more than one TC PowerCore card in my system?
Yes. Currently, the limit is 10.

Will the POWERCORE card work with Expansion chassis such as those made by Magma?
Currently, the PowerCore is not compatible with the PCMCIA version of the Magma Expansion. TC Works is working with Magma to correct this situation.

Does POWERCORE have any I/O?
There is no IO on the PowerCore card. PowerCore is made to integrate with any existing IO sound system, including ASIO, DirectIO, FireWire, SoundManager, and USB.

Will POWERCORE work with my Firewire or USB Audio Card?
POWERCORE is IO independent and it will work with any IO Device supported by your host application. POWERCORE is compatible with all sound systems.

Do I have to buy all of my current Native Plug-Ins for the VST POWERCORE format again!?
A)
No. Within your Native Application, you can use Native and POWERCORE plug-ins at the same time, and even in the same audio stream. So, you can keep using your favorite Native plug-ins while adding high quality POWERCORE plug-ins as your studio evolves.
B)
Upgrades and Crossgrades of existing plug-ins depend on the policies set by our third party developers. All TC Works TDM Plug-in users, for example, will get a free cross-grade to the VST POWERCORE format for the plug-ins they already own.

Do I need a special version of Cubase, Logic, Spark or Digital Performer?
PowerCore plug-ins are compatible with any application supporting VST or MAS plug-ins. However, we have found that PowerCore works best with the most current versions of most applications. To find out how PowerCore works with your current system, contact customer support at aupport@tcworks.de

How is VST Implemented on POWERCORE?
While our plug-in format is not directly related to VST, it is compatible with the VST Specification, and we are compatible with VST 1.0 and VST 2.0 plug-ins. How this is implemented in PowerCore plug-ins depends on the plug-in developer.

Can PowerCore run VST Instruments?
Currently, PowerCore is ideal for MIXING. You can relieve your system of heavy DSP plug-ins, while still using all the Native Plug-ins, including VST instruments, that you can run on the host. So, in other words, instrument hosting is not possible in PowerCore versions 1.2 and earlier.

USING POWERCORE WITH A MOTU PCI-324
If you are using the MOTU PCI-324 card with the TC PowerCore, there are some situations where you may experience popping and clicking. If this is the case, please try the following:
What to do in this situation:
1. Disable all unused channels of the sound card to “off” in the PCI-324 Console.
2. If there is a PCI Graphics accelerator card in use, consider getting a more advanced AGP model, which uses a different bus as well as a different slot. (Provided you have a G4 computer.)
3. Raise the hardware buffer size

Using PowerCore with Logic Audio 4.7 . Plug-in Latency Compensation. CPU load.
In older versions of Emagic’s Logic Audio, there was an audible latent delay when using PowerCore. Emagic now supports DSP cards within Logic Audio with version 4.7.3, which includes a latency compensation option. We’ve tested this option with the Powercore here, and it worked very well.
To enable this option in Logic, go to the AUDIO menu, and choose “Audio Preferences”. The option “Plug-in Delay Compensation” will appear toward the bottom of the window. Click the box next to the option to enable it.

Using Powercore plug-ins will still use a small amount of CPU power. This is because Logic needs to “prepare” the audio to be interpreted and processed by the PowerCore. Then Logic has to re-interpret that information once the PowerCore process the audio and send it back. All this takes a small amount of CPU power.
Our tests on a G4/733 showed that about 10 PowerCore plugins used about 10-15% CPU power. This will typically be the same for any PowerCore plug-in. Of course, the % of load on your CPU will depend on the type and speed of computer you have.

Using PowerCore with Cubase VST/32 v5.0 . Plug-in Latency Compensation. CPU load.
In older versions of Cubase, there was an audible latent delay when using PowerCore. Cubase VST/32 v5.0 includes a latency compensation option. We’ve tested this option with the Powercore here, and it worked very well.
To enable this option in Cubase, go to the OPTIONS menu, and choose “Audio System” >>> “Sytem” . The option “Plug-in Delay Compensation” will appear toward the bottom-left of the window. Click the box next to the option to enable it.

Using Powercore plug-ins will still use a small amount of CPU power. This is because Cubase needs to “prepare” the audio to be interpreted and processed by the PowerCore. Then Cubase has to re-interpret that information once the PowerCore process the audio and send it back. All this takes a small amount of CPU power.
Our tests on a G4/733 showed that about 10 PowerCore plugins used about 10-15% CPU power. This will typically be the same for any PowerCore plug-in. Of course, the % of load on your CPU will depend on the type and speed of computer you have.

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