LAG! Track view GPU otimzations at high rez (3840x2160) - specifically waveform drawing.
The draw routines for audio clip waveforms in the track view needs GPU optimization and/or high resolution awareness.
I work at 4K resolution (3840x2160). I have been trying to track down the source of consistent lag in Sonar X3d for a month. Symptoms are sluggish response and GUI elements (console meters, click+drag selection boxes, zoom-in / zoom-out, scroll, etc) that are updating horribly slow and/or skipping. My computer is rock solid and no other programs show any sign of visual delay, even when heavily multitasking. Basic specs are I7-3930k (hex-core, 4.8 ghz), 16 GB RAM, SSD, Geforce GT 550 TI running Win7. Rarely does anything slow my system down.
I had suspected it was related to the CPU being heavily loaded from plugins and the GUI taking backseat. I noted that as project complexity increased, the problem arose and continued getting worse in relation.
However, after spending an hour testing several things (no plugins, no meters, different resolutions, different window sizes, different layouts, different skylight window sizes, Aero On/Off, etc) I realized this is not the case.
***** It is 100% the draw routines that handles waveform visualizations on the track view. I believe fill-rate limited is the term?
Beginning with a fresh project with no audio clips on the track view the system is flawless. As additional audio clips are added (in the vertical OR horizontal direction) the sluggishness begins to respond in direct relation. After 20 clips of ~5 minute audio have been added, the GUI response time is horrid. Meters can update at a rate of 0 to 3 times per second, and click+drag selection boxes follow the mouse like a box being resized in Windows 3.1.
Zooming in very far will alleviate the problem. Shrinking the size of the track view (to unusuable sizes) will alleviate the problem. And, of course, eliminating the track view altogether makes the system zip right back up to speed.
In all cases, it is a reduction of the waveform content being drawn that remedies the issue.
I noticed that X2a added Direct2D support and considered upgrading to Win 8 for a moment - before I noticed it was only in the Matrix and Pro Channel.
Is there a roadmap for additional Direct2D support that could be shared?
I'm curious if any users or CW staff have noted an increase in responsiveness in Win 8. I watched the whole presentation on GPU acceleration for all GDI elements in Win8 and it had me considering switching...
But something tells me the issue is so specific it won't make a difference. The waveform draw routine is likely just trying to fill in too much detail...