Hi,
 
I have a template in sonar that is 13 instances of kontakt.  I load it and the CPU meter is already half way up the scale (nothing recorded).  Is this just a weak computer?  I have a Phenom x4 3.5 ghz 12 gigs DDR3 (ram is half used with that template) Focusrite Forte

Kontakt can use a lot of CPU especially if you're using the onboard effects with it.

Rather than a full-blown project template, track templates are useful for "building up" projects. I do not use Kontakt, but there have been informative posts recently on the 3 different DLLs that come with it and how they affect memory usage.

eph221
Hi,
 
I have a template in sonar that is 13 instances of kontakt.  I load it and the CPU meter is already half way up the scale (nothing recorded).  Is this just a weak computer?  I have a Phenom x4 3.5 ghz 12 gigs DDR3 (ram is half used with that template) Focusrite Forte

Hmmm . . . must be a monster template, do you use it to start all your projects ? Can you just archive the unused tracks, and then turn them on as needed, to save some CPU/RAM, then delete the tracks not used in the project later ?
 
As mettelus says above, there are 3 different Kontakt DLLs to use when inserting: 2 outputs, 8 outputs, and 16 outputs. Depending how you gang up all the patches, memory can be saved, but only as much as your hardware will allow. So with 12 gigs RAM, and really large samples, there may be a limitation to what is possible.

I had a similar issue a couple of days ago where my first core went all the way up to red and the sound was stuttering a lot. Then I remembered that I had my latency set for recording. When I increased the latency setting the cpu meters went back to normal again. Maybe something to look into?

You could get a stronger computer but your starting position of thirteen instances of Kontakt is pretty extreme. You know that you can load multiple instruments into a single Kontakt instance, right? I don't, usually, but I never really need more than three in any project.

As far as the three DLLs go, I thought the "default one" actually had 64 outputs, not 2, so that would probably the most resource hungry one. Not entirely sure though as I tend to use separate instances too.

Another factor is your sample buffers/latency. Working at higher latency/sample buffer size will decrease the load on your CPU. This may or may not be an option for you but it's worth mentioning.

Freeze tracks?

I think the OP is stating that before he records the first MIDI instruction, the CPU meter is halfway up the scale.

What do you have loaded into those 13 instances of Kontakt? The resources used by an instance of Kontakt are almost entirely dictated by what you load into it.
 
To be honest a template with 13 instances of Kontakt is a bit mad, unless of course you are a member of a Berlin Philharmonic cover band or an octopus with 5 extra arms and 13 midi controllers:) It is time you discovered the track template to add synths as required my friend!

If you want to see extreme see John Powell's template!!!

http://vi-control.net/com...urrent-template.52017/

he has hidden a few tracks as well!!


I'm about to create some large templates and will be breaking down my master template into sections.. so my large template will be made of dozen or so templates as a way of managing resources when and if I need them.

Ive heard that Vienna Ensemble Pro works amazingly well to help out cpu core issues..

I too would avoid using kontakt's fx if your computer is feeling the strain.