Is there a chart showing approximate CPU usage by block type?

Joe Bfstplk

Axe-Master
Anyone know if there is a chart showing approximate CPU usage by block type?
It might be handy for choosing blocks when building or updating presets.
 
i used to do this for each firmware release for all current products. takes about an hour or so each time. not many people were looking so i stopped doing it and took it down as the data was out of date. (wiki adjusted for broken links directly related to my site.)
 
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Quickest thing you can do is to monitor the baseline CPU usage, and then when you add a block, see how much it changes by. This won't be fool-proof, though, since the cab block will use more if you use 2 cabs and less if you only use 1, and reverb quality will affect the reverb CPU usage, etc. You could probably make a little chart in less than 5 minutes that encompasses all the blocks you're gonna use and/or all the effects within those blocks. Probably will have a significant margin of error, but it might be pretty close.
 
A completely empty preset shows 4.7% CPU. (no input or output block)

I just did a test for all of the compressors and here’s what I found. I added just one compressor block. Nothing else.

If you watch the CPU meter on Axe Edit III for about a minute it bounces around a lot. Usually by approximately 3 CPU or so. It sucks. You can never tell what your CPU really is when building presets. You think you are ok then the CPU warning starts flashing. I wish the CPU meter didn’t bounce around.

Here's what the CPU shows for each of the compressor blocks:

Analog Compressor = 6.8 to 9.6 CPU
Commander = 8.3 to 11.6 CPU
Dynamicomp = 5.8 to 8.7 CPU
Dynamics Processor = 6.7 to 9.6 CPU
JFET Compressor = 7.3 to 10.2 CPU
Optical Compressor = 6.3 to 9.2 CPU
Pedal 1 Compressor = 5.8 to 8.6 CPU
Pedal Compressor 2 = 6.2 to 9.2 CPU
Studio FF Compressor 1 = 7.8 to 10.4 CPU
Studio FF Compressor 2 = 7.8 to 10.4 CPU
Studio FB Compressor 1 = 7.7 to 10.3 CPU
Studio FB Compressor 2 = 7.7 to 10.6 CPU
Tube Compressor = 6.6 to 9.8 CPU

Multiband comp = 9.2 to 12.7 CPU
 
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What would be nice is, when we're looking at a preset in the editor, if we hover over a block that we could see the CPU average for that block for the last 30 seconds. 30 seconds is an arbitrary value, but being able to see what percentage a block adds to the overall CPU load would be useful.

Or maybe it doesn't happen when we hover over the block, maybe the system spits out a "ps" type display that shows what each block contributed to the overall load.

Knowing that, we could come up with some "best practices" for ways to accomplish certain goals and perhaps using alternate ways of getting there. That's what we'd do when programming in assembler or the early days of using C.
 
I don't remember the CPU bouncing around so much in the past, or that CPU warning flashing. Seems like I started noticing it within the last year. I don't know what changed. Maybe the way Axe Edit was calculating it.

In the last year I've had to delete two blocks from my main preset, and change the reverb setting from Ultra-High to Normal just to be able to keep using the same preset I was using fine a year ago without the CPU warning flashing now.
 
i used to do this for each firmware release for all current products. takes about an hour or so each time. not many people were looking so i stopped doing it and took it down as the data was out of date. (wiki adjusted for broken links directly related to my site.)
Pity, I would very much like an overview of cpu usage (I'm continiously edging 85% in my go to kitchen sink preset) like the OP. But if only a small number of people like us are interested, it's probably too much work...
 
I'm not sure if all cab choices use the same CPU or not, but I just did a test for the four cabs I have to choose from in my main preset's cab block. I usually only use 1 or 2 of them at a time. In the past I used the preamp and room/air, but I turned them off recently to save CPU.

I also only just realized we have an IR player, which I haven't tried yet. I see that shortening the IR length can remove room reflections and/or decrease CPU usage. I've never tried that. I've always left them at the default setting.

IR Block (1 cab) = 9.7 to 13.3 CPU

Cab Block:
1 cab = 10.0 to 13.3 CPU;
2 cabs = 14.5 to 18.0 CPU;
3 cabs = 19.0 to 22.6 CPU;
4 cabs = 23.3 to 26.9 CPU

Note: If you turn the preamp or room/air on in the cab block it increases the CPU.
1 cab with high quality tube preamp on = 12.8 to 16.3 CPU
1 cab with high quality tube preamp on & room/air = 14.3 to 17.7 CPU
2 cabs with high quality tube preamp on = 17.4 to 20.8 CPU
2 cabs with high quality tube preamp & room/air on = 18.9 to 22.4 CPU
4 cabs w/ high quality tube preamp on = 26.0 to 29.6 CPU
4 cabs with high quality preamp and room/air on = 27.7 to 31.2 CPU
(I'm not sure if the choice of preamp in the cab block affects the CPU. I only tested it for the tube preamp so far).
 
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Just posted a thread with some of this stuff documented! I will be continuing to flush it out further, but this is a good start IMO!! I think I am about half way done and should be close to done by Monday (for Axe FXIII MkII Turbo only at this time)!!!

Optimizing my FX III via CPU Block usage

Contributions to this effort are welcomed! PM me an email address if you would like to help!!
 
Just posted a thread with some of this stuff documented! I will be continuing to flush it out further, but this is a good start IMO!! I think I am about half way done and should be close to done by Monday (for Axe FXIII MkII Turbo only at this time)!!!

Optimizing my FX III via CPU Block usage

Contributions to this effort are welcomed! PM me an email address if you would like to help!!
You really think you can outrun Cliff?
 
You really think you can outrun Cliff?
Um, don't know how it is interpreted as that, and certainly not if interpreted that way. Just looking to put at my and others disposal, a resource that I do not know to be currently available, and valuable. Sorry if I don't get where you are coming from, I'm a bit slow ;~))
 
Um, don't know how it is interpreted as that, and certainly not if interpreted that way. Just looking to put at my and others disposal, a resource that I do not know to be currently available, and valuable. Sorry if I don't get where you are coming from, I'm a bit slow ;~))
No worries, I'm just messing around, mostly. But if you have to update your CPU info every time there's new firmware, well that's a project...
 
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