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Windows 8 Audio Optimization Script


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Hello,

 

I have been looking for a simple way to optimize a Windows 8 computer for audio use. We manufacture DACs and it is important that we can optimize our dealers and customers computers quickly and easily.

 

A few months ago I saw the script that "John Doe" wrote and thought that was a great idea because it is a really easy way to automate Windows 8 for audio use.

 

Anything that we can do to make it simpler and sound better is a good thing for the industry and I think this would be of interest to a lot of other computer audiophiles out there.

 

My current script for Windows 8 disables around 250 services & drivers. I have put a lot of work into finding the correct services/drivers to shut down. When I say "correct" I mean ones that improve sound quality and of course do not cause a BSOD.

 

It would be helpful to have others take a look at what I have done, try it out and offer suggestions.

The script is leaning a bit towards ease of use than "absolutely best sound quality possible".

 

Some of my requirements are:

 

· Ethernet connection for connection to LAN and wifi (iPad use and putting Music Drive on network)

· Ability to use JRiver

· Ability to use third part playback software such as JPLAY

 

The script has 4 options that you have to answer Yes or No to:

 

1) Do you want to disable Remote desktop? If you use some type of remote desktop or VPN to control your computer answer no.

2) Does your computer use an Intel processor? If you answer yes the script will shut down some unnecessary AMD processes.

3) Does your computer use an IDE/ATA HDD or SSD interface? Generally the answer is no, but, some of the secondary PCIe SSDs in laptops are using this interface.

4) Do you wish to use WASAPI for audio playback? If you use or want to be able to use WASAPI answer yes.

The script disables wifi on the computer. It does allow Ethernet connection and LAN access. It also allows access to a NAS. I find that connecting my computer to a wifi router with an Ethernet cable and using the wifi on the router is more robust and sounds better.

 

This script is intended for people that use their computer just for audio use! If you want to do email, Office, surf the net, etc do not use this script! This script is for making what I call an "audio computer", this is used just for audio and nothing else.

 

All Power Options are optimized: Power Scheme = high performance, USB Selective Settings disabled, Desktop background setting slide show paused, Disable PCI Express Link State Power, CPU state set to 100 percent – no CPU throttling, Intel graphics set to maximum battery life, passive system cooling. I also set the display to turn off after 1 minute, set hard disk to never turn off, computer to never go to sleep and if using laptop the laptop lid closed keeps the computer on.

 

You can run the script from a USB stick or anywhere you want. You must right click the file and "run as administrator". Once you run this script the changes are permanent. Meaning they will remain even after rebooting your computer. To get back to your original settings use my second script which returns all settings that were modified back to Windows 8 standard except for the Power Scheme settings.

 

You can view and modify the script by opening it in Notepad.

 

Computers do not have all the same services so I have tried to concentrate on the basic services/drivers that are common to Windows 8 machines.

 

I am in the HiFi business but I want to state that I will never charge for this and it will be a free download on our website.

 

As I hope you would understand you use this script at completely your own risk! I would recommend making a system image of your drive, a restore point, a copy of your Registry (on a USB stick) and to create a bootable Windows 8 DVD Repair Disk before you run the script. You must reboot your machine after making a restore point and before running the script.

 

Then script has been over on the JPLAY forum for a couple months now and if you want you can read about it over there.

 

You can download V2.3 of the script here:

 

CAD Windows 8 Optimization Script V2.3

 

You can download V2.3 of the Windows 8 Return to Original Settings here:

CAD Windows 8 return to original settings

 

Best Regards,

 

Scott

www.computeraudiodesign.com

CAD 1543 MKII DAC, CAD Audio Transport (CAT)

The CAD USB I and II Cables - 30 day money back guarantee

The CAD GC1 Ground Control is now in production

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I think this is absolutely fantastic.

 

That said, when I bought my CAPSv3 Carbon from Small Green Computer, there were already some Win8 optimizations and then I made some additional tweaks. I have no easy way to document what tweaks were made and what weren't. So while I can run the wonderful CAD Windows 8 Optimization Script v2.3, running the return to original settings script will return me to Windows 8 Standard setting as described, not back to my current setting.

 

Obviously, I don't expect CAD to write me a script for my system. I think all the caution CAD made about using the script is very, very, very important to users.

 

But I expect this to be the jumping off point for other users in terms of how to optimize Windows 8. I was hoping that our master Computer Audiophile Chris Connaker would have time by now to publish his optimization for his CAPSv3 Carbon but I do love reading those new product reviews...

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Obviously, I don't expect CAD to write me a script for my system. I think all the caution CAD made about using the script is very, very, very important to users.

Absolutely and folks need to take heed of Scott's advice/warning before diving in and running scripts.

 

I have been using Acronis True Image for over 10 years now and its the best piece of computer software I have ever purchased. These days I make sure I have a backup image of my system drive before any testing. My current server has two mSATA SSD with just the O/S installed - a primary SSD and a clone SSD. I use the clone for testing and when I'm happy, implement any changes on the primary SSD. With drives so cheap these days, it really makes the whole process easy. If you should mess the clone up, just restore a virgin backup image, or clone your primary again. This method also makes you more inclined to try new things out as you will still have a usable system if it all goes wrong, just by swapping the OS drives over :)

Tim

 

"Songs are really just very interesting things to be doing with the air." - Tom Waits

 

Main: Custom W10/JRiver/FLAC music server | Rega DAC | Rega Brio-R | MA Bronze2

 

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JRiver's opinion is that modifying Windows services is almost never necessary and can sometimes cause problems. Audio is a very light load on any modern PC.

 

There is no denying that shutting down unnecessary services absolutely improves the sound. I get much improved clarity, imaging, separation, and in some cases better tone. I really wish this wasn't the case, but it is for me. I have to use Fidelizer 3.0 to get what I think sounds best, and I HATE using Fidelizer because of the way it works.

 

I've run CAD's script, and it works rather well. I've experienced no problems running the script, nor undoing what it did. And when I posted on another forum that WASAPI wasn't working for me, I got the help I needed in minutes, and the script was modified the next morning. Awesome!

 

This script is exactly what many people need for dedicated music servers running Windows 8. Anyone running a CAPS server should try it.

 

A big thanks to everyone that helped put this together!

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JRiver's opinion is that modifying Windows services is almost never necessary and can sometimes cause problems. Audio is a very light load on any modern PC.

You are quite right that modifying Windows services can sometimes cause problems, especially if you don't know what you are doing. But "almost never necessary" . . . you are having a laugh right? Nothing is 'necessary', but if you want an improvement in sound quality then it's essential - come round my house and listen to an unmodified Windows O/S against a modified one and tell me I'm wrong?

Tim

 

"Songs are really just very interesting things to be doing with the air." - Tom Waits

 

Main: Custom W10/JRiver/FLAC music server | Rega DAC | Rega Brio-R | MA Bronze2

 

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Is Fidelizer vs the CAD script sound similar for you ?

 

No, they sound different. Fidelizer 3.0 is a little brighter with more bass definition, which works better for my setup. CAD's script does a lot of the good I mentioned in my last post, but it doesn't quite get me where I want to be. I'm trying the latest version right now. I just removed version 2.2.

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TJHUB pointed out to me that I was not enabling the "Mulimedia Class Scheduler" if you choose to use WASAPI. I have made that change in V2.4. Thanks TJHUB!

 

CAD Windows 8 Optimization Script V2.4

www.computeraudiodesign.com

CAD 1543 MKII DAC, CAD Audio Transport (CAT)

The CAD USB I and II Cables - 30 day money back guarantee

The CAD GC1 Ground Control is now in production

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Is Fidelizer vs the CAD script sound similar for you ?

 

Hi pompon, Fidelizer is fantastic and I highly recommend it. I am trying to make this script a more "open source". You can look at the script to see exactly what it is doing and modify it using Notepad.

 

Scott

www.computeraudiodesign.com

CAD 1543 MKII DAC, CAD Audio Transport (CAT)

The CAD USB I and II Cables - 30 day money back guarantee

The CAD GC1 Ground Control is now in production

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TJHUB pointed out to me that I was not enabling the "Mulimedia Class Scheduler" if you choose to use WASAPI. I have made that change in V2.4. Thanks TJHUB!

 

CAD Windows 8 Optimization Script V2.4

 

I was reading through this:

 

Survey of sharing all my personal ways to optimize the sound quality of PC - Gearslutz.com

 

There was a section talking about Multimedia Class Scheduler (MMCSS) and how some ASIO drivers use "Pro Audio" from registry key:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Multimedia\SystemProfile\Tasks

 

I'd like to know if anyone knows if disabling MMSC prevents some, or all, ASIO drivers from working at their full potential. I use ASIO and in the past I had always disabled MMSC, along with Windows Audio and Windows Endpoint Builder services. After reading the article in the link I posted above, I re-enabled all three and applied the suggested settings for "Pro Audio". I believe I hear enough of a difference that I'm still using my computer with these settings and services re-enabled.

 

I would also like to ask if people using CAD's script are also running Fidelizer? I'm personally running both together, although I'm not running CAD's script as a script, but I did manually apply almost all of the settings. I'm using Win 7 and was afraid to run the script.

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I downloaded the windows8 version today and ran it on my Caps3. Windows tells me now that the "audio service is not running" and JRiver will not recognize my usb dac anymore in the setup options. I cannot play any music.

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I downloaded the windows8 version today and ran it on my Caps3. Windows tells me now that the "audio service is not running" and JRiver will not recognize my usb dac anymore in the setup options. I cannot play any music.

 

Hi cellman57, That is unusual, sorry to hear you are having problems. Did you leave WASAPI on? Can you run the second script that returns your settings back? Scott

www.computeraudiodesign.com

CAD 1543 MKII DAC, CAD Audio Transport (CAT)

The CAD USB I and II Cables - 30 day money back guarantee

The CAD GC1 Ground Control is now in production

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Yes you are correct, the Earth is flat... ;)

 

So which part of the statement do you disagree with? That modifying Windows services is almost never necessary and can sometimes cause problems (axiomatic)? Or that audio is a very light load on any modern PC (absolutely true)?

 

I can play back 24/192 audio through iTunes, JRiver, or Audirvana Plus (or any other player) at ~5-6% CPU utilization. What exactly are we trying to "optimize" to free up even more than 94-95% of the CPU capacity?

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

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So which part of the statement do you disagree with? That modifying Windows services is almost never necessary and can sometimes cause problems (axiomatic)? Or that audio is a very light load on any modern PC (absolutely true)?

 

I can play back 24/192 audio through iTunes, JRiver, or Audirvana Plus (or any other player) at ~5-6% CPU utilization. What exactly are we trying to "optimize" to free up even more than 94-95% of the CPU capacity?

 

Hi,

 

We were talking Windows services. Wondering, do you use windows? I see you mentioned your Mac with A+

 

regards

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Hi,

 

We were talking Windows services. Wondering, do you use windows? I see you mentioned your Mac with A+

 

regards

 

Yes, I use both. On my Windows machine, the same playback is <1% ;)

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

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Yes, I use both. On my Windows machine, the same playback is <1% ;)

 

John,

that claim is quite amazing. I applaud you. Running 24/192 and DSD music into a non-optimized Windows server with less than 1% cpu utilization??! Wow! Must be nice. I would imagine your system and setup needs no optimization then. Not sure why you are on this thread, but whatever. Good setup.

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John,

that claim is quite amazing. I applaud you. Running 24/192 and DSD music into a non-optimized Windows server with less than 1% cpu utilization??! Wow! Must be nice. I would imagine your system and setup needs no optimization then. Not sure why you are on this thread, but whatever. Good setup.

 

Hi Ted,

 

I wondered why also??? :) I am giving him a standing ovation. :)

 

It is rather curious though that he posted this over on Audio Stream in response to the JPlay letter...

 

"JPlay did, however, stuff up my PC so that it no longer worked properly with any other software - particularly JRiver Media Center + JRemote.

 

So I'm sure JRiver was getting all kinds of support requests for assistance wtih "freezing" and JRemote not working, etc. - common denominator is JPlay."

 

Kinda amazing that JPlay can rip the heart out of the otherwise perfectly running PC owned by a high level experienced computer professional. God only knows what it could do to a PC owned by a mere mortal???

 

regards

Bob

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For a couple reasons I have never spent much times on forums, one being that once you start a topic there is no real control over where it goes.

 

 

I wanted to make this script "open source" and free for anyone. I did this because in my opinion the script can help improve the sound quality that we get from a computer.

 

 

I started disabling services/drivers when Windows 7 first came out and like many other people I spent a lot of time sorting out what helps and what gives you a BSOD. I have gotten a lot of help on this script from people like "John Doe" and many others.

 

I realize I have absolutely no control over what people post in this thread, but my only request is this:

 

 

If your comment is about the benefit or lack of benefit of "optimizing" windows and/or using the script I would ask that you try it before making any comments. If you have actually used the script on your computer and have negative (or positive) comments about the sound quality after using it, than this is useful and I of course welcome such comments!

 

 

If you cannot even bother to try the script and you make comments about the usefulness of it, I am sorry but I will not respond.

 

If you wish to discuss the theoretical aspects of Windows Optimization please start a new thread for that.

 

 

I would like this thread to be about people who have actually tried the script and want to discuss real life results.

 

Best Regards,

Scott

www.computeraudiodesign.com

CAD 1543 MKII DAC, CAD Audio Transport (CAT)

The CAD USB I and II Cables - 30 day money back guarantee

The CAD GC1 Ground Control is now in production

Link to comment
Hi Ted,

 

I wondered why also??? :) I am giving him a standing ovation. :)

 

It is rather curious though that he posted this over on Audio Stream in response to the JPlay letter...

 

"JPlay did, however, stuff up my PC so that it no longer worked properly with any other software - particularly JRiver Media Center + JRemote.

 

So I'm sure JRiver was getting all kinds of support requests for assistance wtih "freezing" and JRemote not working, etc. - common denominator is JPlay."

 

Kinda amazing that JPlay can rip the heart out of the otherwise perfectly running PC owned by a high level experienced computer professional. God only knows what it could do to a PC owned by a mere mortal???

 

regards

Bob

 

Exactly - which is why JRiver doesn't support it.

John Walker - IT Executive

Headphone - SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable Ethernet > mRendu Roon endpoint > Topping D90 > Topping A90d > Dan Clark Expanse / HiFiMan H6SE v2 / HiFiman Arya Stealth

Home Theater / Music -SonicTransporter i9 running Roon Server > Netgear Orbi > Blue Jeans Cable HDMI > Denon X3700h > Anthem Amp for front channels > Revel F208-based 5.2.4 Atmos speaker system

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