User`s guide

Appendix B: TDM Mixing and DSP Usage 385
The Detailed and Gas Meter formats show
the percentage of each DSP chip in use.
With these indicators as your guide, you
can try different mixer setups and different
arrangements of Plug-Ins, Sends, and Aux-
iliary Inputs to maximize your use of avail-
able DSP power.
Setting up Sessions to use DSP
Efficiently
The dynamically configurable mixing envi-
ronment in Pro Tools lets you make
choices based on the type of setup you wish
to have—such as how many inputs you
want for your mixer, how many Plug-Ins
you want to use, or how many sends you
need.
For example, you could allocate all of your
DSP power to create a large mixer with doz-
ens of channels—but you wouldn’t be able
to use as many busses, sends, or TDM Plug-
Ins. Alternatively, you could create a mixer
with a smaller number of mixer channels
plus some Sends and Auxiliary Inputs for
returns, and TDM Plug-Ins on several
tracks.
✽ AudioSuite Plug-Ins do not use DSP and are
always available. Refer to your
DigiRack Plug-
Ins Guide for more information.
You can set up your session by choosing
one of the session templates supplied with
your system as a starting point, or by build-
ing it from scratch. If you are starting from
scratch, a good rule of thumb is to start by
building your mixer first, since at least one
of the DSPs in your system is automatically
dedicated to mixing. Start with Audio
tracks, then add Sends and Auxiliary In-
puts, and finally add Plug-Ins as available
DSP allows. Master Faders do not use addi-
tional DSP power.
DSP Usage window showing Detailed format
DSP Usage Window showing Gas Meter format