Windows has been designed for a wide variety of applications. Unfortunately that means that, out-of-the-box, it works correctly for office or entertainment applications, but for DAW applications, several settings and features have to be fine-tuned.
Native users should also refer to this page for additional recommendations.
MassCore users should stick to Windows 10 Anniversary (1607) or Creator (1703)
Merging highly recommends you "defer feature updates" in Windows 10, see Updates section below.
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In Windows 10, when you run a program by forcing it in “administrator mode” / “Run as administrator”, drag & drop to and from this application will be disabled.
DEVICE DRIVERS
Merging recommends to install WHQL (Driver certified by Microsoft) or if not available, the latest drivers from the manufacturer website.
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In Windows 10, Windows System Assessment Tool (WinSAT) is scheduled to run too often compared to previous Windows version, and this tool is not very useful. Its main purpose is to calculate the system rating displayed in Windows Control panel > System page, but it can also re-activate some setting without noticing the user.
Therefore If WinSAT runs during real-time operations, you can experience drop outs and CPU/Core peaks, therefore Merging recommends you disable it, or configure it to run only if the system is idle.
Go in Windows Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Task Scheduler.
Browse the Task scheduler library to Microsoft > Windows > Maintenance.
Right click on the WinSAT task and select Disable.
If you don't want to disable it, access its Properties, then in the Conditions tab, set it to Start only if the computer is idle, and Stop if the computer ceases to be idle.
Laptop – Battery saver
Windows 10 introduces a new battery saver feature that conserves your PC's battery by limiting background activity and adjusting hardware settings. This feature can cause serious performance issues.
Merging recommends you disable the Battery Saver during recordings and critical real time operations.
Go in Windows Settings, and select System > Battery.
Set Battery saver is currently to Off.
This setting will be grayed out if the PC is currently plugged in to AC.
You may still set the Battery saver on if your battery falls below a specified %.
Activate the “Turn battery saver on automatically if my battery falls below” and set a value (Merging recommends 10 %).
Laptops usually have small graphical resources, Merging recommends you pay extra caution when using the Fixed Cursor option.
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