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.
Windows 10 Fall Creator (1709) : Pyramix 11.0.6 / Ovation 7.0.6 / VCube 7.0.6 / AMR 11.0.6 required
Windows 10 Spring Creator (1803) : Pyramix 11.1.4 / Ovation 7.1.4 / VCube 7.1.4 / AMR 11.1.4 required. (MassCore mode : RTX64 3.4 version)
Windows 10 October 2018 (1809) : Pyramix 11.1.6 / Ovation 7.1.6 / VCube 7.1.6 / AMR 11.1.6 required. (MassCore mode : RTX64 3.6.2 version)
Windows 10 May 2019 (1903) : Pyramix 12.0.5 - Pyramix 14.0 / Ovation 8.1.5 - Ovation 10.0 / VCube 8.1.5 - VCube 10.0 / AMR 12.0.5 - AMR14 required. (MassCore mode : RTX64 3.7 version)
Windows 10 November 2019 update (1909) : Pyramix 12.0.5 - Pyramix 14.0 / Ovation 8.1.5 - Ovation 10.0 / VCube 8.1.5 - VCube 10.0 / AMR 12.0.5 - AMR14 required. (MassCore mode : RTX64 3.7 version)
Windows 10 May 2020 (2004): Pyramix 25th Hotfix 3 - Pyramix 14.0 / Ovation 9.0.6 - Ovation 10.0 / VCube 9.0.6 - VCube 10.0 / AMR 13.0.6 - AMR14. (MassCore mode : RTX64 3.7.4 version)
Windows 10 Fall 2020 (20H2) : Pyramix 25th Hotfix 3 - Pyramix 14.0 / Ovation 9.0.6 - Ovation 10.0 / VCube 9.0.6 - VCube 10.0 / AMR 13.0.6 - AMR14. (MassCore mode : RTX64 3.7.4 version)
Windows 10 May 2021 (21H1) : Pyramix 25th Hotfix 3 - Pyramix 14.0 / Ovation 9.0.6 - Ovation 10.0 / VCube 9.0.6 - VCube 10.0 / AMR 13.0.6 - AMR14. (MassCore mode : RTX64 3.7.4 version)
Windows 10 October 2021 (21H2) : MassCore : currently not compatible - Native : validation pending
Merging highly recommends you "defer feature updates" in Windows 10, see Updates section below.
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Cortana can be disabled (recommended but optional)
In Windows Search field, type GPEDIT.MSC
Right click on the gpedit.msc and select Run as Administrator
Browse to Computer Configuration > Adminsistrative Templates > Windows Components > Search and set Allow Cortana to disabled.
If you want to keep Cortana, please configure it :
Fall Creator (1709) / Spring Creator (1803) / October 2018 (1809) :
Cortana can be configured through Windows Settings > Cortana.
In the Talk to Cortana page, set "Let Cortana respond to Hey Cortana" and"Use Cortana even when my device is locked" to off.
In Permissions & History, set "Windows Cloud Search" to off. Turning off ""View activity history", "My device history" and "Activity recommendations"(1809 only) is optional.
May 2019 (1903) / November 2019
Cortana can be configured through Windows Settings > Cortana.
In the Talk to Cortana page, set "Let Cortana respond to Hey Cortana" and"Use Cortana even when my device is locked" to off.
In Permissions > Manage the information Cortana can access from this device, Merging recommends you set all to off.
In Windows Settings > Search > Permissions & History, set "Windows Cloud Search" to off. Turning off "My device history" is optional.
Taskbar
Right click on the taskbar to access its configuration.
Merging recommends you turn off the News and interests, and disable Show Cortana and Show Taskview.
Taskview may cause glitches if used during real-time operation, it is therefore recommended to not use it while recording or other critical operation.
Windows Store Apps auto-update
Merging recommends you disable the auto updates on Windows Apps, for better performance.
Open Windows Store, and click on the profile icon on the top right corner and select settings (On Spring Creator, click on the ... icon)
Set “Update apps automatically” or "App updates" (depending on your Windows Store version).
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