Expected Rack 2 plugin CPU Performance in DAW?

I’m still riding the hype train of Rack 2 Electric Boogaloo, but after reading through a thread discussing computers running slowly in Rack and how Rack actually runs, it made me wonder what it’s gonna be like when the plugin version of Rack is available.

Here’s a comment explaining the differences between how DAWs run compared to what Rack is doing:

I’m wondering what it will be like to work with Rack as a plugin, just because I know how careful I have to be with it in standalone to avoid pops and clicks (running lowest frame rate and other CPU saving options). In my DAW, I know when running Exhale (plugin by Output) that puppy can eat up ~20-25% just by itself, when it’s in a complicated project with lots of other tracks and plugins: it’s a lot. Will Rack be a plugin that I can only really have 1 or 2 instances in a project? I’m probably gonna be bouncing audio pretty often and disabling the actual plugin, as well as bussing all my effects, but I really like the interaction aspect of Rack, like potentially having different automation from tracks control CV in my patch and vice versa. Or sampling audio from live tracks and then playing with it inside of a patch during playback. Also will Rack be available to select as both a VST instrument and as an effect? That way you can have one patch be a sound source and have another be a really weird modular effect to put on your effects bus.

Sorry this post is long, just excited about all the different applications a plugin version could bring, but I’m worried about how my computer will react.

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The performance will probably be better thanks to the Headless mode.

I suppose it would behave the same, modular doesn’t really care if you have sound sources in your patch or not , but don’t quote me on that, i’m not sure about this :slight_smile:

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Pretty sure I remember it being said there would be both an instrument and FX VST - but also don’t quote me on that :slight_smile:

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I don’t expect drastic difference.

According to @Vortico Rack 2 – both VST and Standalone – will change under the hood. The current Rack does keep the CPU constantly busy, because it runs in a loop computing sample buffers, and the multithreading busy waits for work. V2 inverts the relationship to a ‘pull’ relationship: Rack will compute sample buffers when the audio thread asks for them instead, making it more in line with how DAWs work.

The difference should help performance quite a bit, as it will let Rack idle instead of ‘busy wait’ between requests for sample data.

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