← Live 12 Power Tools
Mission 72 · World 8
CPU & Audio Setup
Buffers, freeze, flatten, multichannel.
Clicks and pops are your interface telling you it's overwhelmed. Here's how to fix it.
+60 XP🏅 Engineer
// WHAT IT DOES
When you hear clicks and pops in your session, it means your computer can't process audio fast enough. The main control is Buffer Size (in Preferences → Audio). Higher buffer = more time to process = no clicks, but more latency between playing a key and hearing the sound. For recording, use a small buffer (64-256 samples). For mixing, use a larger buffer (512-1024 samples). Freeze tracks to temporarily render heavy plugins and free CPU.
Think of it like → Buffer size is like the size of a delivery truck — a bigger truck carries more cargo per trip, but takes longer to load and unload.
▸ WHY YOU CARE
- • Understanding buffer size is the single most useful technical skill for a producer — it's the first thing to fix when something sounds wrong.
- • Freeze/flatten keeps sessions running on underpowered machines — critical for working with dense sound design.
// SEE & HEAR IT
No simulator for this mission — read & quiz only.
▸ COMMON MISTAKES
- ✗ Leaving buffer at 64 samples during a dense mixing session — you'll fight dropouts the whole time
- ✗ Flattening without saving a pre-flatten session version — you lose the original devices permanently
// QUIZ (QUICK)
Question 1 / 30 correct
Bigger buffer = …