OK, after a few tests, I've got some more info.
What Studio One does for low latency mode for audio tracks is build an entirely separate monitor audio path that consists of every plugin that the playback audio goes through. If you have 5 plugins on your record enabled track, it will duplicate the plugins for the monitor track. Go through a bus, those plugins will be added. Plugins on the Master bus, they're added. On the Listen bus, yep, they're added.
So, clearly, the fewer plugins a track's audio goes through on playback, the less additional load will be added on the monitor track. Based on this, for complex projects I'll be sending all my tracks except the track I'm recording to a submix where I'll stick on any master bus plugins, and my track that I'm recording will go straight to the main bus.
The next area I'll look at is how processor cores are allocated to tracks. AFAIK, all plugins on one track are associated with the same core. Based on one of my tests, I suspect that all the plugins on the monitor audio path are on the same core (even those on busses, main out and listen bus). But, I do need to verify this.
Interesting aside - When I loaded up the track in monitor mode so the Studio One CPU meter hit 100%, on my new Mac Mini Pro not only did every track play perfectly, but I was able to record the track without hiccups at a latency of 16 samples!
What Studio One does for low latency mode for audio tracks is build an entirely separate monitor audio path that consists of every plugin that the playback audio goes through. If you have 5 plugins on your record enabled track, it will duplicate the plugins for the monitor track. Go through a bus, those plugins will be added. Plugins on the Master bus, they're added. On the Listen bus, yep, they're added.
So, clearly, the fewer plugins a track's audio goes through on playback, the less additional load will be added on the monitor track. Based on this, for complex projects I'll be sending all my tracks except the track I'm recording to a submix where I'll stick on any master bus plugins, and my track that I'm recording will go straight to the main bus.
The next area I'll look at is how processor cores are allocated to tracks. AFAIK, all plugins on one track are associated with the same core. Based on one of my tests, I suspect that all the plugins on the monitor audio path are on the same core (even those on busses, main out and listen bus). But, I do need to verify this.
Interesting aside - When I loaded up the track in monitor mode so the Studio One CPU meter hit 100%, on my new Mac Mini Pro not only did every track play perfectly, but I was able to record the track without hiccups at a latency of 16 samples!
When I installed Studio One 7 I thought it would bring over my v6 settings into v7. It didn't. (didn't it do this previously?)