Crackling sound when minimized

Cantabile
1

Hi, awesome software, have been using it for a while now.

However, after reinstalling windows 11 and Cantabile v4, 4347, i get crackling noises when the software is minimized… Not sure what causes it, if its a bug?
Anyone else having the same issue?

Edit
It sounds fine when in bakground, just not minimized

2

I haven’t noticed this with Cantabile, but this has happened with Reaper a lot lately (only on Windows 11).

3

Sounds like a power management issue. What Windows power plan are you using?

First:

  • I’ve just put up a new build (4354) that should disable power throttling for Cantabile.

I’d be curious to hear if this helps.

Then, I still recommend either:

  1. Configure Windows to always use High Performance power plan, or…
  2. Go to Cantabile → Tools → Options → Audio Engine → Switch to Power Plan → High Performance.

With option 2 Cantabile will automatically switch to high performance power plan when the audio engine is running.

Failing the above, with Cantabile minimized, bring up Task Manager and on the Processes tab, expand “Cantabile” group and see if it say “Efficiency Mode” or has a green leaf icon.

Brad

4

Hi Brad,
not meaning to hijack the thread, but since this relates directly to Windows 11 power throttling:

I’ve seen several users on the forum mention using Process Lasso with good results, so I was curious: what is your take on using Process Lasso alongside Cantabile? Do you recommend or officially support using it to enforce CPU Priority, disable Efficiency Mode/Power Throttling for Cantabile, and manage Bitsum/High Performance power plans?

Or do you prefer relying strictly on Cantabile’s built-in power plan switching and native Windows optimizations (like in your Glitch-Free guide)? Curious if you have any personal experience or recommended best practices with Process Lasso for live setups.

Thanks

5

I have no objections to Process Lasso however I am curious if the change I’ve added today to disable power throttling makes it less necessary.

1 Like
6

Thanks for the quick feedback, Brad. Makes sense. I’ll test build 4354 first to see how it handles the background throttling before considering any extra tools.

7

Out of curiosity: does exp. build 4400 also have the throttling-disabling-feature built in or will that come later?

8

4400 has everything that 4354 has, including this.

fwiw: I’ve just noticed a small bug in 4354. Building 4355 and 4401 with a fix as we speak.

9

Hi,

Sorry for the late reply.

I’ve experimented with the power options in both Windows and Cantabile, and also tried every other setting — threads, multi-processor scheduling, memory paging, and so on. Still the same issue no matter what I choose.

Could it be an issue with “Windows 11 N” specifically?

10

Hi @Sunny,

looking at your past posts, I have seen that you were using Voicemeeter. Are you still using it? I am asking because the problem you are experiencing has been reported before on this forum when using Voicemeeter together with Cantabile.

Here is an example:

Regards
Gabriel

1 Like
11

Ah thanks man!
edit increasing the buffer-size in voice meeter fixed my problem, thank you so much!

2 Likes
12

Apologies for jumping in here, but, what is the ‘throttle-disabling-feature’ and where is it set, can’t seem to find it (build 4355) ../Steve

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13

See @brad’s post above:

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14

Thanks, yes I saw that. still not sure where the parameter is set or what it does?

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15

I don’t believe there is an explicit parameter to set - this is something that’s happening “under the hood”…

16

Correct - its just always enabled as there’s no point ever turning it off for Cantabile - would you ever want Cantabile put into a low power mode?

17

With this update, my workflow with Hauptwerk and Cantabile became “glitch free” again after several months of unstability.

A Windows 11 update released on the same day or week may also be related to this:

“July 28, 2026—KB5101684
…
Power and Battery
This update improves the reliability of power settings by applying changes made in Settings to all power plans. This includes display, sleep, hibernate, power button, sleep button, and lid-close settings, helping ensure your preferences are consistently maintained.
This update restores the ability to set a threshold for when energy saver should enable within Settings > System > Power & Battery.
…”

2 Likes
18

Do you mean this update to Cantabile, or update to Windows?

19

Thank you both @Torsten and @brad, appreciated ../Steve

20

In addition to what Brad suggested, this may also be affected by another Windows setting, especially if your PC is not very powerful.

Windows lets you choose how to share processor power between active desktop programs and background services (when you minimize Cantabile it become background one).

By default, Windows favors foreground (desktop) apps for fast screen response.

How to Change the Setting:

  • Open the Start Menu, type View advanced system settings, and press Enter.

  • Under the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Performance section.

  • Go to the Advanced tab in the new window.

  • Choose either Programs (for desktop app priority) or Background services (for background task priority).

  • Click Apply and then OK.

1 Like