Synthesizer Status Window

The synthesizer status window, shown in the following figure, displays information about the playback activity of DirectMusic-compatible output ports, including DirectMusic hardware-accelerated devices and compatible software synthesizers.

The following information about computer memory use is displayed in the window, from left to right:

• Current percentage of available processing cycles used by the Microsoft Synthesizer.
• Peak CPU usage by the Microsoft Synthesizer during the playback period.
• Time during playback that the peak occurred.
• Current number of voices being sent during playback to DirectMusic-compatible output ports.
• Peak number of voices sent to DirectMusic-compatible output ports during the playback period.
• Time during playback that the peak occurred.
• Amount of memory used by the synthesizer.
• Average latency, in milliseconds, over the last ten seconds. This value will almost always be greater than the Adjust Latency setting in the MIDI/Performance Options Dialog Box, because of additional latency in the sound card driver and audio stack.

The right section of the window represents only information being sent to DirectMusic-compatible output ports. When multiple DirectMusic-compatible output ports are in use, the window displays the total numbers for the combined activity of all compatible ports. If you are using output ports that are not DirectMusic-compatible, their playback activity is not reflected in the Synthesizer Status window, so the total number of voices actually playing through all output ports may be greater.

Click the Reset button to reset historical data such as peak values.

Note The Output Status Toolbar can show more playback activity than is indicated by the Synthesizer Status window. For example, a PChannel might play data that cannot be sent to the port because of limited voice allocation.