Managing Pitch Shift Plugin CPU resources

I have a question related to this one asked a while back…

http://www.fmod.org/questions/question/automating-plugin-bypass/

Im attempting to use the Pitch Shift plugin on one of our Main Busses, but only need it active during a special mode when a Snapshot is active (In order to minimize CPU usage during normal gameplay). Do I need to put the Pitch Shift on its own Return, and then adjust the send level base on when the Snapshot is active/inactive? (Obviously there is no Wet/Dry signal parameter on the Pitch Shift that can be automated such as with the Convolution Reverb question above). That seems odd for this type of plugin where I always want either 100 wet or 100% dry, in series on the buss in question rather then as a send/return situation, but I cant think of any other way, and I dont want it always active as its a bit of a CPU hog.

Thanks!
JL

As of the time of writing (Janruary of 2017), there is no way to automate effect bypass in FMOD Studio. As such, there is no way to completely turn off the FMOD Studio pitch shifter effect while it is not being used.

As for preventing it from having a discernible effect on your mix, the solution you suggest is a viable option. As a very slightly cheaper alternative, you could automate the ‘pitch’ property of the pitch shifter effect such that the amount of pitch adjustment it applies is zero at times when you do not want it to alter your mix.

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Thanks Joseph. Just to confim, should the plugin still be consuming CPU when the pitch proeprty is set to 0? Looking at the profiler, it seems to be about the same load when the plug in is added to the buss, wether or not you are affecting the pitch.

Yes, it would still be consuming CPU with the pitch set to 0.