Although Fidelizer is very easy to use, those features require a long explanation for people who aren’t familiar with tech stuff to understand how it works. This page will help you to understand how Fidelizer works in detail starting from each optimization level down to every single individual option.

Before we start, we’ll classify resource utilization into audio tasks and non-audio tasks. Based on Microsoft’s Multimedia Class model, we’ll treat non-audio tasks as System or Network. Most systems would look like this.

As stated in the picture, this data is simulated to help users visualize how system resource utilization works. We’ll divide the work evenly for easier understanding. You can see that the audio is represented by the big speaker, playing multimedia files, the system by the graph, running services and tasks in the background, and the networking on the bottom, doing some web browsing and streaming content. After the optimizations, your system will have improved audio performance by concentrating available resources. Let’s see how Fidelizer works in the first optimization level.

“CONSUMER” User Level

This is the default user level. “Consumer” represents everyone who can use Fidelizer on any machine to improve audio performance without any drawback. It focuses on applying Fidelizer’s core optimizations below.

1. Multimedia Class Scheduler Service (MMCSS) optimization: You may see some DAW software having MMCSS options and we have no clue what they do specifically, as if it’s the developers’ secrets. At least you can find an explanation in Fidelizer and here’s how it’s done.
-Keep audio tasks working steadily without losing focus to other tasks.
-Raise audio task priority, over all others, like I/O, etc.
-Increase more frequent time slice for audio resource utilization.

 

2. Kernel timer resolution optimization: I first discovered this from DPC Latency checker software. I used to have stuttering audio for low latency playback but running this software stopped the stuttering. I looked further and found it changed the kernel timer resolution from 15.6ms to 1ms, fixing this stuttering issue. I added this to Fidelizer and set it to the lowest possible resolution (0.5ms). This would solve most low latency issues in digital audio.

 

3. Audio thread priority optimization: Here’s a real gem. This is the only unique feature that I couldn’t find any software claiming to do and it needs to be done from Core Audio’s API call. It will increase audio thread priority, real audio thread not increasing process priority in Task Manager so audio performance is improved from its core.

After applying these core optimizations, your system should probably look like this:

You’ll see that Audio gets a significant boost by unleashing its hidden potentials with little sacrifice from non-audio tasks (Of course it’s simulated data). You can still surf the web, play games or do your work like usual.

“AUDIOPHILE” User Level

You can reduce hindrance from system and network tasks using the “Audiophile” optimization level. This name stands for people who are willing to make their machines become slower to dedicate more resources to audio by applying additional optimizations below:

1. Reducing non-audio process priorities to idle level: Windows is packed with a lot of active processes running. Most systems would have around 100 processes running and over half of them are not related to audio tasks. Reducing process priority randomly can affect system stability and could actually harm audio performance because some are indirectly related to audio tasks. Fidelizer will efficiently reduce the priority of those truly non-audio processes without causing any negative changes to sound quality.

 

2. Isolating non-audio processes to an idle core: By nature, all processes may have access to all available cores. This can cause trouble for audio tasks that have to switch around cores, degrading audio performance due to those interrupt requests. Leveraging those non-audio cores to one idle core could greatly reduce the number of interrupts that could affect audio tasks.

 

3. Launching Media Player software after optimizations: To improve optimizations on media player software, Fidelizer can launch application on ‘Administrator’ account bypassing most permission layers that could affect audio performance. Fidelizer also increases process priority to “high” level.

After applying these advanced optimizations, your system’s audio performance should be around here:

Audio tasks look much “greener” than before and most system resources are now dedicated to audio tasks. If you have problems with reducing system/network performance, you shouldn’t choose “Audiophile” user level because this is for dedicated audio machine.

“PURIST” User Level

What if you don’t care about Windows Update, printing your documents, or even using the internet at all? There’s a special mode for “Purist” audiophile. It will stop all system/network services leaving only audio ones. Do not ever choose this for your work machine, you have been warned.

Some people may find this is a bit too extreme so choose “Consumer” user level if you only want to listen to good music. Though it doesn’t actually break the system but it may cause some inconvenient for using without knowing the consequences.

Advanced Configuration

Although Fidelizer offers Optimization Wizard where you can configure optimizations easily. However, some people may need specific needs so you may access traditional configuration of Fidelizer with the following features below:

1. Fidelizer’s core system and resource scheduler optimizations: This will apply core optimizations and should always be selected.

 

2. Processor core resource assignment for multi-core optimizations: This will isolate non-audio processes to idle cores reducing interrupts to cores running audio tasks.

 

3. System/Network process resource priority optimizations: This will lower non-audio process priority to reduce interference with audio processes.

 

4. Launch audiophile player with Fidelizer optimizations: This will launch selected media player software after optimizations with increased process priority.

 

5. Stop unnecessary services leaving only audio related ones: This will stop non-audio related services so audio tasks can gain more performance with less resource utilization shared with others.

 

6. Allow core optimizations to run automatically on startup: This option will be available with the Fidelizer Upgrade Program. You can choose whether to run one-time optimizations or run automatically on each startup.

 

7. System configuration optimized for audio playback: This option will be available with the Fidelizer Upgrade Program. It will apply permanent system tweaks to improve sound quality drastically.

That should cover most parts of Fidelizer. If you apply the Fidelizer Upgrade Program, you’ll gain access to new feature to configure audio better.

Audio Profile

During reworking of the core optimizations, there are always new kinds of methods to deliver digital audio in various forms. From our studies, we could classify how machines can manage digital audio playback in one of 7 categories as below:

Audio Player

Designed for intensive DSP audio playback/recording on local storage such as HDD/SSD with network connection.

Applications: Audio Software, Music Server, JPLAY Single PC

Audio Player (Without network connection)

Designed for intensive DSP audio playback/recording on local storage such as HDD/SSD without network connection.

Applications: Audio Software, JPLAY Single PC

Audio Render

Designed for lightweight audio playback/recording on local storage such as HDD/SSD without audio processing.

Applications: Audio Software, JPLAY Single PC

Streamer

Designed for networked audio that sends audio to Network Player, or uPNP Renderer configured devices.

Applications: Streamer, UPnP Server, JPLAY Control PC

Network Player

Designed for networked audio that plays audio from NAS, Streamer, or uPNP Server configured devices.

Applications: Network Player, UPnP Renderer, JPLAY Audio PC

Network Render

Designed for lightweight networked audio that plays audio stream from network without audio processing.

Applications: Network Player, UPnP Renderer, JPLAY Audio PC

Media Center

Designed for videophile applications optimizing for the best possible of audio/video streaming quality.

Applications: Video Software, HTPC, uPnP AV Media Server