Term: Buffer size 

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Buffer settings in a DAW determine how quickly the CPU is asked to process audio. Lower buffer settings reduce a system’s latency during recording by forcing the computer to process audio more quicker. Lower buffer sizes may exceed the CPU’s ability to process data and cause errors. For recording, a buffer size of 32 samples reduces latency to an imperceptible amount of about 1 millisecond, but slower computers or complicated sessions may require a higher buffer setting to run smoothly. Mixing sessions will benefit from a more stable buffer size of 1024 samples or even higher.