Realtime vs offline quality — which should I use?

  • Realtime separates live in the DAW with no rendering step: instant, great for monitoring, writing, and quick fixes.
  • Offline (Better / Best) re-separates the recorded audio with a much heavier process and noticeably cleaner results — use it for the final print. Best rewards a supported GPU; on Windows, recent versions use NVIDIA CUDA, Direct3D 12 and Vulkan lanes automatically when your hardware qualifies.

A common workflow: track and rough-mix on realtime, then switch the clip to Best before the final bounce.