Help decyphering this Activity Monitor screenshot?

[cbergm7210]

Hi guys.

DP is acting pretty off today, so I took a look at the Activity Monitor. I noticed that the Free Memory is way low, but the Inactive Memory is still a pretty good size.

Can someone check out this screen shot of my AM and tell me if I am pushing this RAM situation? I have 8 gigs installed, and it looks like DP is using 2G and Plogue is around 1.6, so you'd think I was still ok, but is the fact that the Free Memory number is low giving me problems? Isn't the Inactive memory basically there to dish out more RAM when needed, therefore I should be way fine in this situation?


Thanks for the help. I admit I am no expert in this area. Here's the screenshot:

http://www.rfjmusic.com/AM.jpg

Chris

[jroadrage]

I've noticed some strange memory behavior whenever PLAY is running. Are you hosting PLAY in DP or Bidule? How many PLAY instances/instruments are running? Have you loaded/unloaded any PLAY instruments since restarting? What is your engine setting for PLAY?

I'm guessing if you saved everything, restarted and then loaded everything up again you'd end up with some headroom and better performance in DP.

[cbergm7210]

I've noticed some strange memory behavior whenever PLAY is running. Are you hosting PLAY in DP or Bidule? How many PLAY instances/instruments are running? Have you loaded/unloaded any PLAY instruments since restarting? What is your engine setting for PLAY?

I'm guessing if you saved everything, restarted and then loaded everything up again you'd end up with some headroom and better performance in DP.

Hey JR. Hosting only two PLAY instances in DP, engine level at 2. Thanks for the questions.

I think I am just looking for some knowledgeable Mac person to assure me that the Inactive Memory figure (since it is still at around 2 Gigs) means that I am still fine RAM-wise.

Anyone?

I may post this in the other forum...

Chris

[billf]

I think I am just looking for some knowledgeable Mac person to assure me that the Inactive Memory figure (since it is still at around 2 Gigs) means that I am still fine RAM-wise.

You can find out more at this page:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1342

The inactive memory is described by Apple as:

Inactive memory

This information has not recently been used but will remain in RAM until another application needs more memory but no free memory is available. If called upon by a process, this is quickly changed to Active memory; if it has been swapped to the hard disk, it will be moved back to RAM and marked as Active.

[cbergm7210]

I think I am just looking for some knowledgeable Mac person to assure me that the Inactive Memory figure (since it is still at around 2 Gigs) means that I am still fine RAM-wise.

You can find out more at this page:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1342

The inactive memory is described by Apple as:

Inactive memory

This information has not recently been used but will remain in RAM until another application needs more memory but no free memory is available. If called upon by a process, this is quickly changed to Active memory; if it has been swapped to the hard disk, it will be moved back to RAM and marked as Active.

Thanks, Bill! Yes, I read that as well, so I assume that my odd DP behavior was not cause by my RAM as I had plenty of Inactive Memory still available, right?

I think I am just needing someone to pat me on the back and patronize me saying, "Yes, Chris, you read that correctly, your RAM is not the issue in this case, so don't worry about that."

[Frodo]

I would shut down things like Firefox and iChat while working on projects--- that is, if resources and how they are used are among the concerns. It may be nothing at all to worry about on your machine, but quitting unused apps could only improve things. As long as you are connected to the internet, the machine will constantly poll for info of one type or another. Plists are constantly being updated, and that means that your system drive occasionally gets busy doing other things. That's fine until it happens at the same time you're loading samples or bouncing a mix, etc., which *could* interfere with VM updates taking place concurrently. It *could* be a problem-- but that doesn't mean that it *will always be* a problem.

If you've been running DP for a while and have been opening/closing various apps, it might be worth rebooting the computer just to clear out the dust bunnies from VM. I tend to reboot after ever 6 hours or so of work. Sometimes, repairing permissions can clear out unused processes as well, but rebooting and reloading every few hours is probably more effective.

"Yes, Chris, you read that correctly, your RAM is not the issue in this case, so don't worry about that."

<pat-pat-pat>

[cbergm7210]

I would shut down things like Firefox and iChat while working on projects--- that is, if resources and how they are used are among the concerns. It may be nothing at all to worry about on your machine, but quitting unused apps could only improve things. As long as you are connected to the internet, the machine will constantly poll for info of one type or another. Plists are constantly being updated, and that means that your system drive occasionally gets busy doing other things. That's fine until it happens at the same time you're loading samples or bouncing a mix, etc., which *could* interfere with VM updates taking place concurrently. It *could* be a problem-- but that doesn't mean that it *will always be* a problem.

If you've been running DP for a while and have been opening/closing various apps, it might be worth rebooting the computer just to clear out the dust bunnies from VM. I tend to reboot after ever 6 hours or so of work. Sometimes, repairing permissions can clear out unused processes as well, but rebooting and reloading every few hours is probably more effective.

"Yes, Chris, you read that correctly, your RAM is not the issue in this case, so don't worry about that."

<pat-pat-pat>

Ah...'specially comforting coming from F Hobbit!

Here, Frodo, have some popcorn.

Chris