Processor Overload

[31flies]

Hey all,

This has got to be a DAW101 question. Cut me some slack, I've only been on DP/Mac for 7 years!

My Activity Monitor is showing DP using 12% of CPU when totally idol. And showing around %80 when transport starts moving (before tracks engage.) Then jumping north of %100 when transport starts moving (buffer: 512) Two Electric GTR audio tracks + 3 MachFive MIDI + 3 Stylus rhythm MIDI tracks. When I disengage the audio tracks (the little blue dot NOT just mute) I hover around %90 with those 5 MIDI tracks going.

The only other thing the Activity Monitor shows using PCU is itself, at 0.7%.

Obviously when I bring up multiple MIDI and audio everything cuts out like a really bad stutter-step. It's unworkable.

If I change the bugger to 2048 it's a little better with overall CPU ranging from 90-150%. Terrible buffer size to work with, too, and doesn't solve the problem entirely.

I'm running DP 7.24 on Mac OS X 10.6.8, Processor 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo, Memory 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3.

I have 56GB available on the HD out of 500 (though I doubt that's an issue.)

Please help. I don't know what to do.

Thanks!

[James Steele]

Hard to say... just a couple thoughts:

1) You might want to go in and change your "Work Priority" setting and change it to Low or Medium.

2) 4GB RAM is kind of thin. Your operating system is probably using quite a bit of it.

3) I don't know how fast your hard drive is, but sounds like you have your OS, Apps, and Audio files all on the same disk? I don't know if it's the problem, but it helps to have the projects and audio files coming off a different drive.

[mikehalloran]

iMac? Mini? MacBook? MBP? Air? Internal HD? External? How much RAM? These things do make a difference.

There's a reason that most of us put our hardware, OS and basic software in our signatures. Sometimes, the cause is obvious - other times it is not. In your case, I haven't a clue but what you are describing is just not right.

Something is trying to run away with the show here. You don't have a window of RX open, do you?

[31flies]

"iMac? Mini? MacBook? MBP? Air? Internal HD? External? How much RAM? These things do make a difference."

I thought I covered the important info with:
I'm running DP 7.24 on Mac OS X 10.6.8, Processor 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo, Memory 4GB 1067 MHz DDR3.

I have 56GB available on the HD out of 500 (though I doubt that's an issue.)

It's an iMac if that makes a difference.

Thanks James, changed my Work Priority and I'll try working off a different drive.

[31flies]

Okay, so I changed work priority to "low." I added 8GB RAM so I have 12GB now. I moved project and audio files to an external drive. Problem remains, AND the audio will just explode into a cacophony of loud static and hisses. So...I think the problem is with my pre-amp and likely not a DP or Mac issue. I'm using a Presonus Firepod which I've used for many years without a hitch BUT when I record electric guitar I have to set the trim on the Firepod at ZERO (literally ALL the way off) and even then DP is recording a signal too hot. This is a screen grab of electric guitar with preamp trim turned all the way off:


So does that prove my issue is with my Firepod and not DP?

Thanks for the help.

[HCMarkus]

Whoa. SOMETHING is amiss, but I know not what. Sounds like you may have more than one issue.

Has your system suddenly developed the symptoms you describe?
Do you have trouble with any other software or audio only?
Does the PreSonus box have any hardware metering and if so, what does it indicate?

56 gig available on a 500 gig disc is not good. Disc may be highly fragmented. If this is your OS drive, I'd recommend you consider cloning to a bigger drive (use Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper) and replace the old drive with the new one in your Mac or connect as an external via Thunderbolt. Or just start from scratch on building a new OS from your emergency CD don't load up your drive with data.

This could be a great time to get an SSD for your system drive. You will be happy.

Other thoughts:
Have you tried creating a fresh DP project from scratch (not using a template)?
Have you trashed DP preferences?
Repaired permissions?
ReSet PRAM?
Reinstalled your OS and Applications, including PreSonus driver software?
Have you tested your RAM?

[31flies]

Okay HC, maybe I should start by cloning my drive to an external and clearing up the internal. Don't know much about this. I found HOW to do it, but then what? Dump my iMac drive completely and reinstall everything?

[David Polich]

Your DP projects should be on a separate recording drive, and should be backed up to a THIRD backup drive.

I'd get rid of the PreSonus interface. I've never met one that worked reliably.

[31flies]

Man, I had no idea. My guy at Sweetwater never mentioned working off of separate drives when I started on Mac/DP 7 years ago. I used a MacBookPro for several years-- everything on the MacPro, then starting working entirely off an iMac a couple years ago and using an external to make copies of stuff I thought was important, which has been very little, as I mostly just dick around. Now I have the possibility of maybe doing something somewhat significant (as a follow-up to a solo record I did with Epic/Sony 20 years ago) and actually need DP/Mac to work well and I'm a bit lost.

So, I have a 1TB external that has almost nothing on it (it's called "My Book" for Mac.) How can I utilize it to help move me toward solving my problems? I'm obviously willing to install everything I use on the external and start working from there. Is this what you're saying I should do? And then get a third drive to back up everything up? If that's the fix I can have that done in a day.

Thanks!

[Shooshie]

I can only tell you what I do. Here's what I put on each drive:

System Drive: DP, MOTU Drivers, MOTU support software such as CueMix, Clockworks, and so forth; Plugins, Stand-alone VI applications, VI installs. When you think about it, the System Drive holds a lot of software that has to be running all the time. The last thing I want to do is to stress that drive with constant reading of VI libraries, audio files, and DP project files.

VI Library Drives: VI libraries, of course. Furthermore, I try to limit the number of those on a given drive. Or more accurately, I try to limit the number that are going to be simultaneously active on one drive. If I'm going to be accessing two VI's constantly in most cases, I'll try to put them on separate drives. (not partitions, but drives)

DP Project Files: As the name implies, this is where the DP project file is located. Sometimes the audio for a project can really pile up. This keeps the drive from constantly zipping back and forth from audio to VI library, back to audio, back to VI, and so forth. In most cases, only one drive is used at a time for a DP project, but if the audio really becomes extensive, you can split it across two drives. (not going to describe that process right now)

I try to keep all the above on internal SATA drives, which are faster than Firewire, USB, and other storage protocols. External SATA would also qualify. I just don't use eSATA, because my drives are located some distance from my CPU.

Having said all that, you CAN put every one of the above on the System Drive, as lots of Powerbook users do every day. Er… MacBook Pro users. It's not that it can't be done, it's that your drive will be stressed less, and access to the data will not get bottlenecked at the I/O of a single hard drive.

Shooshie

[31flies]

Thanks so much for all the info. I'm definitely going to follow your advice and am in the process of changing the way I record. I'll keep project and audio files on their own drive and I already got another external to backup everything. I'm still not sure what's going on with audio registering with the trim at zero, but hopefully I'll see a change when I'm all cleaned up.

thanks again!