i am using D.P. 4.52 (OSX 10.3.9) on a PowerMac G4 with a 466 MHz PowerPC processor and 384 MB SDRAM and it's pretty sluggish. i've tried some optimization things but the improvement is marginal at best.
i'm afraid i don't know very much about how these work so would someone be so kind as to suggest how i might speed things up a bit.
thanks.
sluggish
Moderator: James Steele
Hi, JB:
In DP's 4.5 Getting Started manual, it does state certain minimum requirements, into which your system falls easily.
However, on page 9 it does say that:
The faster the Macintosh, and the more RAM installed in it, the more responsive Digital Performer is. Scrolling is smoother, the counter updates reguarly, and actions that you take with the program are faster--- especially during playback..... If your Mac hs multiple processors, Digital Performer takes full advantage of them.
On a 466, the first thing I'd recommend is to get more RAM. Because RAM for that computer is a lot cheaper than it was, maxing out your RAM will be a big help and comparatively affordable.
Keep in mind that a 44.1/16-bit, you will need 5 MB of RAM for every 60 seconds of mono audio. That translates to 10 MB for every stereo minute of audio. That translates into 50 MB for a single track inported from a CD lasting five minutes.
You have 384 MB of RAM. DP recommends 'at least' (their term) 256 MB. Keep in mind that OSX needs RAM to run underneath, so without adding any audio tracks, you are already asking a lot of your system.
Keep in mind that since the 466 was released, there have been some serious upgrades to processors, RAM speeds, RAM capacity, and bus speeds with Macs to accommodate heavier loads of mulit-tasking, multi-processing, etc. All of these contribute greatly to avoiding sluggish performance.
As long you are using your computer to run outboard MIDI and audio gear, you won't have this problem. I had a G4 867 single processor, and two Audio Unit reverbs plus a few audio tracks sent DP into near meltdown. It was not ready for the demands of a totally self-contained workstation. The smallest system I've seen capable of handling a reasonable amount of MIDI, and audio with processing was the G4 Dual 867. That was the first DP setup (used at a studio a few years ago) on which a CD was recorded and mixed-- contained 4-5 instances of Altiverb, several other reverbs and several instances of AutoTune, 40+ tracks of live audio (no MIDI tracks were used).
Dunno, JB. I'd say depending upon just what you want to accomplish with DP, it may be time to look for a computer that will better handle CPU-intensive audio processing. There are 1.8 Ghz out there going for about half price these days. That alone would address most of your concerns, imho.
In DP's 4.5 Getting Started manual, it does state certain minimum requirements, into which your system falls easily.
However, on page 9 it does say that:
The faster the Macintosh, and the more RAM installed in it, the more responsive Digital Performer is. Scrolling is smoother, the counter updates reguarly, and actions that you take with the program are faster--- especially during playback..... If your Mac hs multiple processors, Digital Performer takes full advantage of them.
On a 466, the first thing I'd recommend is to get more RAM. Because RAM for that computer is a lot cheaper than it was, maxing out your RAM will be a big help and comparatively affordable.
Keep in mind that a 44.1/16-bit, you will need 5 MB of RAM for every 60 seconds of mono audio. That translates to 10 MB for every stereo minute of audio. That translates into 50 MB for a single track inported from a CD lasting five minutes.
You have 384 MB of RAM. DP recommends 'at least' (their term) 256 MB. Keep in mind that OSX needs RAM to run underneath, so without adding any audio tracks, you are already asking a lot of your system.
Keep in mind that since the 466 was released, there have been some serious upgrades to processors, RAM speeds, RAM capacity, and bus speeds with Macs to accommodate heavier loads of mulit-tasking, multi-processing, etc. All of these contribute greatly to avoiding sluggish performance.
As long you are using your computer to run outboard MIDI and audio gear, you won't have this problem. I had a G4 867 single processor, and two Audio Unit reverbs plus a few audio tracks sent DP into near meltdown. It was not ready for the demands of a totally self-contained workstation. The smallest system I've seen capable of handling a reasonable amount of MIDI, and audio with processing was the G4 Dual 867. That was the first DP setup (used at a studio a few years ago) on which a CD was recorded and mixed-- contained 4-5 instances of Altiverb, several other reverbs and several instances of AutoTune, 40+ tracks of live audio (no MIDI tracks were used).
Dunno, JB. I'd say depending upon just what you want to accomplish with DP, it may be time to look for a computer that will better handle CPU-intensive audio processing. There are 1.8 Ghz out there going for about half price these days. That alone would address most of your concerns, imho.
6,1 MacPro, 96GB RAM, macOS Monterey 12.7.6, DP 11.33
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emulatorloo
- Posts: 3227
- Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 10:01 pm
- Primary DAW OS: MacOS
- Location: Iowa
Re: sluggish
You can get work done w that machine.J.B. wrote:i am using D.P. 4.52 (OSX 10.3.9) on a PowerMac G4 with a 466 MHz PowerPC processor and 384 MB SDRAM and it's pretty sluggish..
As Frodo said, RAM RAM RAM -- IMHO OS X is sluggish unless you have 512mb. 512mb won't cut it for running both DP and OS X -- Try to put at least 1 gig in that machine.
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Check out this article on optimizing Panther for Audio. Very good tips for you:
http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_tracking_big_cats/
Tracking the Big Cats
By Jim Bates
See the part at the bottom on "New Cats in Old Cages" for older machine tips.
Even though he doesn't state it in the article, I have seen elsewhere on the net that he is a DP user. Maybe even a unicornation user, if I remember right thru the fog of memory.
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If you can swing it, a processor upgrade would probably help. I had a similar machine and I got decent work done w a 1.2 ghz upgrade. YMMV. No I don't work for these people it will give you an idea what is out there and might work for you:
Processor Upgrades for Your Apple PowerMac G4 Digital Audio 466MHz (2001):
http://www.eshop.macsales.com/MyOWC/Upg ... w+Upgrades
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Or you could think about a refurb G5 -- I see a dual 1.8 at the apple store refurb area for 1299.00 - If I didn't have some PCI cards that wouldnt work in it I would probably jump on it and leave my G4 behind.
http://www.lowendmac.com/ppc/g5deals.html
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Last edited by emulatorloo on Fri Mar 31, 2006 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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sdemott
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- Posts: 691
- Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:01 pm
- Primary DAW OS: MacOS
- Location: Connecticut
- Contact:
OS X (10.3 & 10.4) requires a minimum of 512MB for the OS alone to avoid having to write massive swap files. So, if you want to make that system perform as best as it can get at least 1.5 GB to give botht DP & the OS some elbow room.
One of the tactics that I have found very helpful on slower Macs is to "renice" DP to take top priority. Be warned you will need to be comfortable will terminal for this to work. You can find more info about renice by typing "man renice" in a terminal window (man = manual pages).
HTH
One of the tactics that I have found very helpful on slower Macs is to "renice" DP to take top priority. Be warned you will need to be comfortable will terminal for this to work. You can find more info about renice by typing "man renice" in a terminal window (man = manual pages).
HTH
-Steve
Not all who wander are lost.
Not all who wander are lost.