that dropout isn't a typical not-enough-CPU type of phenomenon. as reported, not everything stuttered. kind of a startling dropout, which I remember well. After a couple of tests I was able to determine a problem with the first RAM. I think it may have been temporary. I moved it and the problem completely stopped. Maybe I haven't accessed that stick, being the last RAM at all, yet. My machine was burning up, seems like the OS told me to turn it off.

I would have thought the latency was around that, to get that much locally with Cubase. I'm miserable beyond 192. I would go higher if I got into MIR Pro just for mixing but...

VSL recommends low as possible in the host with 2 buffer, NB.

How did you capture this on video?  Does it do it at the same spot all the time?  or is this a small clip from a larger video?

I ask because I've had this problem with my setup - Using DP7 - for over a year now.  It sounds just like your video, but since it happens to me every few hours, and so quickly, I haven't every "Caught it" in action..

I've done everything to try and solve this and nothing has prevailed. I bought all new RAM, all new hard drives, re-installed Mac OS X, everything!  Except buy a new computer..

Let me know if you solve this.  I'm willing try anything! 

Do you think it could possibly be a bad part of the mother board? like where the RAM fits into?  Anyone that tech saavy to know if it's possible?

Good luck!

When you have the problem ; did you had a look the "Swap Used" in "Activity Monitor" / memory 

@Cyril said:

When you have the problem ; did you had a look the "Swap Used" in "Activity Monitor" / memory 

What do you look for in "Swap Used" ?   like what is good or bad? or what might happen?

~J

@Cyril said:

When you have the problem ; did you had a look the "Swap Used" in "Activity Monitor" / memory 

What do you look for in "Swap Used" ?   like what is good or bad? or what might happen?

~J

what is it's value when the dropout has occured ?

I am experiencing similar problems on my new Lion setup (see signature for specs). I'm getting random dropouts when playing stuff from VEP 5, every minute or so. And the propject I'm running is quite minimal: one percussion track running a Damage kit, a MIDI track sending to both Absynth and Massive, and a Piano track. All tracks, except the piano, are local to Cubase (i.e. not in VEP). The piano track uses my piano channel in my VEP template.

It's not CPU related because I can play more Massive tracks without any glitches.

It's not likely to be HD speed related because the Caviar Black is quite capable of handling two or three instruments.

I've done much more complex orchestration using the same Mac and HD, in my previous Snow Leopard system, using VEP 4. Could it be VEP 5 related? Any one from VSL has any ideas?

Incidentally, my Swap used hovers around 1.19gb and doesn't move much. I have 1.23 inactive RAM (blue) and almost none free (green). Buffer size on audio interface is 512 samples and there are 2 buffers set on VEP.

Thanks.

Well, I should've following my own reasoning: it's not the CPU, it's not the HD, so it's probably the RAM. The problem is indeed related to swap file usage. I've grown spoiled with all the new articulations from LASS and didn't pay attention my template's RAM usage: the 16gb of RAM it had to work with started to become too tight of a fit.

You really have to read on what "page outs" and "swap used" really mean in Activity Monitor, and then configure your system to avoid page outs at all costs (which mainly means getting more RAM). I've purged some huge unneeded banks of samples in my template and the problem, as they say, fixed itself.

Hope this helps.

In my experience, VEP doesn't like the "Blue" inactive Memory.  It needs the "Green" one.  And the only way to get it back is to restart your computer.  So when I load up a bunch of samples and the Green part gets really low, is when I start having pops and dropouts.  If I restart the computer, everything works as it should.

Although, I still can't explain these random hourly dropouts I keep getting... boo..

@J111111 said:

In my experience, VEP doesn't like the "Blue" inactive Memory.  It needs the "Green" one.  

THIS IS THE MOST HILLARIOUS POST I HAVE SEEN HERE  LOL LOL LOL LOL

I have TOLD you to give me the value of SWAP USED when you get the drop outs !!!

You can also give me the value of SWAP USED when you have loaded your project and run it for the 1st time !!!!!

"Swap used" should be 0 if you use musicals apps (it does not matter if you have a swap used if you are using Words, Excel,,, as it will slow downs when the system has to put somes data in and out the swap)

How do you see you have 5 GB left ?

Running a  RAM test is a good idea !