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  4. Mini+Profire Lightbridge = clicks/pops

  • Mini+Profire Lightbridge = clicks/pops

    D
    D
    I want to run my VSL Brass I on a Mac Mini so I bought a 250 gig Mini Stack external drive which also is a FW hub (connected to the mini then going to the Profire - all FW connections.) The buffer setting on the Profire is 256 (not adjustable in OSx) as is the host Plogue. Adat is going from the Profire to DP.

    I'm getting lots of clicks and pops. When I stream off the internal drive of the mini I get less pops but still too much (plus it's a 5400 rpm and only 80 gigs so not practical to stream.)

    Is anyone using this setup with success? Is there a better way to set it up? Not sure what to do here.

    Thanks,

    DC
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC
    it is always a mess having audio device and harddisk on a single firewire bus ... only a few devices allow flawless functioning in such a configuration.
    although i usually don't recommend that, try connecting your harddisk via USB by way of exception and see if the situation improves.
    if it's already a mini with intel core duo it might be worth to change the internal drive to a larger 7.200 rpm type.
    christian
    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • D
    D
    Exactly what I was thinking on both counts Christian. I will try USB and if that doesn't work get larger faster internal.

    Thanks,

    DC
  • D
    D
    Well I seem to have fixed this problem. I'm not sure how though. Would changing the buffer in Digital Performer to 256 (which is what the Profire and Plogue are set to) have done it? Other than that I completely deleted the files in the Directory Manager and than dragged them back in. I had to do this because I was experimenting with streaming off the system drive and then the FW.

    EDIT spoke too soon. Apparently the VI player was streaming the samples from the system drive even though I had gone back to the FW drive in the Directory Manager. I discovered this because the VI player was only seeing the samples on the system drive (Fr Horns only) when I loaded my entire Brass palette. I opened the VI player in stand alone and then it saw all the samples. I opened up Plogue and there were all the clicks and pops so I guess the FW buss being used for samples and audio is a no go.
  • W
    W
    Hi
    Im interested to see if you got this working as I was about to go for the same system.

    Wondering if I should spec an internal drive at 7200 on the mac mini and if the pro fire interface is a stble enough system for daily use.

    W
  • V
    V
    I have the same system WS, and the Profire is rockstable from my experience. You will want to go for the 7200rpm drive though.
  • D
    D
    I have it working by streaming off the external mini stack with USB. The Profire is very good as long as there is no other firewire device. You should put a 7200 (at least 120 gig if you want to load VSL) and stream off that. I will eventually do that as I don't think USB will handle very intensive streaming.
  • W
    W
    sorry to drag this thread up again - but is the pro fire lightbridge intel compatible I can't seem to see that it is......

    thats bad news as I've just gone for the mac mini and its intel


    W
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC
    IMO it is neither a specific problem of mini or intel or OS X or lightbridge or driver or connected harddisk - it is always the overall setup. components have to cooperate, supported by protocol, operating system, drivers and other devices on the same bus.
    everything has to be in balance, otherwise it is plug & pray [:P]
    christian
    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • D
    D
    Yes the profire is compatible with Mac/Intel. With the mini however you can't (as cm suggests) use the Firewire bus for both audio and disk streaming. So I'm streaming using USB 2 off an external drive. That's asking for trouble but I'm getting away with it for now. Best would be change system drive out for larger 7200 and steam off that while using FW bus for Profire audio out.
  • V
    V
    Im using USB2 to stream from a hardware-raid drive (overkill yes) and I get plenty of clicks and pops with just 5 VIs if I use velocity xfading on all instances.
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC
    just to have it said (again): a hardware raid might work fine for video- or audio-streaming (huge files, continuous read), but not be configured for sample-streaming (little portions spread across the whole drive).
    and i think you know my opinion about USB - it's cr*p for audio and harddisks. use it for mice, keyboards, webcams, ipods, printers and similar uncritical devices ...
    besides SCSI the best connection is sATA - if not available use firewire (adds asome CPU load, but is reliable), just avoid chaining harddisks with audio devices.
    christian
    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • V
    V
    Hard on a Mac Mini with one FW port/bus Christian. [[;)]]

    And Im using the internal hardrive, and are only having the RAID HD to transfer to other computers as well as keeping a HD backup.
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC
    last edited
    last edited

    @Vagn Luv said:

    Hard on a Mac Mini with one FW port/bus

    i know, i know ... i never understood why the second sATA port has not been added to the external connectors - too bad, it is rather tiny.
    probably they refused to do this because sATA is currently not plug&play on OS X (also not on XP btw) and this would contradict their philosophy ...

    the counterexample it _can_ work is the RME fireface, which allows connected harddisks (tested config was an intel mini, a fireface 400 and a maxtor oneTouch II)
    christian
    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • D
    D
    last edited
    last edited

    @cm said:

    ...the counterexample it _can_ work is the RME fireface, which allows connected harddisks (tested config was an intel mini, a fireface 400 and a maxtor oneTouch II)
    christian


    cm, to confirm: you are saying that the Fireface 400 allows for both audio and streaming from a single FW port with no problems?

    thanks,

    DC
  • J
    J
    I´m just about ready to order a few of the new mini´s and FF400´s to use with FW 800 drives.

    I would highly appreaciate a confirmation that this works.

    All the best,

    Jochen

    edit: ups, just read cm´s post. This seems to be all the confirmation I need.

    The only question left is how many VI´s I get out of the 2 gig ram limit.
    Without crack´s and pop´s.
  • cmC
    VSL Team
    cmC
    i can't see any FW800 port ...
    <a href=http://images.apple.com/de/macmini/images/indexports20060229.jpg">
    fortunately FW800 drives are downward compatible, most of them also offer FW400 connectors so you wouldn't even need an adapter cable.

    edit: you should be able to load ~20.000 samples ... spread this amount across the patches at your convenience ...
    and remember: only a CRAY can run an endless loop in just three seconds.
  • D
    D
    last edited
    last edited

    @Josch said:


    The only question left is how many VI´s I get out of the 2 gig ram limit.
    Without crack´s and pop´s.


    1.6 gigs (give or take a little.)