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  4. VE Pro Dropouts Cubase 6.5

  • VE Pro Dropouts Cubase 6.5

    F
    F
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    I've recently run into a tough issue with dropouts that do NOT seem to be performance related; i.e, my system seems totally capable of handeling the load, but some other factor is interfering with VSL Ensemble Pro. Right now everything is running in the box; no external slaves. Basically, VSL will "freeze" every minute or so for a couple seconds, as depicted in this video at :09 seconds:

    Example 2

    As you can hear/see, Cubase continues to play on during the hang, as well as any audio or VST tracks that I have loaded into Cubase directly.

    Couple other points - Time Machine is off; Autosave has been disabled in Cubase; multi-processing is disabled in Kontakt and enabled in VSL, set to 3 threads per instance. System is a Mac Pro 2009 8-core with 24gb RAM. Hard drives seem to be in working order. Recently ran some RAM tests and they passed; though something may have failed recently. System seemed to be stable a couple weeks ago, then the issue randomly started occurring. Thought it might be related to a new audio interface (the MR816CSX) but the problem still crops up if I use my old Digi002.

    Anyone encountered this before? Any ideas?
  • F
    F
    I know that dropout posts are a dime a dozen, but if someone could check out my video and give me some ideas I'd appreciate it. I can't figure out what the problem is and it's becoming impossible to work.

    Greg
  • civilization 3C
    civilization 3C

    well, I have experienced similar and found a RAM problem. I bet you run your machine at all hours and it's very hot.

    I switched the first RAM out to the last RAM that would be accessed and got rid of the issue. Maybe even reseating it is something to try.

    but, are you pretty certain this particular load should be perfectly performing? I have probably the same machine as you but I use it as slave, as I too use Cubase, which is just too fricken slow on a Mac. And I don't plug much into Cubase directly. I like to handle say Reaktor Skanner by the GUI and have Cubase write automation off of playback (or I treat some Vienna Suite that way) but I don't plug Kontakt into it or more 'static' instruments, VE Pro is just more efficient/better performance... I'm thinking you could have a kind of heavy load for your system from hearing it frankly. What's your latency there?
  • F
    F
    Thanks for the response. The problem went away for a while so I thought I was out of the woods, but it's resurfaced again!

    I don't expect perfect performance; I run things at 512 with 2 buffer settings, keeping latencies kinda high. Theres a clear difference though between "normal" dropouts due to lots of activity and these random freezes, which seem to happen regardless of load, latency, activity, etc.

    So bad RAM? That's always a tough one to diagnose - the last time this problem plagued me I ran several RAM tests but wasn't sure I was getting accurate results. Perhaps I'll just swap it all out and replace it with new memory, to at least ID the problem, before diving in and testing my existing RAM.
  • Cyril BlancC
    Cyril BlancC
    [quote=FilmCompos3r]

    try 1024 and 0 buffer
  • civilization 3C
    civilization 3C

    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.
  • J
    J

    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!
  • Cyril BlancC
    Cyril BlancC

    When you have the problem ; did you had a look the "Swap Used" in "Activity Monitor" / memory 
  • J
    J
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    @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 BlancC
    Cyril BlancC
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    @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 ?
  • T
    T

    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.
  • T
    T

    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.
  • J
    J

    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..
  • Cyril BlancC
    Cyril BlancC
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    @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 !!!!!
  • F
    F
    Thanks for following up on this. My swap used is staying steady around 3.0 mb and doesn't spike; not sure why I'd be having RAM space issues as I still have about 6 GB free on this rig. I AM seeing spikes on my hard disk, though oddly it's a red spike (data written).

    One thing I did notice is that, when my VSL freezes, I get a spinning beach-ball on Activity Monitor during the freeze. Sounds like it could be bad RAM huh?
  • Cyril BlancC
    Cyril BlancC
    [quote=FilmCompos3r]Thanks for following up on this. My swap used is staying steady around 3.0 mb and doesn't spike; not sure why I'd be having RAM space issues as I still have about 6 GB free on this rig. I AM seeing spikes on my hard disk, though oddly it's a red spike (data written).

    "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 !