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  4. VI RAM Clarification - DP, OSX

  • VI RAM Clarification - DP, OSX

    D
    D
    I will be running the VI Strings I+II on a G5 with 4.5 gigs of RAM using Digital Performer. Should I load more RAM to total 8 and will I be able to access it?

    My understanding is that currently VI will run outside of DP (even though it will show up as an AU) and not be subject to DP's ram usage but rather as a seperate app., still limited by OS X's 4 gig per program limit.

    Just want to be able to load as much VI as possible.

    Thanks,

    DC
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP
    Hi Dave,

    we are just finishing the tests with different Macs, the results will be published soon.

    4 GB RAM will be fine, as you cannot access more than 2.8 GB RAM right now, even on a Dual Mac.... that´s around 47.000 Samples.

    More details soon.

    Best, Paul
    Paul Kopf Head of Product Marketing, Social Media and Support
  • D
    D
    Thanks Paul,

    Running a Dual 2.7. Looking forward to test results.

    DC
  • P
    P
    dpcon - has yours arrived yet?

    running the same system as you, so looking forward to hearing your results before i install it in a couple of weeks [:D]
  • N
    N
    My hunch - not assertion, hunch - is that you're better off with more than 4GB in OS X.

    First, if the Vienna Instruments player has its own space, then 2.8GB is just for it. That means you should be able to access an additional 3GB or so inside your DAW - provided you have enough RAM installed.

    But even if that's only fantasy, my understanding is that OS X makes use of all your installed RAM for caching, and if it doesn't have RAM it uses virtual memory (i.e. the hard disk). In other words, the more RAM you have, the better your system will run...but only up to a point of diminishing returns; Andrea from Redmatica agreed with me that my 5GB was enough. That was before Vienna Instruments, though.

    Next, I set up a second, slave G5 with 4.5GB, and inside DP as a host it only loads 2.25 of samples - after which it goes to virtual memory and the RAM use starts decreasing. A friend gave me a couple of 256 RAMs, and it'll be interesting to see whether boosting it to 5GB will boost it to what my other machine does (3GB or so). It's possible that this is the difference between DP and Logic as a host, but it would be premature to come to that conclusion.

    Finally, more RAM available means you have RAM left for things other than VSL. That includes other V.I.s and samples, but it also includes opening a browser to go on the VSL forum and write lengthy posts like this. [:)]
  • D
    D
    paul Im,

    I should have them early next week so I will post after I've had a chance to check them out.

    Nick,

    Glad you chimed in. I was going to ask you first via email but thought I might find things out here well enough and leave you alone. I will probably bump the ram up at some point.

    Do you suppose the Quad's will become the go-to platform for AU's? I figure once I have the entire VSL VI library that two G5's and a P4 PC will do the trick.

    I think I just hijacked my own thread.
  • N
    N
    Yet another in a long string of outrages from the most outrageous person of them all. [8-)]

    I've heard rumors that may or may not be true that Logic only uses two of the quad's four cores at this stage. If that's true, who knows whether they or anyone else will bother to make it work in the face of the Intel switch. Not being a programmer (nor a clairvoyant [:)] ) I don't know whether the work would carry over to the next generation of machines if they were to make all four cylinders fire.

    Maybe someone else more EE-ish can answer.
  • D
    D
    I find your answer to be insightful as well as a complete outrage.

    I guess the Intel issue is something to consider since all the support will be swinging that way. I figure lot's of VI's in Universal mode is going to be the way to go so that will mean a few screamin' machines. Too broke to worry about it right now.
  • N
    N
    By the way, it goes without saying that Paul has the thing in his hands, so he is at a considerable advantage when it comes to dispensing advice about his own product. [:)]

    Take most of what I say with a grain of salt, in other words. Always.
  • D
    D
    It's all good. We'll all get a better handle on the tech side as things move along. Then another big change will come and we'll all be clueless again. Be great if I could load a few VI's onto my iici but I don't think it's gonna happen.