System overload

Hi!

I am wondering if anyone else here sees the same problem. With some projects I occasionally get stops during playback due to system overloads. Sometimes 3-4 stops on the way, but I normally just press OK and continue. This is nothing new and sometimes can be solved by increasing IO buffer and other measures. But this is not the issue.

What is puzzling is that after playing back the whole project to the end and ironing out these hiccups (but making no changes whatsoever to the project, merely pressing OK and continuing), subsequent play backs would run smoothly with no stops!!

Now I've almost made it a ritual, especially when demoing a play back, to start with a 'dry run', preferably with muted volume just so as to iron out these stops!

 

Anyone experiencing the same? Any explanations, solutions or recommendations?

 

Thanks!

What you describe is like if Logic had to have in RAM the project to play?

Have you tried the empty dummy audio track trick?

What you describe is like if Logic had to have in RAM the project to play?

Have you tried the empty dummy audio track trick?

 

Exactly Atlas007. As if logic reserves the necessary memory only after the first play.

But what is this dummy audio track trick?

But what is this dummy audio track trick?

 

Just keep an empty audio track selected with no input and output assignment.

When a software instrument track is selected it is in live mode, therefore uses a single-core and thus might create a system overload.

...and of course, nothing is instantiated (no plugins whatsoever) on its related/assigned channelstrip.

That dummy audio track has to be selected before and during playback.

Thanks Atlas007 and Triplets.

I will give it a try, create and select a dummy audio track and then initiate a first playback. Let's see

Although you might now be faced with the situation which made Logic's designers pay so much attention to "bouncing."

 

If you are now faced with a project that is computationally too-intensive for your present hardware to handle "in one pass, on its own," you can easily pre-compute the sonic results of one or more tracks into an equivalent audio track ... which you can of course re-compute at any time. (The key point now being that, "if it takes one-minute and one-half second to compute one second's worth of audio, now it's no big deal.")

 

Just pretend that this is your homage to "all those who came before," who were faced with at-most 24 audio tracks but who were still somehow able to achieve pure magic ... "one pass at a time."

Although you might now be faced with the situation which made Logic's designers pay so much attention to "bouncing."

 

If you are now faced with a project that is computationally too-intensive for your present hardware to handle "in one pass, on its own," you can easily pre-compute the sonic results of one or more tracks into an equivalent audio track ... which you can of course re-compute at any time. (The key point now being that, "if it takes one-minute and one-half second to compute one second's worth of audio, now it's no big deal.")

 

Just pretend that this is your homage to "all those who came before," who were faced with at-most 24 audio tracks but who were still somehow able to achieve pure magic ... "one pass at a time."

 

?

Although you might now be faced with the situation which made Logic's designers pay so much attention to "bouncing."

 

If you are now faced with a project that is computationally too-intensive for your present hardware to handle "in one pass, on its own," you can easily pre-compute the sonic results of one or more tracks into an equivalent audio track ... which you can of course re-compute at any time. (The key point now being that, "if it takes one-minute and one-half second to compute one second's worth of audio, now it's no big deal.")

 

Just pretend that this is your homage to "all those who came before," who were faced with at-most 24 audio tracks but who were still somehow able to achieve pure magic ... "one pass at a time."

 

Yes, I wasn't exactly clear on what you mean, although I understood you were referring to overload situations in general.

My specific question was regarding the first playback! Why does it (as it seems) properly allocate the memory، and pave the way for successful subsequent playbacks?

By the way, the projects I am talking about never consist of more than 20 tracks!

Update:

 

- I tried the dummy audio track (no output, no input) trick. I selected it and ran playback. Still got 3-4 overloads along the way.

- I thought may be it was my Mac doing things immediately after start-up, i.e. time machine backups, updates, etc., so I waited 10 minutes after starting my computer and then started logic and loaded the project. I still got 3 overload stops on the first playback. Second playback ran smoothly!

 

I am surprised no one else is experiencing this. Now it seems to me that Logic is actually doing some memory reservation/allocation during its first playback of a project.

I am surprised no one else is experiencing this

 

Every setup is different.

If more people had this issue, Logic would be unusable.

It always comes down to the complexity of the project, combination with 3rd party plugins, and what the machine/CPU can handle.

I am surprised no one else is experiencing this

 

Every setup is different.

If more people had this issue, Logic would be unusable.

It always comes down to the complexity of the project, combination with 3rd party plugins, and what the machine/CPU can handle.

 

Thanks triplets!

Of course. This has to be the case in general. So I don't assume that everybody has to experience this problem, I was just wondering if anybody noticed this particular issue, and NOT overload situations, which I am aware are quite common. Logic claims the capacity to handle a 1000 tracks and my projects never exceed 20 tracks! Also my desktop iMac with an I7 and 16g isn't exactly a small machine.

In any case I am experimenting to see whether my plugins or sound libraries can cause an issue like this.

Logic claims the capacity to handle a 1000 tracks and my projects never exceed 20 tracks! Also my desktop iMac with an I7 and 16g isn't exactly a small machine.

 

Logic can play up to `1000 tracks if you have the right machine to do it.

What year is your iMac?

Logic claims the capacity to handle a 1000 tracks and my projects never exceed 20 tracks! Also my desktop iMac with an I7 and 16g isn't exactly a small machine.

 

Logic can play up to `1000 tracks if you have the right machine to do it.

What year is your iMac?

 

Here is my machine:

 

Do you have a Fusion Drive?

Are you saving your projects there?

Do you have a Fusion Drive?

Are you saving your projects there?

 

No. I use the original built in drive (mechanical).. The only externally connected USB drive is one used only for the time machine (backup).

BTW you can try the logic benchmark test. This is not a help, but only serves for classification, which is not bad to have.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=138612

No. I use the original built in drive (mechanical).

 

Double click the CPU meter in Logic to get the floating window.

When you get the Overload messages, which meter is peaking constantly, CPU or I/O?

Thanks for the clarification. Unfortunately, I have no idea. "Plugins" and so forth are always a possibility to check. In general, can you "start muting things" and try to thereby reduce it to "one particular thing" that triggers or avoids, as the case may be, the overload messages? "Process of elimination?"

Thanks Mike, triplet and Logicben!

I will try to monitor the CPU/IO meter next, then I'll probably try a process of elimination.

The process of elimination will be a lengthy thing though, since I get the overload only once at each computer session (my original puzzling problem). Meaning I'll need to reboot the computer at each trial

The process of elimination will be a lengthy thing though

 

You can have a couple of scenarios:

 

Increase the buffer, CPU meter goes down. If it stays the same, could be your CPU not keeping up.

 

The i/O meter is peaking only in the beginning of playback and then stays low. That's normal. If it stays peaking, means your hard drive is struggling.

Moving the projects to an external SSD could be beneficial.

Hi Omar17166 - yes I have the same issue, on a 2019 16" MBP, 32gb ram, small number of tracks. A few system overloads at the start of the session then everything worked. The solution? Downgrade from 10.5.1 to 10.4.8 - works good now, but I find it obviously frustrating Apple's latest version of Logic is glitchy on a new laptop.

The process of elimination will be a lengthy thing though

 

You can have a couple of scenarios:

 

Increase the buffer, CPU meter goes down. If it stays the same, could be your CPU not keeping up.

 

The i/O meter is peaking only in the beginning of playback and then stays low. That's normal. If it stays peaking, means your hard drive is struggling.

Moving the projects to an external SSD could be beneficial.

 

Thanks triplet!

Actually this is my next upgrade. A 2TB Samsung T7 SSD external drive. This seemed like the fastest USB drive at the price of $400-450.

 

Next I might upgrade the main memory from 16 to 32GB.

Hi Omar17166 - yes I have the same issue, on a 2019 16" MBP, 32gb ram, small number of tracks. A few system overloads at the start of the session then everything worked. The solution? Downgrade from 10.5.1 to 10.4.8 - works good now, but I find it obviously frustrating Apple's latest version of Logic is glitchy on a new laptop.

 

Thanks Lightform. I feel relieved it's not only me with this issue. And you've pinpointed the version too, even though I don't feel like downgrading now and loosing some features included in 10.5. I'll probably just work around it.

 

However, I feel this should be reported to Apple (A trouble Report). Have you already issued one? I may do it otherwise.

A 2TB Samsung T7 SSD external drive. This seemed like the fastest USB drive at the price of $400-450.

 

I think that's overkill. Would make more sense if you're doing video stuff.

I would save some money:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-T5-Portable-SSD-MU-PA1T0B/dp/B073H4GPLQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2ECEKXQDRPDH4&dchild=1&keywords=samsung%2Bt7%2Bssd&qid=1599935439&refinements=p_n_feature_three_browse-bin%3A6797521011&rnid=6797515011&s=pc&sprefix=samsung%2Bt7%2Caps%2C203&sr=1-4&th=1

A 2TB Samsung T7 SSD external drive. This seemed like the fastest USB drive at the price of $400-450.

 

I think that's overkill. Would make more sense if you're doing video stuff.

I would save some money:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-T5-Portable-SSD-MU-PA1T0B/dp/B073H4GPLQ/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2ECEKXQDRPDH4&dchild=1&keywords=samsung%2Bt7%2Bssd&qid=1599935439&refinements=p_n_feature_three_browse-bin%3A6797521011&rnid=6797515011&s=pc&sprefix=samsung%2Bt7%2Caps%2C203&sr=1-4&th=1

 

Great. I'll definitely consider this.

 

Update:

I did a first playback. The CPU (threads) meter was almost always at around 25%. Drive IO was almost always at zero throughout. I got the three overloads (stops) as usual, and it was always 2-3 threads that shot up to 100% !

Later playbacks showed the CPU always at 25% (just above or just below).

 

Can we deduce anything from this? It seems to me like some bad programming. I.e. Logic should have done something at loading the project which here is done during the first playback. Please refer to the earlier reply by Lightform, it seems the problem started when upgrading from 10.4.8.

The CPU (threads) meter was almost always at around 25%. Drive IO was almost always at zero throughout. I got the three overloads (stops) as usual, and it was always 2-3 threads that shot up to 100% !

 

That's usually heavy plugins or the amount of tracks increases after a certain point.

Is your buffer maxed out?

The CPU (threads) meter was almost always at around 25%. Drive IO was almost always at zero throughout. I got the three overloads (stops) as usual, and it was always 2-3 threads that shot up to 100% !

 

That's usually heavy plugins or the amount of tracks increases after a certain point.

Is your buffer maxed out?

 

I think my buffer at the moment is at 512. Logic is delivered I think at 128. I remember experimenting with buffer sizes some time ago, and I remember it didn't help. But that was most probably with earlier versions anyway. This phenomenon (first playback) has been noticed only recently, and most probably with 10.5. This particular problem I am dealing with now is seen with a project of around 7-8 tracks. But sure the overloads occur at the start of new tracks during 1st playback. I.e. going from 5 to 6, and then from 6 to 7, etc.

 

Do you think a memory increase is beneficial? It's quite expensive too.

Have you experimented fiddling with those audio prefs:

• Processing Threads pop-up menu: Choose the maximum number of processing threads used, or have the number of threads set automatically. Automatic is the default setting, and is recommended except when you use other CPU-intensive applications simultaneously with Logic Pro.
   
  
• Process Buffer Range pop-up menu: Determines the size of the buffer used to compute mixes and effects. You can choose between Small, Medium, and Large buffer sizes.
   
  
• Multithreading pop-up menu: Determines whether multithreading is set for playback tracks only, or for playback and live tracks.
   
  
• Summing pop-up menu: Determines whether the Logic audio engine uses double precision or standard precision buffers when summing audio.

Do you have a Fusion Drive?

Are you saving your projects there?

 

No. I use the original built in drive (mechanical).. The only externally connected USB drive is one used only for the time machine (backup).

I think that should be the opposite:

• -system (internal) drive: SSD
  -backup (external) drive: mechanical

 

Idealy SSD all the way...