Limit on # of Scripts that can Run [FIXED IN 10.0.5]

Hi Scripting People!

In a post here on LPH, drb posted about his findings where basically, he couldn't run more than one instance of the most benign script (one which only passed MIDI events through, if memory serves) without causing notes to hang on other tracks. Here's the thread:

viewtopic.php?f=42&t=98869&p=516947

I tested it out and got the same, disturbing results, not only from that script but also from running multiple instances of my own scripts which were more complex.

I was extremely enthusiastic about writing scripts when LX first came out, but this situation has dampened my enthusiasm. Wondering if any of you guys are getting similar, disappointing results.

I haven't hit the problem where I didn't determine it was a bug in my plugin but I only run one or two MIDI plugins. As a workaround I recommend using the IAC driver and the environment to capture the MIDI output of plugins that you're happy with so that you aren't running as many plugins.

Or use the guy's MIDI recorder/paster thing posted in this forum.

I invite you to not get too discouraged. It's new stuff and there are bound to be bugs.

killersolos,

I created the project in the thread ski is referring to.

As a software developer myself, I think it does show a real problem. But, I am also hopeful (at this time) that it provides good test data that will help Apple find and test a fix.

drb

ski,

Sorry, no info yet. I have just sent a query to the last person I dealt with. But, I suspect I may not know anything before anyone else.

Do you know of any cases of someone outside of Apple knowing what is in an update before Apple releases it?

Question -- I do not see many (if any, but I do not read all posts) instances of anyone else saying that they have contacted Apple. Is this a useful thing to do? Or, does everyone just send feedback or hope Apple looks at forums? Some problems strike me as difficult to convey convincingly via the feedback page.

drb

hope Apple looks at forums?

They do. But they rarely reply (though they have on a few occasions in the past), and the few times they do, it's in an anonymous way (not using their real names).

They also do read the feedback you send them, and do take it seriously.

David,

Thanks for the reply. Good to know. So, I have spent hours on the phone and Remote Advisor explaining a few problems (after hours/days to determine that I think there is an Apple problem, not just the more common drb problem). Do you think this is worth while?

drb

DRB,

I'm amazed that they've spent that much time with you on the phone and doing "remote viewing" with you. I have (or had?) a trouble ticket in with the Logic boyz and had maybe a 15 minute conversation with someone. No one offered to do a remote session. And four weeks after that conversation, I followed up with a friendly email and the reply that came back was, "sorry, we don't troubleshoot custom scripts". Thing is, I wasn't asking them to troubleshoot my script at all. All I wanted was to know if a particular function was reporting the correct values or not, and I only provided my script (and documentation of the problem) because the guy agreed it would be a good idea for them to see it. They could written their own 4-line script to test it. Needless to say, I'm fit to be tied over this.

Personally I think they're stonewalling you and me because they don't want to come right out and say, "yeah, there's a bug". I've been told in the past from knowledgeable types (and I don't say that lightly or like, "my cousin knows a guy who has a cottage next to his in Big Bear whose son dates the daughter of the former head of R&D for a company that did business with Apple 20 years ago") that Apple doesn't acknowledge bugs, and my feeling is that what we're facing here.

However, if you should encounter differently, more power to you! 8)

Got a reply from my last Apple contact on this. Unfortunately, no info.

drb

Hi. First time here, not to be the last. I like the way you share knowledge.

Just want to confirm that I got the same problems in my own projects containing various scripts. Very disturbing because of the potential of scripts. I don't know if it makes sense to write Apple about it as well, since drb already did a great job. Anyway, I'm waiting with eager for the development and hopefully a solution. And actually I'm with you on this one ski; it's a bug!!!

HI DRB, thanks for posting with follow-up. I have some myself (nothing conclusive) but will post about it later.

saxmand, thanks for chiming in! For me, the big TYVM goes to DRB for starting the whole conversation about the limit on # of scripts, pointing the way to ------> BIG BAD BUG(s).

8)

saxmand,

I do not see how it could hurt to send your own feedback to Apple; and, it might help.

drb

Yes, +1 on submitting feedback.

I got a reply yesterday from the person at Apple I originally spoke with. The guy seems to have gone over-and-above and found someone who tested out my script, which, in short, did some neat things based on time signature changes. The problem I reported was that Logic seems to be reporting incorrect time signature numerator values when the time signature changes, say, from 4/4 to 3/4.

He replied back saying that Logic's time signature display in the Transport didn't seem to be affected by my script, and that the feature was indeed working. Well, that's not how it works, is it? I'm calling a javascript method to read the current time signature numerator, not write it! (as if that would even be possible).

So clearly there's a lot of misunderstanding/miscommunication going on over in Apple-land when it comes to scripting.

I aggree. It's funny cause when the notes start hanging it took me quite some time to localize, and then after I had hard time believing it was a general thing, but then remembering something about the first thread drb made.

I will go through the settings and send my feedback to apple one of these days, and put some extra angles on it.

I aggree. It's funny cause when the notes start hanging it took me quite some time to localize, and then after I had hard time believing it was a general thing, but then remembering something about the first thread drb made.

Yeah, before I read DRB's post, when I encountered problems I just kinda chalked it up to my not having brushed up enough on my javascript well enough to be attempting some of the routines I was writing.

FWIW, in case anyone at Apple cares, reading this makes me unwilling to even dig into scripting.

As a programmer, I too was hoping for some new capabilities through MIDI scripting. If the underlying structure is flawed, why bother? That sure knocks Apple/Logic down a few levels, and Steinberg up a few.

fernandraynaud,

This has been fixed for a while now. The fix was in 10.5

drb