Performance Issue: Mac Mini 2018

[davidbeansmusic]

Hello Everyone:

 

Long time reader and Logic user - looking for some advice. I have a project that is giving me issues right now and I can't get past System Overload.

Here are my current computer specs:

 

 

I have a project in Logic that has a total of 60 Audio Tracks and 1 Software Instrument Track (Running Superior Drummer 3).

-All of the audio tracks are frozen and majority are going into summing tracks

-I have my buffer set to 1024 on my Apogee Element 24.

-I have no other applications running in the background.

-My project/audio files are on a separate high speed drive.

-I have my display size scaled to 1920x1080 as I know this has some history with the Mac mini 2018 and its GPU.

 

Plugins include Slate Audio stuff, Soothe2, Gullfoss, Fab Filter and Valhalla.

 

Once I open a plugin such as FabFilter 3 with the spectrum while the mix is playing, I get System Overload.

 

Just hoping there is some advice or something I might be missing to get past this.

For whatever reason, freezing tracks is having very little to no effect.

Any advice is appreciated!

[JakobP]

Maybe an issue with your external drive... How is it formatted ? Percentage free space ? Also, I think I remember reading that you should set the display to its native resolution, i.e. no scaling...Tried running the project from the internal SSD ?

[redgreenblue]

Definitely turn off the scaling on the display, that is a performance hit. I run a 4K display with mine at native resolution and I promise you aren't making heavier projects than I am. try that first.

 

Is the machine getting proper ventilation? Consider downloading a temp sensor app to see if the thing is getting cooked. I use Fanny to see how the temp and fan is doing.

 

If you have the space I'd save a copy to the internal drive and see how that runs, I'd go even further and disconnect EVERY other thing from the computer and run as bare a system (peripheral wise) to get true sense of how the computer is performing. If it runs a lot better than you know that it is something in the chain is causing issues.

 

If you don't have the space then your startup drive may be too full and that can cause slowness.

[blackgreygrayblay]

In addition to other people's suggestions, try allocating plugins in different auxes, if possible.

Logic, like other DAWs, would dedicate certain cores from your processor for a number of tracks.

So if you have too many plugs on a single track, it can definitely overload a core.

 

I often find myself sending auxes from audio tracks/etc so I can avoid having a certain number of cores overworking.

[davidbeansmusic]

Thank you everyone for your great responses - very helpful. My display does read as 'native resolution' so I'm assuming that's not the issue but this has always been my worry with these internal GPUs. I will admit, I discovered a lot of my frozen tracks are 'source only' and not 'pre fader' which I was unaware of, and it did help a bit to switch these up. I also do have a temperature monitor and everything seems okay - but again I appreciate the time you all took!

[davidbeansmusic]

Update: In case anyone searches for a similar issue. I had any old monitor that I connected to my MacMini through HDMI which is 1920x1080 by default. My performance issue disappeared immediately. So in comparison, using a 4k TV that is clearly being scaled in some fashion is the culprit of performance as mentioned in a post above. I'm going to try and find a way to remedy this but unfortunately within the display preferences I have not been able to solve.

[gkletch]

This may or may not help. Jef Gibbons shows how to use a 4k screen with a Mac.

 

[davidbeansmusic]

This may or may not help. Jef Gibbons shows how to use a 4k screen with a Mac.

 

 

Thank you for sharing this - I had viewed this in the past and while its pushing me towards the right direction it doesn't seem to be fixing my problem! I might just pony up some cash and buy a monitor as opposed to using my 4k TV which may be the issue given the integrated GPU.

[Ashermusic]

This may or may not help. Jef Gibbons shows how to use a 4k screen with a Mac.

 

 

Thank you for sharing this - I had viewed this in the past and while its pushing me towards the right direction it doesn't seem to be fixing my problem! I might just pony up some cash and buy a monitor as opposed to using my 4k TV which may be the issue given the integrated GPU.

 

I just got a 2018 Mac mini and hooked it up to my 4k TV and it seems fine here, so I don't think the GPU is your issue.

[davidbeansmusic]

Thanks for sharing!

[davidbeansmusic]

Mind if I ask what resolution you’re working at? The issue I’m having is having to scale it which might cause a performance hit. Ok

 

 

Thank you for sharing this - I had viewed this in the past and while its pushing me towards the right direction it doesn't seem to be fixing my problem! I might just pony up some cash and buy a monitor as opposed to using my 4k TV which may be the issue given the integrated GPU.

 

I just got a 2018 Mac mini and hooked it up to my 4k TV and it seems fine here, so I don't think the GPU is your issue.

[Ashermusic]

I am using SwitchRes X to set it to 2304 x 1296 NTSC at 30 hz.

[davidbeansmusic]

Final Update:

 

I'm an idiot. Even though I've been doing this for 15 years now and consider myself a tech geek, the culprit was the plugin Soothe 2.

 

Once I scaled back its performance options and disabled OPEN GL graphics, I gained 30% of my CPU back. Please note, this is AFTER I went to the store and bought a monitor to see if that made a difference (it didn't) and then returned said monitor

 

Thank you for all of your help and suggestions.

 

A Mac Mini 2018 with a 4K TV display for Logic is still a great setup - as long as you don't make silly mistakes like me.

[Ashermusic]

No you aren’t. I am a Certified Trainer and I have those moments.

[gkletch]

I've been doing IT professionally for 15 years and 10 years before that and I still have pebcak from time to time