New Mac Studio + Studio Display + black & silver keyboards, mouse & trackpad

[des99]

I thought now you can finally easily clean the fans

 

Step 1: Remove everything

Step 2: Clean the Fans

Step 3: Put everything back

 

Simples!

[just20]

I thought now you can finally easily clean the fans

 

Step 1: Remove everything

Step 2: Clean the Fans

Step 3: Put everything back

 

Simples!

 

It is not simple, it is terrible in compare a normal pc.

Over a couple years the fans wil be under the dust, its a matter of time. And then you want to clean the fans without any problems, and without having to take the Mac Studio apart from head to toe.

[des99]

Simples!

 

It is not simple, it is terrible in compare a normal pc.

 

Probably a language thing, but I think you missed the joke in my post - the winking smiley should give an extra indication I'm not being serious.

[just20]

 

It is not simple, it is terrible in compare a normal pc.

 

Probably a language thing, but I think you missed the joke in my post - the winking smiley should give an extra indication I'm not being serious.

 

Haha I was already thinking how to convince you

[DSKcomposer]

I am seriously considering selling my 2019 Mac Pro to get the M1 Ultra Studio

 

Especially since last night, on this project, Logic Pro (for some inexplicable reason), gave me a system overload message and stopped playback - I really do not understand how as all tracks were frozen (except for Drummer):

 

 

[Dynamic_Notes]

Not sure if this has since been updated on Apples site but may be worth a look.

 

Avoid system overloads in Logic Pro

.....

Freeze tracks, especially tracks with a lot of plug-ins. However, if system overload alerts coincide with peaks in the Disk I/O meter, avoid freezing Software Instrument tracks. Freezing Software Instrument tracks can increase the load on the disk, increasing the likelihood of encountering a system overload alert.

....

Published Date: November 12, 2020

 

Personally if it was me as far as what you're describing, Id look far and wide before I sold a 2019 Mac Pro, something you can get into, swap stuff out and have a go at cleaning the crud away from fans. I face worse with my iMac but at the time I purchased I couldn't justify a MacPro. I just hope my battery lasts well over 5 years.

 

Conversely with the Mac Studio and seeing that teardown on youtube, cleaning the fans isn't for the faint hearted and nor is changing that battery.

[lookatthisguy]

I am seriously considering selling my 2019 Mac Pro to get the M1 Ultra Studio

 

Especially since last night, on this project, Logic Pro (for some inexplicable reason), gave me a system overload message and stopped playback - I really do not understand how as all tracks were frozen (except for Drummer):

 

I don't freeze tracks often—I don't often need to—and I've got less RAM, though I know the Xeons and Core i-series work differently in some regard (I forget what the detail is; I read it years ago)… but if they're all frozen, that would suggest to me that it's a matter of drive read speed, not CPU…

[DSKcomposer]

Not sure if this has since been updated on Apples site but may be worth a look.

 

Avoid system overloads in Logic Pro

.....

Freeze tracks, especially tracks with a lot of plug-ins. However, if system overload alerts coincide with peaks in the Disk I/O meter, avoid freezing Software Instrument tracks. Freezing Software Instrument tracks can increase the load on the disk, increasing the likelihood of encountering a system overload alert.

....

Published Date: November 12, 2020

 

Personally if it was me as far as what you're describing, Id look far and wide before I sold a 2019 Mac Pro, something you can get into, swap stuff out and have a go at cleaning the crud away from fans. I face worse with my iMac but at the time I purchased I couldn't justify a MacPro. I just hope my battery lasts well over 5 years.

 

Conversely with the Mac Studio and seeing that teardown on youtube, cleaning the fans isn't for the faint hearted and nor is changing that battery.

 

Agreed on the upgradeability and ability to clean the inside of the Mac Pro

 

No idea why such a small project (13 tracks) would cause a system overload - I just played the track without any overload - here are the CPU and Disk I/O readings (although, when I first press play on the project, the Disk I/O jumps to 50% then goes back down to almost nothing):

 

 

 

 

 

I am seriously considering selling my 2019 Mac Pro to get the M1 Ultra Studio

 

Especially since last night, on this project, Logic Pro (for some inexplicable reason), gave me a system overload message and stopped playback - I really do not understand how as all tracks were frozen (except for Drummer):

 

I don't freeze tracks often—I don't often need to—and I've got less RAM, though I know the Xeons and Core i-series work differently in some regard (I forget what the detail is; I read it years ago)… but if they're all frozen, that would suggest to me that it's a matter of drive read speed, not CPU…

 

 

It perplexes me that a 2019 Mac Pro would have any issues with drive read speed

[Dynamic_Notes]

Im sure it shouldn't be unsolvable. I mean these machines even the base model should be very capable of pulling a load as shown in your screenshot. What happens if you unfreeze those tracks?

 

Other things.

- How heavy are those SW instrument tracks. For example some 3rd party instruments within NI products are very resource intensive and have optimization options unique to that instrument and thus how they read from disk/load into RAM etc

- How's your drive situation? How much spare space on your internal drive; are you using a second drive and how full is that.

-To a lesser degree but still worth considering - how much RAM? Sorry, forget that, just saw your specs.

 

OF course its your choice and you may have other reasons, but I'd be digging in hard before I let this baby go.

[DSKcomposer]

Im sure it shouldn't be unsolvable. I mean these machines even the base model should be very capable of pulling a load as shown in your screenshot. What happens if you unfreeze those tracks?

 

Other things.

- How heavy are those SW instrument tracks. For example some 3rd party instruments within NI products are very resource intensive and have optimization options unique to that instrument and thus how they read from disk/load into RAM etc

- How's your drive situation? How much spare space on your internal drive; are you using a second drive and how full is that.

-To a lesser degree but still worth considering - how much RAM? Sorry, forget that, just saw your specs.

 

OF course its your choice and you may have other reasons, but I'd be digging in hard before I let this baby go.

 

 

The instrument tracks are:

 

Logic Drummer

Logic Piano

The strings are all Spitfire Audio Symphony Orchestra (alll articulations removed except for the one in use on each track)

 

The Mac Pro has 2TB internal memory -- of which I am only using about 400GB

Spitfire Audio Library is housed on a 2TB Samsung T7 external SSD connected to the Mac Pro via USB-C (this drive is using about 1.1TB of the 2TB)

[Dynamic_Notes]

Have you tried unfreezing those tracks to see what happens?

 

Im not a Spitfire Audio SO user - perhaps someone who is, can comment how resource hungry they are.

 

AFAICR Ive never had a disk overload and my specs are well below yours. Ironically Im using about the same % of my T7 as you and same with the internal drive. From time to time when I hit play I do get intitial spikes of varying amounts on any of my 3 drives which are all connected. I remember asking Apple about this when I first got my Mac and they said it was normal. Still don't know whether to believe them on that but, I don't remember getting any overloads.

 

Something else that can happen, which I first learned with some NI libraries - on first play, theres more resources used to "evaluate" what the project needs then that instrument is optimized to use less resources.

 

Back to the new Mac Studios, yes sure they look great and now AS is the way of the future, and sure intel is copping as bad a rap as ever, but we all managed before AS because we go with what there is at the time. There's a lot to like about the New Macs but there's still a lot to like about 2019 Mac Pros. Personally I think one hurdle that will always be with us is : Dust = buildup of heat = bad for computer.....and dust never sleeps.

 

Hope you get this baby sorted.

[lookatthisguy]

It perplexes me that a 2019 Mac Pro would have any issues with drive read speed

 

And yet, that seems to be what we're seeing here. I agree, the Mac Pro shouldn't have an issue with drive speed, so I sympathize. But freezing tracks = creating a temporary bounce in place, essentially = no CPU usage but definite storage usage. We're approaching 'you should create a new thread for this divergent topic' territory here, but I think it's safely within the confines of the context of this thread to point out that the CPU improvements from Intel to Apple silicon would actually be more of a benefit to you if you were running your tracks unfrozen as opposed to frozen. Drive throughput may be faster—I don't have specs on that—but that's what you'd want to look at to determine if you'd see an improvement in that workflow.

 

For what it's worth, I don't have Spitfire Symphony Orchestra/Symphonic Strings, but I do have BBC Symphony Orchestra Pro, and I was running that and Westwood Instruments' Solo Strings Untamed (which has a ton of articulations) on a project last night, aside from many more instruments… nothing frozen, and only had it stall on me once near the end, adding some percussion. Once the samples were run through, it was fine. Might be worth trying to run your project without freezing anything, or at least with less frozen.

[DSKcomposer]

It perplexes me that a 2019 Mac Pro would have any issues with drive read speed

 

And yet, that seems to be what we're seeing here. I agree, the Mac Pro shouldn't have an issue with drive speed, so I sympathize. But freezing tracks = creating a temporary bounce in place, essentially = no CPU usage but definite storage usage. We're approaching 'you should create a new thread for this divergent topic' territory here, but I think it's safely within the confines of the context of this thread to point out that the CPU improvements from Intel to Apple silicon would actually be more of a benefit to you if you were running your tracks unfrozen as opposed to frozen. Drive throughput may be faster—I don't have specs on that—but that's what you'd want to look at to determine if you'd see an improvement in that workflow.

 

For what it's worth, I don't have Spitfire Symphony Orchestra/Symphonic Strings, but I do have BBC Symphony Orchestra Pro, and I was running that and Westwood Instruments' Solo Strings Untamed (which has a ton of articulations) on a project last night, aside from many more instruments… nothing frozen, and only had it stall on me once near the end, adding some percussion. Once the samples were run through, it was fine. Might be worth trying to run your project without freezing anything, or at least with less frozen.

 

 

@David If this offshoot needs a new thread, please feel free to do so

 

 

My original post should have said Spitfire AUdio BBC Symphony Orchestra Pro

 

I think something might be wrong with the Mac Pro as, since I purchased it at the end of 2019, I have been unable to restart it - I click on "restart" and the monitor goes dark but the power light on the Mac Pro just stays on - I then have to manually press and hold it until the unit turns off before powering it back on again

[fisherking]

I think something might be wrong with the Mac Pro as, since I purchased it at the end of 2019, I have been unable to restart it - I click on "restart" and the monitor goes dark but the power light on the Mac Pro just stays on - I then have to manually press and hold it until the unit turns off before powering it back on again

 

2019... and you never contacted apple about this? have you updated your OS since 2019? really, you should have contacted them then, but... contact apple now. turning the mac off with the power button is supposed to be for emergencies only; if the computer is frozen, for example.

 

call apple. get that resolved. or update (even to a 'point' version), see if that fixes the issue. you can also try resetting the nvram, the smc (google instructions, apple has this on the website).

[DSKcomposer]

I think something might be wrong with the Mac Pro as, since I purchased it at the end of 2019, I have been unable to restart it - I click on "restart" and the monitor goes dark but the power light on the Mac Pro just stays on - I then have to manually press and hold it until the unit turns off before powering it back on again

 

2019... and you never contacted apple about this? have you updated your OS since 2019? really, you should have contacted them then, but... contact apple now. turning the mac off with the power button is supposed to be for emergencies only; if the computer is frozen, for example.

 

call apple. get that resolved. or update (even to a 'point' version), see if that fixes the issue. you can also try resetting the nvram, the smc (google instructions, apple has this on the website).

 

 

Yes, I've contacted Apple and, true to form, each time I called them, the computer actually restarted LOL

 

I have reset the nvram and the smc

[fisherking]

 

2019... and you never contacted apple about this? have you updated your OS since 2019? really, you should have contacted them then, but... contact apple now. turning the mac off with the power button is supposed to be for emergencies only; if the computer is frozen, for example.

 

call apple. get that resolved. or update (even to a 'point' version), see if that fixes the issue. you can also try resetting the nvram, the smc (google instructions, apple has this on the website).

 

 

Yes, I've contacted Apple and, true to form, each time I called them, the computer actually restarted LOL

 

I have reset the nvram and the smc

 

ok, hope that helps!

[DSKcomposer]

I am seriously considering selling my 2019 Mac Pro to get the M1 Ultra Studio

 

Especially since last night, on this project, Logic Pro (for some inexplicable reason), gave me a system overload message and stopped playback - I really do not understand how as all tracks were frozen (except for Drummer):

 

CleanShot 2022-03-20 at 19.01.53@2x.png

 

 

 

Ughhhhh - just had a system overload again (same project and everything was frozen except for the piano)

 

My buffer size is set to 128

 

Also, looked at ordering a custom configured Mac Studio and my delivery time would be the end of June

 

Decisions...decisions (especially if I can get more money on trading in my 2019 Mac Pro now before they announce the new version in June)

[lookatthisguy]

Ughhhhh - just had a system overload again (same project and everything was frozen except for the piano)

 

My buffer size is set to 128

 

Also, looked at ordering a custom configured Mac Studio and my delivery time would be the end of June

 

Decisions...decisions (especially if I can get more money on trading in my 2019 Mac Pro now before they announce the new version in June)

 

"Hey Doc, it hurts when I do this."

"Then don't do that anymore."

 

This is starting to sound like an issue worth chasing down Apple support for again, unless you have wild sums of money sitting around to just abandon a 2019 Mac Pro—still no slouch of a computer… Have you tried unfreezing tracks, like some of us have said? Have you tried increasing the buffer?

 

And come to think of it, do you have another SSD around that you can test with? I seem to recall reading in some other film scoring groups that something about the T7s caused trouble with sample libraries. No idea where I could go chase that down right now, but a T5 or a different brand may be worth testing as well. Wouldn't solve the shutdown issue, but there's always a possibility the two are not related…

[Dynamic_Notes]

Well if you do sell off the Mac Pro and don't fix it, you wouldn't want to do so without telling the buyer about the restart problem or you could be in for more trouble than its worth. If you want "top dollar" for this machine you're gonna have to spend some. .... Whether you keep it or sell it, either way, you need to get the problem fixed. Start doing what we've suggested like unfreezing those tracks, upping the buffer etc. My T7 is really great and I have some hungry libraries on it, but every product line can have its duds. Try whats been suggested like a T5. Those are great as well.

[DSKcomposer]

Well if you do sell off the Mac Pro and don't fix it, you wouldn't want to do so without telling the buyer about the restart problem or you could be in for more trouble than its worth. If you want "top dollar" for this machine you're gonna have to spend some. .... Whether you keep it or sell it, either way, you need to get the problem fixed. Start doing what we've suggested like unfreezing those tracks, upping the buffer etc. My T7 is really great and I have some hungry libraries on it, but every product line can have its duds. Try whats been suggested like a T5. Those are great as well.

 

 

Of course - besides what my friends and family believe, I am not an a**hole

 

I plan on unplugging each external SSD and attempting a restart -- maybe there is an issue with one of the T7 SSDs

 

I would much rather it be an issue with one of the T7 SSDs than something with the computer itself (my obvious comment is obvious lol)

 

If that does not solve the issue, I will disconnect the audio interface (Focusrite 18i20)

[xgman]

I've had some overloads even on the Studio Ultra on projects with very minor loads. I think a lot of these so called overloads are OS, plugin, and even DAW related rather than hardware.

[paulcristo]

I've had some overloads even on the Studio Ultra on projects with very minor loads. I think a lot of these so called overloads are OS, plugin, and even DAW related rather than hardware.

Have you noticed any patterns or situations that tend to cause the overloads?

[songseeds]

New Mac Studio user here.  Traded in my 2018 Mac mini 6-core. 

I'm a bit confused by the Performance Meter display and the Audio settings in Preferences.

The Mac mini was 6 core, so the Performance Meter would show me 12 bars (the core threads).

The Mac Studio is 10 core BUT the Performance only shows 8 bars.  Shouldn't I see 20 bars?

ALSO

The Processing Threads setting in Preferences/Audio/Devices shows me a choice of 10 cores but then in parenthesis shows (8 High Performance Cores).  

Anyone have any idea what's up with this?

[des99]

3 minutes ago, songseeds said:

The Mac Studio is 10 core BUT the Performance only shows 8 bars.  Shouldn't I see 20 bars?

No, the M1 isn't hyperthreaded like the Intel processors.

3 minutes ago, songseeds said:

The Processing Threads setting in Preferences/Audio/Devices shows me a choice of 10 cores but then in parenthesis shows (8 High Performance Cores).  

10 cores means 8 high performance cores, and 2 efficiency cores.

You can choose to use only the 8 HP cores, leaving the 2 efficiency cores free for other things on your system, or you can force Logic to also use the efficiency cores for processing as well, so the "10 (8 High Performance Cores)" means the 8 HP cores, plus the 2 efficiency cores.

Edited April 24, 2022 by des99

[songseeds]

8 minutes ago, des99 said:

No, the M1 isn't hyperthreaded like the Intel processors.

10 cores means 8 high performance cores, and 2 efficiency cores.

You can choose to use only the 8 HP cores, leaving the 2 efficiency cores free for other things on your system, or you can force Logic to also use the efficiency cores for processing as well, so the "10 (8 High Performance Cores)" means the 8 HP cores, plus the 2 efficiency cores.

Ah, I see.  When I change the Preferences from Automatic to 10, 10 bars display in the Performance Meter.

So they should have changed the Performance Meter so it doesn't say "Processing Threads."  

Thanks des99

[des99]

5 minutes ago, songseeds said:

So they should have changed the Performance Meter so it doesn't say "Processing Threads."

I'm not super up on the processor technical details, but technically, the performance meter has always displayed processing threads, not cores (as evidenced by the 12 bars on your older 6 core processor), so I think the title is accurate...

[Ashermusic]

 

I have been using a 2018 Intel I7 Mac mini with 64 GB of RAM. I previously also had a slave PC that I eventually sold when I was no longer employed part time by East West and had no need to create templates or test them for users with Hollywood Orchestra.

While the mini did fine with RAM usage, the CPU performance was disappointing, even on my pop songs which use a lot of non orchestral libraries, plug-ins, and Afflatus strings, EW Hollywood Backup Singers, etc. 

When the new M1 Studio Macs were released I still felt I would need one with 64,GB. The Ultra was too much money and the Max with 64 GB are just not available, probably until September. Meanwhile, the mini was losing trade in value quickly. 

I found a seller who had an open box Max with 32 GB that was willing to give me much more on my trade in than Apple. 

So now I had a “come to Jesus” moment where I had to acknowledge to myself that nobody is hiring me to do large orchestral reproduction and that therefore 32 was plenty. So I went for it and it was a great decision.

Logic projects that were struggling with a 256 buffer are running at 128 and not breaking a sweat. The machine is whisper quiet, unlike the mini which got hot and with fan noise. And surprisingly my EW Opus Hollywood VE Pro template with Logic Pro opens and runs, albeit with a fair amount in Swap.

If I did get a good paying gig that needed more I could buy another PC but it’s unlikely.

All the security stuff in Monterey had me worried for a bit that my Apogee Element 24 and UAD 2 card in my Cal Digit chassis might not work, but they do, under Rosetta I believe. All is fine.

Anyway, I think that this is the best machine at this price point that Apple has mad in a very long time, so while it is early days yet, I wanted to pass this on to you in case you are considering it

 

[Dragonwind]

Hi all.   I finally received my M1 Ultra with 128gb Ram and 8TB drive and had a little time to start working on projects with it.  I use both Cubase and Logic and see I'll be migrating back to LP full time. This replaces a Mac Pro 6,1 12 core with 64GB.

The Mac Studio is excellent as far as speed goes and loading samples from the internal drive is much faster than off the external SSD's allowing projects to play in the fraction of the time it took to load it all from the SSDs.  The transfer took some time and of course so many plugins needed to be re-authorized and remapped to the new location.

I was writing a lot of music in Cubase over the last year with some occasional Logic use but now that I'm on Apple Silicon I'm dealing with the mess that is plugin compatibility and also driver compatibility (in Cubase). 

Some examples: Cubase in Rossata mode: You get most things back, but some of Spitfire's plugins don't work and need to be run in Native, but if you do run Native, then you lose tons of plugins because even though many have gone to M1, they still don't have a VST3 version.  Plus, running Cubase in Rosetta makes my Avid S1 useless as it only communicates with Cubase in native mode.  I'd have to run Avid in Rosseta first. It's a bit of a PITA.

Logic, on the other hand, handles this a lot more elegantly as it apparently runs a hybrid mode where if a plugin needs Rosseta, it handles that in real-time and doesn't exclude it from being able to load it.

Outside of that and just getting back in the groove of LP (and making sure all my plugins are updated) the machine is pretty amazing and should be part of the studio for years to come.

Edited June 20, 2022 by Dragonwind