CPU says one half core being used of 6

I have a session with three audio tracks and three instrument tracks, one with Kontact installed with LASS violins. This shouldn't be very stressful for a Mac Pro 2013 6-core with 64GB RAM. Why does Logic not use all cores and how can I force it to use them? See attachment.

 

Thanks.

You probably have one of your Software Instrument tracks selected, so that instrument is now in Live Mode. Solution: either Freeze the track, or select an audio track.

 

see last paragraph here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3161

No, I don't in fact have it selected during this screen shot, and furthermore it only has Kontakt installed and all other tracks are very lean, some with UA plugins which are handled externally by the Apollo.

 

I understand that a live channel strip has to be handled in one thread in one processor, but this Mac Pro should handle a LOT more than that.

Try bypassing instruments and insert plugins one by one, see if any of them contribute significantly to that one core spike. If all else fails, you can close and reopen the project (this will distribute processing threads anew, and sometimes helps with these one core spiking annoyances). But first investigate the plugins. If it is mainly due to one track, consider freezing that.

Shame, I bought this computer to load tons of plugins, namely Kontakts, without freezing. I remember my old MacBook Pro 2008 could handle more than this.

 

Going external with Kontakt next to use these processors more effectively.

Since you have so much RAM, it might help to increase the (sample) Preload Size in Kontakt.

Preload size makes no difference. This is utterly ridiculous. If I load another instance of Kontakt, it puts it on the same core and overloads it. This is just wasting time now.

 

Anyone help !!!

Try turning off multi core support in the Kontakt options (if you have it on), I have heard that having it on in LPX can cause problems

 

I had a similar problem and that seemed to work, also the auto setting in Logics prefs is not recommended set that to what cores you have.

Thanks for the suggestions Daggilarr. I implemented them but I don't see any improvement. All Kontakts load on the same thread. The only workaround for the moment is to lower IO buffer size to 512 samples.

Just had a eureka moment !

 

I changed the the multiprocessor support in Kontakt to three cores and it now is spreading threads so the cores are all at very low usage.

 

Amazing.

So essentially set Kontakt to half the amount, hmmn

Still live track peaks though. But when off the track, processors are VERY low.

 

I would consider this a bug in Kontakt, and apparently this has been going on a long time. When selecting a track with Kontakt, the processors go to one peaking and another about half, all others go black. Weird.

Are you loading multiple instruments in one incidence of Kontakt? I just gave up on that and always load a separate track for each instrument.

 

I think your right about it being a Kontakt bug though, but Logic has got previous for silly CPU spiking behaviour.

 

Keep us posted on any progress you make with this.

Yes I load one instance of Kontakt up as far as I can with samples and use AUX channels to control each instrument. But even with one instrument per instance of Kontakt it still peaks out unnecessarily.

Yes I load one instance of Kontakt up as far as I can with samples and use AUX channels to control each instrument. But even with one instrument per instance of Kontakt it still peaks out unnecessarily.

 

Why are you so sure it is unnecessarily? They're LASS instruments, right? Now I don't have those, but I bet there's some scripting in there, and possibly also onboard effects, especially reverbs, that can make cores spike. It may also be insighful to watch the polyphony at the spiking points (and maybe limit polyphony when still working, only setting it to full on bouncing or freezing). Some sounds can use 20 voices for just one note, so I can imagine that bringing a single core to spike in Live Mode.

You said you lowered your buffer size to 512 - I assume you mean you increased it, right? And why not to 1024?

The CPU spikes with the simplest instrument installed. LASS is not the culprit and we can leave it out of this discussion.

 

While off the track with Kontakt installed, all the cores are being used and VERY low. When I click on the Kontakt track with only one sample library being used, the processor peaks on one thread and only one other thread is being used at about half. The rest of the cores go black.

 

The reason I use as small a buffer size as possible is to avoid latency. While recording live overdubs, I can't have any delay. And furthermore, this computer is mega fast with 6 cores so it should handle anything I throw at it.

 

My old MacBook Pro 2008 with an Intel Core Duo 2 handled Kontakt far better than this new Mac Pro 2013.

 

I could load many Kontakts all with several sample libraries each and a full 5.1 live recorded orchestra well over 50 tracks on that old laptop.

 

After changing as many parameters as possible on both Kontakt 5 and Logic X, I've come to the conclusion that Kontakt must be used as a multi with AUXes for every instrument. Then I never use the live track where Kontakt is installed, but rather use the AUX tracks. With this system there is never the single thread peak, all cores are being used and I can run a heavy session at a buffer size of 32 without a hiccup.

 

Case ( kinda ) closed.

Paris lives up to its' reputation I guess. Good luck.

What does that mean?

The temperament.

Gee, I thought we were friends.

Sorry.

...or select an audio track.

Turns out it can be an instrument track as well, not only an audio track

 

see last paragraph here:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3161

 

Last paragraph does work. I thought it worked great for a single multi-timbral of Kontakt 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59YmTxZHKfM

 

but it works for multiple instances of a multi-timbral instrument like PLAY and Kontakt 5 in the same project

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vdg8po01nwM

 

I'd recommend purchasing an existing Logic Project for more ideas on CPU Core Distribution.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xADG4hZ4Dk

 

So many places to look it was even a sticky here

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=31725

Thanks ValliSoftware. The video on multiple instances of multi-timbral instruments was great. I really need to have Kontakt work as a multi or I'm screwed. The simple game changer is having an empty instrument track in live mode. I've also removed all meters on the main output channel and put them on AUX channels in series before the output. This has also helped distribute threads.

...or select an audio track.

Turns out it can be an instrument track as well, not only an audio track

 

As long as there aren't any plug-ins loaded in its associated channel strip, of course.

 

J

Thanks ValliSoftware. The video on multiple instances of multi-timbral instruments was great. I really need to have Kontakt work as a multi or I'm screwed. The simple game changer is having an empty instrument track in live mode. I've also removed all meters on the main output channel and put them on AUX channels in series before the output. This has also helped distribute threads.

 

No problem.

After I got my Qosmio X70-A working I started to take a look at that and make sure all my cores were being distributed evenly.

I mean, why have cores if it's just going to spike on one.

 

I also bought some Logic Projects, but not for the music per se, I just wanted to take a look how another person makes use of Logic in an effecient way.

I mean, why have cores if it's just going to spike on one. .

 

Well I must be missing something, Just tried to set up as per the video to get this core distribution sorted out and its all still the same, I am maxing out my machine with one Kontakt multi! I did manage to get it to use 2 of the 8 . I find that when playing the multi it uses a lot more than when playing it back!

Daggilarr,

 

This is the best I've come up with for my system ( see attachments ). I still have peaking when selecting the track to perform live MIDI, but when pushing notes with a mouse I select another track and re-select the region I need to edit. This way the cores are very low and I can playback while editing without a problem.

 

I just wonder what all the composers out there are doing with Kontakt on the new system.

 

And I just read that older Intel Macs, like my MacBook Pro 2008, don't experience any spiking and this confirms what I said earlier about older Macs with older OS. I can run many instances of Kontakt on that old computer with no core spiking while in live track mode.

I just tried this: Loaded the each instrument of the multi on a separate track (in this case 4xmono instances of Kontakt put those tracks into a summing stack and bingo core distribution

I just tried this: Loaded the each instrument of the multi on a separate track (in this case 4xmono instances of Kontakt put those tracks into a summing stack and bingo core distribution

 

Good call.

 

J.

 

Well I must be missing something, Just tried to set up as per the video to get this core distribution sorted out and its all still the same, I am maxing out my machine with one Kontakt multi! I did manage to get it to use 2 of the 8 . I find that when playing the multi it uses a lot more than when playing it back!

 

Just curious, did you create a blank track as well, then selected that blank track before playing your project?