Logic "decides" I'm using too much CPU

[DrummerMan]

Sometimes I'll be working on a track (Logic 9.8.1) on my MacBook Pro (through an Apogee Duet) and it gets that "system overload" message. I look down and see that the CPU is spiking. My first reaction is to clean up the project, erase any tracks or plugins that aren't being used, merge midi and audio sections so there's no loops or fades to look at, raise the buffer, make sure all other applications are closed, making sure I still have some HD space available, etc...

Sometimes that works. BUT... sometimes, I'll see the overall resting level of the CPU go down but when I try to play, or god forbid record on, the track, it'll spike back up every 5 seconds or so until the message comes back a few seconds later.

That's when I start bouncing and consolidating things, but STILL getting the error message. I'll take the track and plugin count WAY below other projects that still work fine and it's like Logic has just decided, "THIS ONE TRACK shall not be played... Oh, and by the way, fuck you."

The solution usually involves some backassward combination of copying the project, renaming, opening it up on a different computer, renaming it again and copying it back. Sometimes it will then work on the laptop again, and sometimes it will only ever work on the desktop (which has a quad core vs. the laptop's 1).

I don't use an external drive on the laptop because I only have one FW800 port and both the Duet and the drive use it. I've tried daisy chaining through the drive but that can result in clicks while recording audio. I understand that an external drive would be better, but I DON'T understand why once I bring the track count down (I'm talking like 5 tracks total) it'll still give me that damn error message.

Is there some place where Logic is holding onto this stuff like a bad grudge, even after I get rid of it?

Anybody experienced this kind of thing? Is there some kind of "find out WTF is eating my CPU right now" inspector I can use?

Thanks!
-Geoff

[kslight]

Since it is a laptop, I would make sure your performance settings are set to maximum and disable any battery save modes, so your CPU isn't throttling itself and is running at full capacity. Also close all other applications and disable wifi.

[Nick Sevilla]

Hi Geoff,

Things to consider:

1.- USE AN EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE. No excuses. The clicks during recording, might be that you have to put the interface / hard drive in a different order, OR that you still have synching issues between Logic and the hardware. See below...

2.- You buffer settings, and also whether you are using "Universal Trackmode", as sometimes this can get wonky. Try toggling it on and off.

3.- How much RAM you are using. Logic likes to have plenty of RAM.

4.- Make SURE your audio hardware AND Logic's audio IO latency buffer MATCH. If you have 512, then both MUST be 512, or whatever number you want to use. This is weird, but necessary. Logic DOES NOT change the hardware IO buffer, you HAVE to manually change it yourself with the hardware's setup software.

Hopefully some of this helps.

[DrummerMan]

I'll try some of that stuff out. The universal track mode and matching buffer things aren't things I've thought about before..

I just might need to get a different external drive, like a thunderbolt one so they're on different ports, because the Duet only has one FW port (so I have to go through the drive, which has 2)

Thanks!

[The Scum]

Is there some kind of "find out WTF is eating my CPU right now" inspector I can use?

Open a shell and run the command "top."

[tjcasey1]

I'd try the buffer settings first. That's a quick and easy fix.

[analogika]

Make sure that ALL of your plug-ins REALLY ARE explicitly compatible with the version of Logic and OS X you're using.

The last time I saw these spikes was when I was using a version of something or other that hadn't been updated for Mountain Lion yet.

I seem to recall eastwest stuff being particularly annoying about this, though I've never used them.

[DrummerMan]

Hi Geoff,

2.- You buffer settings, and also whether you are using "Universal Trackmode", as sometimes this can get wonky. Try toggling it on and off.
\.

Just tried toggling off and on again the "universal track mode" and it totally worked on a session that was, again, all of a sudden stuck where it hadn't been before.



Actually with Universal trackmode "off", there was barely any strain on the HD or CPU at all, but then my stereo audio tracks weren't playing. When I switched it back on, it was just operating normally.

This is a good trick to know.

Thanks, as always!

[Nick Sevilla]

Good to see it works now.
YAY!!!

Cheers