Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

Hello everyone,

I have created a few thread about the very classic and infamous CPU Spikes issues with Pro Tools.
For those who will ask here is my setup :

Mac OSX 10.12.1
Pro Tools 12.6.1
Mixing from an external SSD Drive
All plugins and software updated (and not cracked of course).
Computer 3 years old. Working without flaw.

I used to get a loooot of CPU spikes issues, especially reaching the end of the mixing project when creating an Aux as a my main Mixbus.

Nothing that I have tried solved it : The Avid optimizations recommendations, upgrading from external HDD to external SSD, no wifi/bluetooth, nothing running the background, getting rid of any useless programs and even more advanced stuff regarding not letting an external hard drives sleeping or code stuff...

I noticed that playback was a lot smoother when reducing the Pro Tools windows. Which I did every time I needed to print my mixes.
Ridiculous workflow but it was better, and what could I do ?

I tried updating to Pro Tools 2019, because "yes PT 2019 is more stable"... Well every time I read this I laugh a bit, it is not more stable because it is new, and it wasn't more stable for me, issues were the same, even tried Pro Tools HD. Without success...

What solved my issues ?

Using Pro Tools in Low Resolution Mode.

Yes that simple thing. Go to Applications, click on the PT icon, Cmd+I and select use in low resolution.
And it solved my issues, now CPU spikes are a lot less common. But Pro Tools is uglier and it sometimes hurt my eyes to read track labels when using my laptop.

And since my subscription is over and I have now no way to renew it because Avid decided to be even more ungrateful that they were in order to survive (constant income coming from subscription and cloud system is more profitable... for now...), I am stuck with this solution.

Maybe that will help some of you also to understand why this is happening and finding a better fix.
Maybe that will just help some of you to use Pro Tools properly, which we all deserve to, especially regarding the prices of the software (clearly not the cheapest DAW managed by the nicest company in the game).
At least for the price I paid for Pro Tools, in 2020, I apparently deserve to have a low graphic resolution DAW, without the ability to upgrade (without paying monthly fees) and with no support help. L O L.

Anyway here it is, enjoy...

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

ongoing problem not sure Avid is listening to this problem no fix in new protools updates this needs to be solve asap!

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

Yes, it is almost like a gimmick now... It is ridiculous how common this issue is...

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

Why create yet another thread about this? You are not helping yourself by doing that. Or help put pressure on Avid--you actually decrease that pressure by raising suspicion you left off some troubleshooting, which you may well have done and discussed elsewhere.

What this likely raises for people trying to understand your situation are basic questions like what *exact* model Mac you have, with what exact GPU, what exact screen resolution/external displays(s), if any, you are using, what IO buffer size and sample rate you are running at, and why you have apparently not tried Mojave (or Catalina?) that reduced these graphics related CPU errors for some other users. All stuff you have actually hopefully tried and discussed in your other posts, but other users or Avid employees are unlikely to want to waste their time finding all your past posts to work out what exact system you have and what exactly you have tried.

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

Why another thread ?

Well to share my solutions and help people... I think that's worth it. I could have just keep it for myself and calling it a day too....

Avid trying to help a customers is not wasting their time. If they think that then it is even worse than I thought..... Because I already created a case at the support describing all you are asking for. But I'll do it again then :

My mac is a Macbook Pro mid-2015, 16Go RAM, i7, SSD internal.
OSX 10.12.1, Retina. No external display.
Buffer size always to maximum. Sample rate well that vary. I've done them all fron 44.1 to 96k.
Why not upgrading the OS ? Because EVERYTHING works absolutely fine on this computer so I'll not take risk upgrading the OS just for Pro Tools to maybe act better. I have a friend with the exact same configuration that upgraded his OS without any change happening.
I read everytime "But the new version reduce those issues" and everytime I try it it doesn't. I feel at some point upgrading is almost used as an excuse for not having a proper solution. But still, my friend tried, and no success.

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

You are complaining about a problem, so by definition everything is not working perfectly fine on your computer. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

These type of issues have been fairly well discussed here before. Apple's never ending significant graphics subsystem changes and Avid's inability to move fast and keep up has not helped. I would at least be willing to try what worked for other users with the same issue.

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

I am more complaining about the fact that I had to found a sketchy solution by myself to be honest :D.

Well to be honest, even though I am not a fan of Apple at all, I don't think it is all Apple fault, otherwise, a lot of other software I have would suffer. Reaper is working perfectly fine, Ableton is working perfectly fine, even software for photography and video are working perfectly fine, only Pro Tools is having issues. So at some point I am thinking it is Avid the "culprit" here.

Also the fact that using the app in LOW RESOLUTION solves 95% of the CPU spikes is something that I thought might worth sharing.
For users stuck like me in this situation, but also maybe for Avid.
As they never suggested me this easy fix, and not any users in all thread forums I read (and God knows how much hours of my life I have waster on forums searching for a solution) have suggested this solution.
So hopefully to help someone to find a normal fix or it will makes sense to anyone.

For now I am using Pro Tools in low-res whereas I paid a high-res price for it haha :D.

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

I had similar issues. Never tried your solution, but what seem to fix my issue was I placed any wireless transmitters or receivers well away from the cables that connect the interfaces to the computer.

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

OK, but I suspect lots of folks already knew that.

But more importantly to actually try to fix you problem... I would try Mojave or Catalina in a test install. Serious performance issues, like you described were fixed for other users in Mojave.

I will be surprised if you hear anything from Avid. There are lots of these complaints in the past.. and folks have largely solved issues themselves.

Several graphics performance issues have come about because of a combination of Apple making rapid graphics changes and Avid not being able to keep up. Your other software is not likely running decade+? old graphics code though old libraries, and layers of runtime compatibility crap. Both sides have failed here, Apple is not motivated by looking after laggard legacy software vendors, they are in run fast mode... with iOS and Metal driving the graphics future. And on the other hand Avid does not seem to have resources to do much of anything to keep up (but can magically find resourced to waste time of Pro Tools First and Cloud Collaboration crap).

Re: Poor solution to the CPU Spikes
 

Interesting (and weird at the same time).

When using a laptop I guess it is not that much of an option then ? But that's interesting.