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  #31  
Old 08-13-2020, 07:08 AM
splicestudios splicestudios is offline
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

Swapped the mouse; the old 16,000 dpi mouse feels like the PT8 HD system I've got, as in, one big move I can get right across a 27" screen; the 20,000 dpi mouse needed two

Other than that, the machine seems mostly the same for editing - it feels like the initial 1-2 hours that the machine is on, it's functioning fine, then it becomes crappy... although the hardware on the iMac checks out, there's no indication that the machine is getting hot, and my studio is air-conditioned, so well within the range for the machine.

For renders, I now disable the metering plugin and the iMac Pro renders crazy fast, which is what I always expected.

Today I had a crash after I left a session open on the iMac while I had a meeting with a visitor to the studio, when I came back, the iMac was barely responsive. I managed to save and then had to force quit PT, and once that was done, the mouse itself in Finder was wonky. On Shutdown, the dock now doesn't completely drop down, it lowers a bit and then the iMac goes black and it restarts.

I'm kinda clutching at straws now. I have a 2010 MacPro on 10.6 running PT8 and I want to have a reliable backup should the 2010 MacPro one day decide not to wake up. Right now, the 21.5 inch iMac is the candidate for the job because it's stable with PT, but the screen is too small. I'm tempted to get a normal iMac in 27" form, get PT running the same way as on the 21.5 iMac and sell off the iMac Pro. Grrrrr!
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  #32  
Old 08-14-2020, 02:17 PM
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Eric Seaberg Eric Seaberg is offline
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

Quote:
Originally Posted by splicestudios View Post
In looking for a replacement VU meter, I tried the WAVES VU Meter (I know, I know, back to WAVES after their Dorrough Stereo caused so much grief, but VU Meter is U$24 and elegant) and the iMac on render will crap out after 10 seconds into the render; the VU meter doesn't initially respond but then pins the needle to max and PT gives SWOD.

Then I closed the plugin window - it's still in the Master Fader chain. And on render, the iMac Pro screams through at over 30x. Not much use for a metering plugin if the window can't be open while mixing, but surprised that this is a factor. I reinstalled Dorrough Stereo and it's the same. If I close the Dorrough window, it renders fast without problem. if I open, after a few seconds I get SWOD.

Weird!
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  #33  
Old 08-14-2020, 03:02 PM
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

I got so used to the Dorrough that I actually use a hardware version now. Very easy on CPU
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  #34  
Old 08-16-2020, 04:47 AM
splicestudios splicestudios is offline
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

When I first started mixing, I was in-house at a broadcaster and we had 40 Series; when I started my own place, I got a 280-D, and in early 2011, swapped to the Dorrough plugin on a TDM machine. When I bought the 280-D, Dorrough shipped it without processing the visa payment (issue with their website backend) and brought it up a year later, explaining they'd never charged me for the unit! I still have that in a box, and this week I'm going to try the iMac Pro without any metering plugins and rely on the small ProTools digital meter in Digital VU mode as that most closely resembles the Dorrough.

Eventually I either get this iMac Pro working or (as I suspect) it has an impossible to track down issue with hardware and I get either a MacPro or generic iMac w HD Native + Omni and connect the hardware Dorrough back
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  #35  
Old 05-02-2021, 05:42 AM
splicestudios splicestudios is offline
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

This problem was solved with a change of the mouse! I found an article discussing how Razer mice are built for windows and that they should be avoided for Mac... a USB mouse is a USB mouse, and the same model Razer Death Adder mouse worked great with a 2018 iMac, but the 2019 iMac Pro clearly had some incompatibility with the Razer mouse. A swap to a built-for-mac Logitech MX Anywhere 3 for Mac mouse and it's been great for 6 months and counting. Adding this reply in case there's anyone else out there chasing down something similar and would suggest looking at the mouse.
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  #36  
Old 05-02-2021, 06:39 AM
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

Good to know.

I have been using Apple Magic Mouse II and my only problem with it is that it is impossible to break it. Want a new black one but somehow my brain prevents me replacing perfectly working mouse with one that only differs by color. Maybe one day battery fails so I have a good excuse
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  #37  
Old 05-02-2021, 09:27 AM
Obsidian Dragon Obsidian Dragon is offline
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

Quote:
Originally Posted by splicestudios View Post
This problem was solved with a change of the mouse! I found an article discussing how Razer mice are built for windows and that they should be avoided for Mac... a USB mouse is a USB mouse, and the same model Razer Death Adder mouse worked great with a 2018 iMac, but the 2019 iMac Pro clearly had some incompatibility with the Razer mouse. A swap to a built-for-mac Logitech MX Anywhere 3 for Mac mouse and it's been great for 6 months and counting. Adding this reply in case there's anyone else out there chasing down something similar and would suggest looking at the mouse.
I suspect that since the Razer mouse is designed as a gamer's mouse, which are often Windows-based and also supports RGB lighting and additional buttons etc., that it is made to use some form of software driver in Windows. On a Mac that does not run the Windows drivers, the functionality is diminished (or in this case, not functioning properly). Some mice come with Mac drivers but my experience is that the drivers are not as robust as their Windows counterparts. Look for mice that are clearly marked as Mac compatible and ideally not require a software driver to be loaded. The bottom line: All USB mice are not the same.
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  #38  
Old 05-02-2021, 02:25 PM
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

2 questions that I have not seen yet:
1-does the iMac have a Fusion drive?
2-which version of the Waves(8, 9, 10, 11, 12)? Maybe you need a different version for Mojave?
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  #39  
Old 05-02-2021, 06:03 PM
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

IIRC, iMac Pro never had Fusion Drives.


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  #40  
Old 05-03-2021, 03:53 AM
musicman691 musicman691 is online now
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Default Re: Unstable iMac Pro

Quote:
Originally Posted by Obsidian Dragon View Post
I suspect that since the Razer mouse is designed as a gamer's mouse, which are often Windows-based and also supports RGB lighting and additional buttons etc., that it is made to use some form of software driver in Windows. On a Mac that does not run the Windows drivers, the functionality is diminished (or in this case, not functioning properly). Some mice come with Mac drivers but my experience is that the drivers are not as robust as their Windows counterparts. Look for mice that are clearly marked as Mac compatible and ideally not require a software driver to be loaded. The bottom line: All USB mice are not the same.
Until two months ago I was using a Razer Death Adder because I liked how long things were supposed to last (buttons, etc.). At first it was working quite well then after a couple of months every once in a while it would lose contact with it's driver software and become unmanageable (way too speedy cursor for one). The Mac drivers are old and haven't been updated (I'm running OSX 10.13.6).


Got tired of that and got a new Logitech M500 mouse. I still had the Logitech Control Center driver installed from before. The new mouse was not recognized by the s/w. Downloaded the updated LCC and no soap. Borrowed the M500 from my internet/Photoshop machine and that was recognized no problem. So I decided to pop for Steermouse and the new mouse works just fine with it.


BTW I tried the Death Adder with Steermouse and it wasn't recognized no matter what the Steermouse site said to try with an unrecognized rodent.
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