HD Native 9172 errors

[tomhenry]

I'm just about tearing my hair out.
We have an HD Native card on a Mac 5,1 with an omni interface. Os is 10.7.4 and have just updated to PT 10.3.

The main problem is CPU spiking and constant 9172 errors with average size (according to avid) sessions. I can get around this if increase my buffer to 1024 and reduce my processors to 4 (from 16!).

Any more processors than this and CPU spikes like crazy!

Im not a fan of working with this high buffer cause it means we're forced to use low latency monitoring for overdubs and this bypasses plugs which changes everything (esp if you master on the run like we do!) And it seems crazy that i can only use 4 processors! We purchased native to work with lower buffers and bought a Mac Pro so we had the grunt to do this!

Have tried for months to solve this but nothing has worked.
This is what i've tried
- optimize Mac (spotlight settings etc.)
- trash all prefs and dig set up
- update all firmware
- update all software many times (Mac and PT)
- start in 'safe' mode and then restart
- reset the PRAM
- remove various plugs from folder
- change HD Native card position from slot 2 to slots 3 and 4
- disable ethernet and firewire networks
- Read countless forums....


The only one vague lead i have is to do with the video card; ATI Radeon HD 5770. When i open more windows and move them around the CPU meters get a bit more spikey... and the system totally maxes out when i add the Ozone 5 advanced meter bridge (which is quiet full on with graphics).

Could it be that this card is interrupting CPU??

Anyway ... any help/direction be great... running out of patience and hair!

Thanks
Tom
ABC Radio National Networks Australia

[DetroitT]

10.3.3 is out now.
Also run digitest for firmware eval/update of the Omni.

[tomhenry]

Hi DetroitT,
thanks for your advice.
i've done both and unfortunately no change...!

I have also copied my boot drive and booted off a very similar system.
The same problems were there.

This is not fun! Not a fan of spending so many hours diagnosing a system that should just work!.

[mykhal c]

hey Tom...sorry to hear of your hassles. i'm on PC with HDN and you are onto somethin' about the video card. yes it 'could' be causin' your issues. it'd be worth a swap out with another brand, maybe NVIDIA. PT has known to be real choosy about the cards...good luck.

[tomhenry]

Thanks Mykhal,
I don't know much about video cards....can you recommend a compatible NVIDIA card... something not to expensive (in case its not the problem)?

[mykhal c]

i'm not up on the compatible Mac video cards...sorry. since Macs are usually compatible right outta the box, do you have a bro that has a Mac that you can do a swap the card just to see if that helps alleviate the issues? that'd be the cheapest, quickest route to start...

[BobbyDazzler]

I stick to 3 processors on a similar system, and it seems the most stable.
To be honest, I doubt you'll get anything to run Ozone at a low buffer, it is a resource pig! (Save it for the mix or try another plugin).
I find waves plugins will spit errors when I edit parameters on the fly, but hopefully this gets better in 10.3.3.
Otherwise it looks like you've done all the trouble shooting that I would try.

[tomhenry]

Thanks Mykahl and BobbyD.

I have got a mate who hopefully has a video card to try... will definitely try this.

And Bobby...surely this is something Avid should look into?
It seems weird that the CPU becomes really erratic when you ask it to go beyond 3 or 4 processors... thats whats leading me to the video card theory. I think the video card might be snatching too much of the CPU? Ozone is hungry but the same problems occur with minimal plugs..

Am i right in thinking that the more CPU available, the less buffer required?

And do you know if it's the same for most Mac Pro Native users? I heard some people run big sessions on 32 or 64 buffer and use 12/14 cores with no spiking?

ps. 10.3.3 didn't help me... but i've read it has cured some machines... i hope yours is one of them!

[mykhal c]

generally speakin' here, but on the PC side of things when we build a system we will start off with only assigning the physical cores that the processor has. so in your case 8...rite? then add the HT cores from there. if it improves things then great...if not remove them...and then maybe even reduce the physical cores assigned. but it's definitely a trial and error thing.

plugins can be tricky. the main reason being we never know what the plug is demandin' while it's doin' its' thing. so we could be runnin' fine at 32 or 64 buffer, with low cpu usage and then all of a sudden we get a 9172. and in most cases, once your system is tuned, this will be caused by a plugin that demanded more cycles than your low buffer setting had available...even tho cpu usage said all was good. so back to trial and error. you've kinda gotta know what kinda load that certain plugs will bring. hope that makes sense...

[tomhenry]

Ok, thanks Mykhal, i get it but i don't agree with it.. It's like my systems CPU is being restricted..? And as soon as i add a few plugs i'm working at 512 and if i add Ozone my session finishes at 2048 then still chokes..! (I'm not running stupidly large sessions either..) I bought into native cause they claimed it to be the lowest latency host system... not the case apparently..

Do still think its worth swapping the vid card? Or some people say 'flash' the card... Do you how to do this?