CPU overload always increases with time

[Talisker]

I figured, that I can always start recording with a very small buffer size. But then after a while CPU overload messages come up every few minutes and then seconds. I can then restart the session to get rid of them for another while. I am aware of the fact, that everything happening is stored in caches, logs and so on, but how does that affect the CPU load ?

thanx for suggestions

Kai

[brandobean]

I have pretty much this same problem. In ProTools 9.3 I have terrible problems with CPU overload errors (which is weird since I have a new macbook pro 2.4ghz machine & the activity monitor doesn't appear to go much above 20%). I can use PT for about an hour or two and then the errors come back. Restarting PT fixes the issue (though sometimes I need to reboot the entire computer.

I'd say there was a memory leak somewhere. Anyway, you aren't crazy. It happens to me too...

B

[Obsidian Dragon]

My guess is that you have all your processor cores dedicated to the playback engine and nothing is left to handle normal system chores and non-realtime plugins. Try setting you playback engine to one less than the maximum number of cores available. (I know this sounds counter-intuitive) but try it.

Unfortunately if you only have a dual core processor, that means dedicating only one processor core to the playback engine which may not be optimal either.

On higher end processors with four cores (or 8 cores if hyper-threading is used) reducing the playback engine to 3 (or 7 if hyper-threading is used) usually have a positive improvement.

Lately there has been some rumblings about hyper-threading causing problems and not providing the optimum performance but in my experience, it has been working fine.

[cshaw]

I had the same problem on my old 2006 MBP with only two cores. After a lot of experiments I realized that the system gets weird after time due to overheating. If you get a program like iStats menu you'll notice that you'll start getting errors once the computer heats up to a certain temperature (check the Mem bank temp).

The solution that works for me is to get a Targus laptop stand with the fans built in. This cools things down a couple of degrees, just enough to keep things running smoothly.

[DigiTechSupt]

Originally Posted by brandobean

I have pretty much this same problem. In ProTools 9.3 I have terrible problems with CPU overload errors (which is weird since I have a new macbook pro 2.4ghz machine & the activity monitor doesn't appear to go much above 20%). I can use PT for about an hour or two and then the errors come back. Restarting PT fixes the issue (though sometimes I need to reboot the entire computer.

I'd say there was a memory leak somewhere. Anyway, you aren't crazy. It happens to me too...

B

What are the error numbers? When you say you think it's a memory leak - what does your RAM usage look like in Activity Monitor when the errors occur? Are all your plug-ins up to date? Have you tried reducing the number of host processors in the Playback Engine? Does the error(s) occur at the same place in the song?

I was just replying to someone in another thread saying how difficult it is to help when posts don't contain enough info to begin troubleshooting - this is a classic example. No error numbers, no idea of any troubleshooting you've done, no info your Playback Engine settings or the hardware you're using, which drives you're recording to, etc, etc.

I don't mean to belabor the point but information is critical to being able to assist. Computers and software are complex - even moreso when you take into account the huge variety of peripherals that can be attached. All of this plays a part in how well a system performs. A solution for one person may not be the same for another, which is why knowing specifics about *your* system is critical.

So, if you can provide more info, I likely can do something to assist. The Help Us Help You thread has details about what we need to know.