EuControl maxes out CPU / fans / etc in El Capitan

[HoJ]

My S3 was running really well in Yosemite, and my EuCon / Mac OS ecosystem was really nailed down. . . and then my MBP was stolen, so I've had to start over. New MBP works great, Logic X and PT 12 are both screamin, but EuControl is nearly unusable; it maxes out my CPU and the fans kick up to 6k RPM. Every time, without fail.

Running OS X 10.11.6 on a mid-2015 MBP Retina 15; Logic 10.2.4; EuControl 3.4; firmware 1.1.3.3563514. All / any help appreciated. Thanks.

[HoJ]

[sings, 'is there anybody OUT THERE']

[Loren V]

I am having the same issue with EuControl 3.4 and El Capitan. Even with nothing in use, the CPU, fans max out. I thought it may have something to do with with the ExMackieControl process, but haven't been able to verify. And I don't see a lot of forum posts about it, so it's either too new of an issue or not everyone is experiencing it.

[HoJ]

Would still love some help wit this if anyone is inclined — my S3 is on the floor at the moment. It's destined for eBay if I can't get EuControl to cool out. Thanks.

[bleen]

I'm not getting the fan issue on my 5k iMac, but I am seeing a smattering of -9173 CPU Overload errors in PT that I've never gotten prior to installing EuCon and my S3 yesterday - these are on 44.1 sessions without many tracks and that have run perfectly before the S3 came on the scene. Definitely something amiss.

[HoJ]

I've been troubleshooting this for a month. (Mostly in a vacuum. Posting to myself and Bleen and Loren, hi guys!) It turns out the problem doesn't have anything to do with the S3 at all, or even anything Avid related.

This MBP has two graphics cards: the integrated i7 Iris Pro (similar to what MBPs have been running for years), and a newer / additional AMD Radeon G9. The i7 card is the less power hungry of the two. It runs cool and plays well with the i7 — integrated — but doesn't support a 4k display, hence the need for something fancier, I guess?

The problem is that Apple's graphics switching system for El Capitan 10.11.6, in System Preferences > Energy Saver, gives you options 'Better battery life' and 'Higher performance'. I tend to choose the 'Higher performance' options generally, especially when I'm plugged in — especially if the other option includes battery saving language, as this one does. Who doesn't like higher performance?

But 'Higher performance', in this case, also means hot —*really hot. And Pro Tools is graphics intensive — some might suggest too much so. End result, if the 'Higher performance' tab is clicked? Fans, at 6k, all the time.

Since I've moved to 'Better battery life' (even though I'm plugged in), my MBP fans run at a cool, quiet 2200 RPM regardless of track count, plugin load, whatever.

I can do anything. I am invincible. I am a pony. Everything is grassy.

[Loren V]

Thanks for the work on this HoJ.. it explains why there are not a lot of post on this issue. For me, I have a Macbook Air and the dual GPU options are not in the prefs page.

Still, I expected as much. I still believe this is a eucontrol issue and they should be looking into it. I'm willing to wait for the next update.

If anyone is is listening... maybe it's not important to monitor every process that's running. Not all of them need control surfaces.