Overall slow performance after PT 2020.5 and OS 10.15 update

[therezablade]

Hello!

I've been a PT user for the last 10 years. I've gone through every major version since PT 9.

I updated to PT 2020.5 and OS 10.15 about a month ago. Two separate computers exhibit performance issues that were either a) not present or b) not as bad in PT 12.8.

Computer #1 = iMac 2013, 27 inch, Late 2013, 3.4 GHz CPU, 16 GB RAM

Computer #2 = MacBook Pro 2013, 13 inch, Late 2013, 2.5 GHz CPU, 8 GB RAM

Computer #1 was last on OS 10.12 Sierra and Computer #2 was last on OS 10.14, both running PT 12.8.

After upgrading to PT 2020.5 and OS 10.15, I get:

- Constant CPU overload errors when using half of the plugins I used to use

- Distorted audio after CPU overload, resulting in me having to toggle buffer size to reload audio system

- Project load times multiplied significantly

- Plugin load times multiplied significantly

- Antares AutoTune EFX crashes PT upon first load. Works fine afterwards.

Disclaimer: I'm fully aware that OS 10.15 is notoriously slower than other recent Mac operating systems. However, I'm getting the same exact behavior in PT 2020.5 on multiple machines.

If anyone has similar experiences or can shed any insight, I'm all ears.

Thanks!

[JFreak]

Hi, welcome to the community.

I am pretty sure your problems are due to upgrading your OS, but also your computer two has inadequate memory. Do a clean OS install and try again.

[therezablade]

Yes, it's definitely possible. I would imagine this would help to some degree. I'll keep this in my back pocket before pulling the trigger.

I'd like to see if others have any alternate solutions

[JFreak]

I had an upgraded test system since Catalina release, and once I did the clean install all I can say difference was night and day.

[therezablade]

Oh really? Ok good to know.

Are we talking just reinstalling from recovery mode? Or doing a full OS installation, with fresh installs of everything?

[JFreak]

Backup everything by hand, erase system drive, install OS, restore everything by hand. Do not even think of using Time Machine or Migration Assassin, do everything manually.

[therezablade]

Got it. Yeah I would never use migration assistant.

Sounds good thanks!

[JFreak]

No problem.

[Ben Jenssen]

I agree 100% with the advice to always do a clean install when doing major Mac OS upgrades, especially for ensuring PT general performance. This has always been true, ever since pre-OSX days and PT in the nineties.

I feel that I must say, however, that my experience with Migration Assistant is that it's not all bad.

I did some experimenting when I got a new imac this winter. In short, I did a format and clean install of Catalina 10.15.3, and made a disk image for restoring. I did a full transfer of programs, settings and documents from my Mac Pro High Sierra disk with MA, and the result was immediately obvious; it was a shambles. Stuff not working, total mess.

So I restored the clean install and did a different approach; I used MA but I deselected the "programs" option, transferring only settings and documents w/MA.

"Documents" option in MA is not a big deal IMO, it's basically copying my user folder, I guess. But "settings", I was happy to see, had not compromized anything that I could determine, and most of my system settings, passwords, licences and so on was transferred and saved me a lot of work.

I then had to manually install PT, plugins, Adobe, utilities and so on, but everything has worked out great. Six months on, the mac is still performing well and I have no worries.

So, my conclusion is; Migration Assistant can be OK, as long as you deselect the "Programs" option. (To me, this makes total sense; how can Apple make a program to "transfer" complex application installations across OS'es without braking stuff?)

IHTH.

[therezablade]

Good call. I think the problems arise with apps and drivers. So files should be just fine. I'll check it out!