Ran Out of CPU (conventional fix did not help)

[Keidiek]

Hey guys,

I used to use Pro Tools a lot and I remember it had its quirks on Windows, but recently I have had to return to using it for a studio collab and I don't think I'd ever had this much trouble fixing an error.

The error message is the standard, run of the mill "Pro Tools ran out of CPU power, try deactivating or removing Native Plugins," except even when I removed all plugins and the click track, as an empty project the error still happened. My project worked fine until this happened and now I can't get it to work. Once the file "breaks," the file(and associated backup files) never works again, and it can't close without force quitting from the task manager. If I bounce all the midi and reload every Virtual Instrument in a new project it works...but eventually the new project will "break" too. Why? In the System Usage window the CPU is sitting consistently at a comfy 15%, RAM never tops 45%.

I used the Trasher app for prefs. I'm on a Surfacebook 2 with Windows 10, 16GB i7 processor. I've optimized my drives and power settings, always run without virus protection, I use a Mackie onyx interface and in the project I'm using Kontakt, PLAY and iZotope plugins. It's ProTools Ultimate, currently in the free trial period.

I was using Nuendo and Studio One up until now. My hard disk is at about 80% capacity (SSD)

I've been scouring the internet for clues...Am I missing something?

[junkgear]

I'd try doing all the system optimizations listed in this Sweetwater guide.

If that doesn't help, then when the problems happens again, instead of checking the PT system resources, open Windows Task Manager and see what your CPU and Memory usage shows. It may give you a better idea as to what is consuming your resources.

[Keidiek]

Thank you for the advice!

The CPU monitor in the Windows Task Manager similarly shows that its not even at 20% CPU, and the RAM isn't going above 45%. I think the key issue is that the CPU is not actually running out. Pro Tools just thinks it is.

I did optimization according to the Avid PC Optimization checklist, but there seem to be a couple of new items on the Sweetwater one; I'm trying those now. Hopefully moving my project files to an external does the trick.

[Keidiek]

Okay, I have now completed every last item in the optimization guideline, and the problem is not fixed. I triple checked, and the CPU/RAM are still totally healthy in both System Usage and Task Manager.

For now I'm just bouncing the midi and audio so I can start over, but that's a time consuming fix. Is there anything I can do to prevent my files from "breaking" like this? I can't just switch back to Nuendo because the studio I'm working with requires frequent swapping of Pro Tools files.

[Darryl Ramm]

Basic basic stuff... what IO buffer size and sample rate are you working at? Disk cache size? Recording audio to what make/model drive? What audio interface and driver version (if ASIO4ALL confess that now...).

Start with standard troubleshooting steps under “help us help you” up the top of each DUC web page.

Paying attention to trashing prefs (frequently as you try other stuff), troubleshooting plugins (*always* suspect plugins)—test removing all third party plugin files, putting them back in batches, etc. or looking for a corrupt session. You may also need to print/freeze tracks, reduce long chaining of tracks/busses.

The “conventional fix” is to try all that troubleshooting. No point really posting here until you have done that, and if still stuck describe carefully what you tried.

There is nothing unusual here. Pro Tools really does not “think” or care about what any CPU usage meter says. When internal latency to get things done takes more than the allowable small time then Pro Tools calls this CPU error. Looking at meters rarely helps solve anything, especially with confusion hyperthreading introduces, most CPU problems appear exactly as here.

[Keidiek]

Thank you Darryl.

As you can see above, I already mentioned in the OP that I did try those things. Perhaps I didn't mention the I/O buffer/sample size/Cache (44.1kHz, 16bit, normal Cache size), but that aside it's all there.

I detailed the plugins used, and wrote that I tried removing them all. I trashed the prefs. I'm using Mackie Onyx with the latest driver version. Because removing all of the plugins did nothing, I feel as though freezing wouldn't help either.

I acknowledge and respect that forum posts are a last resort and that searching/troubleshooting on one's own must always come first. I seek your help because I did so, I tried all of the basic stuff, and it did not work.

[Darryl Ramm]

WHAT IS THE PLAYBACK ENGINE IO BUFFER SIZE? this is the most critical thing affecting CPU usage. Don't guess, double check to see it is actually set to what you think it is.

Disk cache == normal is turned off. Set it to a few GB. (but it's unclear how much actual recorded audio is actually in your session, that detail would help).

Make sure ignore errors is unchecked while troubleshooting.

What recording drive are you recording to?

You name plugins that are well known for causing issues. So more reasons to suspect stuff there.

When you say you removed the plugins, did you remove the actual plugin files from the plugin folder? (<= do this) Or removed/disabled the plugin instances in the session? It was not totally clear what you meant in the first post.

Does this happen with other sessions? Does it happen if you create a new session from scratch (not from a template). Does this happen if you create a new Windows Admin account and test from there? Again trash prefs between trying different stuff.

If you removed all third party plugin files and still have a problem. What other plugin are instantiated in that session? If you have sessions with no plugins installed for them them at all and they are crashing with CPU errors it is very likely the session is just corrupt. You need to try Save As and/or import content into a new session. If sessions repeatedly get corrupted... the first thing would be to exclude plugins, check they are up to date/compatible with your version of Pro Tools, look on vendor forum for know issues, etc.