Mac hardware question

[PabloB]

This is more of a Mac hardware question, not an OS question.

Background: I have a fairly large session going and everything is working fine. I am using Neural DSP guitar plugins with no issues. I recently started using Amplitube 5 and I have to disable a lot of tracks and can only use Amplitube 5 on a couple tracks with latency set at 1028. Even opening a new session and only having a couple tracks and Amplitube 5 on one track at 128 latency, the System Usage meter will go to 100 and I get audio dropping out. This plugin is a huge CPU hog, for my computer anyway. As soon as I disable that plugin, everything is good.

I have a Mid 2010 Mac Pro 2.8 GHz Quad Core, 32 GB ram, 1 TB hard drive running Sierra 10.12.6. I use a Digi 003 Rack+ running Pro Tools 12.5.2. I dumped the preferences and already had everything set as suggested for optimization listed on the Avid site, but that hasn't helped.
Probably a stupid question, but will getting a new computer make a huge difference and make Amplitube 5 run smooth (anyone have experience with this plugin)? What I'm looking at is a Late 2013 Mac Pro 3 GHz 10 Core E5-2690v2 processor, 64 GB ram, 1TB had drive. Would this be a dramatic improvement or only marginal? I would plan to continue to use the Digi 003 Rack+ and the same Pro Tools version, unless a new version would be better.

Thank you so much for any assistance.

[Darryl Ramm]

Worrying about hardware is entirely the wrong place to focus. More cores will not help you is things are stuck in a single thread like might be the case here. And the Trashcan, yuk, what a non-expandable dead-end esp. given the world is going Apple silicon, so I’d wait to spend hardware $$ on that transition.

Explore every optimization for *Amplitude* as well as Pro Tools. Is Amplitude 5 officially supported on Pro Toole 12? 12.5.2 is not officially supported on Sierra so why you doing that? https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...tibility-Chart Trying to be cheap and staying pre-Pro Tools 12.6 and maybe burning yourself because of that is not saving money. Or just give up on Amplitude, there is no shortage of fantastic guitar plugins out there, and frankly Amplitude would not be top of my list anyhow. Maybe get on a recent macOS (do a full clean install) and recent Pro Tools versions, the 5,1 is very upgradeable and there were some improvements in plugin processing (in 2018/19 era? Can’t recall right now.)

And you can use the one month free trial to test out recent Pro Tools. Watch that compatibility table.

[PabloB]

I know what you're saying about Amplitube, I was very underwhelmed with previous versions. But the current version especially with the Mesa/Boogie 2 has really impressed me. I have used Mesa products for 24 years now (not that I am an aficionado, but I am familiar with their amps) and I think they did a pretty good job. I could not find any documentation about Pro Tools versions support, only hardware and OS requirements.
I don't remember why I started using PT 12 on OS 12.5.2 but it works great other than with Amplitubes. After this project I will look into compatability with my computer, Digi003, and probably upgrade my OS and Pro Tools. I think I was hesitant because it gets pretty confusing sometimes because of all the things that have to stay compatible including updating the different plugins.
Thank you for the help!

[PabloB]

Updating my OS and Pro Tools would be great. But I just looked at the drivers for the Digi 003 and it goes to OS 12.5, so I'm wondering if I'm at a limit there. Thoughts?
Thank you.

[Darryl Ramm]

Huh? What are you looking at?

Last macOS version with official 003 driver support is Sierra. https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...02-003-Drivers

Last Pro Tools version supported on Sierra is 2020.12. https://avid.secure.force.com/pkb/ar...tibility-Chart

Wether you might get later stuff to work is a crap shoot, but might be worth testing once you get stuff working that is supposed to.

All this is pretty darn good long term support for the 003. Jeez maybe I need to stop criticizing Avid.

003 rack or console? Do you use the control surface, if so that may be harder to move off. But the basic interface, it’s old clunky and modern stuff arguably sounds better.

But either 003 is museumware… you need to make a decision do you put it on life support, dedicate an old computer to it and keep it running forever frozen in time. Or do you get on more current software and give up the 003. And you can live in the middle for a while say on 2020.12 on Sierra. You will absolutely lose the 003 on any migration to Apple silicon/M1 systems. Given how nice those future macs might be I personally would be planning for that transition… e.g. sitting on The latest software you can run now or if needed buying a new interface you know will have good driver support on Apple M1/silicon (e.g. the vendor has great stuff running now on M1).

How much have you upgraded your existing Mac Pro? Running internal NVMe drives? There is a lot you can do there as well. Upgrade GPU, CPU, memory (and use disk cache in modern Pro Tools etc). But I would not start by throwing hardware at your current problem.

[PabloB]

Oops, yep you're right. Not OS 12.5, I'm on PT 12.5. I meant OS Sierra which is where I'm at. The 003 I'm using is the rack+. I do not use the control surface. I don't think I can use 2020.12 on my computer, it looks like I would need a mid 2012 Mac Pro for that. I appreciate your feedback, it has helped me think about things that I otherwise wouldn't have.

[Darryl Ramm]

Yep for a 003 rack I just would not limit myself, try to get stuff updated for now and see how you go. And if you like the Mesa tones on Amplitude, great. Still having problems later try IK Support, But if you cannot get that working for any reason you can also ask folks here what other sims give really great Mesa clones/similar tones.

[PabloB]

Sounds good, thanks again, much appreciated!

[Mixchump]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

...(snip) *Amplitude*

Darryl, not to pry, but is there a reason that you felt so compelled to repeatedly correct the OP on the spelling of IK's "Amplitube" product? Clearly, that's how they've branded it and it's certainly not misspelled in this context. Is it triggering or something to type the name of their amp sim with the brand name? Again, I'm truly not trying to be petty or anything, but feel the OP deserves some respect for correctly typing the name of the product. I have no skin in the game, and I've never used it (although I am enjoying the 'Pliney' plugin from Neural DSP on a recent project)... Anyhow, happy New Year everyone...

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Mixchump

Darryl, not to pry, but is there a reason that you felt so compelled to repeatedly correct the OP on the spelling of IK's "Amplitube" product? Clearly, that's how they've branded it and it's certainly not misspelled in this context. Is it triggering or something to type the name of their amp sim with the brand name? Again, I'm truly not trying to be petty or anything, but feel the OP deserves some respect for correctly typing the name of the product. I have no skin in the game, and I've never used it (although I am enjoying the 'Pliney' plugin from Neural DSP on a recent project)... Anyhow, happy New Year everyone...

Get a life. This has to be one of the more stupid pedantic posts I've ever seen on DUC.

"Not to pry"... ah the weak coward words, if you don't mean to pry then why post stupidity like this?

I replied to a user. I was trying to help them. I did not correct anybody. And I certainly gave no disrespect to the OP who I was going out of my way to help, and I think I did (if not then why don't you add some help for them?). I don't care how companies brand stuff, especially with deliberate misspellings. I was probably writing phonetically, probably "helped" by iOS auto correct. Not sure, not paying attention and I sure don't give a **** about getting any companies misspelt brand name correct.

Do you use AmpliTube? (did I spell it right there?) Maybe more than pointing out spelling mistakes, you might actually have some advice for the OP having problems? Or surely you have anything else better to do?

Edit: And oh FFS the "Explore every optimization for *Amplitude* as well as Pro Tools." was not to correct spelling. It was to point out to the OP the look for/apply optimizations for AmpliTube (correct spelling) not just Pro Tools, since the OP had mentioned doing Pro Tools optimizations. I would hope fairly obvious to most people.