CPU overload

[jeradbay]

This isn't a serious issue, but it can be annoying at times. Every once in a while when I am playing back one of my sessions it will stop and say there has been a CPU overload, I just click ok and continue on and it seems to work fine, but its still kinda annoying. I'm using a macbook with a core 2 duo 2.1GHz and 2.5GB Ram with pro tools 8.1.

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by jeradbay

This isn't a serious issue, but it can be annoying at times. Every once in a while when I am playing back one of my sessions it will stop and say there has been a CPU overload, I just click ok and continue on and it seems to work fine, but its still kinda annoying. I'm using a macbook with a core 2 duo 2.1GHz and 2.5GB Ram with pro tools 8.1.

I'll assume you meant you are using Protools 8.0.1 a sthere is not Protools 8.1 yet. There are three common culprits that can be causing your issue
1. Incompatible Plugins - Make sure they are updated and compare them to the published compatibility grid from Digidesign.
2. You playback engine should be set to 1 less than the number of processor cores you have. In your case, set it to 1 instead of 2. This leave one processor core free to handle non-realtime RTAS plugins. I know this sound counterintuitive but it is one of the major reason people have problems lately.
3. Something is preventing the audio to be streamed through your system fast enough. Most of the time this is the firewire hard drive used for audio session (You are not recording and playing back from the system drive right?). Another cuase may be other programs (anti-virus, power monitor, etc. or wireless networking/bluetooth being turned on.

Check the General Troubleshooting thread at the top of this forum for how to tweak you rsystem for optimal performance.

[skabuddah]

I tried using 1 cpu instead of 2 Doesn't work for me I -Mac /intel duo 2.66 PT LE 8.0.1 with updates Can't use 1 cpu with low buffer setting

[basslik]

Originally Posted by skabuddah

I tried using 1 cpu instead of 2 Doesn't work for me I -Mac /intel duo 2.66 PT LE 8.0.1 with updates Can't use 1 cpu with low buffer setting

Are you recording to an external drive?

[huzzam]

I have a similar system to the original poster, and find sometimes I'm better using two cores limited to 70%, and sometimes better with one core at 99%. I'll be durned if I can figure out a pattern. But generally, if I get an error with one setup, and then switch, it'll happily chug along for that session from then on out.

I wish PT were a little smarter about this... Seems like a good audio engine could allocate the necessary resources on the fly, until things actually *do* run out. When I'm set for 1 core @99%, for example, Activity Monitor shows the other core usually sitting at 15-25% or so — that is, mostly unused.

But definitely, use an external Firewire drive for your sessions (putting the Mbox 2 Pro/002/003 after that in the chain if you have one of those Firewire interfaces) if you're not doing so already.

~peter

[skabuddah]

Yes Glyph GT 050Q Firewire 800 I am not sure if I set drive up properly I have PT LE 8.0.1 installed on internal drive and am saving the sessions on the Glyph.The only time it interupts is when I am trying to track with reduced buffer so the latency is minimal