Mac Dual 2.0 G5 Setup, running like [bleep]

[Andrew Anderson]

Hi,
I am looking for any help to set up my mac dual 2.0Ghz G5 to run pro tools hd better.
The computer has 2GB of ram, but still stops and studders when I run some of the plug in instruments (Bosendorfer, East West Platinum Orchestra, Trilogy, BFD) The computer surpasses all minimun requirements to run these programs, so I figure it must be something to do with the setup of the computer.

My systems consist of the mac G5 2.0, 2gb of ram, run Mac OSX 10.3.4, a Glyph 120 gb external firewire drive, digidesign 192 Interface and a control 24 desk, running Pro tools 6.9.

Any help in getting this instrument to run better, and allow me to load in the more memory intensive Multi Programs they have, would be greatly appreciated.

If there is any more information needed that I have forgotten to put down here, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] or post here.

Thanks so much
Andrew Anderson [email protected]

[Guy McDude]

Hi,
I am looking for any help to set up my mac dual 2.0Ghz G5 to run pro tools hd better.
The computer has 2GB of ram, but still stops and studders when I run some of the plug in instruments (Bosendorfer, East West Platinum Orchestra, Trilogy, BFD) The computer surpasses all minimun requirements to run these programs, so I figure it must be something to do with the setup of the computer.

My systems consist of the mac G5 2.0, 2gb of ram, run Mac OSX 10.3.4, a Glyph 120 gb external firewire drive, digidesign 192 Interface and a control 24 desk, running Pro tools 6.9.

Any help in getting this instrument to run better, and allow me to load in the more memory intensive Multi Programs they have, would be greatly appreciated.

If there is any more information needed that I have forgotten to put down here, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] or post here.

Thanks so much
Andrew Anderson [email protected]

Have you called your dealer?

[crizdee]

Hi,

I have a similar setup to you and run trilogy and BFD no probs! i would recommend "cocktail" as a mac service tool, its not expensive and does some nice cleaning and maintainance for you.

How many of these instruments are you running before the computer stops and studders?

Are you running from the internal or external drive?
are you running bfd in streaming mode or loading to ram?
are you installing one multi BFD or several stereo versions?

have you done the usual? trashed prefs etc and all the recommendations in the trouble shooting
post.

Have you tried un-install from your install CD and do a freah install of PT (there is an option for safe install which only install the program and its main associated files etc) try this first!! if this fails try a clean install! this will remove evrything and start again!!

When did the problems start?

Chris

[jeremyroberts]

have you certified that your hardware is working?

1. about this mac ->more info

what does this tell you? number of processors? if that number is not 2 then you must call applecare.

2. activity monitor

what does this tell you? are there processes sucking the CPU and/or ram?

3. apple hardware test - run it with your protools cards removed.

In taking my machine in for hardware repair, I'm speaking to many apple techs and many other users --- the failure rate of the G5 duals is about 15%. 15% of G5s will have some kind of logicboard or processor failure. The fact that you have a dual processor allows the mac to appear to be working, when in fact it's not. It can limp along until you challenge it.

Could your hardware be the problem?

[Lee Blaske]

My systems consist of the mac G5 2.0, 2gb of ram, run Mac OSX 10.3.4, a Glyph 120 gb external firewire drive, digidesign 192 Interface and a control 24 desk, running Pro tools 6.9.

Any help in getting this instrument to run better, and allow me to load in the more memory intensive Multi Programs they have, would be greatly appreciated.

As another poster inquired, on what drive(s) are your streaming samples? Ideally, they should be on an internal SATA drive. Also, check for software updates to make sure you're running the latest updates. Some streaming type products also need to have their DFD parameters configured correctly.

You might want to check into the specs of your Glyph FW drives. Glyph doesn't always use the best mechanisms available. You might have drives that only have 2 MB of cache rather than 8 or 16, and that could impact your performance. It's better to buy your own mechanisms and put them in a quality enclosure. That way, you know what you've got. Currently, the Seagate 7200.8 series of ATA and SATA drives is the best choice.

Lee Blaske

[Chief Technician]

My systems consist of the mac G5 2.0, 2gb of ram, run Mac OSX 10.3.4, a Glyph 120 gb external firewire drive, digidesign 192 Interface and a control 24 desk, running Pro tools 6.9.

If you follow the link in my signature, you will eventually find this:

Pro Tools 6.9.1 is officially supported on Mac OS X 10.3.8 (Panther)

I know you are running v6.9, but I suspect the officially supported OS is the same. Perhaps OS X v10.3.4 is the problem? I don't know for certain, since I'm not an HD user.

Digidesign, please add the compatibility docs for v6.9 to the Previous Pro Tools TDM Software Releases section of your compatibility documents.