CPU overload issue

[studioman5150]

I'm trying find why I'm getting this cpu overload error. I've seen lots of thread about this but nobody has resolved this issue. I get this error when mixing. I am wondering if it's with these higher end audio interfaces.

I use to own the m-audio fast track ultra and never seen this cpu overload issue and I would run a lot of plugins and never seen this issue, run on the same pro tools 10 and mac 8 core. I did run alesis monitor ones and a power amp running through a mixer.

Now I'm using motu 828 mk3 with KRK vts8 and now I'm seeing this cpu overload error, but still using the same mac. Is the cpu overload error hardware related with the motu 828 mk3 running the KRK. Or is it pro tools not able to running these higher audio interface right. What can I do to resolve this issue.
Also I've seen this issue without plugins.

[JuanPC]

Originally Posted by studioman5150

Also I've seen this issue without plugins.

Pt10 is 32-bit, pt11/12 64bit...
That means faster hardware needed.
But If you are still on PT10, that's very strange, same OSX?

Overload without plugins, in PT12.3 is because it has a too small Sound Card buffer size, for that machine.

Try increase buffer size... 2048, 4K, with PT closed in PT12
But longer buffer size will increase latency...
To reduce latency, increase Sample Rate...

1024 at 48khz is similar to 2048 @ 96khz.
In milliseconds, round trip..
Some AD/DA CHIPS, have smaller latency than other chips.

Smaller buffer size eat CPU cycles.
driver version optimization affects.

The motu you have has a rating of 5/10.
http://www.dawbench.com/audio-int-lowlatency2.htm
http://www.dawbench.com/audio-int-lowlatency3.htm

More latency = more plugins.
Less latency/smaller buffer size = less plugins...
With same machine.

[studioman5150]

Yes same mac os. I use pro tools 10.3 Mac 8 core only 6GB ram. HW buffer can go up to 1024.

[studioman5150]

Any suggestion on resolving this with the motu 828 mk3. Would upgrading pro tools help or the interface.

[Southsidemusic]

the Motu 828 mk2 is not a high end unit but should still work with PT12.

We have our systems working great with the new Apollo 8 Quad and Apollo 16 aswell as our HDX2 system, all running HD12.4. The CPU has nothing to do with any monitors but what hard drive are you recording to? Make, model and whats your internal drive? SSD or spinner? If the latter what specs on both the external/recording drive and system drive?

Latest drivers installed from MOTU? Did this work before as a system and what have you done except updates?

[Darryl Ramm]

With CPU errors it's not so much what anybody can tell you is the cause. Nobody else is going to be able to "resolve this for you" It is what you can do to work this out for yourself troubleshooting your particular problem in a careful methodical way.

In some rough order of things to look at....

Make sure "ignore errors" is *not* checked while troubleshooting, you want to see every possible error reported.

Do simple basic trouble shooting steps first,. Trash prefs etc. Check the system is *fully* optimized. Yep *every* last thing done no matter how annoying for now. All under the "Help us help you" link up top of this page. What happens with large playback buffer sizes as Chris already asked?

Is the audio/session drive up to spec? Gross disk issues will often show up as CPU errors. Provide all the info Christopher asked for before if you want more help here.

Is disk cache turned on in Pro Tools 12 ("Normal" is really no disk cache, you have to set a size). This will an extremely good thing to use propely and will make many disk issues go away... but don't use that as an excuse not to have properly spec/set up audio/session drives. With only 6GB how much you can use for disk cache will depend on your session and especially VI usage. But try 1GB 2GB and see.

Next thing is always suspect plugins. Are they up to date? In fact plugins are more often than not the cause of CPU errors... but you do other things first because they are usually easier to check. And ultimately you have to do a full check by removing plugins from the plugin folder and restating Pro Tools. Even plugins you are not instantiating in a session could be running/burning CPU/leaking memory etc. and causing problems. Yes even if the same AAX-64 plugins worked OK on an older install, you still need to verify they are not the cause now. beyond that if you want more help here you need to describe what plugins are in a session, and how many instances of each one.

Another common plugin related cause of CPU errors is denormaliation bugs (the classic issue is with Sansamp but others suffer from this). You can usually find that by uninstantiating those plugins in your Pro Tools session. Yes even if this was not an issue before, it can turn up easily as it's so reliant on the signal fed to a plugin vulnerable to denormaliation issues. You can search on denomraliation on DUC and find explanations.

You can also run a test using built-in Output as the playback engine and see what happens with that. That checks if the interface/drives is a suspect.

Next thing is suspect the session is corrupt. Does this happen on other sessions? Happen if you create a new empty session (not from template, not a copy or an existing session).

Next thing is suspect everything else.. and by then including bugs in Pro Tools. but by then you also should be suspecting you missed something above and just go thought repeating everything.

If you want more suggestions here you really need to provide clear details of your sessions, plugins used, Mac computer including exact model number/date code, CPU installed etc. And probably for many reasons I'd probably be looking to install more RAM in this Mac.

[studioman5150]

Just let everybody know. This was running great with the m-audio fast track ultra. Same plugins, same mac. This issue start when I moved to the motu 828 mk3. Drivers have been updated. An nothing different with hard drive. But if the motu 828 mk3 takes up more resource. Then I already know what I need to do. That's what I'm think the motu take lots resource. upgrade ram, os,pro tools. I'm think hard drive too. Don't need to upgrade but going to faster. This not for recording. This for mixing.