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Pro Tools (annoying problem related)

DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
edited September 2005 in Strut Central
This doesn't happen all the time, but it happens often enough to become really annoying:When I'm playing back a beat I'm working on (or sometimes if I'm bouncing the beat to disk), the playback will stop and I'll get an error message that says:"Audio processing is conflicting with other CPU tasks. If this occurs often, reducing the H/W Buffer Size in the Playback Engine dialog may help prevent the problem (-9129)."I get the above message when the H/W Buffer Size is set to the maximum level, 1024 samples. So I'll set the Buffer to the next smallest size in the pull-down menu, which is 512 samples. Then I'll get this error message:"The operating system held off interrupts for too long. If this occurs often, try increasing the H/W Buffer Size in the Playback Engine dialog (-9094)." So I'll change the buffer back to 1024 samples and get the first error message again. Then turn the buffer back to 512 and get the second error message. This will go on for a little bit until finally, one of the settings will actually allow error-free playback. Is there some magical setting I don't know about that will prevent this crap from happening at all? It's really annoying to have to deal with it when I'm in the thick of working on a beat.FYI, I've got an Mbox running Pro Tools 6.4 and a 1.8 GHz Mac G5.

  Comments

  • speshboogiespeshboogie 105 Posts
    All your ProTools answers are HERE
  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
    How much of the CPU do you have dedicated to PT? I have a dual G4 so PT uses one bit with a single chip I don't think you wan't to dedicate more than 80%. Do you have a ton of plug ins? Maybe you are hitting your computers limits.

    I would suggest stopping all other background application like surfing soulstrut when bouncing. Especially things like apple mail. that seemed to mess PT up in my system.

  • GnatGnat 1,183 Posts
    How much of the CPU do you have dedicated to PT? I have a dual G4 so PT uses one bit with a single chip I don't think you wan't to dedicate more than 80%. Do you have a ton of plug ins? Maybe you are hitting your computers limits.

    I would suggest stopping all other background application like surfing soulstrut when bouncing. Especially things like apple mail. that seemed to mess PT up in my system.
    Word, but this should not be happening with a G5, that processor kills...how much RAM do you have? I had this problem once with my Powerbook G4 and a gig+ of RAM. I reset it to maximum buffer size and never had the problem again. I attribute my success to RAM...
  • bombhiphopbombhiphop 104 Posts
    I used to have the same thing happen to me til I added memory to my computer. Now that annoying message never pops up
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    How much of the CPU do you have dedicated to PT? I have a dual G4 so PT uses one bit with a single chip I don't think you wan't to dedicate more than 80%. Do you have a ton of plug ins? Maybe you are hitting your computers limits.

    I would suggest stopping all other background application like surfing soulstrut when bouncing. Especially things like apple mail. that seemed to mess PT up in my system.
    Word, but this should not be happening with a G5, that processor kills...how much RAM do you have? I had this problem once with my Powerbook G4 and a gig+ of RAM. I reset it to maximum buffer size and never had the problem again. I attribute my success to RAM...

    I've got 256MB of SDRAM, according to my system profiler. And I never run any other applications when I'm working in PT. It just seems weird--this isn't even the top-of-the-line version of PT, and I have a pretty powerful computer, so I'm wondering why it keeps wanting to bitch up.

    I remember fucking with the CPU usage as I was trying to find a way to stop these messages from happening. I'm not sure, but I may have left it at the maximum (85 percent), which I should probably lower just on general principle.

    So maybe I just need more RAM? I know 256MB isn't a ton, but I figured it'd be sufficient. Plus, I have one of the flatscreen G5 desktop jammies, and I figured adding RAM to it would be a pain, as any upgrade to any piece of technology always is for me. But maybe I should try to get some cheap extra RAM and find somebody to install it, huh?
  • SwayzeSwayze 14,705 Posts
    I've got 256MB of SDRAM, according to my system profiler. And I never run any other applications when I'm working in PT. It just seems weird--this isn't even the top-of-the-line version of PT, and I have a pretty powerful computer, so I'm wondering why it keeps wanting to bitch up.

    I remember fucking with the CPU usage as I was trying to find a way to stop these messages from happening. I'm not sure, but I may have left it at the maximum (85 percent), which I should probably lower just on general principle.

    So maybe I just need more RAM? I know 256MB isn't a ton, but I figured it'd be sufficient. Plus, I have one of the flatscreen G5 desktop jammies, and I figured adding RAM to it would be a pain, as any upgrade to any piece of technology always is for me. But maybe I should try to get some cheap extra RAM and find somebody to install it, huh?

    this bullshit is why I haven't really used protools in about six months. I used to be able to record 45 minute live mixes with my MBox, now I'm lucky if I can record a 3 minute snippet without getting that message. I did all the shit people have suggested here. and it *used* to work.

    I don't have a solution, but it's good to know big dudes are having this problem too.
  • DubiousDubious 1,865 Posts
    dude im amazed you can even boot up with 256megs of ram

  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
    I barely make it with 512mb. That's the real minimum IMO.
  • djdazedjdaze 3,099 Posts
    dude im amazed you can even boot up with 256megs of ram


    seriously...I have 2 gigs.
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    I barely make it with 512mb. That's the real minimum IMO.

    OK, so that's definitely the culprit. It's kinda weird--when I first bought this computer and Mbox (I bought them at the same time), this problem wasn't happening. It didn't start popping up until about six months down the road.

    Anyway, I have a birthday coming up, so hopefully I'll be able to corral a good 1GB memory card and proper installation thereof (this is an iMac, so I'm not even thinking about installing the shit myself).

    Thanks for the help, folks.
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Memory is real cheap right now - actually I have a side question, can I run Serato on 256mb? I think I have an open expansion slot on my laptop.

    I have been running DP3 on a 512mb G4 for years and it's never given me many problems, but it will occasionally shut down if I open another application (sometimes I need to, like Itunes. Sometimes I don't, like soulstrut). But as you use your computer you will amass files, extensions, etc. and that can all take away from the speed. Also these things are meant to crap out over time...

    I have really been procrastinating on getting an extra memory card for the tower. Don't really have the need because, at 512 I don't run any plug-ins, just pretty bare bones stuff.
  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    Serato should work fine on 256mb of RAM, but it's strongly recommended that you get at least 512 and I would almost guarantee that you would run into problems with a long set if you only had 256.
  • AserAser 2,351 Posts
    don't be shook, installing memory on a g5 imac is the one and only upgrade that is easily do-able by the end user. Don't waste your money getting it installed professionally, read this instead.



    http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=215&pid=2



    ps: it's not a "maybe", you definitely need more ram. Nobody should be running os x on 256mb, let alone pro tools on top of that. Alas that is apple cutting corners by putting so little stock ram in their product line (new revs have 512mb standard). You will slap yourself silly after you upgrade and realize how much of a difference it makes. Especially considering how cheap a memory upgrade is.
  • GnatGnat 1,183 Posts
    I know it's not cost effective, but I learned on my old ass MAC LC that if I didn't max out the ram, I was gonna eventually have problems doing something.

    Latency sucks ass when you're editting, I maxed the powerbook out with 1.2 gigs of ram and have never had a problem since...incidentally...

    DO NOT buy memory from Apple--their shit is too expensive. Go with www.ramjet.com I went with them, saved $300 and have never had a problem with my computer. I've had their memory for over a year now and Pro-Tools gets heavy rotation. I got hip to them through some reviews as well as a MacGenius guy I know who likes these toys waaay too much. Good luck Enki!
  • BrianBrian 7,618 Posts
    http://www.crucial.com http://www.newegg.com and http://www.zipzoomfly.com are all good for purchasing memory.
  • Mike_BellMike_Bell 5,736 Posts
    How much of the lsd do you have dedicated to as4rEtrard666?

    I have a dual G4xlr8r so PT/DP9 uses 1/8 of a nono plasma bit= 34-45678>= with a single chip .
    I don't think you wan't to dedicate more than 80%-34% of the placental generator/wormhole wall.
    Do you have a ton of time travel plug studio simulators in the subatomic vortex regulator? That new Version of Ocean way/capitol/larabee is dope but chews up those nuke ram slots quick dawg.
    Maybe you are hitting your computers inner psyche with too much hydrulic fluid and angel dust when you engage the autoporn robot fuck mode and it is shorting out the spectral dialator
  • Mike_BellMike_Bell 5,736 Posts
    I've got 256MB of SDRAM, according to my system profiler. And I never run any other applications when I'm working in PT. It just seems weird--this isn't even the top-of-the-line version of PT, and I have a pretty powerful computer, so I'm wondering why it keeps wanting to bitch up.

    I remember fucking with the CPU usage as I was trying to find a way to stop these messages from happening. I'm not sure, but I may have left it at the maximum (85 percent), which I should probably lower just on general principle.

    So maybe I just need more RAM? I know 256MB isn't a ton, but I figured it'd be sufficient. Plus, I have one of the flatscreen G5 desktop jammies, and I figured adding RAM to it would be a pain, as any upgrade to any piece of technology always is for me. But maybe I should try to get some cheap extra RAM and find somebody to install it, huh?

    this bullshit is why I haven't really used protools in about six months. I used to be able to record 45 minute live mixes with my MBox, now I'm lucky if I can record a 3 minute snippet without getting that message. I did all the shit people have suggested here. and it *used* to work.

    I don't have a solution, but it's good to know big dudes are having this problem too.
    So what are you using now?
  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    don't be shook, installing memory on a g5 imac is the one and only upgrade that is easily do-able by the end user. Don't waste your money getting it installed professionally, read this instead.

    http://www.legitreviews.com/article.php?aid=215&pid=2

    ps: it's not a "maybe", you definitely need more ram. Nobody should be running os x on 256mb, let alone pro tools on top of that. Alas that is apple cutting corners by putting so little stock ram in their product line (new revs have 512mb standard). You will slap yourself silly after you upgrade and realize how much of a difference it makes. Especially considering how cheap a memory upgrade is.

    Wow, that looks so easy that a well-trained chimp, or possibly even yours truly, could do it. And 1GB of RAM is far less than I thought it would be. I'll turn this rig into a hot piece of ass yet!

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,475 Posts
    DO NOT buy memory from Apple--their shit is too expensive. Go with www.ramjet.com I went with them, saved $300 and have never had a problem with my computer. I've had their memory for over a year now and Pro-Tools gets heavy rotation. I got hip to them through some reviews as well as a MacGenius guy I know who likes these toys waaay too much. Good luck Enki!

    This was my next question, too. I saw at the Apple webstore that 1GB of RAM is $300. At RamJet, you can get a pair of 1GB cards as a package deal for $289. It's on and poppin' now!

    Big thanks to all for the info.
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