Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

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cosmosray
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:26 pm

Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by cosmosray » Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:26 am

Good people,

I am loving Live 9. Very nice features and improvements all around!

I installed the 64 bit version since I have 8Gb of RAM on a MacBook Pro i7 running OS X 10.8.2.

For whatever reason I am getting some buffer issues when running a few midi tracks with Komplete 8 Ultimate devices (Ie Massive, Absynth and FM8). I have 6 tracks in total with only 1 plug in on the send/return channel A. I am getting some jitter/digi artifacts with cpu % around 30% at buffer size 64. samples. If I raise it to 128, 256, 512 etc it gets totally distorted. If I move it to 32 it is ok but a lil worse that 64.

Has anyone experienced this? I am considering installing the 32 bit version but hate to do that given I have 8Gb of RAM. So to be clear my audio engine sounds best at 32 and 64 sample buffer sizes but total craps out on anything above or below. Any thoughts or suggestions?

thanks,
cosmos

schullermusik
Posts: 44
Joined: Mon Jan 28, 2013 4:09 pm

Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by schullermusik » Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:53 am

Turn WiFi off and back on. It's an OS X bug.

istlota
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 10:25 am
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Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by istlota » Mon Mar 11, 2013 7:28 am

I'll start out by admitting that my computer is CPU and RAM challenged. I have a 2007 Macbook with a 4G ram limit --- only 3 of that is used and I doubt that more than 2 G of that is used efficiently. The CPU is a 64 bit Intel, and Snow Leopard supports 64 bit, but my boot up kernel only supports 32 bit. I know I am rapidly approaching the day when I will have to bite the bullet and invest in another computer. But I am a retiree on a fixed SS income, so I have to push back such things until the bloody end.

Even worse, one of my favorite E-instruments is a rack containing two CPU hogs --- Guitar-Heat-Mixer(Amped) and Strings-Synth-Viola. I get this wild Hendrix/Miles Davis lead tone with that, but as with a real world guitar, it requires liberal note bending which only makes the aforementioned CPU/RAM limitations worse.

I explained all that to underscore that my computer is always on the verge of falling off the CPU/RAM cliff into complete and total meltdown. That said, I have been comparing performance between Live 8 standard and the live 9 time limited demo. What I have found is that 9 is a bit more CPU intensive, at least on my computer with the stuff I do. Freezing midi tracks, and Collect And Save [I use a SSD to offset limited RAM with a faster drive] helps significantly, but it is still clear that, all else being equal, 9 sucks up a bit more CPU than 8. It is my perception as well that TSHTF once the CPU rises above 30%.

Guillermo Barrancos
Posts: 290
Joined: Tue Mar 05, 2013 8:05 am

Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by Guillermo Barrancos » Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:55 am

istlota wrote:I'll start out by admitting that my computer is CPU and RAM challenged. I have a 2007 Macbook with a 4G ram limit --- only 3 of that is used and I doubt that more than 2 G of that is used efficiently. The CPU is a 64 bit Intel, and Snow Leopard supports 64 bit, but my boot up kernel only supports 32 bit. I know I am rapidly approaching the day when I will have to bite the bullet and invest in another computer. But I am a retiree on a fixed SS income, so I have to push back such things until the bloody end.

Even worse, one of my favorite E-instruments is a rack containing two CPU hogs --- Guitar-Heat-Mixer(Amped) and Strings-Synth-Viola. I get this wild Hendrix/Miles Davis lead tone with that, but as with a real world guitar, it requires liberal note bending which only makes the aforementioned CPU/RAM limitations worse.

I explained all that to underscore that my computer is always on the verge of falling off the CPU/RAM cliff into complete and total meltdown. That said, I have been comparing performance between Live 8 standard and the live 9 time limited demo. What I have found is that 9 is a bit more CPU intensive, at least on my computer with the stuff I do. Freezing midi tracks, and Collect And Save helps significantly, but it is still clear that, all else being equal, 9 sucks up a bit more CPU than 8. It is my perception as well that TSHTF once the CPU rises above 30%.


I have exactly the same MacBook Pro lying at home dusting away hehe.
The Intel Chipsets on those MacBooks of that time were Limited to 3GB of RAM.
Add to that, that Bootcamp on those Mac's only supported 32bit Windows.
So Yeah it was a bit sad, to be able to run Snow Leopard 64bit and Windows only in 32bit.
But then again, with the 3GB RAM limit, running 64bit is pointless anyway.

Bunky Freaks
Posts: 192
Joined: Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:45 am

Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by Bunky Freaks » Mon Mar 11, 2013 10:58 am

For whatever reason I am getting some buffer issues when running a few midi tracks with Komplete 8 Ultimate devices (Ie Massive, Absynth and FM8). I have 6 tracks in total with only 1 plug in on the send/return channel A. I am getting some jitter/digi artifacts with cpu % around 30% at buffer size 64. samples. If I raise it to 128, 256, 512 etc it gets totally distorted. If I move it to 32 it is ok but a lil worse that 64.

Has anyone experienced this? I am considering installing the 32 bit version but hate to do that given I have 8Gb of RAM. So to be clear my audio engine sounds best at 32 and 64 sample buffer sizes but total craps out on anything above or below. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Did you change the audio/plugin buffersize without an application restart?

Try to restart Live after any changes to the audio settings were made and see if that helps with the audio distortion/performance. At least on windows changing any audio related settings on-the-fly with projects running in my experience resulted in some very strange performance behavior.

Whirly
Posts: 19
Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:37 pm
Location: Oslo
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Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by Whirly » Mon Mar 11, 2013 11:54 am

I have the same problem in both 32 and 64 bit.

My post from this weekend: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=190597&p=1488529&hi ... s#p1488529
https://soundcloud.com/vbre/a-sense-of- ... t-panumoon
MacPro 8 core l 4 GB ram l OSX 10.7.5
Ableton Live Suite 9
Steinberg MR816x
Yamaha S90 l Novation 25SL

cosmosray
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:26 pm

Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by cosmosray » Mon Mar 11, 2013 3:14 pm

schullermusik wrote:Turn WiFi off and back on. It's an OS X bug.
Thanks I will try this tonite!

cosmosray
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:26 pm

Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by cosmosray » Mon Mar 11, 2013 3:15 pm

Bunky Freaks wrote:
For whatever reason I am getting some buffer issues when running a few midi tracks with Komplete 8 Ultimate devices (Ie Massive, Absynth and FM8). I have 6 tracks in total with only 1 plug in on the send/return channel A. I am getting some jitter/digi artifacts with cpu % around 30% at buffer size 64. samples. If I raise it to 128, 256, 512 etc it gets totally distorted. If I move it to 32 it is ok but a lil worse that 64.

Has anyone experienced this? I am considering installing the 32 bit version but hate to do that given I have 8Gb of RAM. So to be clear my audio engine sounds best at 32 and 64 sample buffer sizes but total craps out on anything above or below. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Did you change the audio/plugin buffersize without an application restart?

Try to restart Live after any changes to the audio settings were made and see if that helps with the audio distortion/performance. At least on windows changing any audio related settings on-the-fly with projects running in my experience resulted in some very strange performance behavior.
I did restart Live and even the computer and audio interface a couple times to no avail. Thanks!

cosmosray
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Dec 29, 2012 7:26 pm

Re: Buffer Size issue Ableton Live 9 64 bit

Post by cosmosray » Mon Mar 11, 2013 3:17 pm

Whirly wrote:I have the same problem in both 32 and 64 bit.

My post from this weekend: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=190597&p=1488529&hi ... s#p1488529


Just checked your post. I havent tried it in Live 8 since installing Live 9 64 bit. That said I didnt have this issue with Live 8. I'll update you late when I can give it a try.

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