Need help with audio dropp outs.

[ninja rabbit]

Heya all.
Ok first off: I'm totally new both to this forum and to music software, so please have patience with me and forgive my lack of knowledge.

So I've set up the Ableton demo, and started to try to recreate some songs I like, just to get to know the software. But the intro strings I've wrote suddenly just wouldn't play. Or bits of it does get played.. sometimes..

The strings where just template sound, played with the built in Instrument Rack.
The CPU load never goes above 15%.
I'm running a MacBook Pro, OS X 10.6.7. Don't know the name of the music card, and don't know where to look for it, but it's the standard one that came with the computer..

So anyone know what causes this and how I can fix it? Would really appreciate the help.

Oh also, don't know if its relevant but after the string-intro sequence (the bit that drops out) the real song starts with drums, synth bases and stuff, a lot more sounds but I don't experience any problems with that bit. Is this an indication that the music card is not responsible for the drop outs?

Cheers!

[markmakingmusic]

Hmm...are you using any sort of audio interface, speaker setup or just headphones from the internal output?

Are the strings a CPU intensive patch using the Essential Instruments Collection (EIC)? The EIC samples can be VERY processor intensive. Have you adjusted your latency settings according to the Ableton manual?

I mean, if its a new MacBook Pro, that shouldn't be a problem considering your CPU never goes higher than 15%. How much RAM is installed in that bad boy?

Try a restart?

[ninja rabbit]

Yeah, I'm usually using my headphones, but the problem remains even without them. Other then that, just built in speakers.

EIC, is that the instrument package that comes with Suite? Because I only got Live and the strings I use is called Strings-Baroque (It's found under: Live Devices -> Instruments -> Instrument Rack -> Synth Strings -> Strings-Baroque). The first part of the intro is just the strings and the CPU load is 8-9% which doesn't seem very much to me.

And yes I have adjusted the latency settings but without any improvement.

My Mac got a 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor and 4 GB RAM.

Restarts doesn't do anything. I have found a way to restore the sound though. Every time I start Ableton and/or load the session I have to re-select the Baroque strings for the intro sequence. But this mean that all effects and my tweakings of the sound is just swiped away and the sound is reset to the default template, so that really just feels like a "Quick, hand me that duct tape"-kinda solution.

[markmakingmusic]

Hmm...I'm not sure what could be causing the dropouts. I assume your Ableton is updated to the most current patch version?

Out of curiosity, what effects are you using on the patch? Any VST's or just built in Ableton devices? If you ARE using VST's I would bet that that is where your problem lies. I had a lot of problems with the Waves plugins and simply gave up with them (they work fine in Logic Studio).

If you are just using regular Ableton effects, which ones are you using?

[ninja rabbit]

Yeah most recent update, (as far as I know) 8.2.2.

I don't use any VST's, and the effects I laid on top of the strings were just some Vinyl Distortion. But I think you misunderstood me slightly; the strings doesn't need the added effect to get the audio to drop out, it drops out even with just the pure, untempered string template. It's so weird..