[Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
Rivanni
Posts: 905
Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2016 12:30 pm

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by Rivanni » Sun Jan 05, 2025 11:57 pm

How is your audio interface connected? Do you use a passive/powered USB/Thunderbolt hub? If so, see if directly connecting the interface to the Mac solves the problem.

Grant Livesay
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Feb 23, 2025 5:50 am

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by Grant Livesay » Sun Feb 23, 2025 6:00 am

Just chiming in to say this problem is still present and has interrupted ***several*** professional sessions at this point. Maxed out Mac Studio M2 user here on Sonoma with a thunderbolt chain of two Apollo x8ps, a gen 2 Apollo x16, and an Apollo x4 plus 34 additional channels over ADAT and S/PDIF. Never had any issues until a couple of days ago when I upgraded UAD software. My inclination is that the issue is on UAD's side, but still, bumping this to let folks on Ableton 12 know it's still a problem and can stop a paid session dead in its tracks out of the blue. To everyone still active on this topic, what interfaces are you using? Somebody mentioned Komplete Kontrol but I think that's not been supported for quite a few years now... t'would be interesting if we're all experiencing this on UAD products... Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread and thanks in advance to those who continue contributing.

bellasonic
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Oct 31, 2024 12:26 am

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by bellasonic » Thu Mar 27, 2025 5:31 am

Still very much of an issue for me as well. Maxed out M2 with Sonoma. UAD 8p with satellite. Many interrupted studio sessions and completely unreliable system for performance purposes at this point. Besides this thread, there are multiple threads on the UAD forum as well as the Logic forum and Reddit. Definitely seems to point to a UAD update but numerous support tickets have been opened and no one on the UAD thread has reported any reliable, long term workarounds. Obviously for those of us that have the issue, switching the mic mode back and forth has been tried many, many times to no avail. Several reports also state that it is still happening in Sequoia so upgrading won't get us there either. Total dead end for me. After trying everything I could find online, I have opened a ticket with UAD as well. If I get anywhere I'll report back.

ct309
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2025 4:17 pm

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by ct309 » Mon Jul 07, 2025 4:22 pm

I've been wrestling with this incredibly frustrating problem as well, Macbook Air M2 Sequoia.

Support has been wasting my time telling me it's Dropbox, folders in my library, etc. All useless solutions. I have the flashing microphone thing and unfortunately disabling Ableton's microphone access via the security preference didn't help. I also have the Ableton audio input device set to No Input. Also tried disconnecting my interface, hub, and just using macbook's internal audio.

There's nothing worse than spending a ton of money on a computer and software, being hit with a wave of creativity, and then just having Ableton take a complete crap while I'm working. I might as well throw this whole setup in the trash - it basically ALWAYS has this issue.

And also I don't use any UAD plugins or gear. I'd open a ticket with a plugin manufacturer if I could trace it to any single company but I haven't noticed anything to indicate its a specific plugin or vendor at this point. And nothing Ableton suggested so far has worked.

cids
Posts: 965
Joined: Fri Jul 16, 2004 5:53 pm
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by cids » Mon Jul 07, 2025 4:33 pm

You need to enable Ableton’s access not disable

https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/artic ... e-on-macOS

You can disable it for any other apps that don’t need audio input
Mac Studio M2 Max and MacBook Pro M4

Genelec M030; Live 12 latest and beta; macOS 27 Golden Gate
UAD Apollo Twin

Ableton Push 2

ct309
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2025 4:17 pm

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by ct309 » Wed Jul 09, 2025 6:37 am

I wonder if there is anything else we all have in common who are experiencing this issue. Could it be something else?

I'm using a lot of instances of Serum.

But everything will run smoothly for a while and then completely get hung up with this issue. Sometimes it passes quickly, other times I can't get it to go away for a long time.

Currently can't get any work done as my session is bouncing around 100% CPU even just sitting idle. It can't play back at all.

siliconarc
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Location: UK
Contact:

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by siliconarc » Wed Jul 09, 2025 9:34 am

ct309 wrote:
Wed Jul 09, 2025 6:37 am
I wonder if there is anything else we all have in common who are experiencing this issue.
which audio interface are you using?

ct309
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2025 4:17 pm

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by ct309 » Wed Jul 09, 2025 2:43 pm

I'm using a Scarlett 2i2, just standard Mac coreaudio drivers. But the issue occurs even with the interface disconnected and using the mac's internal speakers as well so it doesn't seem to be that.

ct309
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2025 4:17 pm

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by ct309 » Thu Jul 10, 2025 8:09 pm

I am thinking this microphone icon issue is not actually related to the problem and is just a symptom.

Since I've disabled its permission in settings and have no input set in Ableton, I still get the devouring CPU issue, but I never see the microphone icon flash anymore. I think that was just happening because of Ableton's glitching for some other reason.

ct309
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jul 07, 2025 4:17 pm

Re: [Video]Ableton12 devoured CPU as Mac microphone usage icon flashing

Post by ct309 » Mon Jul 14, 2025 5:14 am

Does anyone find any correlation to bringing up views of plugins on the screen? Sometimes it happens seemingly unrelated but VERY often the problem is triggered when I pop up plugins or channels (no specific ones) on the screen.

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