Hi,
When Live loads, it crashes when I do anything with the sound, e.g. play anything or go in preferences and change sound settings. For about 5 mins, it worked once, but now freezes everytime it loads. Its takes some time to laod (about 15 - 20 seconds) I think this is slow, on my old lappy, it loaded in 5 seconds.
CAN SOMEONE HELP!?!?!
I've recently built a new studio PC, Components as follows:
Hardware:
4U Server Case
700w ATX Power
Intel Quad Core 6600 @ 2.4Ghz
OCZ 4GB 1066MHz PC2-8500 Gold Edition Dual Channel DDR2
Gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3 iP35 Socket 775 Motherboard
Dual 22" widescreen monitors
Presonus Firebox
X-Session
UC-33e
Oxygen 8
Software:
Windows XP Pro SP3
Ableton Live 7.0.14
Drivers:
Nvidia
I've used the presonus firebox with my laptops in the past, but I'm wondering if its issues using a separate PCI firewire card?
For what I'm doing, I dont need the firebox, only 1 Stereo in and 1 Stereo out, so I'm looking to buy a PCI card. MAudio Audiophile 24/96.
Can someone confirm if the problem is soundcard based and not another issue before I buy one.
Also, anyone interested in buying the firebox from me as I don't really need it anymore?
Cheers
Live Freezes after few seconds of load... ***FIXED***
Live Freezes after few seconds of load... ***FIXED***
Last edited by leejones on Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Leejones, this is very VERY interesting, because for a long time now my Live7 has been doing exactly the same thing with my Focusrite Saffire Pro Mixer. I am YET to find a solution, but it is very interesting to note that you are using the Q6600 Processor, as I am using the same. The whole time i have suspected the mixer is at fault, but that may not be the case, given that it works fine with cubase and my flstudio demo. I was wondering, if you DISABLE your VST folder in 'Preferences/use custom vst folder', do you still get the crashes? I am more determined than ever to find a solution to this issue, and for the last hour or so i have had zero crashes with VST'S disabled.
EDIT: In addition, I was wondering if one of the more experienced Ableton users could tell me whether or not A VST could be causing Ableton to crash even if it is not loaded? (for example, just sitting in the custom VST Directory). Cheers.
EDIT: In addition, I was wondering if one of the more experienced Ableton users could tell me whether or not A VST could be causing Ableton to crash even if it is not loaded? (for example, just sitting in the custom VST Directory). Cheers.
hey PsYkeR,
thanks for your reply..... No, my VST folder is off... HOWEVER, i've just disabled Multicore Processor and it seems to work!!!!! only tried a few samples, we've gone back to using the MAC lappy for this evening.
Can u disable multicore processor on yours and see if it fixes? £124.99 down the drain if it fixes the problem!!! haha....
thanks for your reply..... No, my VST folder is off... HOWEVER, i've just disabled Multicore Processor and it seems to work!!!!! only tried a few samples, we've gone back to using the MAC lappy for this evening.
Can u disable multicore processor on yours and see if it fixes? £124.99 down the drain if it fixes the problem!!! haha....
Hi LeeJones. Yeah, I tried disabling the multicore processing a while back, and Ableton continued to crash regularly! It's not a crash persay, for me it just slows to a stop and i need to turn the saffire off and then back on again. VERY frustrating though! If it IS the processor, i'll be pretty shat off. I bought the Q6600 because i'd read that it might be ideal for this kind of situation = )
Just so we can find out/trade some more information to try and source the problem, I'm running Windows XP SP2. I've disabled MIDI in the hope that it will help alleviate the crashes, but it hasnt helped. I was really hoping disabling the VST'S would help, because it appears to have made a difference for me, but i guess it may just be a matter of time before it happens again!
As a side note i switched to MME sound (instead of ASIO) to see if it would help. There were no crashes for quite some time ( a few hours) then an inevitable crash came when i was mucking around with Abletons Beatrepeat. It appears that, when i set my latency higher (up around 20ms instead of ~4ms the crashes are fewer, but still often.
There is a thread or two with people with the same problem and still no solution. I'm so bummed!
EDIT: I guess the good news is, Your Presonus MAY not be at fault, given that my Focusrite is having the same problem!
SECOND EDIT: UH OH- we might be in a bit of trouble. ive done a search on the Intel Q6600 CPU on this forum, and there appears to be a few threads regarding people having problems with it....
Just so we can find out/trade some more information to try and source the problem, I'm running Windows XP SP2. I've disabled MIDI in the hope that it will help alleviate the crashes, but it hasnt helped. I was really hoping disabling the VST'S would help, because it appears to have made a difference for me, but i guess it may just be a matter of time before it happens again!
As a side note i switched to MME sound (instead of ASIO) to see if it would help. There were no crashes for quite some time ( a few hours) then an inevitable crash came when i was mucking around with Abletons Beatrepeat. It appears that, when i set my latency higher (up around 20ms instead of ~4ms the crashes are fewer, but still often.
There is a thread or two with people with the same problem and still no solution. I'm so bummed!
EDIT: I guess the good news is, Your Presonus MAY not be at fault, given that my Focusrite is having the same problem!
SECOND EDIT: UH OH- we might be in a bit of trouble. ive done a search on the Intel Q6600 CPU on this forum, and there appears to be a few threads regarding people having problems with it....
Okay, i can now CONFIRM that live will STILL crash even with the vst folder disabled. What a bummer! I'm really starting to run out of ideas, so many other people suggest that the Q6600 runs FINE on their machines. Other suggestions in those previous threads were to try and avoid IRQ sharing (this thread here http://forum.ableton.com//viewtopic.php ... highlight=) And also to load optimised settings in our computer's BIOS.
Last but not least, could it possibly be the PCI Firewire cards we are using, or perhaps interference from our USB devices? OR Maybe even our graphics cards? im using a GeForce 8800GT PCIe card.
Any luck yet on your end leejones?
Josh
Last but not least, could it possibly be the PCI Firewire cards we are using, or perhaps interference from our USB devices? OR Maybe even our graphics cards? im using a GeForce 8800GT PCIe card.
Any luck yet on your end leejones?
Josh
[/img]hey...
this is a depressing problem! lol. i too bought the cpu because it was recommended for this type of application.
I forgot to mention the graphics card I am using.... Geforce 9600GT 512mb PC.
I'm not totally technical on IRQs and sorting out conflicts but my DJ partner has an PCI audiophile 2496, he's going to bring it round tonight and i'll unplug the firewire and extra usb PCI cards from my motherboard. I'll check the IRQs in bios for any conflicts and let you know what happens... See if that will help the problem.
Whats crazy is that my pc runs ridiculously fast with all other programmes with no glitches! its just ableton.... arghhhh. lol...
If you have anymore news, let me know. I use msn everyday if you wanna chat about it in more details. [email protected]
Cheers....
this is a depressing problem! lol. i too bought the cpu because it was recommended for this type of application.
I forgot to mention the graphics card I am using.... Geforce 9600GT 512mb PC.
I'm not totally technical on IRQs and sorting out conflicts but my DJ partner has an PCI audiophile 2496, he's going to bring it round tonight and i'll unplug the firewire and extra usb PCI cards from my motherboard. I'll check the IRQs in bios for any conflicts and let you know what happens... See if that will help the problem.
Whats crazy is that my pc runs ridiculously fast with all other programmes with no glitches! its just ableton.... arghhhh. lol...
If you have anymore news, let me know. I use msn everyday if you wanna chat about it in more details. [email protected]
Cheers....
Hi LeeJones! Thanks very much for getting back to me.
The great news is, I've done some research, and the Q6600 is not only compatible with Live, but i hear its a great choice. This means its not likely our processors are the source of the problem!
The important thing to remember is WE ARE NOT ALONE, there are others out there describing the EXACT same problem as us! I feel like we're closing to figuring this one out. I'm going to spend some more time tomorrow researching this one.
Just to bring you up to speed, i can confirm that live continues to crash even IF:
* I remove all MIDI devices
* I run Direct X instead of ASIO drivers
* turn on/off multicore processing in ableton
* disable all VST's
* reformat computer
* reinstall ableton
Some ideas i am going to test in the coming days:
* running my saffire pro through other peoples computers
* testing a new firewire PCI card and or firewire cable
* try to learn more about the potential problems arising from the IRQ double ups.
* Maybe look into trying a new graphics card? (i KNOW, it's a VERY long shot, but so far everyone having this issue has been running Geforce 8600GT graphics cards and above!)
Wish me luck, and ANYONE with any feedback regarding these crashes, PLEASE drop us a PM or a reply on this thread!
See you tomorrow
Josh
The great news is, I've done some research, and the Q6600 is not only compatible with Live, but i hear its a great choice. This means its not likely our processors are the source of the problem!
The important thing to remember is WE ARE NOT ALONE, there are others out there describing the EXACT same problem as us! I feel like we're closing to figuring this one out. I'm going to spend some more time tomorrow researching this one.
Just to bring you up to speed, i can confirm that live continues to crash even IF:
* I remove all MIDI devices
* I run Direct X instead of ASIO drivers
* turn on/off multicore processing in ableton
* disable all VST's
* reformat computer
* reinstall ableton
Some ideas i am going to test in the coming days:
* running my saffire pro through other peoples computers
* testing a new firewire PCI card and or firewire cable
* try to learn more about the potential problems arising from the IRQ double ups.
* Maybe look into trying a new graphics card? (i KNOW, it's a VERY long shot, but so far everyone having this issue has been running Geforce 8600GT graphics cards and above!)
Wish me luck, and ANYONE with any feedback regarding these crashes, PLEASE drop us a PM or a reply on this thread!
See you tomorrow
Josh
Hey Josh,
Thanks for the message... I know its hardware so i wasnt going to bother with a reformat again. All I will try later is:
Remove Firewire PCI card
Remove USB PCI card
Uninstall everything to do with the firebox
Then load bios and check no doubling up on IRQs at this stage.
Then Install PCI audiophile 24/96. Install drivers, then reload Ableton.
This will completely rule out the firewire / USB PCI cards. If it still crashes, I'll look to try a different graphics card because there is no on board on the motherboard. I don't know anything about graphics cards so could do with some guidance here.
It'll be good if other people with the same problem will report on here so we can solve this problem soon.
Let see what happens later,
leejones
Thanks for the message... I know its hardware so i wasnt going to bother with a reformat again. All I will try later is:
Remove Firewire PCI card
Remove USB PCI card
Uninstall everything to do with the firebox
Then load bios and check no doubling up on IRQs at this stage.
Then Install PCI audiophile 24/96. Install drivers, then reload Ableton.
This will completely rule out the firewire / USB PCI cards. If it still crashes, I'll look to try a different graphics card because there is no on board on the motherboard. I don't know anything about graphics cards so could do with some guidance here.
It'll be good if other people with the same problem will report on here so we can solve this problem soon.
Let see what happens later,
leejones
Hi LeeJones! MY saffire pro appears to work fine with zero crashes with ableton live on a friends XPS Dell laptop system (did not get to test extensively, but tried to throw everything i could at it and got much further than i can on my machine). I've tried a new USB cable but no luck; i dont have any other firewire cards so cannot test on that front. How have you gone?
Josh
Josh
hey josh...
Ok, a few developments...
I didnt get to try the delta audiophile 24/96 last night. I'm doing that this afternoon.
However, I think I've realised the problem. I believe it definitely is IRQ conflicts. Like I mentioned before, I dont fully understand the IRQ settings, in my BIOS, it shows the 3 PCI ports and allows "auto" or manually assign IRQ. There are all set to auto. For PCI slot 1, nothing is assigned, however, slots 1 and 2 mention different USB / firewire sharing?? my firewire card was connected on slot 2! I disconnected both my firewire and usb expansion pci cards and turned on the onboard sound card.
In ableton, i selected MME and loaded a track into ableton. I set a loop on it and ran ableton with absolutely no problems with regards to freezing.
I am not techy enough to sort out the IRQs, however with PCI slot 1 not having anything already pre-assigned, I'm going to try the delta audiophile 24/96 in it. I have a feeling it will work.
I'll try and post a snapshot of my bios on the IRQ page to show what i mean incase someone can explain to me.
Its defo not the CPU!!!! thank god! lol.
I'm selling my Firebox for sure so i'll set up another post if anyones interested in it.
Hope this helps a little and we can sort the problem!
leejones
Ok, a few developments...
I didnt get to try the delta audiophile 24/96 last night. I'm doing that this afternoon.
However, I think I've realised the problem. I believe it definitely is IRQ conflicts. Like I mentioned before, I dont fully understand the IRQ settings, in my BIOS, it shows the 3 PCI ports and allows "auto" or manually assign IRQ. There are all set to auto. For PCI slot 1, nothing is assigned, however, slots 1 and 2 mention different USB / firewire sharing?? my firewire card was connected on slot 2! I disconnected both my firewire and usb expansion pci cards and turned on the onboard sound card.
In ableton, i selected MME and loaded a track into ableton. I set a loop on it and ran ableton with absolutely no problems with regards to freezing.
I am not techy enough to sort out the IRQs, however with PCI slot 1 not having anything already pre-assigned, I'm going to try the delta audiophile 24/96 in it. I have a feeling it will work.
I'll try and post a snapshot of my bios on the IRQ page to show what i mean incase someone can explain to me.
Its defo not the CPU!!!! thank god! lol.
I'm selling my Firebox for sure so i'll set up another post if anyones interested in it.
Hope this helps a little and we can sort the problem!
leejones
Hi LeeJones! That's a phenomenal breakthrough. I'm stoked that you may have found a solution!
The interesting thing is, I, too have discovered I can run onboard sound using ASIO4ALL drivers without any problems in Ableton. The bad news is, im quite dependent on my Saffire for not just super low latency, but also recording my drums and midi keyboard into the ableton set!
Normally, my onboard sound is completely disabled. I seem to notice a correlation between ableton crashing and other services (for example Youtube or Left For Dead) trying to use the soundcard. Maybe ableton and other services which use audio cannot be running at the same time? Strange, because when im running onboard sound this is not a problem.
Interestingly, when i switch to onboard sound but still have the saffire plugged in, i continue to get mega crashes (BSOD's even!)
I will have a look in the BIOS and see what options I have. Unfortunately, I don't have any other options then the saffire pro (i certainly wont be selling it and buying a new card, and as a full time student i have shit all cash!). Hopefully There are some options on my MOBO BIOS for changing IRQ's. Wish me luck (with a bit of luck i wont destroy my computer)
Let me know if you can post a snapshot of your bios on the IRQ page.
Cheers for working through this with me! I wonder where everyone else has gone who was having this problem? Hopefully they haven't given up. we MUST be getting close!
EDIT- Also, if it helps anyone who is reading this and trying to help us find a solution, I can confirm that the Double Dawg and PCI Latency testing tools both my PC Crash (not just ableton, the whole thing). Could this mean there might be an IRQ conflict?
SECOND EDIT- I've found a thread or two where people suggest that switching to a texas instrument chipset firewire card has solved their problems 'eg, djp on THIS thread is having the exact same style crashes as us). http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... hlight=irq . MAN I hope this doesn't end up costing me much. In regional Australia is hard to get my hands on new gear!
THIRD EDIT- URRGGHHH!! This guy over on THIS thread http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... hlight=irq claims to have found a solution. but the link he provides goes to a site you have to PAY for to access! What a load! FRUSTRATING, hahaha.
The interesting thing is, I, too have discovered I can run onboard sound using ASIO4ALL drivers without any problems in Ableton. The bad news is, im quite dependent on my Saffire for not just super low latency, but also recording my drums and midi keyboard into the ableton set!
Normally, my onboard sound is completely disabled. I seem to notice a correlation between ableton crashing and other services (for example Youtube or Left For Dead) trying to use the soundcard. Maybe ableton and other services which use audio cannot be running at the same time? Strange, because when im running onboard sound this is not a problem.
Interestingly, when i switch to onboard sound but still have the saffire plugged in, i continue to get mega crashes (BSOD's even!)
I will have a look in the BIOS and see what options I have. Unfortunately, I don't have any other options then the saffire pro (i certainly wont be selling it and buying a new card, and as a full time student i have shit all cash!). Hopefully There are some options on my MOBO BIOS for changing IRQ's. Wish me luck (with a bit of luck i wont destroy my computer)
Let me know if you can post a snapshot of your bios on the IRQ page.
Cheers for working through this with me! I wonder where everyone else has gone who was having this problem? Hopefully they haven't given up. we MUST be getting close!
EDIT- Also, if it helps anyone who is reading this and trying to help us find a solution, I can confirm that the Double Dawg and PCI Latency testing tools both my PC Crash (not just ableton, the whole thing). Could this mean there might be an IRQ conflict?
SECOND EDIT- I've found a thread or two where people suggest that switching to a texas instrument chipset firewire card has solved their problems 'eg, djp on THIS thread is having the exact same style crashes as us). http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... hlight=irq . MAN I hope this doesn't end up costing me much. In regional Australia is hard to get my hands on new gear!
THIRD EDIT- URRGGHHH!! This guy over on THIS thread http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... hlight=irq claims to have found a solution. but the link he provides goes to a site you have to PAY for to access! What a load! FRUSTRATING, hahaha.