Ableton Forum

Live 7.0.1

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter % (if it bounces around, please list the peak) 47-48%
2) Laptop/Desktop? Make/Model? MacBook Pro 15" 2.4ghz Santa Rosa
3) Operating System? WinXP SP2
4) Ableton Live version? 7.0.1
5) CPU Make, Model, and Speed? Intel Core2Duo 2.4Ghz
6) Amount of Ram? 2GB
7) Soundcard (and driver version if you know it)? RME Fireface 400 - driver 2.7.8.0, firmware 1.65
Hard Disk Drive Speed (if you know)? 5400
9) Number of playback tracks? 8

1 ) Ableton Live CPU Meter = 60%
2 ) 17" MacBook Pro
3 ) OS 10.4.11
4 ) 6.0.10
5 ) 2.4 ghz Intel Core Duo
6 ) 2GB
7 ) M-Audio Fire Wire Audiophile
8 ) HD = 5400 rpm
9 ) Number of playback tracks = 8

OK there's a pattern with OSX and the core 2 macbook pros. People running 2ghz, 2.2, and 2.4Ghz are all more or less reporting the same results. Roughly 60%
Again, tests of this nature that are not to failure will give mixed results. It seems to me that at the OS level OSX is speed stepping the chips, there's no other reason for similar results on machines running different chips.

The problem with running to failure is how do you determine failure? One drop out? A few? Dropouts on initial playback but not subsequent ones? Totally unable to playback?

I think no matter what test we do, there will always be some variability in the reporting. This isn't scientific anyway, just a rough idea for people thinking about upgrading to a new laptop, or those curious about different versions of Live.

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter % 54%
2) Desktop hP pAVILION a1730N
3) Operating System vISTA 32
4) Ableton Live version 6.0.10
5) CPU amd Athalon 64 Dual Core 4600+
6) Amount of Ram 2 GIG
7) Soundcard Emu 0404 Vista beta
8) Hard Disk Drive Speed 5400
9) Number of playback tracks 8

Machinesworking wrote:It seems to me that at the OS level OSX is speed stepping the chips, there's no other reason for similar results on machines running different chips.

Ditto... someone needs to write a SpeedSwitchXP-type app for OS X, or Apple needs to incorporate a control panel similar to 'Power Options' in XP...

The rationale for speed stepping would almost certainly be to keep battery life at a maximum, but there def needs to be an option to ramp CPUs to max for power users who are plugged-in...

Just let some CPU intensive application run at idle/lowest priority in the background (I assume Mac OS knows idle priority) that forces the CPU to its highest stepping. Have that combination run on two differenct CPUs/Macbooks and see if the results differ.

someone needs to write a SpeedSwitchXP-type app for OS X, or Apple needs to incorporate a control panel similar to 'Power Options' in XP..

I'm using coolbook for that :

http://www.coolbook.se/CoolBook.html

it's really useful
Currently i'm running my 2,16 ghz black macbook at 1,83ghz which is enough power for me.
By reducing the CPU voltage, i'm also getting a cooler laptop.

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter: 73-76%
2) Laptop/Desktop? Make/Model: Laptop, Apple MacBook
3) Operating System: OSX 10.4.11
4) Ableton Live version: Live 6.10
5) CPU Make, Model, and Speed: Core 2 Duo, 2.0 gHz
6) Amount of Ram: 2GB
7) Soundcard: FCA202 Behringher, driver Core Audio
Hard Disk Drive Speed: 5400 RPM
9) Number of playback tracks? 8 Tracks

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter: 78-80%
2) Laptop/Desktop? Make/Model: Laptop, Apple MacBook
3) Operating System: OSX 10.4.11
4) Ableton Live version: Live 7.0.1
5) CPU Make, Model, and Speed: Core 2 Duo, 2.0 gHz
6) Amount of Ram: 2GB
7) Soundcard: FCA202 Behringher, driver Core Audio
Hard Disk Drive Speed: 5400 RPM
9) Number of playback tracks? 8 Tracks with crackling, 6 tracks Ok @ 69%

It seems that Tiger 10.4.11 is slower on Live 7 than Live 6.
I'm puzzled.

- Best
- Pasha
[/i]

commuter wrote:

someone needs to write a SpeedSwitchXP-type app for OS X, or Apple needs to incorporate a control panel similar to 'Power Options' in XP..

I'm using coolbook for that :

http://www.coolbook.se/CoolBook.html

it's really useful
Currently i'm running my 2,16 ghz black macbook at 1,83ghz which is enough power for me.
By reducing the CPU voltage, i'm also getting a cooler laptop.

Not supported with Santa Rosa chips. Basically the new line up from Apple.

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter 74%
2) Laptop/Desktop? Make/Model? Desktop Mac G5
3) Operating System? OSX 10.4.11
4) Ableton Live version? 7.0.1
5) CPU Make, Model, and Speed? Dual 1.8 GHz
6) Amount of Ram? 1.25 GB
7) Soundcard MOTU UltraLite
8 ) Hard Disk Drive Speed 7200 RPM
9) Number of playback tracks? 4

no good..

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter 46%
2) Laptop/Desktop? Make/Model? iMac Aluminum
3) Operating System? OSX 10.5.1
4) Ableton Live version? 6.11/7.0.1
5) CPU Make, Model, and Speed? Dual 2.4 GHz
6) Amount of Ram? 3 GB
7) Soundcard Internal
8 ) Hard Disk Drive Speed 7200 RPM
9) Number of playback tracks? 8

Exact same score here for both 6 and 7.

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter 67%
2) Laptop/Desktop? Make/Model? Macbook Pro
3) Operating System? OSX 10.5.1
4) Ableton Live version? 6.11
5) CPU Make, Model, and Speed? Dual 2.33 GHz
6) Amount of Ram? 2 GB
7) Soundcard Internal
8 ) Hard Disk Drive Speed 5400 RPM (same with FW400 7200)
9) Number of playback tracks? 8

I wonder why my macbook pro performance is worse thaan Tarekith, and that much worse than my iMac.

Tarekith,

Are you using coolbook? I don't have the registered version of coolbook (gotta wait for my credit card to open up), but I did install the demo and it (at least) displays for me the processor speed of my macbook pro. The clock speed definitely seems to be jumping (stepping) a lot from 1GHz to 1.6 to 2.3GHz. Everyone else's guess that processor-stepping is affecting performance in Live appears to be true from this observation. I'm just wondering if this (coolbook) is how you obtain your performance number of 50 something % with a 2.13 GHz processor over the 67 to 70 % some of us are getting with faster processors?

1) Ableton Live CPU Meter 49-50%
2) Laptop/Desktop? Make/Model? iMac Aluminum
3) Operating System? WinXP (Professional)
4) Ableton Live version? 6.11/7.0.1
5) CPU Make, Model, and Speed? Dual 2.4 GHz
6) Amount of Ram? 3 GB
7) Soundcard Internal
8 ) Hard Disk Drive Speed 7200 RPM
9) Number of playback tracks? 8

Interestingly, I found that my iMac ran a little bit slower in XP than in OS X. I want to get to the bottom of this performance issue regarding Macbook Pros. I will try using coolbook with my macbook pro when I can and post results. I will also post XP performance results.

1 ) CPU Meter 72%
2 ) Macbook Pro
3 ) OSX 10.4.11
4 ) Ableton Live 7
5 ) Intel Core2Duo 2.16ghz
6 ) 1gb memory
7 )motu ultralite
8 ) 5400rpm HD
9 ) tracks: 8