Buffer/CPU load gone bonkers in the middle of a live show

[IvanJones]

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HPRaj ... nkQRf7O4Hb

The video explains everything and shows some of the issue.

Basically I had to cancel the second half of my show, it was really bad.

I have been running live with a 128 bit buffer for six months, zero issue witch cpu load up until about 70-80% when using the cpu load test tone.

I have been running the current version of my performance set for at least two weeks, again with zero buffer or cpu issues. My average load is 24% resting and around 35% when running multiple loopers and playing vst's.

I was in the middle of making a scene of loops when I cut a guitar loop and it came out all sorts of fucked up. Sounded like the buffer was not handling it. The weird thing is that my guitar was playing through just fine, it was only the buffer output that had artifacts. I tried a few times to re-cut the loop and it kept coming out distorted when it began to loop. A minute later, and now my guitar was no longer playing through clean, it was now affected by the buffer issue before AND after the looper. Mind you while all this is happening I am several feet away from my computer only sending midi notes from my stomp to control my looper, absolutely nothing else in the program was touched. I noticed that my CPU load had nearly doubled from what I was used to.

I rebooted ableton and was able to play through and cut loops fine for about thirty seconds when the same issue happened again. Buffer distortion.

I rebooted the computer and tried again. This time, I didn't even get a grace period of clean sound, everything was distorted from the get go.

In testing since then, I have had experiences where the audio decides to work fine for ten to thirty seconds intermittently before going back to the sound of buffer distortion. This happens in the video above.

I am totally at my wit's end. Please help.

Computer Specs:
Core i7 6700HQ @ 2.6Ghz
32GB ram

[[jur]]

Wow that sucks.
Imho it’s worth contacting support@ableton.com so they can analyze your set and setup in details and find out what suddenly changed.
Out of curiosity, was your computer connected to the internet during your live show? Do you have auto-update turn on?

[IvanJones]

I was connected to a closed network for link. No internet access at all at the time it happened, but it does feel like an update went through or something and totally whacked my buffer.

[Mark Williams]

Any virus app running in background possible doing a system scan?

[wearemindflux]

I would always advise an artist or performer to have a backup. Cause it never good to cancel a show for a tech error.

So, just have a usb loaded on a cd deck with some pre made tracks. There you can jam over until you fix the computer.

What third party plug ins are you using.

[chris vine]

Yeh, sorry to say, Looper does do some wierd stuff sometimes - something in the buffer zone. That's my suspicion. Good luck, I hope you get it fixed.

[IvanJones]

I run Massive, Kontakt, FM8, Absynth, Maschine, Waves tune, Antares Harmony Engine Evo, on top of a bunch of Ableton Suite stuff. I had been running all this stuff without a single hiccup for months. I have no antivirus, and there was no active windows update. It is a total mystery to me. My set is still down. Still waiting to hear back about the ticket I put in with support.

[jestermgee]

I'd be doing as much troubleshooting as possible while you wait.

First, what audio interface do you run (hopefully not the built in one on your laptop as that is where i'd place my money on the issue) and do you run ASIO or WASAPI audio drivers? If you don't have an audio interface i'd recommend one. If you do, be sure you have it connected to a dedicated USB port and NOT via a hub. If you have multiple USB ports on each side of your laptop try and see if you have multiple USB hub devices listed in device manager (it means you have different USB drivers and resources for each USB group) and if possible, leave your interface as the only device on a USB hub group. Also, try and uninstall the drivers and reinstall or check for firmware/driver updates.

Next, if you can make the issue occur easily it should be a simple case to then rule out everything that is NOT the issue to narrow things down. I'd start off looking at exactly what plugins cause your CPU load when idle and remove them from the set to see what happens after that and what load you have on your CPU

I would also recommend setting a buffer of 512 or 1024 just to see if it helps with the issue to rule that out as a cause anyway.

Doesn't seem to me to be an issue with load in your project, more a driver or interface problem. Being a laptop have you done proper optimizations for it such as making sure all your Windows power settings for CPU/USB/HDD are all set to MAX and not allowed to throttle? Also, have you simply tried changing your sample rate? For live performance i'd suggest just setting to 44.1Khz / 48Khz. No need to run at 96Khz and some plugins have issues at that rate. No one ever needs to be at 192Khz unless you can intelligently explain why you need to be there

Throw the Live CPU monitor out the window and open Task Manager / Performance Monitor and check each thread, disk access etc to make sure nothing hits red.

My guess is you have an issue with your audio chain/driver/buffer/samplerate settings or a flakey VST. If you have anything that is not "legit" in your VSTs i'd be getting those out of the whole equation completely especially if you are performing live.

As mentioned above, you also need to always consider worst case scenario as if you are being paid to entertain you aren't going to attract a good name if you have to leave an empty stage half way through because you can't play something. I've had issues with a computer lockup in a DJ performance before but always have my phone or an ipad connected with a mixed set, on pause ready to go and have rarely even had more than a "whoaaaayyy" from the crowd before getting things to continue while I do a reset. Basically without that you are jumping out a plane without a reserve shoot.

Placing your trust in all this electronic gear means you need to also learn how to troubleshoot issues when they occur. If you are just sitting waiting for an answer from someone then you will not last long. You should be spending your hours/days tinkering with everything in your chain to learn what is and is not the cause. You will eventually find it and hopefully learn a bit.

Also just another thing to keep in mind when playing at a live venue. You simply do not know what kind of problems there may be with their own equipment. What I mean is when someone hands you a lead to connect to your gear, you have no clue if there is some voltage on that line, phantom power flowing through the lead or poor grounding etc. A pro audio interface will often have some protections and robustness in the circuit to handle these things, a laptop has nothing so can be damaged by transients into the phono output. Not saying that is the case here but be wary and sometimes it is a good idea to have shings like ground loop isolators, filtered power boards etc just to take an extra step. I have seen some performers even bring power conditioners with their gear. If you hahve had no issues until that night then it could be a case of poor equipment.

[IvanJones]

I appreciate your taking the time to write this, but it is almost an insult. I've done the troubleshooting. My software is legit. My hardware is legit. There is no explanation that I can think of for why my interface/CPU/.ALS would have no issue @ 128 bits for months, then decide it can't do it anymore at a very inopportune time.

[jestermgee]

I appreciate your taking the time to write this, but it is almost an insult. I've done the troubleshooting. My software is legit. My hardware is legit. There is no explanation that I can think of for why my interface/CPU/.ALS would have no issue @ 128 bits for months, then decide it can't do it anymore at a very inopportune time.

Ok... sit back and wait for an answer then.

It’s funny how you are insulted by the mention of legitimacy and jump on that tiny part, yet don’t address any questions I asked. When you have issues the worst thing you can do as a troubleshooter is say “well it’s been working fine and now it’s not so nothing makes sense”. There are loads of variables, try and rule things out and try not to be so easily offended in forums when people ask a question. Still have no clue your audio setup