Ableton Forum

I have a mac g4 powerbook, when i have a lot of clips playing at the same it Ableton seems to get clogged while playing. I'm not sure if I'm explaining correctly... Is there a problem with memory? Any suggestions?

I also use an iBook G4 and ran into the same problem. Check your system specs and compare to the Live 6 requirements. I had to add 1Gb of RAM, which helped tremendously. Also, it may be a good idea to up the buffer size.

Yeah, the manual has a bunch of tips on optimizing performance.

Your laptop HD might not be fast enough to read all of those clips all at the same time. Clicking the "RAM" button in the clip window can load that clip to RAM (if you have enough), easing the strain on your HD access times.

What's the little Processor Load bar look like in the upper right there? above 80% at the times "stuff bogs down"? Using lots of plugins can overload the CPU and "cause stuff to bog down". Just another possibility.

yes it was above 80%... Do I need more ram? What should I do?

thanks

How do I go about getting more ram? Go to the apple store? online? how much $?

Seriously, the G4 is a very obsolete machine. Some RAM might help but I would rather upgrade the whole kit.

I dont think simply slapping in more ram will make a significant dent in that heavy processor load.

Again, the manual goes into a good deal more detail than the forums can do about optimizing performance. You may need to Freeze tracks or learn to live with fewer plugins and clips.
And by all means, render any MIDI Intrument tracks to audio.

househead14 wrote:How do I go about getting more ram? Go to the apple store? online? how much $?

If you do opt to get more RAM, I suggest NOT purchasing through Apple. I suggest www.4allmemory.com - much cheaper.

It is quite easy to install yourself - and you can get detailed instructions from Apple if you need them. Basically, you lift out the keyboard, remove the airport and plug in the RAM.

1 GB will likely be about $100.00USD, assuming you're running on the same machine as I.

Honestly, the gig really did a lot for my system.

I can't believe this computer is obsolete... I bought this computer a year ago at the Apple store in Soho... I was gonna buy the new mac pro but it wasn't out yet and i didn't want to wait... I paid almost 3k before it was all said and done and now it's obsolete

laird wrote:I dont think simply slapping in more ram will make a significant dent in that heavy processor load.

Upgrading from 1GB to 2GB made a big difference in processor load for me, with lots of vst's going. I am guessing the processor load was less because the processor doesn't have to manage as much exchange from the memory <> harddisk...

obsolete is maybe a tad harsh but the G4 chip used is definately long in the tooth, Apple kept on with it because they couldn't get the G5 chip to run cool enough in a laptop in a practical way ... or decided that as they were switching to INtel chips soon. I considered getting a G4 powerbook in 2004 and opted for the Dell Inspiron 9100 because for less money it trounced the G4 on pro audio due to the underpowered G4 chip. Although the apple looked cooler, was half the weight and had a longer battery life, it had less ram, less HD speed, less graphics...

Things that will help you are...1 RAM, 2 HDD what speed does your hdd run at,many G4 powerbooks run at 4200 rpm speed only which will really dent your track count, see if you can get a 5400 or 7200 rpm drive. 3. Try and use an external firewire or USB 2.0 drive to store your audio files and samples on. 4. track freezing.

Adding RAM and external firewire HDD should help.
And don't buy RAM from Apple - waste of money.

Ugggg, ram from apple.....bad vibe....BAD VIBE.........must think happy puppies.......

When I got my imac/intel a year and (a third?) ago, apple was the ONLY place I could get the extra I needed.........bad idea!

In general (and your milage will vary) lappy's don't have the HD that can handle a whole bunch of tracks at once. An external drive is about a 85% necessity for lappy's? Yes?

I have no idea what ram you have or what it would cost for that machine.....

I really don't know much about computers to be honest, so here what i have... So what you guys are saying is add some Ram and get and external hard drive... How do i go about getting this stuff... Someone said don't go to Apple... How much does the exteral drive cost?




Hardware Overview:

Machine Name: PowerBook G4 15"
Machine Model: PowerBook5,8
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (1.5)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 1.67 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 512 KB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 167 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.9.6f0
Serial Number:
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

I don't recall the exact name of it but I believe in your system preferences you can change your energy settings to optimal or highest priority or something like that. it helps alot. also, repair your permissions now and then but you probably know that.