Ableton Forum

So I've got a Pavilion laptop, 2x64 AMD and 2 gigs memory. And the vicious Vista Premium. I am using the LE version.

Has anyone else here had problems with songs taking ages to load? I mean once they are loaded up they work fine enough (occasional crashes when trying to save them, actually sometimes midi tracks randomly disappear) and the CPU meter is nearly always below 40, usually less, due to the limitations of the effects and tracks.

When I mean "takes ages" I mean that it takes a few honest-to-God MINUTES for the thing to load... Meanwhile Live has the courtesy to tell me "not responding" at the top of the screen.

I want to get the full version, but am reluctant to because of these ongoing problems.

I am using USB FAST TRACK pro and oxygen 8 controllers.

My only guess at speeding things up would be to replace the whole HDD with a 7200rpm model... And I can expect your replies already ("get rid of Vista") but I don't really want to. I think Ableton should be able to get it together soon. Or???

Our other machine, an XPS single core with 2 gigs and stripped down version of XP works like lighting (also using fireface 400) on the full version of Live6.

HELP!!

superiorinferior wrote:I think Ableton should be able to get it together soon. Or???

Right: "Able"ton should be able to do anything.

superiorinferior wrote: Our other machine, an XPS single core with 2 gigs and stripped down version of XP works like lighting (also using fireface 400) on the full version of Live6.

Did you try to load the same songs on that other machine?

joewes wrote:

superiorinferior wrote:I think Ableton should be able to get it together soon. Or???

Right: "Able"ton should be able to do anything.

superiorinferior wrote: Our other machine, an XPS single core with 2 gigs and stripped down version of XP works like lighting (also using fireface 400) on the full version of Live6.

Did you try to load the same songs on that other machine?

No, haven't tried that.

Another thing is I have a bunch of plugins in folders but LE only lets you use 1 plugin per project, so that shouldn't be an issue, should it?

I read in a recent posting that one plugin in particular (FreqAnalyst) was causing havoc, however I don't have that one so it is moot.

Have you checked the sticky thread "Live 5.2.x & 6.x Audio Unit and VST Status"?

joewes wrote:Have you checked the sticky thread "Live 5.2.x & 6.x Audio Unit and VST Status"?

Yes, and it appears I have no issues. Although I must say I don't know what half of them pertain to. Perhaps Mac stuff?

I just can't figure it out!


The songs take AGES to load. I am talking 2-3 minutes each. And this is the LE version, so not too many effects, scenes or plugins. Something is just wrong.

I have integrated video NVIDIA GeForce Go 6150 but since I have 2 gigs of memory it shouldn't be that big a deal.

I get the feeling that it is just conflicts with Vista, which I would prefer not abandoning just yet.

OK. I am at the point where I could go ahead and buy Live6 full version and hope that Vista compatibility will come within the next few months but on the other hand I could plonk down 200 bucks for a XP pro and then save pennies for Live a few months down the line (probably only to see that would then be Vista compatible).

I guess my questions remain:

1) Has anyone else here with Vista had the slow loading problem (and occasional "Not Responding" times when saving files or changing songs)?

2) Is there any timeline that Ableton can give about when Vista will be fully supported?

3) Have I made a mistake by investing in Ableton, when it doesn't seem to be able to keep up with new tech? I mean not to insult, I just want something that works like it did on XP.

Hi,

Sometimes a corrupted Preference file is causing this kind of problems. Do the following: locate the Preferences.cfg file, rename it, and restart Live. The Live will create a new Preferences.cfg file, and the Preferences will obviously be reset. If it solves the problem, you can set again your prefered settings in the Preferences and delete the previously renamed Preferences.cfg file. It should be located there:

c:/users/username/appdata/roaming/ableton/....

This folder may be hidden by default.

Regards,
Amaury

Amaury wrote:Hi,

Sometimes a corrupted Preference file is causing this kind of problems. Do the following: locate the Preferences.cfg file, rename it, and restart Live. The Live will create a new Preferences.cfg file, and the Preferences will obviously be reset. If it solves the problem, you can set again your prefered settings in the Preferences and delete the previously renamed Preferences.cfg file. It should be located there:

c:/users/username/appdata/roaming/ableton/....

This folder may be hidden by default.

Regards,
Amaury

OK!

That sounds like a start. When I get home I will try that. I guess it doesn't matter what I rename it to? I don't suppose I should just delete it?

Thanks!

Amaury wrote:Hi,

Sometimes a corrupted Preference file is causing this kind of problems. Do the following: locate the Preferences.cfg file, rename it, and restart Live. The Live will create a new Preferences.cfg file, and the Preferences will obviously be reset. If it solves the problem, you can set again your prefered settings in the Preferences and delete the previously renamed Preferences.cfg file. It should be located there:

c:/users/username/appdata/roaming/ableton/....

This folder may be hidden by default.

Regards,
Amaury

Hmm...

I tried doing it, but Ableton wouldn't allow me to change that folder in any way. Not renaming nor deleting. Nothin'.

Still loads really slowly. I wonder if a reinstallation might help?

Hi,

No, if it's about the Preferences file, a re-installation wil use the same file as now. What do you mean by 'Ableton wouldn't allow me to change that folder in any way'? This operation I suggested must happen while Live is closed, and it's Windows you'll have to deal with. Can you see the folder? The file?

Regards,
Amaury

Amaury wrote:Hi,

No, if it's about the Preferences file, a re-installation wil use the same file as now. What do you mean by 'Ableton wouldn't allow me to change that folder in any way'? This operation I suggested must happen while Live is closed, and it's Windows you'll have to deal with. Can you see the folder? The file?

Regards,
Amaury

Welll sheeiiit... Why didn't you say so in the first place ....

Forgive my moronity. Yes I did try finding the files in windows first but yes they are hidden. very hidden.

When I then tried to find them in Ableton, of course, I could not touch the folder even though I could see it.

I will try "un-hiding" the files after I get my Masters Degree in Vista.

Stand by for update on my progress... And thanks for your patience.

OK, I went in and found the hidden files, changed the Preferences file to Preferences1, and started up Live.

It made a new Preferences file, but it still takes a friggin 2+ minutes to load up a song. So that didn't fix it.

I have about 40 plugins in my plugin folder, (but can obviously only use 1 at a time in the LE demo version so in theory should not be an issue) do you think that might have anything to do with the abhorrent loading times?

I am at my wits end.. Because once loaded, the songs go along pretty well, perhaps some video lag on the VU meters occasionally and a good 7 second wait when changing between in-house (native) midi instruments and effects. But otherwise it works fairly well.

I'm beginning to think XP. Tell me it ain't so.

Ugh.

Hi,

Is it a LE version you've got or a lite version? (lite versions come for free with some hardware, and LE is a new product that you purchase).

You could try the following: empty your VST folder, move the content to a temporary folder, and restart Live. Does it help? Also, if you're using an external soundcard, try to start Live with the soundcard disconnected, it could be that a driver is struggling.

Regards,
Amaury

Live Lite 6 M-Audio Enhanced Edition 6.0.9 is the version I am working with.

Oddly, many of the drums in the Impulse drum kits are missing huge amounts of drums.

I am wondering if it might just be that it is the Lite version that is giving me these troubles?

Also, old versions 6.5 and 6.7 still appear in the Ableton folder list (as if they still existed) and appear to contain the VST folders... I wonder if that has something to do with it? Like Ableton goes through all the versions until it finds the latest one????

The slowness is not really about the startup of the program (that I could live with) it is more to do with the time it takes to save and then change to a different song... That is what is taking so long.

And moving the VST folder did not help.

I'm about to jump off the roof of my apartment building.

I have also been looking into pills and or renting a shotgun (for one time use).

This loading of songs (and the saving of songs) takes about 2 minutes apiece... It takes about the same to shut down Live, too. Strangely, it takes "only" about 40 seconds for the program to boot up (this as I might have mentioned earlier is not such a big deal).

I have tried all of these shuffling the files around as instructed above, but I get the feeling that it is Vista that is screwing me up.

The reason for my suicidal tendency is that if I were to downgrade to XP all my drivers would be in hell and I don't want the proverbial "expensive paperweight."