Logic Pro 9 CPU Usage Issues?

kmadaus

Logician
Hello!

I am new to the forum, but I have been using Logic Studio on and off for about 1.5 years. I recently switched to the 64 bit mode, but that doesn't seem to be relevant to this discussion because I get the problem on 32 or 64 bit mode. I am running into a new problem where a brand new project with only one plug in (tried EZDrummer and Guitar Rig 4 with exact same results) is getting skips and dropouts when in input monitoring or recording mode. Logic is showing the CPU maxing out, but when I look at the Activity Monitor, it seems to be at around 15-20%. I'm hoping somebody can help after all the tweaking and research I have done today. I have tried checking everything I can possibly think of. First, here are my computer stats.

Model: 27-inch iMac, Mid-2010
Processor: 2.8 GHz Intel Core i5
OS: Lion 10.7.4
RAM: 8 GB 1333 MHz DDR3 (straight from Apple, not 3rd party)
HD: 2TB, 1.25 TB free
Audio Interface: M-Audio Fast Track (probably not applicable)
Logic Version: 9.1.7
Sample Rate: 44.100 kHz

So far, I have tried the following to resolve the problem:

- Tried all different buffer settings from the lowest to the highest. Buffer size was set at 256 previously.
- Tested my RAM using both Apple Hardware Test and Rember. No problems found with either test.
- Ran Disk Utility on the hard drive. No problems found.
- Made sure other unnecessary applications were closed. Verified RAM usage was low according to Activity Monitor.
- Tried different DAWs. The same problem occurs with Reaper64. I do not have the problem with Reason 6.5. I didn't try it today, but I don't think I have the problem with Ableton Live 8 (which is 32-bit).

I've read through dozens of forum postings, FAQs, old news, new news looking for a reason for the skips and dropouts, but I can't find an answer. If anyone can help, I would be very appreciative! I hope I've provided all of the relevant details.
 
I just tried the same exact setup (new project, one track with EZ Drummer on it) with the buffer set at 128, but without going through the M-Audio Fast Track. Instead, I just went through the built in input/output, and everything worked like a charm.

So it appears that the problem might be the audio interface. Does this sound right? Does anyone have an explanation as to why that would matter? If I were to buy a new interface, is there something I can look for to avoid this issue?

Again, any help would be appreciated! 🙂
 
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Growl 1.4 Caused the Problem

I finally found the culprit. I hope this can help anyone else having similar issues.

The new version of Growl (1.4) was eating up my CPU (not my RAM). Everything is fine for a while after Growl launches, but after a while, the CPU usage spikes. Search online for the issue, and you'll see I'm not alone with this problem. However, I would be interested if anyone else has had the same problem. Let me know.

So, I killed the Growl process, but that doesn't solve the problem. I actually had to fully reboot without Growl launching at startup in order for things to get back to normal. I hope this saves somebody else all the time I wasted on this problem.
 
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Best practice is to have your projects, and sample libraries on a dedicated hard drive.

OSX will always use part of your system drive for virtual memory.

When you open logic more virtual memory is required, every new track, and plugin requires more virtual memory.

When it come to drive access OSX will always be first in line, and may delay other apps access, until it manages virtual memory.

In audio and video apps the delay could result in pops, clicks, skips, and app crashes.

Also as you system drive fills up, system performance declines.

Think about the processes you are asking one hard drive to perform, when using Logic.

Stream the sample libraries of the plugins used, playback tracks, record tracks, and virtual memory.

Using the system drive for recording projects works to a point, as the projects becomes more complex you may have performance issues.

:thmbup:😎
 
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Best practice is to have your projects, and sample libraries on a dedicated hard drive.

Cool, thanks for taking the time to give some advice. Can you recommend a drive or a connection type that is best (USB 2.0, thunderbolt, etc.)? Or will almost anything work? I always assumed that having a drive would slow my speed if it wasn't some really fast technology. But I also recorded for the last 20 years by learning trial and error. That's the hard, slow way to learn. Any advice would really help!
 
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I mostly use 7200 rpm firewire drives.
USB2 will work also.

Thunderbolt is starting to appear on the scene, early adoption is expensive though.

😎
 
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