[Ableton] CPU Usage?

[Icetickle]

I was making a lead in massive (in ableton) and when i finished i started drawing notes in the midi track. Every time i draw a note my CPU usage meter jumps to 80%-90%... this didn't happened before. Then I tried to higher up the "input buffer size". While i was doing that it was around 110%..

- CPU: Intel Pentium D 2.8GHz
- RAM: 3.00GB
- Windows 7

I know that it's not the best configuration but it used to work just fine.

[charles1]

I find that the #1 CPU hog actual isn't too many plug ins - it's too many and too large instrument racks. yes as a lot of people will tell you, having 30 massive patches is not doing you any favors. but I find that a more likely problem is too many instrument racks. Sometimes when testing out different patches, I'll make an instrument rack for the potential patches so that I can easily compare them. If you have more than 4+, you're really pushing it with CPU, but even 2-3 has an effect. I really don't understand why it's such a problem. if you had the patches playing simultaneously on their own separate tracks it would be the exact same thing, but who knows.

if you think this might be the problem, try deleting patches you aren't using (as a rule it's always best to have as little stuff going on in your set as possible) and/or consider separating your instrument rack(s) into multiple tracks side by side. 110% is nothing. I've seen it go passed 700% before! but that's usually when I have other applications like firefox, safari, itunes, word, powerpoint, etc open at the same time which can also cause real CPU problems might I add.

hope this helps.

[YeahItsMe]

My laptop is Vista with 2gb ram and it's about 6-7 years old using Ableton.

Things that will eat your CPU fast:
Background applications, (even WIFI)
Many midi tracks playing at once and I mean simultaneously, not one after the other (if I use my 12 piece drum rack and 3-4
instances of Massive, my CPU is fried)
# of voices your Patch(es) are using
# of samples in you racks(my drum rack used to have 800!!)
Too many chopped audio files that are not Consolidated(saved as a new file)
*(THE PROBELM WITH SAMPLES IS THAT YOU COMPUTER IS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO FIND THE LOCATION OF THE FILE ON ITS HARDDRIVE AND EVEN THOUGH THEIR SAVED IN THE SAME LOCATION, THEY CAN BE ON DIFFERENT PARTITIONS ON YOUR HARD DRIVE AND IF THEY'RE CHOPPED, IT HAS TO OPEN THE FILE FROM A NEW LOCATION IN THE ORIGINAL)*
# of effects being used at a given point in time. (Many Compressors and especially Spectrum Analyzers kill CPU quick)(So Resample )
Anything you have plugged except through the headphones/mic jack(MBixs and other interfaces will eat CPU too)

Don't forget, one of Massives requiremtns for a computer is 1gb and it uses "higher quality graphics/visuals"

[YeahItsMe]

Also sometimes restarting will help

[Icetickle]

I find that the #1 CPU hog actual isn't too many plug ins - it's too many and too large instrument racks. yes as a lot of people will tell you, having 30 massive patches is not doing you any favors. but I find that a more likely problem is too many instrument racks. Sometimes when testing out different patches, I'll make an instrument rack for the potential patches so that I can easily compare them. If you have more than 4+, you're really pushing it with CPU, but even 2-3 has an effect. I really don't understand why it's such a problem. if you had the patches playing simultaneously on their own separate tracks it would be the exact same thing, but who knows.

if you think this might be the problem, try deleting patches you aren't using (as a rule it's always best to have as little stuff going on in your set as possible) and/or consider separating your instrument rack(s) into multiple tracks side by side. 110% is nothing. I've seen it go passed 700% before! but that's usually when I have other applications like firefox, safari, itunes, word, powerpoint, etc open at the same time which can also cause real CPU problems might I add.

hope this helps.

I think the problem with me is that i have put Izotop Ozone Advanced on everything.. "Kick, Snare, HHClosed x2, HHOpen, Crash.. Atmo.."
If I delete it all the EQ-ing will disappear
Also I don't use either instrument or drum racks is that bad?

[YeahItsMe]

Ozone kills CPU.

Bounce your file to wav to preserve your eqing.

Drum racks are far from neccessary, but they are convenievnt

[Icetickle]

Thanks!

[Icetickle]

Just freeze the tracks that you are not working on at the moment, massively reduces the CPU usage!
(sorry for double post)

[charles1]

# of samples in you racks(my drum rack used to have 800!!)

[Simulant]

I find that the #1 CPU hog actual isn't too many plug ins - it's too many and too large instrument racks. yes as a lot of people will tell you, having 30 massive patches is not doing you any favors. but I find that a more likely problem is too many instrument racks. Sometimes when testing out different patches, I'll make an instrument rack for the potential patches so that I can easily compare them. If you have more than 4+, you're really pushing it with CPU, but even 2-3 has an effect. I really don't understand why it's such a problem. if you had the patches playing simultaneously on their own separate tracks it would be the exact same thing, but who knows.

if you think this might be the problem, try deleting patches you aren't using (as a rule it's always best to have as little stuff going on in your set as possible) and/or consider separating your instrument rack(s) into multiple tracks side by side. 110% is nothing. I've seen it go passed 700% before! but that's usually when I have other applications like firefox, safari, itunes, word, powerpoint, etc open at the same time which can also cause real CPU problems might I add.

hope this helps.

Instrument racks are plugins!

[OfficialDAPT]

ableton 8 or 9? If 9, 32 bit or 64?

[charles1]

Instrument racks are plugins!

Then I guess I meant external plugins. In Ableton's library, there is a "category" called plugins. Instrument rack is not in the plugins category - it's in the "Instruments" category.

[Simulant]

Instrument racks are plugins!

Then I guess I meant external plugins. In Ableton's library, there is a "category" called plugins. Instrument rack is not in the plugins category - it's in the "Instruments" category.

And what exactly do you think a rack is? It holds synths and fx! From what I've seen, you're the biggest misinformer here mate.

[Icetickle]

ableton 8 or 9? If 9, 32 bit or 64?

32bit on 64bit windows.
When I got this problem yesterday I installed ableton 9 but I had the same problem there.
What helped me was freezing tracks that I'm not working on at the moment, then everything got back to 5% CPU usage!

[bibbyj]

Is any of the software cracked, or is it all legit ?

[Icetickle]

Is any of the software cracked, or is it all legit ?

Legit

[wub]

Have you contacted Ableton tech support?

[Icetickle]

Have you contacted Ableton tech support?

Nope, the problem wasn't with the ableton. It was me using too much plugins that are CPU hungry.
I have put "Izotope Ozone Advanced" plugin on 10 tracks, compressor on 4 and massive on 5 tracks. And then I fixed the problem by freezing tracks.

[Brothulhu]

II don't use ableton but when I produce in my shitty laptop I put massive on "eco mode" then put it back to ultra before rendering

[Icetickle]

II don't use ableton but when I produce in my shitty laptop I put massive on "eco mode" then put it back to ultra before rendering

Don't know which DAW are u using but for FL Studio it's called "Smart plugin disable" I think...