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View Full Version : MBox + PT LE CPU usage problems


cweston
03-01-2005, 01:32 PM
I'm running PT LE 6.1 on a Mac G4 laptop running system 10.2.8.

I'm trying to bounce a single stereo track 11 minutes long to disk, and I can only get through about 7 or 8 minutes before PT says USB Audio is holding off CPU usage (or something).

I've tried various playback buffer and CPU limit settings. I don't have any other apps running, and the session isn't using any real-time plug-ins. In other words, I can't think of any reason why this should be happening.

Any clues?
lvjazzman
03-01-2005, 01:42 PM
Is it on your internal drive or an external drive? If it's on your internal drive that could be the problem. If it is on an external drive, is it a supported Firewire drive (or are you sure it is a fast enough)? Any edits in the track that haven't been consolidated?
lvjazzman
03-01-2005, 01:47 PM
Oh, also post the actual error you get word for word, and the processor speed of your Powerbook, ammount of RAM etc.
lvjazzman
03-01-2005, 01:51 PM
Everything I have found thus far suggests that an upgrade to PT version 6.2.2 is needed to fix some known bugs in 6.1. You might just give that a try just for the fun of it.
cweston
03-01-2005, 02:00 PM
Thanks for the response.

No unconsolidated edits, and it's running on an internal drive. It's a TOSHIBA MK3018GAS 30 gig drive if that matters to anyone.
lvjazzman
03-01-2005, 03:05 PM
The problem with running on an internal drive on a laptop, it they are not fast enough. Unless you have upgraded it, it is probably only a 5400 RPM drive if you are lucky, possibly 4200 RPM. digidesign doesnt recomend using less than a 7200 RPM, and even then, they don't recomend using your system drive. You are using your system drive (one no,no) and it is a slow drive (no, no, number two). It would be a good idea to pick up a good Firewire hard drive to record to.
lvjazzman
03-01-2005, 03:08 PM
Yup, just checked the specs for your drive and it is only a 4200 RPM drive. I am thinking that is your problem. It does not have a fast enough seek time to run your OS, ProTools, and find audio files all at the same time. A Firewire HD may very well fix your problem.
cweston
03-02-2005, 06:44 AM
Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried writing to a different disk location and had no problems--looks like the disk needs a little maintainance.
lvjazzman
03-02-2005, 10:54 AM
Defraging will help but only because it helps optimise the seek times on the drive, if it gets the job done for now that's cool, but to fix it permemantly you'll have to go with an external FW drive I think. As you fill the internal drive it will only go downhill. Good Luck.