Digital Performer too slow on G3 Options

Hi Macers, I'm pleased to be in this list.

I recently installed DP 3 on my iBook and confirmed it's an impressive app. Though, my 384 SDRAM 600 MHz system already had a couple of freezes, dispay updates slowly and the performance window shows a very busy processor on a very simple project with just a couple of verb plugins.

Is it that necessary to have a G4 for DP? I don't have any audio card yet (I'm working with Mac AV), could that be the problem? What could be done to spped up my system?

Thanks for any assistance

Capi

Hi Laurent,

Actually, I speak spanish, I'm from Peru.

I found useful help at recording.org regarding my problem. I include it here for DP users at macmusic. Here it goes:

In the Windows Menu, open the Memory Monitor. How much memory is available to the application? If you have between 4,000 - 6,000k available while playing you are in good condition. However, assigning too much memory to Digital Performer can work against you. The reason is that the Motu Audio system looks to the finder for available RAM as a resource for voice allocation and track playback. Allocating all of the RAM to Digital Performer leaves little left for the Motu Audio System.

If you have Motu Audio Hardware try increasing the Samples per Buffer size to 1024 or higher in the Configure Hardware Driver Window. While the lower buffer settings reduces latency on patch thru it also makes your processor work harder.

If you have more than one drive you may want to try dragging your project to the other drive and play it from and record with that drive. It may be that case that one drive needs to be de-fragmented. If the drive is connected to a SCSI accelerator the transfer rate of the accelerator card may need to be adjusted in it's control panel for optimal performance.

The MOTU Audio System (MAS) looks to the Finder (the Mac OS) for available memory. You can use your Extensions Manager to increasing performance under MAS. You may experience the 'Ran out of record buffers, too many tracks, too many effects' with just a few tracks, or you may want want add to the number of tracks and effects in a current project.

Go to the Apple menu and select Control Panels/Extensions Manager.

For OS 8.0 to 8.6, choose the following extensions only, disabling other extensions:
DigiSystem INIT (if you own ProTools hardware or AudioMedia)
Korg 1212 driver (if you are using a Korg 1212)
FreeMIDI Power Plug
FreeMIDI System extension
MOTU USB Driver (if you have a MOTU USB interface)
PCI-324 Sound manager driver (if you have a 2408 system)
Serial Tool and/or Serial (built in)
Shared library manager
Shared library manager PPC
SOM Objects
Sound Manager

If you are running 7.6.1 or earlier, add the ObjectSupportLib extension.

For Mac OS 9 and higher:

If you're using a Blue and White G3 or G4 start with Mac OS base extensions and add the following extensions:
DigiSystem INIT (if you own ProTools hardware or AudioMedia)
Korg 1212 driver (if you are using a Korg 1212)
FreeMIDI Power Plug
FreeMIDI System extension
MOTU USB driver if you're using a MOTU USB interface.
Or any serial drivers and extensions needed for those serial expansion devices
SOMobjects
Shared library manager
Shared library
(sound manager is not necessary with G3s and G4s)


Hope it helps other users who have similar problems with DP

Thanks again Laurent

Capi