Configuring A Workhorse, Separate user account for Logic? Options

[jimdubpram]

" You'll be spanked "

With a wet lettuce leaf ?

[lepetitmartien]

Of course, it's the best!

The irrelevant questions for this thread/sub-forum are in OS X software and Mac PowerPC hardware. And now back to the workhorse.

KingBarbarossa, I don't have time now, I'll get back to you later.

[lepetitmartien]

so, if i understand this right then, it does not matter that i have about 300 installed fonts as long as i am running logic only which does not access these fonts and therefore the fonts are dormant and do not interfere into the system resources?

It is of no importance as long as the fonts Logic needs have no ID conflict with the one you have installed. But now, the only problem would be on screen. Garbage instead of text that is (I've had it in some apps, I found the offender and got rid of it.)

If you want to keep the fonts out of the way, install them in the user/library/font folder, so another user would be clear of this eventual problem.

i just remember this from 5, 10, 15 years ago that you always tried to keep your system as lean as possible.

And it was the case and a good thing to do, but the system was completely different. Now, you can have nearly everything on the same system, and some do it. I personally don't think it's a good idea to mix a professional set up and the fun aside but you can. The real culprits eventually are in the background services, the pref panels.

btw. i am using fonts here only as an example. you can think of all kinds of different things in the system instead...

Do you use a font manager? From my personal experience, none right now available is 100% full proof (I'd even say, it's mostly a bag of bugs in the system).

Font manager are the plague…

Some software do have conflicts, some Unsanity software haxies don't do well with some others, it'll be cleared one day (both softwares are ok, they just don't behave well together, I don't remember wich other one.)

it is just that i am looking for ways to prevent further problems in my system, trying to figure out what is wrong at the moment is probably nearly impossible, especially just through a forum because what is happening is random, i cannot repeat it, or logically narrow it down.

If it's a plug-in you don't load or use all the time, or a conflict in core audio happening in some peculiar conditions…

so, what i am doing for now is trying to get my system as clean as possible. a couple of days ago i used idefrag, which proved to be a good thing - i learned that even a mac osx system denefits from occasional defragmenting.

Yep, but OS X defragments files of less than 20 MB by itself a a good BSD U*IX. Note that it does not optimize. But if you keep you drives relatively uncluttered you're ok. Mind that defrag software disables the journalling you have to set back on after, it's IMPORTANT in case of crash.

clearing caches etc with onyx will be the next thing i will try out. thanks for this hint.

Service

Sometimes it's stupid cache files which are the problem. At least it'll be out of the way.

there might be a slight issue with my presonus firebox maybe. a couple of times i had no audio and i was wondering what was going on. then i simply launched the firebox mixer and closed it again and suddenly audio was back (this is just one of the weird things i had happen).
but again, i cannot say when it is happening, i cannot repeat it on command - with such vague facts even the support team of presonus would not be able to get much of a clue.

my emagic mt4 midi interface sometimes has to be unplugged and plugged back in to work properly...

Have you tried to trash the audio MIDI preferences ?

There may be something fishy there, and check your presonus drivers are up to date. They had versions with some issues they corrected fast, but you may be still with a bad number.

And try without your plug-ins, it's the main source of nightmares…

Macdaddy, please, follow the links in my post before this one, you'll found your posts in separate threads which do not belong to this one, thanks.

[KingBarbarossa]

thank you for the assistance!

fonts: i don't think i have a black sheep in there, i know how hazardous corrupt font files can be.
i also came to the conclusion by experience that not font manager at the moment is stable and does a good job. i found myself coming back to the system font book even though the features in there are more than just poor.

system: well, at least i have no games or similar thing on it... :-) just graphic design stuff for print design and web design, and of course various communication tools.
several people recommended to turn off journaling. this way you also gain speed when reading samples. i have it off and the system works well without. the defragging actually brought improvement in speed.


the presonus drivers are up-to-date. i still have the feeling that it still may be one of the weakest links in the chain. maybe also the emagic mt4 midi interface is getting too old or does not like to be side by side with the presonus...?

you think a plugin can cause trouble in logic, even if it is not used in the project that is being worked on?

ok. i will further investigate, however, i will embark on a trip tomorrow and won't have access to my main computer for 2 weeks. i guess it is a good time to cool the engines. but i will be checking this place and appreciate any further thoughts on the topic. thanks again.

[lepetitmartien]

If a plug-in is not behaving 100% clear and it passes the validation, you're up for troubles, as it's easy to test, it should be one of the first to do. The fact you don't use it doesn't mean it will not interact in some way with Logic…

Journalling is a feature not something to bother you (it's less intrusive even with tiger too) and the likes of Digidesign to name some have now switch the advice against journalling to journalling on. I care about the system drive, anyway you should NOT have your samples there, it's a very bad idea.

As long as you keep you working files on another drive than the system one, fragmenting is way less an issue, especially as to care about it is very easy (copying, formating, copying back). The optimizing obsession is an old classic habit, you can gain to some extent but the file system and OS X cure most of the issues as long as you keep the files you're working on elsewhere. this way it won't be the system drive the cluttered "slow" one.

Keep us updated when you come back

[KingBarbarossa]

...

Keep us updated when you come back

Well, I am back and finally things are working.

However, I do have the feeling that defragmenting helped quite a bit, I also turned off the file journaling.
I am still doing everything under one user and I exchanged the Emagic mt4 MIDI interface with a MOTU midi express.

The Presonus Firebox works now too. I had to find out that it is impossible to use an external Firewire harddrive at the same time as the Firebox unless you chain it to the Firebox. Now I chained it but I had to sacrifice all possible benefits (if there were any) of the new Firewire 800 port which my harddrive was equipped with.

Anyway, it seems the Presonus works actually better now than before when I was not using an external drive at all. Maybe the external drive is tickling it by being daisy-chained to it so it does not loose sync as much as it did...?

Anyway, things are working smoother now except my Moog which is back in the factory for the 4th time... but this is a different story...

Back to making music.
Thanks for all advice and considerations.

[lepetitmartien]

You turned off journalling, was it because it caused you troubles? or just like that.

Journalling is good. You'll learn it at the next crash (I know, since one of the 10.3.x it can take forever…)

The plug in order/position in slots of firewire drives and interface is still a mystery… Unfortunately.

[Mac Daddy]

KingBarbarossa,
Sounds like you have been through a 'Nightmare' May 'Sweet Dreams' dominate for the next several years... Bravo on solving your problems. Whew! How long did this problem last?

[KingBarbarossa]

KingBarbarossa,
Sounds like you have been through a 'Nightmare' May 'Sweet Dreams' dominate for the next several years... Bravo on solving your problems. Whew! How long did this problem last?

Since about 4 years I have been slowly trying to get together all the gear and software that would fit the demands of music I had been dreaming of creating.
Well, 15 years ago I made music for little computer games and such, but since then I mostly was involved in graphic design until I saw myself able to get going again with music. My return started off with Logic 5.5, various hardware devices were added. However, I never got beyond testing out this and that because of either time restraints or technical problems until recently. Now finally I was able to create my first complete track again and it was a lot of fun. More will follow soon and I now feel like finally having all the setup together to be creative in the way I envisioned it (Well, I must confess my demands are everything but minimalistic).

I have read in several different places about the file journaling. The reason that convinced me to turn it off was that it was said that file journaling is slowing down hard drive activity to a little extent. And I need all the speed that is possible from the hard drive on which my sample libraries are stored on.
I guess if it crashes, it is not too much of a hassle to re-install sample libraries. My projects I am backing up on another drive and on CD.

Unfortunately I have not kept the links to the information source on journaling nor the ones that also convinced me - (with positive results) to use the defragmenting tool called "iDefrag".

All I can say now, I feel much more in control than ever, I am finally being able to put my attention to making music...

Of course many questions are still open, about usage of system resources with Kontakt2 instances versus Kompakt instances (even NI was not able to tell me) or why the Korg 01W/R can not be addressed from within Logic to switch between "program" patches and "combi" patches, or why the Roland A-90 makes the Channel LED on the MIDI interface flicker constantly even though when it does not transmit MIDI data...

I had to learn a lot on the technical level in order to get Logic to cooperate with my 7 hardware synths, a number of software instruments and all the sample libraries I use. Kontakt2 was extremely buggy when version 2 was released at first, but it finally has been fixed. The Kompakt player still starts a mayhem when in multi-mode (it really can damage your speakers), so e.g. the EastWest Orchestra Gold HAS to be used via Kontakt2 instead of the Kompakt player. This and many little things that can and often did kill all creativity successfully...

Anyway, mostly minor issues are left now which I am grateful for. Even though I am looking forward to moving the whole music production to its own computer next year. A new Intel-Mac (I hope for a new revision early next year probably) might give me a little more headroom for my excessively big orchestrations...

[hanuman]

Roland keyboards send sometimes a MIDI code. In case of a masterkeyboard it cannot turned off. I encountered this many years ago but do not remember the details.