I'm using a macbook pro with the OS X 10.4.8 (as i hear it's better for audio than 10.4.9) and I have SERIOUS CPU issues with the MOTU and Cubase SX 3. When I have the sample rate low, recording is fine, HOWEVER the second I add ANY kind of processing (even crappy built in equalizers in cubase) the CPU goes off the wall! I have to change the sample rate to 512 from 192 and even then the CPU is at about 80% and I'm only running 3-8 audio tracks (that's right not even MIDI, not to mention half the tracks are frozen) with very minimal processing. If i add about 3 different processing items (e.g. a compressor, equalizer and some reverb) the CPU goes so insane that my audio is inaudible and I have to up the samplerate again, this time to 1024 !! THAT'S INSANE. Even then the audio is barely audible and I just don't know what to do. I've done all the troubleshooting I can think of and nothing works.

If you have not make sure that you have the latest drivers on any/all software being used. Yesterday's software is essentially outdated any many cases a few weeks later. I purchased a UAD-1 Plug-In Package (new) about 2 years ago, and when I got the PCI card loaded along with all the software, the driver was already 3 generations old. It would do nothing but peg my CPU out. You may have already tried it, but if not, it is worth a shot.

Good Luck!

Allen

aeccoin... [ I'm using a macbook pro with the OS X 10.4.8 (as i hear it's better for audio than 10.4.9) and I have SERIOUS CPU issues with the MOTU and Cubase SX 3. When I have the sample rate low, recording is fine, HOWEVER the second I add ANY kind of processing (even crappy built in equalizers in cubase) the CPU goes off the wall! I have to change the sample rate to 512 from 192 and even then the CPU is at about 80% and I'm only running 3-8 audio tracks (that's right not even MIDI, not to mention half the tracks are frozen) with very minimal processing. If i add about 3 different processing items (e.g. a compressor, equalizer and some reverb) the CPU goes so insane that my audio is inaudible and I have to up the samplerate again, this time to 1024 !! THAT'S INSANE. Even then the audio is barely audible and I just don't know what to do. I've done all the troubleshooting I can think of and nothing works.]


I hear you... We all do... However, if I'm not mistaking "You have the latest gear and no one can answer you accuratly as many of us are on "Older" systems". So, you can either spend the next, hours, days, weeks in frustration or you can do the following: Invest in a five Dollar, Euro or Yen "International Phone Card"... Send me a Message and I'll send you his phone number. DON'T WANT TO DO IT OPENLY OTHERWISE HE'D BE GETTING CALLS FROM ALL OF USE. He'll sort out all your problems before you've used three minutes on a three hundred minute card...

He's a Wunderkind... Whizzkid. Genius. It's what he does. He has his own Department now! People fly him around the world to fix problems and hell do it for free... He's a Champion.

Is it worth it? You bet... Plus, he knows what works with what. He's employed in one of the biggest music store in Germany. Has all the gear at his disposal, ALL OF THE HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE and he sets up Macintosh Computers "ONLY". I think I must be one of the luckiest people on Earth to know him... My Gear Rocks. Before I Went Desktop, G5 Dual 2GHz, I had a 867 MHz PowerBook and he fiddled around with it and got 60 Tracks of Audio going on it... 3-4 years ago... All the Sales Reps and Customers gathered around watched and listened in astonishment as this PowerBook shook the building as he had it running through some Huge Expensive Speakers... So, if you have a New Mac... He'll say: "Open this, Click that, Do this... He'll wait because he loves knowing he's right, but in a "good way".

have you tried the MOTU with any other software than Cubase?

oh, and Macdaddy, what did this guy tell you to do?
sure you remember some tips!

This post has been edited by warpmaster: Tue 5 Jun 2007, 07:26

Have you checked compatibility? As far as I know SX3 is not compatible with the Intel chip in your Macbook Pro. You may have to upgrade to SX4.

You are running under Rosetta which is interpreted. You need to run the Mac Pro natively to get good performance. This means Universal Binary (or Intel) apps and plug-ins.

The Steinberg DAWs are the least CPU effecient of all the Mac DAWs, Check out cubase.net, there are a lot of users who are not happy with the performance of cubase4, so they run SX3 under Boot Camp/ XP to get good performance.

warpmaster

It was 3-4 years ago... It was a 867 MHz PowerBook. It was "Set-Up" not "Fixed", Besides, I'm no "Tech Head" I spend my time creating music not solving computer issues. I've only ever had one issue when I asked 440 Forum to help. It was a Problem with Steinbergs Virtual Guitarist. It was never answered... just some "What if you try this and do that?" Totally wrong... I use my time in wonderment not puzzlement.

Ah, I see.

aeccoin,

The ultralight should have come with a copy of Audio Desk 2 (and your MacBook Pro should have come with iLife '06). If you use either GarageBand or Audio Desk do you have the same issues? If not, the problem is going to be with the behavior of Cubase under Rosetta on the Intel proc in your MBP. I am not certain if Audio Desk is UB yet, but Garage Band is, so that will remove the Rosetta issue for you.

If your issues persist outside of Cubase, we'll need more info to be able to offer any help. How much RAM do you have on the MBP? If if is less than 1GB (I'd really recommend at least 2GB of RAM on the Intel Macs) then the CPU spike might be considered 'normal' since you have no 'work space' to play with. Up your RAM to as much as you can afford without resorting to sleeping on the park benches and then go from there.

How much free Hard Drive space do you have? If it is less than 10% of your total drive capacity (i.e., 10GB free on a 100GB HDD), clear off some unused applications/files so that you have adequate room for the Virtual Memory Swap File that is going to come into play to make your machine more efficient.

Hopefully this will help. Best of luck. Post back with any info or results (hopefully positive ones).

peace.