Glitchy playback

ISTandreIST wrote on 8/25/2012, 8:48 AM

Hello.

I'm new to this forum and I would like to pose a question related with MUsic Maker 16. I use it as a multitrack recording software, mainly, with wave and midi files. Although I can record midi files with VITA plugin without noticeable lag, the rest of the files playing in the background become glitchy and sometimes stops or skips for a little fraction of time, making me miss the rhythm. That also happens when recording voice. Is that related with my PC or with the program itself? I use a intel dualcore with 2GB of  Ram and an Alesis iO2 audio interface. Does anyone have the same problem?

Thank you so much.

André

Comments

Procyon wrote on 8/25/2012, 10:32 AM

Lots of people have had this problem.  It has more to do with the program, provided your computer is not old and completely underpowered.

But, it is a sign that you're taxing your system beyond its abilities by asking it to read and play too many tracks simultaneously.  You likely need to increase the number and or size of your audio playback buffers on the Audio/MIDI tab in the Program Settings.  Note: setting the buffers too high can create a delay.

Although it's not discussed in the documentation, I assume if you need to increase the buffer size too much, you may need to increase the number of buffers instead to keep buffer size at a reasonable level.

If you are still having issues and/or latency, you may want to review your choice of audio drivers as well.

ISTandreIST wrote on 8/25/2012, 2:15 PM

Thank you so much for your answer, I've tried that out and it's a lot better!!!  I've increased the size and number of buffers. The audio driver that I use ise ASIO4ALL v.2 

Thank you once again

 

 

gandjcarr wrote on 8/25/2012, 3:02 PM

Hi,

2 GB of ram could be part of the problem.  Procyon suggested that "provided your computer is not old and completely underpowered"  To me 2 GB of Ram is the bare minimum to allow windows to run, let alone other programs running in the background.  For audio editing, 4 to 6 GB would be best, for video editing 6 to 12 GB would be ideal.  We all have our opinions on how much RAM you need, but please know they are just opinions.

Procyon wrote on 8/25/2012, 6:18 PM

I concur with gandjcarr.  More RAM would be a very good idea if possible.  If you're running Vista or Windows 7 (or 8) it would be an extremely good idea.

As I mentioned not long ago in another posting, make sure there are no other programs runniing at the same time.  If there are, shut them down.  If you continue to have problems, it may be a good idea to completely disconnect from your internet service and shut off your anti-virus.  Just remember to turn it back on before reconnecting to the internet!

ISTandreIST wrote on 8/28/2012, 4:47 AM

Thanks to you all

So, do you think that I should upgrade my laptop with 2GB extra RAM? That would make it 4GB, but is that going to change that much in a dual core processor? Maybe I should upgrade to a newer pc, with those i3, i5 processors.

 

Procyon wrote on 8/28/2012, 6:36 PM

"So, do you think that I should upgrade my laptop with 2GB extra RAM? That would make it 4GB, but is that going to change that much in a dual core processor? Maybe I should upgrade to a newer pc, with those i3, i5 processors."

Only you can make that decision.  We still don't have enough information from you to even make a recommendation.  We don't know the speed of your processor, FSB/RAM speed, or what OS you're using, etc.

Does your system exceed the minimum requirements for MMM-16?  By how much?

ISTandreIST wrote on 9/7/2012, 5:15 AM

Hi again....

I'm running Windows 7 x64 with 2GB RAM (I'll upgrade that to 4GB) and my processor is a DualCore at 2.20GHz

Minimum requirements for MMM-16 are 1GB RAM, as well as a 1GHz processor. 

I guess that my laptop system exceeds already the minimum requirements a bit, but would that be enough for a complex project on MMM-16?

 

Thanks 

Procyon wrote on 9/7/2012, 11:49 AM

Thank you.  Provided your laptop is not old and may serve you for another year or two, upgrading the RAM to 4 GB would be an extremely good idea.  You won't regret it, especially when running resource intensive programs like MMM.

On this computer, Windows 7 alone uses 870 MB of RAM all by itself.  I don't know how much MMM-16 would use on top of that, but I imagine it is significant.  Under the best circumstances, you probably have less than 1 GB of free, usable RAM to run MMM.  With a large arrangement and heavy use of effects, you probably have little RAM to work with, if any.  So, adding 2 GB of RAM will give you a significant "cushion".  I think it will be well worth it.

ISTandreIST wrote on 9/10/2012, 2:31 AM

Hi again, Procyon. 

I guess that'll be it. I've tested my system and realised that when running MMM16, with medium complexity (number of tracks and effects), I get about 500/600 MB of Standby RAM and none Free RAM.

I'll upgrade to 4GB and maybe next year I'll start making my own desktop PC, just for audio editing and probabily upgrading my software to SAMPLITUDE. I believe a good processor and memory are the main considerations to make, right? What about a decent sound card? Is it crucial, knowing that I use an external USB audio interface?

Thanks a lot for your precious help 

André

 

NightriderKen2000 wrote on 9/16/2012, 9:53 AM

So i have to buy a new laptop for the software i paid for to work ?? that is unnacceptable and horrible.

onoffkey1 wrote on 2/5/2013, 2:27 AM

Had the same problem. I'm recording 4 simultaneous traks at once sometimes. Went to 4 gb o ram, problem soved.

gandjcarr wrote on 2/7/2013, 11:37 AM

Hi,

I would not rush out and buy a new laptop unless you have other reasons to make that purchase.  More RAM should make your life much easier.  I am not sure what version of windows you are running but if it is XP or Vista you may want to consider a new laptop simply because those two operating systems are pretty much obsolete and horrible for editing.  MM should run fine on any operating system that it is compatible with as long as you have enough RAM to do what you need with the application.

@NightriderKen2000 I am not sure why you are making these comments the software should and will work if the system meets the system specs.  However you need to understand that the system specs can only be made based on a person running the OS and the application.  If you are running 20 other applications at the same time, how the heck would Magix be able to tell you how much RAM, CPU, etc that you need to have everything work successfully.  Unaccetpable and horrible, I think not!  You as the user need to decide what you plan to run in the background, and make sure that you have enough memory and CPU available to run whatever additional applications you decide to run.  And that is not limited to Magix applications, it includes word processors, spread sheets, photo applications, web apps, and on and on.

George

 

phll332 wrote on 8/16/2013, 4:17 AM

I HAVE 6GB OF RAM AND I AM NOT RUNNING ANY OTHER PROGRAMS AND AM HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM