Clear inactive memory

Inactive memory is free memory. Inactive memory is just the memory that the computer used at one time but is no longer using. That memory can be used for other things later, but remains there for quick access just in case you need it again. The computer will automatically clear that memory for use as soon as it is required.

Memory management on the Mac is done automatically and intelligently. Inactive memory makes a lot of sense and there's no reason to clear it manually.

If you're running out of active memory from a leak in an application or process, you can use the Activity Monitor to end that process/application. Activity Monitor is also useful for identifying whether or not programs are hogging CPU usage or RAM.

That's accurate enough - but I'm curious about his 'out of memory' errors, specifically, where they're coming from.

There is a way to purge the memory caches, but it involves installing the Developer Tools. When the Dev Tools are installed, there's a program (/usr/bin/purge) which will flush the Inactive memory. It's intended for use by developers to put the system back into a state similar to just after a reboot.

This is not an operating system issue. There's a memory usage option in the Final Cut Pro preferences. You probably just need to raise the ceiling on it.

There is a section on these forums dedicated to Final Cut Pro, you should try there if you continue to have problems.

If this is the old "Mac OS Purge", it will not work on Mac OS X.

If it's not that program, then IMHO it's unwise to posting a direct link to some unknown utility with no documentation or guarantee that it's not malware. Please post a link to the project page or some other site where any interested user can see information on what the utility does and from whom it comes.

Regards.

Sorry, that web site's a work in progress, i.e. that's the only file I've uploaded so far.
Even so, I think your only option would be to trust me (or not download the file)... it shouldn't be too hard to forge a project page anyway.
It is the "purge" binary I found in /usr/bin/purge... I didn't even know it existed until today.
I certainly wouldn't advise running it on pre-10.5 systems, though, it was with the 10.5 software.

If that's the file, you don't need to post it and no one needs to download it; it's a standard UNIX command and already on everyone's system and can be run through Terminal. Man pages exist for those wanting more information, though it's pretty basic.

Oh really? I just assumed tele_player was right in saying that it was only included with the Dev Tools.

Edit: He was right. It isn't on my backup boot volume.
If you're still uncomfortable, you can ask the moderators to remove the link. I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige.

My mistake; it is indeed only installed with the dev tools (I sometimes forget which of my reference systems has the dev tools installed). But that's the best way to install it. Unless someone knows what they're about, installing a command-line tool isn't a drag-and-drop operation as it would be with a normal application.

Regards.

You're right about that. I don't want to test the tool with a simple drag&drop on my other system because that's the one I use for my app testing. Someone else might, but I may never know.
Oh well 😉

it seems logical to me. Final Cut Pro will only take as much memory as you allow it regardless of how much free memory the machine has.

And yeah, I'd check the hard drive space of your scratch disk.

I've used several versions of Final Cut, Express and Pro, and they all have this memory control.

Go to the *Final Cut Pro* menu, *System Settings...*, and then the *Memory & Cache* tab. There you'll see the *Memory Usage* sliders.

This really should be in the Final Cut section of these forums. Most of the people who have answered obviously don't know much about Final Cut.

That's not why I asked, Devin. I know that FCP has had the memory/cache controls for quite a while (back to the original Mac OS X version, Final Cut Pro 3, if recollection serves). My question was more about whether the OP is running an old version of FCP that might not be compatible with Leopard. If your comment about "Most of the people who have answered obviously don't know much about Final Cut. " was aimed at me, your assumption would be incorrect.

In any case, it seems as if the problem has been solved by the OP and turned out to be a corrupt sound clip.

.