Logic Pro X random CPU spikes

Thanks for the help--increasing the buffer size definitely helps the pops and clicks, but even at 64 the latency is too high (8ms+).

I guess what I'm getting at is that I feel like given the specs on my computer (see first post, everything aside from storage is fully upgraded), I should be able to set the buffer at 32 without having to deal with pops and clicks. We're talking one track with no busses or plug-ins and nothing running in the background, and still the CPU seems to be okay until it randomly registers a huge spike in usage.

Am I overestimating the ability of my MacBook or is this a realistic assumption? How powerful of a processor and how much RAM do you need to be able to use the 32 buffer size without overloading the CPU? Is it possible that there is some glitch in my power settings that is throttling my CPU?

I have also tried the following since with no luck:

• Turning off Wi-Fi
• SMTP reset
• NVRAM/PRAM reset (which stopped audio glitches with Spotify or YouTube open but did not fix the random CPU spikes)

Definitely very similar, if not the same issue! However, I haven't found that switching between the Multithreading modes has not made much of a difference. I have also experimented with setting the processing threads to 12 (seems to help a little) and playing around with the buffer range.

It is a serious question though--as much as it hurts to think that I've just wasted a ton of money, am I overestimating the ability of my MacBook, and 32 samples is too low of a buffer size for the CPU to handle?

EDIT: the only way I'd say my issue is different is that my CPU load usually sits around 25% to 33%, and then once or twice a minute the CPU seems to spike randomly. I will say that all of these attempted fixes have made the spikes far less frequent, but the random big spikes are still my primary concern.

Similar for sure, although as I mentioned in my edit to my last post, my CPU does seem to manage the load for the majority of the time (25% to 33% usage) until it encounters what seem to be random, infrequent spikes.

I will say, after a full restart the CPU is behaving much better after trying all of these solutions. The SMTP and NVRAM/PRAM resets seemed to help a bunch, as well as turning off Wi-Fi, setting processing threads to 12, and switching to Playback mode in Multithreading as you suggested! After playing guitar through the computer for about half an hour, I only had a couple clicks and was able to add Logic's compressor and a limiter on the stereo output without overloading the CPU.

I could mark this as solved, but I feel like there is still some more solutions to give a try if your 2011 iMac is managing those plugins just fine on the 32 buffer.

Apologies for the late reply--didn't make a noticeable difference opening Logic in low resolution mode. I even put the buffer size back down to 32 and there were still frequent CPU spikes/overloads.

Mojave did release an update late last week, I'm going to see if installing that makes any difference.

Reviving this in the hope of finding a solution here--I also have looked into whether the issue was rooted in the fact that I have my sound library relocated to an external hard drive. To test this theory, I saved all of my plug-ins into my one guitar track test project and then removed the external hard drive. It didn't make a difference.

Not using the MatchEQ plugin--just one track open with Logic's Amp on it.

Hoping that this universal bridgeOS is not a dead end and that Apple eventually fixes the problem. I invested way too much in this computer for it to behave like this.

Thanks everyone for the help so far.

Quick update here for anyone interested:

I called Apple today and spoke with a Logic / creative suite representative to do some troubleshooting. His take was that it may be an issue with my audio interface (Focusrite Scarlett 6i6) and its USB-C to Thunderbolt 3 adapter. He recommended Apollo as a replacement--so I'll be exploring that solution in the next month and we'll see what happens!

Hi Ylan, it's second generation.

Sounds like having a direct Thunderbolt 3 connection is the way to go, which will lower latency and allow me to record on a higher buffer size. The Focusrite Clarett 4Pre is a Thunderbolt 2 though right?

Basically what I've gathered here is that because Logic only assigns one core to the one guitar track I have open (and because there may also be a software issue with Bridge OS that Pancenter mentioned), recording on a 32 sample buffer size is not going to be an option on the latest generation of Macs.