Cracking noise in Logic Pro X

I used to get crackling when the CPU or hard drive was being overloaded. If you choose "custom" in the choices in your display you can get the CPU and Hardrive monitor to show. (See the far right of this pic:)

If you are doing your mixing and are done with your recording set the buffer setting in the audio preferences to 1024. This helps the CPU out a lot.

Logic is incredibly responsive to more RAM. Since maxing the RAM on my Mac MINi I have had no power issues even with multiple tracks and plugins. It would stutter at times with only 4GB.

Other things you can do: Freeze MIDI tracks. MIDI is more processor intensive and freezing the track gives you back more processing power.

Logic Pro X: Freeze tracks

Kurt Weber wrote:

Other things you can do: Freeze MIDI tracks. MIDI is more processor intensive and freezing the track gives you back more processing power.

Logic Pro X: Freeze tracks

MIDI by itself is not processor intensive...a MIDI track sent to an external instrument uses virtually no CPU, it's the AU (software based) instruments that use CPU. It's a distinction that's important to understand when managing resources.

Also, an audio track with no plugins uses virtually no CPU. It's the software based DSP plugins and AU/Logic instruments that use CPU.

This is just semantics since you have to have an instrument to get the MIDI to sound.

Not used that program at all. Sorry. Ableton Live probably has a buffer setting you can play with. Most do. Higher buffer means more latency so you need to play with it to see what you can live with and still keep the live performance accurate.

If you have 4GB of RAM or less consider getting more. I am using a very taxing piano AU instrument plugin that wouldn't even work properly when the buffer was lower than the maximum. With 16GB of RAM the plugin works beautifully even on the 128 samples buffer setting. There are other tricks to conserving power: Bouncing tracks down (ones you do not need to change) to a single track. Use less processor intensive plugins on single tracks. Sometimes the plugins themselves have a lower CPU setting. For example, iZotope Ozone has a track setting and mixing setting. This company also sells plugins specifically for tracks or mastering. The track plugins use very little CPU, the mastering plugins, much more.

My old iBook laptop had a setting in the energy saver that would boost performance. It drained the battery on this setting like crazy but pushed the little beastie harder for Garageband. Make sure you are running your laptop at its top setting.

Kurt Weber wrote:

This is just semantics since you have to have an instrument to get the MIDI to sound.

Actually, in fairness to Pancenter, it's not semantics...

What he said it both very important and something many people misunderstand...

Midi in itself, is not CPU intensive....

A Software instrument or FX Plugin controlled by Midi, can be CPU intensive.. but not Midi itself... and as SI's vary wildly in how cpu intensive they are... not just from plugin to plugin.. but from preset to preset within a single SI.. then it's an important distinction to make and bear in mind...

Also... An external Instrument controlled by Midi (which is coming back into 'fashion' these days with the advent of more affordable hardware systems) takes little or no CPU resources...

So again. it's not Midi but SI / FX plugin processing itself, that is or can be CPU draining... depending on the SI/FX used or the programming of the SI/FX itself... and stating it's Midi as a blanket statement, is very misleading and can easily confuse those who are less aware of how things work with a DAW such as Logic.

Fair point. With all the great instruments out there I was unaware people may still be using MIDI to control a keyboard for sound. Doing that could be an option for this poster as well.

Aye..

At this years Winter NAMM and at Musikmesse 2015, there was an explosion of new, and relatively cheap Eurorack/Modular Systems.... Plus Korg and Roland are pushing out new cheap module type synths at a great pace these days.... (The Volca range for example) and remakes of older popular synths like the ARP Odyssey, Korg MS 20, or crossover synths like the Roland JD-XA and Aria Modular systems...

http://www.synthtopia.com/content/category/electronic-music-gear/modular-synthes izers-electronic-music-gear/

and that's without mentioning the ever growing list of boutique type synths.....

http://www.analoguehaven.com/what/

It's a new world out there 🙂

Cheers..

Nigel

The Art Of Sound wrote:

It's a new world out there 🙂

Cheers..

Nigel

Hi Nigel,

Indeed! A new old world.

I knew these 2 Super JV 1080's would come back in style, to say nothing of my old Korg M3r & Alesis QS8.

Hi Clancy,

Pancenter wrote:

I knew these 2 Super JV 1080's would come back in style, to say nothing of my old Korg M3r & Alesis QS8.

Very true!