Calling knowledgeable Mac people!

[rlcmusic]

Hi,I really hope somebody can advise me on the following....I bought my Mac at the end of 2004. It's an iMac G5 (PowerPC 1.8GHz) with 2GB RAM. I'm running Logic Pro 8 and Leopard 10.5.2.I've had problems in the past but now I'm beginning to think, this Mac just simply can't cope anymore .I'm trying to record an orchestral track at the moment which from a "loading plug-ins/3rd party software" point of view is probably the most involved I've done. Just to give you an idea, it's circa 12-14 tracks (orchestral instruments from East West via Kontakt 3). the parts themselves aren't overly complicated and they're not always playing at once etc.. The E/W samples are on an external firewire drive.I've done everything possible that I am aware of to optimize performance (within Kontakt too) but it is still a complete nightmare "overload messages", stopping, stuttering etc...... I've also got all instruments within 1 instance of Kontakt which isn't ideal. I've read so much across the net with problems with Logic/Leopard versions/ etc... that sometimes I question what the problem is but I'm thinking it's the Mac itself.So my questions are:-1) Would you completely expect very low performance (with track like above) with my Mac spec?2) If you are a Mac owner (more likely a Mac Pro owner I guess) - can you happily have lots of instances of Kontakt loaded in one project or basically happily record "average" size orchestral pieces with no issues?3) Assuming that a Mac Pro would be the way to go - can you please advise on the spec. As I said, I have an external LaCie firewire drive for samples already. I'm also aware that Apple's RAM is very expensive! I am sure I will feint at the price of the Mac Pros when configured correctly but I'd really like to hear what would enable me to work with no issues!! I don't want to get a computer that will just "do" because if money is going to be spent, it needs to last for quite some time.Thank you very much for your help and best wishes,Rachel

[wodinlord]

I am running a G5 pro from about the same era. Mine is 2Ghz processor, 3gig ram and a 170 gig internal drive a 500 gig internal drive and severalexternal drives. So, similar to yours, but I use Pro Tools. I also use a tonof Plug-ins and virtual instruments. Anyway, there are a couple of things I would suggest. make SURE that your version of Cubase is authorized for Leopard and for the version you are using. I know in Pro Tools, that setting the playback engine to use 1 RTAS processor instead of 2 and setting that one to 99% CPU usage works much better. They may or may not be applicable to Cubase, but worth a try if it is. Also, I have just gotten into the habit of recording virtual instruments as I go and deactivating the midi and plug-in for that instance. You can always turn them back on later and tweak if you need. In your case described above, maybe you could start laying off the tracks that you feel are finished for now and then just leave the tracks you are still working on in the plug. Unfortunately, It is very easy to overtax your CPU with all the CPU hungry plugs available, But, the next Intel Mac Pro I want will be about $8500. Ouch!! So, I work around and adapt for now.Oh yeah, Apple memory is way overpriced. Check out websites like memoryfor all.com or even Frye's and you can find it much cheaper.Good Luck,Wodinlord

[aimusic]

Hey Rach,I was gonna suggest getting A pc... ... cheeky as hell grin....Take CareBP.s. I hope you get this one solved soon!

[wodinlord]

May 19, 2008, 6:37am, aimusic wrote:Hey Rach,I was gonna suggest getting A pc... ... cheeky as hell grin....Take CareBP.s. I hope you get this one solved soon!Come on AI, that would be like replacing a Da Vinci with a kid's fingerpainting. Haven't you seen those Mac / PC Tv ads? Wodinlord

[ibanez468]

Hey RLC,Yeah, next time ya' might wanna' go with a PC. Where's Mazz? I-468P.S. -- Good luck to ya'!

[aimusic]

May 19, 2008, 6:57am, wodinlord wrote:May 19, 2008, 6:37am, aimusic wrote:Hey Rach,I was gonna suggest getting A pc... ... cheeky as hell grin....Take CareBP.s. I hope you get this one solved soon!Come on AI, that would be like replacing a Da Vinci with a kid's fingerpainting. Haven't you seen those Mac / PC Tv ads? WodinlordI'd pick the finger painting over Da Vinci anyday... it's Avante Garde Painting

[rlcmusic]

Hi Wodinlord,Thank you very much for your reply.These iMacs will only take 2 Gigs of RAM max so you're doing better than I am for a start! I will do my best to work around this problem because I'd rather not spend the required amounts yet.... The main thing I am worried about is even if I did get to a finished state...whether it would bounce the track - going by its inability to even play - I think not! I've frozen tracks before in the past for the odd CPU hungry track but it's not a method I'm overly familiar with - can you bounce a project with most tracks frozen - I mean - without issues? I usually bounce projects where all tracks are "active" in all respects and in real time.Just to say, I'm using Logic Pro - not Cubase - but that doesn't matter - thanks, I'll look to see whether anything is possible re: the playback engine within Logic itself.Thanks again for your help - very much appreciated.Rachel

[slideboardouts]

Was this happeneing before you installed Leopard. Do you know if the stuttering happened after an update maybe? I only ask because I started having a similar problem in Tiger after an update. My computer worked perfectly saturday night, then before going to bed I installed an update and sunday morning I was getting stuttering in my audio program. I was using Reason 4.0 which uses hardly any CPU, and I'm on a Macbook Pro thats less than a year old. It got resolved by the mac guys bumping me up to Leopard (for free ) which worked better, but a lot of times when I use expose or do something in another program it makes Reason stutter a little bit. You might have to do a complete reinstall.-Steve

[rlcmusic]

Brad,You know, this Mac has been close to going out of a window several times this week - but I may save my window and come and find one of yours in London - this would at least give Windows for Mac a new meaning!Sleep well......I'm 25 minutes by train.Rachel

[wodinlord]

Yeah, I used to be a devout PC user...until I owned my first MAC. Once you own MAC you never go back. In reality though, to each his own. Different keystrokes for different folks. Actually, both Apple and Microsoft are evil empires seeking world domination. Wodinlord