Muon Software

JulietT · Post by **JulietT** » Wed Feb 18, 2004 5:42 pm

Dave,
Am very keen to use my DS404 in Logic and as you know, this memory failure problem is preventing me from using it at all right now. Are you any closer to working out why I maybe experiencing this problem and to offering a solution? Pretty please?

Thanks.
Juliet

Muon Software Ltd · Post by **Muon Software Ltd** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 11:13 am

DS404 and Tachyon share some code in common, and I've been looking at it very carefully. There was an issue with an earlier version of Tachyon I remembered where it was allocating too much memory for samples - I'm still trying to find the counterpart piece of code in DS404.

The key problem to solving this however is that I've been unable to reproduce the problem here myself. Does it only happen if you reload a song using DS404 and at least one patch that you have previously saved? or does it happen every single time you try to load a patch?

Cheers
Dave

JulietT · Post by **JulietT** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:00 pm

I really appreciate your help in trying to solve this problem. What seems to happen is I assign DS404 to a channel strip (in Logic), then load a patch into it. No problem so far. I can play the patch also, but as soon as I try to save the song file, that's when I get the memory warning messages. So in effect, it means I can't use any DS404 patches in any songs because it can't save them.
Hope this sheds some light.
If you want me to go through any diagnostic procedures to enable you to have more of an idea of what the problem is, I'm more than happy to try.
Thanks again.
Juliet

Muon Software Ltd · Post by **Muon Software Ltd** » Thu Feb 19, 2004 7:09 pm

That narrows it down alot. Are you running any other plugins, anything particularly memory hungry?

Have you checked your available RAM whilst running DS404? there's probably a utility to do that somewhere in MacOSX....

Cheers
Dave

JulietT · Post by **JulietT** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 11:56 am

Hi Dave
I've been able to put up a CPU monitor on screen as I work, but I can't find anything in the Help files or system preference menus etc to let me see RAM usage, sorry.
But I have made some progress with playing and saving DS404 patches. I've been experimenting with how many instances of DS404 I can load - and, crucially, save - in a new Logic song file and it varies with the patch. Mostly, I cannot save even a single patch eg. JP6Clav or NSkit MID, Phase Pad or Blue Leader ie. that's with no other instruments or any plug ins opened other than one of those single DS 404 patches. I get the memory warning messages i described previously when I try to save the work.
But I found I could load the Organ1 and the Finger bass patch and play and save both together. I imagine it's because they are simpler patches than the ones mentioned above.
When I use Logic own's sampler - the EXS24 - however, I can easly load up 5 tracks for example with different patches and although the CPU monitor goes right up to the top, there's no problem playing or saving the song file.
I exect that's because native plug ins are more memory friendlly in Logic/OS X.

But I would really like to use DS404.

Hope this info helps.
With thanks.
Juliet

Muon Software Ltd · Post by **Muon Software Ltd** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 12:00 pm

I exect that's because native plug ins are more memory friendlly in Logic/OS X.

No, that's nothing to do with it at all. A native plugin in Logic or a native AU in OSX is not necessarily going to have lower memory requirements than a wrapped VST. The memory needs of ANY piece of software totally depend on how it is designed internally.

but I can't find anything in the Help files or system preference menus etc to let me see RAM usage, sorry.

Something, somewhere is using way too much memory on your machine. If you have 1.2gb RAM installed, there's no reason on earth why DS404 shouldn't be able to load and save bigger than a 2mb patch.

Regards
Dave

Muon Software Ltd · Post by **Muon Software Ltd** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 12:08 pm

A very quick google revealed numerous memory utilities for OSX.

Try this page for example:
http://www.tidbits.com/matt/

This tool gives a graphical indication of free memory.

Regards
Dave

JulietT · Post by **JulietT** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:13 pm

Hi Dave
OK, I've been running my little DS404 test Logic song with the computer's memory allocation box showing % of CPU and % memory being used. Also, Logic has a memory counter for each song which shows "...free memory, in events."
When the DS404 'song' is open but not playing, CPU is about 42% and memory at 11%, when playing the song (3 tracks: NSMidkit, plus bass, and organ) is 56% CPU, 16% memory. When trying to save the same file it's 97% CPU usage and 36% memory usage. Logic's own "free memory, in events" when playing this file is 899819. So, in theory, there's still RAM free, so it should save it without a problem, I'd have thought. To compare, I looked at how much CPU and memory was being used when I played another song I'm working on using just Logic's EXS24 tracks and a vocal track; it was 20% CPU and 20% memory usage when open; 30-53% CPU and 20% memory usage when playing and the Logic free memory events counter said 899819.

Does this help at all?
Do you want me to try any other tests to help you work out why I can't use DS404 properly?
Thanks and best regards
Juliet

Muon Software Ltd · Post by **Muon Software Ltd** » Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:24 pm

It would definately appear that you have RAM free. In a similar test on our G4 here the "out of memory" dialog box only displays when the memory is utterly exhausted which is exactly what it is supposed to do. I've checked the code over, and I just can't find anything that would explain such behaviour.

What software did you use to show your free RAM?

Regards
Dave

Muon Software

KVR Audio

Any luck,Dave, with figuring out my DS404 memory problem?