I am using a Sony Vaio w/ 2 x 1.8GHz cores, 8GB RAM, and running 64bit Win 8. I've been using 32 bit versions of Tracktion so I could use the 32 bit VSTs I like. I just upgraded to T7 (latest rev 7.1) along with the Ultimate bundle, incl. MasterMix (yay), the Biotek synth, the works. Now I can't even playback for more than 5 seconds without major glitches and dropouts in the playback. It seems to be happening mostly when I have MasterMix strapped across the main bus. I've been using Tracktion for a long time (started with V2) and have never had these many issues on playback before.
Can someone please recommend whether I should be using 32bit or 64bit version of Tracktion on my machine? I'm willing to forego some of the 32 bit VSTs, but I ultimately would like to be able to use them if I can.
Also, any known issues with MasterMix? I know it's kind of a processing hog, but I've used it lots before (when it was still Final Mix) and I've sworn by it.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!
32 bit vs. 64 bit question
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- KVRer
- 4 posts since 4 Apr, 2016
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- KVRAF
- 1790 posts since 30 Dec, 2012
Have you looked at the CPU resource monitor in Tracktion (click the CPU meter in the top right).
Is it Master Mix taking all the time?
Does playback return to normal if you disable Master Mix (or is it still generally high)?
Note that Master Mix is a completely different plugin to Final Mix, they don't share any code so are not really comparable.
However, if there are CPU use problems we would like to investigate.
Is it Master Mix taking all the time?
Does playback return to normal if you disable Master Mix (or is it still generally high)?
Note that Master Mix is a completely different plugin to Final Mix, they don't share any code so are not really comparable.
However, if there are CPU use problems we would like to investigate.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 4 posts since 4 Apr, 2016
Have you looked at the CPU resource monitor in Tracktion (click the CPU meter in the top right).
Is it Master Mix taking all the time?
>>>The resource monitor shows MasterMix being a 0% CPU usage and 0.00ms latency, even when active. The CPU resource icon in the upper right corner jumps all over the place, starting at around 7% but then spiking up to 90%+ before coming back down to 0%. It's all over the place. Now, when I do a full re-boot, load Tracktion, then open the session I'm working on and hit PLAY, I will hear what sounds like bizarre automated filtering, panning imbalances, all sorts of chaos.
Does playback return to normal if you disable Master Mix (or is it still generally high)?
>>>No. I can't get playback to return to normal at all, despite all the rebooting I've done and even eliminating MasterMix completely from the session. BTW my session is a full capture of an evening's recordings...there's at least two hours' worth of fourteen tracks of audio, each recorded at 16bit, 44.1kHz. The session was playing back just fine before I upgraded to T7 this past weekend.
Note that Master Mix is a completely different plugin to Final Mix, they don't share any code so are not really comparable.
However, if there are CPU use problems we would like to investigate.
>>>I can't directly connect the issues to CPU usage. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett IO box which has always worked perfectly for me and has performed beautifully with Tracktion V6, 5, and other revs. I use the ASIO driver, but sometimes will toggle the driver to either the Windows Audio one or the Direct Sound one, to see if that helps improve things. So far, I have been unable to configure the audio settings in T7 for my Scarlett that seem to work well all the time.
I'm a little pissed off that I just paid the $117 for the ultimate bundle, and now I can't even playback a single song without massive glitches and, sometimes, completely muted outputs. I welcome any further suggestions.
Is it Master Mix taking all the time?
>>>The resource monitor shows MasterMix being a 0% CPU usage and 0.00ms latency, even when active. The CPU resource icon in the upper right corner jumps all over the place, starting at around 7% but then spiking up to 90%+ before coming back down to 0%. It's all over the place. Now, when I do a full re-boot, load Tracktion, then open the session I'm working on and hit PLAY, I will hear what sounds like bizarre automated filtering, panning imbalances, all sorts of chaos.
Does playback return to normal if you disable Master Mix (or is it still generally high)?
>>>No. I can't get playback to return to normal at all, despite all the rebooting I've done and even eliminating MasterMix completely from the session. BTW my session is a full capture of an evening's recordings...there's at least two hours' worth of fourteen tracks of audio, each recorded at 16bit, 44.1kHz. The session was playing back just fine before I upgraded to T7 this past weekend.
Note that Master Mix is a completely different plugin to Final Mix, they don't share any code so are not really comparable.
However, if there are CPU use problems we would like to investigate.
>>>I can't directly connect the issues to CPU usage. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett IO box which has always worked perfectly for me and has performed beautifully with Tracktion V6, 5, and other revs. I use the ASIO driver, but sometimes will toggle the driver to either the Windows Audio one or the Direct Sound one, to see if that helps improve things. So far, I have been unable to configure the audio settings in T7 for my Scarlett that seem to work well all the time.
I'm a little pissed off that I just paid the $117 for the ultimate bundle, and now I can't even playback a single song without massive glitches and, sometimes, completely muted outputs. I welcome any further suggestions.
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- KVRAF
- 1790 posts since 30 Dec, 2012
Hmm, this sounds strange then if plugin CPU usage isn't the problem.
Are you able to play back correctly if you completely disconnect the Scarlett and just use the built in sound card?
Are you able to play back correctly if you completely disconnect the Scarlett and just use the built in sound card?
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 4 posts since 4 Apr, 2016
I unplugged my Scarlett IO box, ran the same session with an without MM strapped across the master bus, and my playback is still being mired with dropouts, glitches, and all sorts of issues. None of this was happening before I installed T7 and the MM plugin. It seems that process introduced some type of PC housekeeping issue which is hampering my ability to get clean playback from a Tracktion session, even with the built in audio HW.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 4 posts since 4 Apr, 2016
More info...I uninstalled everything, deleted all my plugins, then installed T7 64bit, installed only the 64bit plugins including MM, and now things seem to be working normal. I think the plugins must have been the culprit here, because with them all gone now, things are normal. I'm only using the Scarlett and Focusrite Red plugins (which are pretty darn good) and MM.
I might start introducing some of my other plugins, bit by bit, see what happens and delete anything that induces a crash or glitches in playback. I'll keep you updated for chuckles and grins.
I might start introducing some of my other plugins, bit by bit, see what happens and delete anything that induces a crash or glitches in playback. I'll keep you updated for chuckles and grins.