I am on a 2019 MacBook Pro 2.4 8 core I9 with 32 gigs of ram running on Catalina. I just discovered the whole using instances bit, so I split my gig across 3 of them, bringing my CPU below 40%. It was working for awhile, but now all of the sudden, randomly gets pops and crackles(and it is RANDOM). I use one instance for my vocals, and my vocals all of the sudden will start to sound like I’m underwater, and the pops and crackles follow. Sometimes my synths with just glitch and stop playing. My 3 instances at first were spread out across 3 desktops (its easy for me to 4 finger swipe between screens. When I brought them all to one screen it seemed to stop the issue for a few performances, but now it’s starting up again. This makes NO sense to me, be cause each instance is under 40% (1 of them, the vocals instance goes between 4 and 10%). I even experimented and bypassed everything but 1 piano sound and my vocals, and it STILL happened randomly!!! Has anyone experienced this before with multiple instances?? I’m seriously considering just going back to Ableton!!!
There’s no magic here. If GP was working fine “for a few performances” and then stopped working properly, then something else on your system changed or is misconfigured. With the same gigfiles, GP isn’t going to behave properly for multiple performances and then suddenly start failing.
You don’t mention what version of GP you’re using, nor what audio interface you’re using, nor what sample rate and buffer sizes you’re using.
The fact that you are getting a problem with all but one plugin bypassed is further evidence of something else is wrong.
I’m using GP 4.5.8. My interface is an apollo x6. I used different buffer sizes, but i switched everything to 512 just to see if that changed it. It did not.
sorry sample rate 44 on all of them
If you used 44.1k and 512 buffer size then no question that something is wrong within your environment. Many users routinely run at 128 or even smaller. Further, an audio process CPU of just 40% would not be an issue.
Something is interfering.
Maybe some process running unnecessarily and at random times….
yeah, that’s why I’m confused. I can run the same vi’s on ableton without a glitch. The only reason i split up my gig to multiple instances was because I was getting close to 60% on my one instance! However, in ableton I never have that problem.
First, I’d optimize my Mac: [blog] Optimize your Mac for a gig
Please report if following these guidelines makes a difference.
And Gig Performer is the only application running and using the same Audio Interface?
On my Mac in the office I have glitches when Gig Performer and ZOOM are running at the same time.
Sometimes I face similar issue when Gig Performer and Ableton Live running on separate desktops on Mac.
I did not find the root cause, since them - at least live - I avoid separate desktops.
I’m only using one interface and only gig performer. Even when I move to one desktop, it still happens. Here’s the weird thing… Once the popsand clicks start,they don’t stop, even if I’m not playing. My vocals are completely inaudible, like I’m underwater or something, until I click on my vocal instance… Then it stops!
I will check it out for sure!
This is beginning to sound like a word clock sync issue
Can you explain? Doesn’t each instance of gig performer follow the interfaces clock?
I do feel that is THE SOUND it is making, however, because I have dealt with drifting in the past when I would aggregate devices on my Mac.
I use an aggregate device with my interface and the blackhole virtual driver. I seem to recall having issues like this, and when I checked the Audio MIDI Setup in MacOS, the blackhole was listed as the ‘Clock Source’. I changed it to my interface and it resolved things.
But it’s been a while, and my memory is hazy…
Does it crackle even when you do not load any gig files in the gig performer instances? Das
Sorry trying to understand that question. When you say gig files, do you mean vi’s and plugins? Two nights ago I , one by one, started to remove plugins and vi’s from each instance to see if that was the issue. I cleared out every instance except vocals, and my piano instance, left on piano on there, a kontakt piano, and it still happened. minimal processing on vocals, just a few uad plugins.
ok, I meant only starting the GP instances without loading any plugins.
ok, so I moved to just 2 instances on one desktop, so far, no clicks and pops. only problem is I my cpu is now well over 40%. I guess we will see. It’s a shame because, I can literally run twice as many vi’s in ableton
I repeat my previous comment — if you are getting clicks and pops with that minimum setup, then there is no question that something is mis-configured on your system
Run? Or Load? All of them? In real-time? Or are you triggering clips and/or using tracks both of which can pre-calculate the required audio buffers.
What CPU?
In activity monitor, or the one built into Gig Performer?
Regarding Ableton Live, what is your buffer settings here and what are you using in Gig Performer?
Now that you do no have clicks or pops, what did you change?