First, let me say that this program has been a godsend. After trying to set up a live playing template in Cakewalk, Reaper, Ableton and Bitwig, GP is the first that does not crap out with the complex routing I am aiming to do, with no latency. It’s been awesome.
Having said that, I have some issues that I’m hoping to get some insight into.
CPU. On a 5950x, my basic template is at 46% or so in GP, consuming less than 3% actual and pretty quickly, I run out of CPU overhead with crackling etc and I’m using less than 10% of the actual CPU. I read the thread about using multiple instances to alleviate this problem but then that creates other problems:
a) Midi controllers. Because of Windows limiting one controller to one software, if I have two GP instances, I now have problems controlling the second instance.
b) Overall out: I am sending the mix to in-ears and speakers, with volume and mute of both controlled with a midi controller. Dividing my template into two GP instances creates a need for two brickwall limiters and two of any other “mixbus” processing, plus the midi controller problem.
I’m not a programmer and don’t understand the limitations but it seems like there must be a way for GP to efficiently use this powerful CPU without creating all of these other problems.
What is the limit on audio inputs and outputs? I am using the amazing MOTU AVB system and Pro Audio Control matrix to route stuff between software and to recording outputs. If I set MOTU to have 64 computer inputs and 72 computer outputs, everything is fine. But any numbers higher than that and GP does not even want to open. At all.
Recording is fine once it gets going but it is very sluggish to open, if I can get it open at all. And then selecting inputs is very slow, extremely slow. And I can’t get it to open from a touchscreen at all, have to use a mouse.
In the panels screen, moving the mouse just seems to randomly turn buttons on and off across the screen without even going over them, much less selecting them.
For PC messages to change racks and variations, what is the Midi Channel? 1? Is there a way to change it?
If accidently removing a cable route, is there no Undo to go back?
Probabilistic Sound Designer - Is there no way to assign a midi control button to Randomize? Also, would be really cool if it could you could have two Randomized settings that it oscillates between at the speed of Midi Clock.
That’s it for now. Wasn’t sure if to put all of this in one post or separate ones, or if the General forum is the correct one. And thanks again for this awesome program and hope some folks have some insight into these issues. Thanks!
What happens when you reduce your audio inputs and outputs to each 2?
Could It be that you audio mute plugins not used, instead of midi routing or bypassing unused plugins?
I’m using 32 tracks of a looping software before GP and then want to record tracks separately after. Track count gets large quick. It would be great if I could get to 76 inputs and 84 outputs so that I could keep tracks separated.
128 is on the low side. Could you live with increasing that? Might get rid of your clicks and pops. I have no problem playing at triple that if I have to.
What is that looping software?
And how looks your demanding rackspace?
Which and how many plugins are you using?
Are they all unbiassed, even when not used?
Not sure [quote=“pianopaul, post:8, topic:8913, full:true”]
What happens when you reduce your audio inputs and outputs to each 2?
Could It be that you audio mute plugins not used, instead of midi routing or bypassing unused plugins?
[/quote]
Not sure I understand. If you reduce the audio inputs and outputs to 2 , you have no cpu usage and a useless software Maybe elaborate?
OK let me explain:
Reducing the input and output channel count should show that there is no influence on CPU.
So when that is shown you can concentrate to find out other root causes.
And the CPU usage is high when you play or is a high CPU usage already shown when you do not play at all?
My two cents — I’m not sure exactly what you’re trying to do but 76 inputs and 84 outputs basically means that every plugin in the wiring view has to “see” and copy a huge block of audio data, most of which plugins won’t even care about but will add an absurd amount of processing time to the system.
GP is not a DAW - it has to do everything in real time.
In a DAW, the reason you can have a large number of inputs and outputs is because most of the stuff you want to play is already stored on tracks and the audio that needs to be generated from plugins can be calculated in advance of real time. DAWs also have the ability to “Freeze” a track (which basically means rendering the entire track to audio and disabling the plugin) to keep CPU cycles down. You can’t do that in a real-time system intended for live performance.
You know, I haven’t even tried to go beyond 128 yet. Had a problem with latency yesterday but discovered the plugin that was causing it and once removed, I left it at 128. Let me try.
Ok, maybe let’s backup (I really should have put each of these issues in a separate post, sorry!)
My main template with all of my routing and the four plugins that I will leave on always is at about 46% in GP, 3% overall. If I turn off those four plugins, it is at 13%. Fine, no worries. But I have 97% of my actual CPU not being used that would be handy.
It is because “Gig Performer’s CPU meter is measuring audio processing cycles only, not the overall CPU usage.”
Ok. It is suggested that to alleviate this problem, to use more instances.
Ok. I separate my template into two instances and that does help. I can now pretty much turn off and on every plugin that I want to use, at least to get going.
But now I have a midi controller problem, because of Windows limiting one controller to one software. How do you folks who use more than one GP instance solve this problem?
Track counts has nothing to do with the number of audio inputs/outputs going into your hardware. You can have 1,000 tracks in a DAW feeding into a two channel audio interface.
Maybe elaborate?