# Logic Pro X CPU usage/max



## AntonioMF

[EDIT KINDA SOLVED] After a lot of twiking and looking, apparently my CPU still has not enough power to handle the big projects I'm dealing with, which is a bit odd. It may also be the fact that it is a Hackintosh. The settings I'm currently using are: Buffer Size: 1024 - Buffer Processing: Large - Playback and Live activated. Hope this helps somebody!




Hello all,

I have recently gotten some problems with my CPU and Logic. I started to create bigger and bigger projects and, in playback, sometimes I get CPU overload. I’m running BBCSO and CSS/CSB/CSSS, all purged, buffer size at 1024, buffer processing at large.
My specs are 3.6 ghz 8 core 64 gb of ram, running my samples from an SSD and saving everything on iCloud Drive.
My question is if maybe I’m doing something wrong? A logic problem maybe. It happens only with kinda big and fast music, and the only way I can avoid it is by setting the buffer at max.

Thanks in advance!


(multiprocessor in kontakt is off)
(Is VEP on one machine the solution?)


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## Wunderhorn

I dare say that VEP will help.
Also: What audio interface are you using? I had issues like that as well in the past. After I switched from an old Firewire MOTU interface (drivers are no longer supported now) to something new it was like day and night.


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## AntonioMF

Wunderhorn said:


> I dare say that VEP will help.
> Also: What audio interface are you using? I had issues like that as well in the past. After I switched from an old Firewire MOTU interface (drivers are no longer supported now) to something new it was like day and night.



Thank you for your quick response. I think I’ll download the DEMO of VEP, however I’m inclined to think that maybe I’m doing something wrong. My interface is a Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 second gen (not sure if first or second gen) could that be it?

Thanks!


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## Wunderhorn

I use VEP (now only) on one computer - Quite frankly, I would not want to work without it anymore.
There were some issues reported with the older Focusrite line, but I don't recall the specifics anymore and whether that could potentially be something that could fit your issues, maybe someone else can fill you in about that.

You can also play around in the Kontakt settings, assuming that it is something that you use. However, when using VEP you'll have to turn off multi-core in Kontakt, in that case VEP will handle it for you and there you set you process buffers.


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## Dewdman42

AntonioMF said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I have recently gotten some problems with my CPU and Logic. I started to create bigger and bigger projects and, in playback, sometimes I get CPU overload. I’m running BBCSO and CSS/CSB/CSSS, all purged, buffer size at 1024, buffer processing at large.
> My specs are 3.6 ghz 8 core 64 gb of ram, running my samples from an SSD and saving everything on iCloud Drive.
> My question is if maybe I’m doing something wrong? A logic problem maybe. It happens only with kinda big and fast music, and the only way I can avoid it is by setting the buffer at max.
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> 
> (multiprocessor in kontakt is off)
> (Is VEP on one machine the solution?)




Create an empty track in LogicPro, make sure it is assigned to NO OUTPUT. (right click the track header and reassign to NO OUTPUT).

Make sure that dummy track is selected before pressing play.

Most likely your problem will go away.

If you have a lot of plugins on your AUX and MASTER bus, then anytime you select a track, it is technically armed for recording and the entire signal chain including that track and the AUX's and MASTER bus, will be isolated to a single core...which can cause CPU overload. 

If you are recording a track, then you have to select it obviously, but when you're not recording, then make sure to select the extra empty dummy track to avoid getting live mode to one core.


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## Dewdman42

In addition to that, there are some other settings in the Audio preferences worth checking out. Change the Multi-threading setting to "Playback" instead of "Playback and Live", for example. Try it both ways.

You might need to also make sure the process buffer larger.

Make sure the thread count is set to AUTO.


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## AntonioMF

Dewdman42 said:


> Create an empty track in LogicPro, make sure it is assigned to NO OUTPUT. (right click the track header and reassign to NO OUTPUT).
> 
> Make sure that dummy track is selected before pressing play.
> 
> Most likely your problem will go away.
> 
> If you have a lot of plugins on your AUX and MASTER bus, then anytime you select a track, it is technically armed for recording and the entire signal chain including that track and the AUX's and MASTER bus, will be isolated to a single core...which can cause CPU overload.
> 
> If you are recording a track, then you have to select it obviously, but when you're not recording, then make sure to select the extra empty dummy track to avoid getting live mode to one core.



Hello, thank you for your response. I tried it but it didn’t work, or at least I didn’t see a difference


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## AntonioMF

Dewdman42 said:


> In addition to that, there are some other settings in the Audio preferences worth checking out. Change the Multi-threading setting to "Playback" instead of "Playback and Live", for example. Try it both ways.
> 
> You might need to also make sure the process buffer larger.
> 
> Make sure the thread count is set to AUTO.



I’ll try this thanks. But will I still be able to play notes or plugins that are inside a summing stack? Why auto and not 8? I tried both and I think it performed better in 8.

thanks!


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## Dewdman42

Tell us more specifics about the project you are trying to use.


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## Dewdman42

AntonioMF said:


> I have recently gotten some problems with my CPU and Logic. I started to create bigger and bigger projects and, in playback, sometimes I get CPU overload. I’m running BBCSO and CSS/CSB/CSSS, all purged, buffer size at 1024, buffer processing at large.
> My specs are 3.6 ghz 8 core 64 gb of ram



what exact machine do you have? If its hackintosh, then please describe exactly the CPU and motherboard, etc.




> , running my samples from an SSD and saving everything on iCloud Drive.



when you say you are saving everything to iCloud drive, what do you mean exactly?

you said bigger and bigger projects. How many tracks? what plugins are you using besides Kontakt? You mentioned something about summing stacks, describe that more please. do you have any plugins on your master bus or doing anything compression and stuff while recording tracks.

I am able to mix down 100 tracks on my 2010 MacPro with 3.46ghz x 12 core. Honestly I think you should be able to mix just about any project on that machine you halfway described, so something doesn't add up right.


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## LamaRose

AntonioMF said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I have recently gotten some problems with my CPU and Logic. I started to create bigger and bigger projects and, in playback, sometimes I get CPU overload. I’m running BBCSO and CSS/CSB/CSSS, all purged, buffer size at 1024, buffer processing at large.
> My specs are 3.6 ghz 8 core 64 gb of ram, running my samples from an SSD and saving everything on iCloud Drive.
> My question is if maybe I’m doing something wrong? A logic problem maybe. It happens only with kinda big and fast music, and the only way I can avoid it is by setting the buffer at max.
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> 
> (multiprocessor in kontakt is off)
> (Is VEP on one machine the solution?)



Are you running K5 or K6?


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## AntonioMF

Dewdman42 said:


> what exact machine do you have? If its hackintosh, then please describe exactly the CPU and motherboard, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> when you say you are saving everything to iCloud drive, what do you mean exactly?
> 
> you said bigger and bigger projects. How many tracks? what plugins are you using besides Kontakt? You mentioned something about summing stacks, describe that more please. do you have any plugins on your master bus or doing anything compression and stuff while recording tracks.
> 
> I am able to mix down 100 tracks on my 2010 MacPro with 3.46ghz x 12 core. Honestly I think you should be able to mix just about any project on that machine you halfway described, so something doesn't add up right.



Yes, it is hackintosh. The


Dewdman42 said:


> what exact machine do you have? If its hackintosh, then please describe exactly the CPU and motherboard, etc.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> when you say you are saving everything to iCloud drive, what do you mean exactly?
> 
> you said bigger and bigger projects. How many tracks? what plugins are you using besides Kontakt? You mentioned something about summing stacks, describe that more please. do you have any plugins on your master bus or doing anything compression and stuff while recording tracks.
> 
> I am able to mix down 100 tracks on my 2010 MacPro with 3.46ghz x 12 core. Honestly I think you should be able to mix just about any project on that machine you halfway described, so something doesn't add up right.



Thank you a lot! Yes, it's a Hackintosh. I said the iCloud Drive just to see if it has something to do with the situation, Im aware that the files are saved on the computer first and then uploaded to the cloud.

Im not sure about the motherboard, but the CPU is a i7-9700k 3.6 GHz, 64gb Ram DDR4. Yesterday I found out that is mostly happens with fast music, at 172 bpm with only 4 CSS plugins doing some runs, the CPU almost reaches its max, and sometimes I hear plops. I did a mock-up of Shostakovich 10 symphony 2nd movement which is constantly fast and strong music, there I used CSS, CSB and BBCSO Winds and Perc. Im using summing stacks to route the tracks in order to print them, I use the BBCSO Pro template to which I added the CSS sounds.I do not have plugins on my master, I'm only using the plugins, which I organize as 1 plugin per track, no multi-instruments. The template has around 600 tracks but they are all disabled, I turn them on depending on what I need. I would say there are never more than 100 instrument tracks active at the same time, around 50-60 would be more accurate.


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## AntonioMF

LamaRose said:


> Are you running K5 or K6?



Hello, thanks!

Im using Kontakt 6


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## Dewdman42

AntonioMF said:


> Yes, it is hackintosh. The
> 
> 
> Thank you a lot! Yes, it's a Hackintosh. I said the iCloud Drive just to see if it has something to do with the situation, Im aware that the files are saved on the computer first and then uploaded to the cloud.
> 
> Im not sure about the motherboard, but the CPU is a i7-9700k 3.6 GHz, 64gb Ram DDR4.



Should be able to do 4 CSS plugins...

Regarding cloud drive, try testing your project to a different local-only drive to see if that matters. I don't know that much about iCloud to know whether it starts to synchronize to iCloud the minute you start writing to the local drive, for example. 



> Yesterday I found out that is mostly happens with fast music, at 172 bpm with only 4 CSS plugins doing some runs, the CPU almost reaches its max, and sometimes I hear plops.



In my mind that points to midi choking out. Do the "plops" sound like notes are missing or more like the audio is actually cutting out...and/or does LogicPro report dropped audio errors?

In LogicPro preferences there is a preference called process "Process Buffer Range", try setting that to Large. Logic can be prone to midi bottlenecks honestly and since your problem is particularly coming up during fast music, I assume with a lot of midi events happening close together, I'm suspicious of this. The larger process buffer might help that factor.

If that doesn't help, then try to separate out your tracks to MORE instances of CSS, ironically.



> Im using summing stacks to route the tracks in order to print them,



Alright but are you saying that you have one midi track for the summing stack header and then it feeds into all 4 instances of CSS inside it, or what? More detail about that. 

In LogicPro, when you use Summing stacks, you create AUX channels which are treated somewhat like live audio channels... 

Open up the CPU meter of LogicPro and take a screen shot for us of the CPU (including all the threads) while you're having the problem. 



> I use the BBCSO Pro template to which I added the CSS sounds.



Unfortunately you'll have to describe that in more detail in order to comment about what may or may not be causing your CPU spiking.




> I do not have plugins on my master, I'm only using the plugins, which I organize as 1 plugin per track, no multi-instruments.



well you might be inadvertently getting some multi-instrument behavior through the summing stack you mentioned, we need to hear more about that.



> The template has around 600 tracks but they are all disabled, I turn them on depending on what I need. I would say there are never more than 100 instrument tracks active at the same time, around 50-60 would be more accurate.



I don't know the benchmark score of your hackintosh, but I can just say that my cheesgrater, which is 12 x 3.46ghz...can definitely handle that task. So... hope we can get to the bottom of it...


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## AntonioMF

Dewdman42 said:


> Should be able to do 4 CSS plugins...
> 
> Regarding cloud drive, try testing your project to a different local-only drive to see if that matters. I don't know that much about iCloud to know whether it starts to synchronize to iCloud the minute you start writing to the local drive, for example.
> 
> 
> 
> In my mind that points to midi choking out. Do the "plops" sound like notes are missing or more like the audio is actually cutting out...and/or does LogicPro report dropped audio errors?
> 
> In LogicPro preferences there is a preference called process "Process Buffer Range", try setting that to Large. Logic can be prone to midi bottlenecks honestly and since your problem is particularly coming up during fast music, I assume with a lot of midi events happening close together, I'm suspicious of this. The larger process buffer might help that factor.
> 
> If that doesn't help, then try to separate out your tracks to MORE instances of CSS, ironically.
> 
> 
> 
> Alright but are you saying that you have one midi track for the summing stack header and then it feeds into all 4 instances of CSS inside it, or what? More detail about that.
> 
> In LogicPro, when you use Summing stacks, you create AUX channels which are treated somewhat like live audio channels...
> 
> Open up the CPU meter of LogicPro and take a screen shot for us of the CPU (including all the threads) while you're having the problem.
> 
> 
> 
> Unfortunately you'll have to describe that in more detail in order to comment about what may or may not be causing your CPU spiking.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> well you might be inadvertently getting some multi-instrument behavior through the summing stack you mentioned, we need to hear more about that.
> 
> 
> 
> I don't know the benchmark score of your hackintosh, but I can just say that my cheesgrater, which is 12 x 3.46ghz...can definitely handle that task. So... hope we can get to the bottom of it...



Thanks a lot for your time.
I’ll try to save the project to a external drive.

Yes, the plops sound like notes are cutting out. And yes, logic sometimes says CPU overload. I do have the buffer processing at large, also de buffer size at 1024.

The summings are only to route the inside tracks and to print. I’m not using them as an instrument that uses all the tracks inside the summing. Inside the summing, I have 1 plugin per track, no multi-instrument, in Kontakt I have one instance of CSS Violin 1, another tracks has another instance of Kontakt with violin 2, etc.

Regarding the template, I think what I said just before it could be better explained? Just one instance of the BBCSO plugin and Kontakt plugin per track, and recently, one track per articulation. It depends on the project that I’m working on, but with this particular problem, it happens with both options.

Let me know if you need more information or If I’m not being very clear. Language barrier is though!

thanks again!

EDIT: the multiprocessor in logic is set to Automatic, which you told me to try. For some reason logic is not using all the cores. If I set it to 8 cores, it usually uses all.


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## Dewdman42

The CPU meter does not show live mode core stuff happening so you can rule that out.

I'm getting a little confused by some of your descriptions, so not much else I can add other then if the problem is related to midi choking out then try separating those dense tracks out to separate tracks feeding separate instances of Kontakt. That may or may not be hte problem, but its worth a try.

You also don't have all your cores being utilized there...which means not that many tracks or something fishy. If you really had 50-60 active tracks at once I would expect to see all threads being utilized. That could be related to the summing stacks, but I really am just throwing out ideas now without being able to see your exact project configuration.


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## AntonioMF

Dewdman42 said:


> The CPU meter does not show live mode core stuff happening so you can rule that out.
> 
> I'm getting a little confused by some of your descriptions, so not much else I can add other then if the problem is related to midi choking out then try separating those dense tracks out to separate tracks feeding separate instances of Kontakt. That may or may not be hte problem, but its worth a try.
> 
> You also don't have all your cores being utilized there...which means not that many tracks or something fishy. If you really had 50-60 active tracks at once I would expect to see all threads being utilized. That could be related to the summing stacks, but I really am just throwing out ideas now without being able to see your exact project configuration.



Thanks a lot for your help, sorry if I’m a bit confusing. I’ll try everything you said and see if it works. Do you think maybe VEP could help? Would you mind if we get in touch, maybe use teamviewer so you can see my project?


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## Dewdman42

PM me


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## krsstyles

Hi, I had huge cpu spikes stopping playback On my Mac book. I changed logic preference Multi threading to playback tracks and this solved all my problems I can run big projects now with only 25% cpu usage.

hope this helps!


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## AntonioMF

krsstyles said:


> Hi, I had huge cpu spikes stopping playback On my Mac book. I changed logic preference Multi threading to playback tracks and this solved all my problems I can run big projects now with only 25% cpu usage.
> 
> hope this helps!



Hello, thanks a lot! I tried it but it was actually worse than before :(


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## Marsen

Dewdman42 said:


> Create an empty track in LogicPro, make sure it is assigned to NO OUTPUT. (right click the track header and reassign to NO OUTPUT).



Thanks so much Dewdman42,

that solved my trouble with Single Core Spikes!

I'm so happy, I found this forum, where you always get profound help.
Great.


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## Marsen

I have a(maybe silly) question and I hope it´s not off-topic:

If I play live with a special Kontakt-Multi-Instrument, I made by myself, I get spikes and audio dropouts (Cpu-Meter in Logic of a single thread at full).

This Kontakt-Multi consists of 4 Spitfire Audio Studio Strings Profess. Legato Patches (Violin 1, Violin2, Viola, Cello), playing in Unison.

So my question is: Are 4 Legato-Instruments unison in a Multi general a bad idea to try, and just too much for my Cpu, or should my system handle that easily and I do have a technical problem?

Non-Legato Multi patches aren´t a problem, other Multi-Legato Patches can cause this problem too.

Here are my System Specs: 
Mac Mini 2018 i7 3.2 Ghz 6-Core, 32 GB Ram 
Mac OS 10.14.6 Mojave
Logic Pro 10.4.8, Buffer Size is 256
Audio Interface: Universal Audio Apollo Twin MK II
Logic is on System SSD 256 GB
Sample Libraries are on different external SSD´s
Kontakt Buffer Size is default, database is empty

Only the Logic CPU Meter shows these 100% spikes on one thread, Disk Meter shows nothing at all, but diskmeter in Kontakt get´s sometimes high, while kontakt cpu shows 3-10% (guess it is overall cpu)


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