Rimas Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Hey Guys, Im running Scarbee VKC off my Powerbook at our shows. I am currently using a Wurlitzer sample set, a Clav Sample Set, and Rhodes Sample Set. Together these samples take up about 500 megs of RAM. So they work fine for a while. I checked yesterday and I watched as I played and the amount of free memory shrank and shrank and shrank. As soon as it got down to about 40 megs of free RAM the VKC sounds started cutting out, etc. Is there any way I can allocate a larger portion of Free Memory while I am running this program so it doesn't do this? Thanks, Rimas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 How much RAM do you have? A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed A. Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 OS X automatically allocates memory as needed, and doesn't allow the user to set memory allocation for an application like OS 9 did. The only way to improve performance is to install additional memory which has gotten pretty inexpensive recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimas Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 I'm maxed out at 1.25 gigs of RAM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 The thing is, as you use more notes, more velocities, more samples will be loaded into RAM. Is there any way to select patches with fewer velocity layers? A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimas Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 I was thinkin about doing that. So when Scarbee initially loads the samples it doesn't load all of them on to the RAM, just a portion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Were it to load all the samples into RAM, it would take more RAM than your computer has, and frankly more RAM than a 32-bit application could address. It loads samples dynamically as voices are called for, so if you use the highest quality sample set, you run out of RAM very quickly. As you move to fewer velocity layers, you have smaller RAM requirements. That said, as you move to fewer velocity layers, the patch itself sounds less realistic. Are you running all these different sounds at the same time? A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimas Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 No, I switch between sample sets during the show. On some tunes I use the wurli, some the clav, and on others the rhodes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Out of curiosity, what host are you using? A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Also, use 16bit samples if that's an option for you. For live, 24bit is a waste of computer resources. You might experiment and find that the clav plays fine with less velocity layers but that that you prefer the EPs with more. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 It can also be a deficiency in hard drive performance. When you get down to 40 Meg free your laptop may be choking as it tries to manage what is in physical memory and starts to swap out on the hard drive. Do you have a firewire port? If so, have you tried running the samples from a firewire HD with at least 7200RPM? This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Make sure that you have the latest updates of the software you are using, Scarbee and whatever host it is. If you're seeing the free memory shrink when you're not playing anything, it sounds to me like there might be a memory leak. Also, make sure you're not running any other apps at the same time (except whatever the OS runs itself). Even Dashboard widgets can have leaks, IIRC. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mate stubb Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 Receptor. Moe --- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmcq Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 I was advised by Scarbee to turn the volume down in the program, and it helped cut the pops/cracks. Why, I'm not sure, but I play pretty hard, so I suspect that a lower volume requires fewer layers (?) which cuts the processor/ram load (?). I keep the volume at about -3.0, and it makes a big difference. Neilnmcq333@cox.net myspace.com/AlteredDominant www.Prymary.com NordElectro3/S90XS/SteinwayS(midi'd)/KX88/Apple MBP, iMac/MainStage2/Scrbee/NI Komplete/ApogeeDuet/QSCplx1804/JBLmrx512/SpcStnSRX/LogicPro9/DP/ProTools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmcq Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 I should have added that I"m on a PBG4 with 1.66 processor and 2GB Ram, with a 7200 RPM 100 GB HDD.Neilnmcq333@cox.net myspace.com/AlteredDominant www.Prymary.com NordElectro3/S90XS/SteinwayS(midi'd)/KX88/Apple MBP, iMac/MainStage2/Scrbee/NI Komplete/ApogeeDuet/QSCplx1804/JBLmrx512/SpcStnSRX/LogicPro9/DP/ProTools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimas Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 Hey Guys, Thanks for all the input! My hard drive on my Powerbook is currently packed. I only have about 1.7 gigs left (on a 60 gig drive). I am running a PBG4 (power pc) 1.33 processor with 1.25 gigs of Ram. I actually do have an external firewire drive (7200 RPM). For some reason I figured it would be faster if the samples were loaded on to my Powerbook, so thats how I've been running them. I will give it a shot running them off of this drive however... Also, good advice about the memory leaks. I normally restart my computer before every gig to clear out all of the RAM. I never thought to shut the Dashboard off though. The host I am using is the included version of the Halion player that comes with the sample set. I am running the 24 bit sample set out of a Digidesign Mbox Mini, which has a 24 bit DA converter in it as well. The whole idea was to get the best sound possible. I will try all of your guys' tips. Turning down the volume, running off the external drive, etc. Thanks again for all the advice. Let me know if you can think of anything else. Peace, Rimas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimas Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 one more thing, I downloaded an application called iFreeMem... do you guys think this will help at all? http://www.activata.co.uk/products/ifreemem.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Dude - free up some disk space now. You'll eat up 1.7 GB in swap files quicker that you can say howdy. Ideally on your boot drive you'll want to leave at least 5 GB of free space, preferably more, just so that the thing has room to use VM and to move things around when needed. A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Muscara Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 Dude - free up some disk space now. You'll eat up 1.7 GB in swap files quicker that you can say howdy. Ideally on your boot drive you'll want to leave at least 5 GB of free space, preferably more, just so that the thing has room to use VM and to move things around when needed. +1 what he said. "I'm so crazy, I don't know this is impossible! Hoo hoo!" - Daffy Duck "The good news is that once you start piano you never have to worry about getting laid again. More time to practice!" - MOI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
burningbusch Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 The host I am using is the included version of the Halion player that comes with the sample set. I am running the 24 bit sample set out of a Digidesign Mbox Mini, which has a 24 bit DA converter in it as well. The whole idea was to get the best sound possible. Again, I'm not sure if you have both 16 and 24 bit versions available. I have the Kontakt version which does have both. Understand that native DAWs process everything at 32-bits. Regardless of whether you're using 16 or 24 bit waveforms all of the mixing is done at 32-bits and is output at, in your case, 24bits. The old electromechanical instruments topped out at 6 or 7Khz. There is nothing going on above that other than noise, if that. I maintain that the sonic differences between 24 and 16 MIGHT be audible in a studio environment but that it's inaudible live. A 24-bit file is 50% larger than a 16bit. This is one of the best ways to increase performance. You also might find the instruments to be a bit more responsive to the touch as the individual waveforms can be pulled into RAM quicker. Busch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted August 11, 2007 Share Posted August 11, 2007 I agree with kanker, Joe, and Busch. Hmmmmmmm, imagine that, Lucy... agreeing with all three of those guys. This is a first for me. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimas Posted August 16, 2007 Author Share Posted August 16, 2007 Hey guys, just another idea. I tried out using the external hard drive and it worked pretty well. But what if I got a usb flash-drive and loaded the samples I use on to it? (I only use the EEP, CEP, and FEP-DA sample sets). would the flash drive be faster than an external hard drive? Thanks for all of your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeronyne Posted August 16, 2007 Share Posted August 16, 2007 Most USB sticks are slower than a fast firewire drive. "For instance" is not proof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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