Logic "Disk is Too slow or system overload"

[greggumz]

Before I installed Snow Leopard I had no idea this error existed. Now I get it every 3 bars. Its really sad actually, I can't even enjoy making music when everything stops all the time.

Logic 8.0.2
OS X 10.6.1
iMac Computer
3.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4 GB 800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM
Internal Hard drive (not sure how to check)
Lexicon Alpha Audio interface.

As for my set up. I run all of my files off of my internal hard drive (i know, bad). I've never had trouble with this before, and now I have trouble when just 5 tracks are being played at once.

I have my computer hooked up to a Lexicon Alpha box, which that box is hooked up to two speakers, I also have a mic coming into the Lexicon box.

I have an Axiom 61 Keyboard hooked up to my computer via USB.

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A few days ago I downloaded stem files from a band, it was about 40 or so tracks, and they were Huge files. I put them all in logic and I got the error that I hate now "Disk is too slow or system overload."

I figured my computer could not handle so many files, but to my surprise I found out it was doing it on all of my songs I'd recorded in the past.

I read around and saw that messing with buffer settings could help, but I have been unsuccessful so far in fixing my new problem.

I honestly think that this has something to do with Snow Leopard, but it could be a setting or it could be a that i need to get an external hard drive. Either way, how can I start singling out what the problem is?

Thanks!

 

[ChrisA]

I honestly think that this has something to do with Snow Leopard, but it could be a setting or it could be a that i need to get an external hard drive. Either way, how can I start singling out what the problem is?

Thanks!

It may be something with SN only because installing it re-set so etting to something not what you'd like.

How to start to figure this out? Look at Activity Meter. Watch the CPU, Memory and Disk IO Rates while you run Logic. One of these is hitting a limit. he first step is to figure out which.

Does thr Alpha user drivers or is it class compliant and not need any?

 

[deej999]

I would look at the Alpha interface first. Unplug it, restart and launch logic. Switch to using the built in audio. Do you get core audio errors on the same project?

deej

 

[greggumz]

It may be something with SN only because installing it re-set so etting to something not what you'd like.

How to start to figure this out? Look at Activity Meter. Watch the CPU, Memory and Disk IO Rates while you run Logic. One of these is hitting a limit. he first step is to figure out which.

Does thr Alpha user drivers or is it class compliant and not need any?

I ran the activity monitor.

Not sure how to know if each is hitting its limits.

When I double clicked Logic Studio, I watched while playing a song I saw the CPU jump up to 52% being used by Logic.

When Idle the settings under memory read.

Real Mem Size: 727.4 MB
Virtual Mem Size: 2.27 GB
Shared Mem Size: 33.1MB
Private Memory Size: 840.3 MB
Virtual Private Memory: 980.1MB

15 Threads, 297 Ports.

On the main activity monitor window, the CPU seemed to always have around 80% not being used when I played songs. Does this help?

 

[greggumz]

I would look at the Alpha interface first. Unplug it, restart and launch logic. Switch to using the built in audio. Do you get core audio errors on the same project?

deej

Tried that, didn't change anything.

What are core audio drivers?

 

[deej999]

Tried that, didn't change anything.

What are core audio drivers?

My typo. I meant 'Disk too slow...' messages.

Did you try freezing tracks? Running the project from a fast firewire external HD?

 

[doninsbca]

Logic "disk too slow" error

I think the problem is that Logic and/or the Mac can't process the INCOMING signal, the WRITING to disk, and the OUTPUT all at the same time. I had this problem until I did the following:

1: In Logic I turned off each channel strip's "output" (select "no Output")
2: In Logic Preferences Audio I left only 24-Bit Recording checked (unchecking Universal Track, Software Monitoring, and Independent Monitoring Level

I was recording 20 live tracks (maybe only 12-16 sometimes) and Logic would give me the error unexpectedly and randomly (at least it seemed random to me).

Let me know if you can confirm.

Don