Much Better Performance 2.11.3

Hi,

I have a long live session in the MPC one and always in the last minutes i was used to listen clicks and pops, the cpu was increasing when new sequences were loading.

With the new update, the long live set is so smooth, in the first minutes and in the last ones, the cpu don't go up like before, this is a very big improvement.

Now i can add more time to live set!!!

This is not noticeable doing short lives or songs, is about 64 sequences and long ones about 1-3 minutes.

I did my research about the issue and seems like when new programs are loaded(with plugins, etc) the cpu of the MPC was increasing, even when we pass to the other sequence which would contain the old programs or new ones.
The point is, once one program was loaded in memory also was adding load to the CPU and not liberating that load when that program is not used anymore.
We can say that was a kind of memory leak, but who knows the architecture of MPC software, it does amazing things with just this CPU.

The results are obvious, more time happens more cpu,using, finally a full of clicks and pops and sometimes the MPC stopped sounding(10 seconds), some kind of internal reset, not rebooting the system, but 10 seconds or so with all stopped is a no no no.

I can give some recommendations about performance in long long projects:

-Programs: Try to group as many samples as you can in the same program, as many programs you have more cpu load, so organize your samples to belong to the same program, this will reduce a lot the CPU load.

-Plugins FX: Don't use FX in inserts, just do like the old style, 4 returns, 4 FX, enough for 2 reverbs and 2 delays, SHARED between all the programs.
You can send signal to the Sends/Returns individually in the program by pads, so you have control by each sampler to send the amount of FX you want, again group your samples in program as much as you can.
Don't use plugins in a live, resample them, as much use some eq which anyways you can resample....

-Plugins Synths: IMHO don't use them in a live set, they will s*** your CPU in some cases the polyphony of the synth will stop working in some presets and the sound will sound like a crap.

-Wrapping: Don't, Don't and Don't. Inspect all your programs and disable all the ones with wrapping enabled they are CPU eaters, do process them with time-stretch in edit sample to the bpm of your song

-Sampling: Stereo samples are impacting twice in the performance convert all the possible to mono and make the stereo image yourself panning the sounds.

I hope this helps someone.

Best regards,




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Hey, nice post!
64 sequences, and each about 1-3 minutes, so how long is the total set?
Have you tried any other setups/project organizations for life sets with MPC?

I am now fiddling with an idea of a live MPC set, but my approach is to use two MPCs. Initiallly i thought about Live going into X, but after some tests i think using a DJ mixer and plugging each MPC per channel would be more flexible.

Also fun fact - ableton link sometimes does not work correctly, IDK why, but i've experienced a case when a project one the X was shifted almost a bar in relation to the one that's playing on the Live.

Kryz wrote:-Plugins FX: Don't use FX in inserts, just do like the old style, 4 returns, 4 FX, enough for 2 reverbs and 2 delays, SHARED between all the programs.
You can send signal to the Sends/Returns individually in the program by pads, so you have control by each sampler to send the amount of FX you want, again group your samples in program as much as you can.
Don't use plugins in a live, resample them, as much use some eq which anyways you can resample....

-Plugins Synths: IMHO don't use them in a live set, they will s*** your CPU in some cases the polyphony of the synth will stop working in some presets and the sound will sound like a crap.

-Wrapping: Don't, Don't and Don't. Inspect all your programs and disable all the ones with wrapping enabled they are CPU eaters, do process them with time-stretch in edit sample to the bpm of your song

In this 3 scenarios one workaround for using FX, Wrapping and Synths could be to use them while producing and duplicate the project for a "Live set" version and resample them the get rid of them in the Live Set project.
Anyway, wrapping sounds like crap. Offline Time Strech sounds much better.

Yes, is basically what i am doing, i use the plugins when i am producing the song in a separate project, on just for each song.
When i export the sequence and cut them for the live set i resample and use the offline timestretch in all the samples, also i convert to mono, but anyways i like to do it all in mono and pan myself, or do something for the stereo with fx or widing the image of some songs.

In the live set i have to reduce some processes or just freeze/print them.

Anyways after one long day of work with it, today i didn't hear any clip and pop and didn't stop, working.

Before this update, working with a long project, modifying and saving many times is when the MPC was getting worse and worse until it stopped working, always if ive played all the sequences.
So if i open a big project and just go to some sequences and modify save and edit them, MPC system is stable.

Today i played all the live set, modify save and continue playing with any click, pop or signal of strong load of CPU.

For me, this fix is more valuable that any other in the very last updates.
Regards,

handthrow wrote:Hey, nice post!
64 sequences, and each about 1-3 minutes, so how long is the total set?
Have you tried any other setups/project organizations for life sets with MPC?

I am now fiddling with an idea of a live MPC set, but my approach is to use two MPCs. Initiallly i thought about Live going into X, but after some tests i think using a DJ mixer and plugging each MPC per channel would be more flexible.

Also fun fact - ableton link sometimes does not work correctly, IDK why, but i've experienced a case when a project one the X was shifted almost a bar in relation to the one that's playing on the Live.

The life is about 54 minutes, I rounded too high, i have 44 sequences in the life set and i use it as standalone.

Also i use another synth to make acid lines, the TD, all in a mixer, because the latency of the MPC input, is sad i could save to bring the mixer to the session, but the latency isn't acceptable IMHO.

Some of those sequences are just for the progression to the next song.

Before this update i can't use MASTER FX, and the last 5 minutes is just an audio track mixed with the last part of the life, every life i change that last song of me heheh.

That was my limits, in that 50 minute i listen some pops, clicks and the CPU about 80% which in the other versions was not accurate, +80% of CPU usage in my case was like a 110% usage.

Now i finish the life with 30-40% of CPU, they fixed the leak for sure.

Also they fixed a very annoying bug of the QLINKS not saving the master or some insert fx to it.

I will use this weekend the MASTER FX 2BUSS:
-Tube saturator
-BUS COMPRESSOR (new plugin didn't see, with analog flavor, not good for 2buss)
-FILTERS to QLINK
-MORE FILTERS to QLINQ.

Ive tested and is working well very well as never was XD.

Nice! If you'll have it recorded somewhere i'd love to see it - especially as you mentioned acid lines

Yeah the latency is a bit too long for routing audio from other devices, for DJ effects it's acceptable if you use delays/reverbs only - at least for basic when mixing vinyl.

X has a direct monitoring which is dope, but using it as the mixer and one of the sources is a bit clunky though.

Well, the fx are the best part of my Live, why should I just use fx sends?
I use them as inserts and also as sends, and they are not cpu hungry at all.
That's the great job that Air made, you can put them anywhere without going to the limit.
New plugins and some keygroups are the most cpu heavy, so that's the limit to be aware of.

"Also i use another synth to make acid lines, the TD, all in a mixer, because the latency of the MPC input, is sad i could save to bring the mixer to the session, but the latency isn't acceptable IMHO."

Hello
Have you tried to use the digital delay FX to compensate ?
Use it on the group that groups everything BUT the input ( let him alone on its own group )
insert, 100% wet, as much ms delay as needed to match the input latency.

I used it on some projects to compensate a poor midi interface so not exactly in that way but it did the job ^^

Did you notice also more precission on the Touch Screen?... I've noticed it on my One, but maybe Im just tripping. Too much lala

handthrow wrote:Nice! If you'll have it recorded somewhere i'd love to see it - especially as you mentioned acid lines

Yeah the latency is a bit too long for routing audio from other devices, for DJ effects it's acceptable if you use delays/reverbs only - at least for basic when mixing vinyl.

X has a direct monitoring which is dope, but using it as the mixer and one of the sources is a bit clunky though.

I have a recent live set we did an Acid party in a very cute village in Catalonia, in the center of a medieval village, they conserved very well the old style and was a very nice party

it Is a kind of Acid Techno London style.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7QOzeF-Syo

Straker wrote:Well, the fx are the best part of my Live, why should I just use fx sends?
I use them as inserts and also as sends, and they are not cpu hungry at all.
That's the great job that Air made, you can put them anywhere without going to the limit.
New plugins and some keygroups are the most cpu heavy, so that's the limit to be aware of.

In my case i had to remove all the reverbs and delays and some heavy load plugins and resample them for the live set and many other things to optimize my session...just in my case.

ivato wrote:"Also i use another synth to make acid lines, the TD, all in a mixer, because the latency of the MPC input, is sad i could save to bring the mixer to the session, but the latency isn't acceptable IMHO."

Hello
Have you tried to use the digital delay FX to compensate ?
Use it on the group that groups everything BUT the input ( let him alone on its own group )
insert, 100% wet, as much ms delay as needed to match the input latency.

I used it on some projects to compensate a poor midi interface so not exactly in that way but it did the job ^^

I've tried that solution, but as i had/have performance issues because the size of the live, so to don't overload more the machine with audio input plus some plugins..., plus the delay of the group...i finally bring a little Allen Heat mixer and plus i can eq a bit the TD and i use some external FX in the bassline, i always worked like this in some way i like it

TT_Lab wrote:Did you notice also more precission on the Touch Screen?... I've noticed it on my One, but maybe Im just tripping. Too much lala

I am not sure about that, i notice the system more smooth after long time working with it and after played a lot of long sequences, but if you noticed why not?

Today stopped again but i did twice the live set and edit a lot of things, about 5 hours working on it, so i don't care, i was doing heavy things with long audio tracks.

This issue was the most that i was worried about MPC and its growing additions, i thought they were just adding stuff to sell and not worrying about this leak.

There is another user in mpc forums posting exactly the same issue i read months ago.

I thought was an architecture limitation or something like that....still it is, but now we have more time to play with it

The Power Of Suggestion Is Real

Kryz wrote:

Straker wrote:Well, the fx are the best part of my Live, why should I just use fx sends?
I use them as inserts and also as sends, and they are not cpu hungry at all.
That's the great job that Air made, you can put them anywhere without going to the limit.
New plugins and some keygroups are the most cpu heavy, so that's the limit to be aware of.

In my case i had to remove all the reverbs and delays and some heavy load plugins and resample them for the live set and many other things to optimize my session...just in my case.

Reverbs and delays are always on sends for me.
It doesn't have much sense to use them as inserts, especially reverb. Reverb is one and it sounds better to use one on send for all tracks.
I usually use all 4 sends with reverb, delays and combinations of them.
The other fx on inserts.
Never had any cpu issue this way.