Upgraded Komplete onto new laptop - not working so well

Atlas Cedar

Hi there,

My trusty old laptop (Windows 7/Intel i5/6GB RAM) started to fail and so I upgraded from Komplete 9 to 14 and installed it on my new laptop (Windows 10/Intel i5/8 GB RAM), but it seems to be struggling.

I haven't done a full test yet, but there's a few worrying signs. Firstly, CPU usage can max out even when just playing a single instrument in Kontakt. Secondly, Maschine 2 doesn't seem to be working well either - even with three instruments, it is tripping up/glitching. Thirdly, power usage seems to be very high when either Kontakt or Maschine is running.

I've also noticed that I can no longer use Audacity simultaneously - as soon as I play audio from NI, the audio stops in Audacity. The culprit may well be my old Tascam preamp, but it does appear to work fine when I'm using it for one application (e.g. with Guitar Rig Pro), so I don't think it is the old Tascam drivers causing the problem.

The whole program seems to be quite slow running too, so I fear that my laptop is not up to the job of running Komplete, though it does fulfil the minimum spec requirements.

It seems strange that everything worked perfectly on a 15 yr old laptop with lower specs, but doesn't work on a new laptop with higher specs (albeit running Windows 10, and not 7).

Aside from buying a new PC and/or a new preamp, does anyone have any suggestions as to what might be causing these problems, and what I might do to isolate/identify the issue(s)? Is there a minimum spec sound card needed to run NI and other sound applications at the same time that my new laptop may not have?

Thanks, AC

P.S Is it OK to install Komplete onto multiple computers? I have a higher spec laptop (work...) that I could try...

JesterMgee

What model i5/speed is it, Also what graphics card? Is your audio interface a USB attached one and are you using ASIO drivers?

The issue with audio not working on another app could be either the windows audio samplerate does not match the daws samplerate or the driver doesnt allow for multiple audio applications at the same time (if it's ASIO. Check first that everything is set the same, 48Khz for instance. If you are runnning at 96k or higher, drop to 48 as a starter.

If it is a new laptop have you done the usual "tuning" to make sure it is running 100% for audio work? Things like checking your power profile settings and making ssure the CPU is set to 100%, disable power saving and sleep settings for USB and HDD etc. Also, sometimes in the BIOS you can disable "speed stepping" or dynamic CPU adjustment so it just runs a solid CPU speed.

Where is all your content installed, internal HDD and is it a SATA HDD or mechanical?

Kubrak

You may install Komplete on three computers, under the condition you use it on one at given time... So no prpblem to try second installation on other notebook.

Concerning your problem. What exactly CPU do you have, i5 is way too generic. And also, if it is 12th or 13th gen Intel, you should use Win11 and not Win10. Unless your i5 CPU has only P-cores and no e-cores.

Also, what speed your CPU uses?

If you have 12th or 13th gen Intel and CPU has e-cores, first step might be to disable e-cores. Cannot help with how, big-little Intels must not enter my home. Ever. So, no Intel for next few years....

JesterMgee

What model i5/speed is it, Also what graphics card? Is your audio interface a USB attached one and are you using ASIO drivers?

The issue with audio not working on another app could be either the windows audio samplerate does not match the daws samplerate or the driver doesnt allow for multiple audio applications at the same time (if it's ASIO. Check first that everything is set the same, 48Khz for instance. If you are runnning at 96k or higher, drop to 48 as a starter.

If it is a new laptop have you done the usual "tuning" to make sure it is running 100% for audio work? Things like checking your power profile settings and making ssure the CPU is set to 100%, disable power saving and sleep settings for USB and HDD etc. Also, sometimes in the BIOS you can disable "speed stepping" or dynamic CPU adjustment so it just runs a solid CPU speed.

Where is all your content installed, internal HDD and is it a SATA HDD or mechanical?

Atlas Cedar

@JesterMgee Thank you for your reply, and for all of those helpful suggestions.

I think everything is pretty much optimised, but after playing around with it last night again, I think I've identified the main issue, and I reckon it is simply down to the preamp (Tascam US-144, connected via USB)... it's old and although it does work on my new laptop, it doesn't work with two programs running at the same time.

Audacity works fine with the Tascam US-144 and does still work after opening Kontakt and starting to play something, but then as soon as the audio on Audacity is paused or stopped, it can't be restarted through the Tascam until its physically disconnected and reattached. Hence I reckon the preamp is the problem when it comes to using multiple programs. I've yet to try running Kontakt through Cubase while running Audacity, but that will involve me buying a new Tascam preamp anyway (as it comes with Cubase LE).

As for the issues with Maschine, that's more troubling. Even without any other programs running, it seems to be maxing out the CPU very easily, and I hope that this doesn't happen when I'm running in Cubase. I noticed, however, that Maschine and Kontakt only seem to work well when I select 'ASIO' (set to High Latency seems best), while WASAPI (Shared/Exclusive) produces a slight delay between playing and hearing. I don't really know what these are TBH, but I'll check what I used on my old set up and stick to that.

At the moment, I have all the key software installed on the laptop itself, but the libraries are on an external HDD, however I may pare it down to the basics and only install what I need on the laptop itself.

I don't know much about CPU settings etc. and couldn't figure out how to set things up for 100% audio work.

In any case, thank you for all your comments... I'll post again once I've got the new preamp and Cubase set up, and see if the major issues persist beyond that.

Cheers, AC

Kubrak

You may install Komplete on three computers, under the condition you use it on one at given time... So no prpblem to try second installation on other notebook.

Concerning your problem. What exactly CPU do you have, i5 is way too generic. And also, if it is 12th or 13th gen Intel, you should use Win11 and not Win10. Unless your i5 CPU has only P-cores and no e-cores.

Also, what speed your CPU uses?

If you have 12th or 13th gen Intel and CPU has e-cores, first step might be to disable e-cores. Cannot help with how, big-little Intels must not enter my home. Ever. So, no Intel for next few years....

Atlas Cedar

Thanks for your reply Kubrak.

The chip is an Intel® Core™ i5-8265U Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.90 GHz) - 8th gen, 4 cores (apparently).... purchased in 2020, so although it's 'new' to me, it's not brand new.

I think I've resolved the main issue though. I reckon it is simply that the laptop/hardware can't handle multiple audio programs running at the same time on ASIO - although my ancient laptop (bought in 2008!) could handle it no problem, my current laptop cannot.

I bought a new Tascam audio interface a) to rule out the possibility that it was the old audio interface or its drivers that were causing the problem and b) because it comes with Cubase 12 LE free, just as my old Tascam did. Turns out there's nothing wrong with the old interface or the drivers - it's the laptop.

However, although I didn't really need a new interface, I did need to replace Cubase anyway, as the old version I had (Cubase 5 LE) couldn't be installed on my new laptop. And, it turns out that Cubase is the solution to my problem... normally I'd run Guitar Rig Pro, Audacity and Cubase LE simultaneously with no difficulty, and everything just worked. Now, however, only one program will work on ASIO at a time - and WASAPI (Shared Mode) lets you play more than one, but with a noticable delay that makes live overdubbing impossible.

Fortunately, though, Cubase 12 LE lets me do everything - indeed, I could have done everything previously in Cubase 5 LE but I preferred using Audacity for editting and arranging, GRP for live recording, and I only used Cubase as a de facto keyboard to overdub drums, keys etc. Now, however, I've figured out how to use Cubase for the whole lot, and although it is a bit tricky and is not without its flaws, it seems to work for now.

The biggest issue I've noticed is that it doesn't take much at all to overload the CPU with Cubase, and I was panicking when it dropped out while I was playing a single instrument. However, I've figured out that running a tonne of instruments in the background is going to do that, and also that I can 'freeze' instruments when they are not in use, so I can basically use Cubase with just one instrument at a time, and also use Audio Mixdown tracks to minimise CPU usage.

So for now it all looks to be fine. I'm glad to report that NI Komplete, my Tascam interfaces, Cubase and Audacity all still work perfectly, but it's my laptop/audio card that is the likely culprit. I would like to be able to use my old workflow/set-up, but I'm sure I'll get used to using Cubase on its own as time goes on, and it looks way more efficient and better organised than I've ever been before...

-

Thanks both for your helpful replies, it's daunting when you are faced with a problem that you might not know how to fix, so any comments in one's hour(s) of need are always most appreciated!

Cheers, AC

Kubrak

That CPU should be OK for light to moderate projects. I have similar CPU in my Surface 7 Pro (it has 9th gen i5, 4C/8T) which is passively cooled. And Maschine runs OK. But one cannot push it much. Good for sketching.

For decent work I have 8C/16T CPU and plenty of RAM.

ASIO mostly allows using just by one program at time. There may be rare exceptions, but I have not met ASIO driver that supports concurent use. But i heard they do exist.