S4MK3 Waveform loading is painfully slow and CPU intensive

Nightsilm
Nightsilm Member Posts: 6 Newcomer
in Traktor Software & Hardware

Hello,

Whenever I load a new track into a deck, S4MK3 starts to analyze the waveform displayed on the S4MK3 display. This process is painfully slow (20+ seconds per track) and computer CPU intensive (100%). Everytime I have to hold my breath so as not to experience audio dropouts.

Is it possible at all, to pre-analyze these waveforms?

At the moment the only feasible workaround I've come up with is to leave my playlist "cruising" overnight regularily, so that the waveforms are analyzed in a non-live situation. Its kind of a stupid workaround. I wish there would be a better way of doing this. Is there?

Answers

  • lord-carlos
    lord-carlos Member Posts: 1,267 Expert

    Select everything in a playlist, or your collection and right click -> analyze.

  • Nightsilm
    Nightsilm Member Posts: 6 Newcomer

    Thanks for the answer, but it is not that simple. My traktor playlist is already fully analysed. But this only analyses the tracks for Traktor software. My problem is in analysing the tracks for S4MK3 display. To be more clear: If I load a track into the deck for the first time (after performing the traktor software analysis), Traktor software already knows the waveform, but the S4MK3 display does not. It starts to analyze it right then and it maxes out my CPU.

    I hope this explanation made things clearer. Perhaps someone has a solution to this?

    PS: im running traktor on a dell xps (intel i5-5200U, windows 10)

  • lord-carlos
    lord-carlos Member Posts: 1,267 Expert

    Wut? That sounds bizarre.

    When you load a track, wait for it to be analyzed, restart Traktor and load the same track, does it again take 20 seconds?

  • Nightsilm
    Nightsilm Member Posts: 6 Newcomer

    Nope, if a track has been "analysed-for-s4mk3 waveform" (for lack of a better term), then all subsequent loadings (also after restart of traktor) are without delay - waveform is already there.

  • lord-carlos
    lord-carlos Member Posts: 1,267 Expert

    Ehh, just for the fun of it can you try this:

    • Find a song that you know is not "analysed-for-s4mk3 waveform"
    • Right click -> Analyze
    • Select [x] Special, then select everything even [x] Replace Locked Values

    After that is done, try loading it into a deck. Does it still take 20 seconds?

    I have the s4mk3 and it just works™

  • Nightsilm
    Nightsilm Member Posts: 6 Newcomer

    I tried it, but the results are the same.

    I made a short video to illustrate the problem. Notice how the software has immediate access to the waveform whereas S4MK3 needs to load it:

    #https://veed.io/view/d8c79332-9a4f-4850-90e0-c67b6bf8c03f

  • lord-carlos
    lord-carlos Member Posts: 1,267 Expert

    Ok, that is "only" 8 seconds.

    I never notice it on my end. I will check when I get home.

  • Nightsilm
    Nightsilm Member Posts: 6 Newcomer

    I think I found something:

    When Traktor analyses a file, only TRANSIENTS file is created. When S4MK3 loads a track, also a STRIPES file is created. This is the culprit.

    So i guess my question boils down to: Why isnt the STRIPES files generated when Traktor analyses the track?


    Example:

    1) Traktor analyses a track:

    C:\......\Native Instruments\Traktor 3.8.0\Transients\107\LXLOMAA5ROGUMCES0HYECJ2MP45D was Changed at 20.07.2023 11:16:35

    2) S4MK3 loads a track and a STRIPES file is generated:

    .............................

    C:\.......\Native Instruments\Traktor 3.8.0\Stripes\107\LXLOMAA5ROGUMCES0HYECJ2MP45D.stripe was Created at 20.07.2023 11:17:06

  • Sûlherokhh
    Sûlherokhh Member Posts: 1,100 Expert
    https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/85222#Comment_85222

    Stripes are equally used by D2/S5/S8, which is the reason i always prelisten freshly analyzed tracks with one of those controllers connected so Traktor creates the stripes. It doesn't take my computer 20 seconds for a stripe (more like 2-4 seconds), but it generates a Load Spike i wish to avoid.

  • Nightsilm
    Nightsilm Member Posts: 6 Newcomer

    I've now investigated further and I've found out that I have 2 separate issues:

    1) My laptop (DELL XPS 13: 9343) was heavily throttling the CPU. This caused the very big waveform analysis times on the S4MK3 display. I have now fiddled around in different settings and also reinstalled some drivers and at the moment the throttling seems to have been mitigated. I also plan to replace the thermal paste on the CPU. This should hopefully avoid similar issues in the future. At the moment my CPU runs at 70c

    2) There seems to be no way to preanalyse the .STRIPES files necessary to display waveforms on NI controllers. I think that this is still a problem that should be adressed by NI: Why cant I preanalyse the .STRIPES data !?

  • Sûlherokhh
    Sûlherokhh Member Posts: 1,100 Expert

    2) There seems to be no way to preanalyse the .STRIPES files necessary to display waveforms on NI controllers. I think that this is still a problem that should be adressed by NI: Why cant I preanalyse the .STRIPES data !?

    It looks like it wasn't implemented when the S8 was introduced, and nobody thought to pick it up later.

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