Maschine+ Audio Glitches [Standalone]

Dalski · 2022-01-13T20:37:14+00:00

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**Note** Migrated this over from the old forum manually, seeing as the old active threads weren't migrated....

Hi forumites and music makers.

I recently picked up Maschine+ and my couple of additional free expansions, one of which, is Indigo Dust.

Whilst checking out some of the content of this expansion I have made a discovery which I find a little disconcerting. When simply playing back a couple of the projects in standalone mode (4AM at Burning Man and Fields of Cream), I hear very frequent and audible audio glitches and crackling. CPU is just above 70% on Burning Man and hovering around 60% on Fields of Cream. These projects are being played back without any interaction with the Maschine+.

Can anyone confirm whether they also experience this issue with these projects? (If you have this expansion). I'm most interested to find out whether this is a potential issue with my hardware and whether I should look to getting it swapped for a new unit. I wouldn't expect to be hearing these kinds of glitches at such low CPU usage. Perhaps when over 90%, but not this low. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

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Dalski

Thanks @DeepThumb for testing Fields of Cream and reporting back the result. My feeling is the same regarding an optimisation issue. It's good to know this seems like a project issue and not my hardware. I appreciate you taking the time to test.

@Daysun - Fields of Cream is part of the Indigo Dust expansion.

DeepThumb

Dalski said:

Thanks @DeepThumb for testing Fields of Cream and reporting back the result. My feeling is the same regarding an optimisation issue. It's good to know this seems like a project issue and not my hardware. I appreciate you taking the time to test.

@Daysun - Fields of Cream is part of the Indigo Dust expansion.

You are welcome!

When I look at these overwhelming and hyper complex projects, for sure developed by experienced and paid artists over a longer period of time, my impression is that I would need month for such sophisticated song structures.

To me all these mature projects provided within expansions are a sort of worst case scenario for M+. I'm quite sure that I will never develop such hardware demanding structures simply because I cannot spend enaugh time as a non professional hobbyist.

Dalski

I don't think that project is quite as complex as you describe, but something in those projects are definitely causing these issues.

Audio glitches at 60% isn't good though, at 90% I would expect these kinds of issues. The bottom line is that the CPU meter isn't a very good measure of how taxed the CPU actually is, so it's a little useless.... Unless, it's not actually the CPU that's the issue, but rather the internal audio interface and its default settings!? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Is there a way to adjust latency in M+? I did have a very quick look online but all I could find is that it is not possible - That was Sept 2020 though. Not sure if this has changed?

DeepThumb

Who knows. Let' check it again after the availability of a new SW/FW in 2025.

Akira-76

Dalski said:

I don't think that project is quite as complex as you describe, but something in those projects are definitely causing these issues.

Audio glitches at 60% isn't good though, at 90% I would expect these kinds of issues. The bottom line is that the CPU meter isn't a very good measure of how taxed the CPU actually is, so it's a little useless.... Unless, it's not actually the CPU that's the issue, but rather the internal audio interface and its default settings!? 🤷🏻‍♂️

Is there a way to adjust latency in M+? I did have a very quick look online but all I could find is that it is not possible - That was Sept 2020 though. Not sure if this has changed?

If you plug a class compliant audio interface, you get an extra 5% before audio glitches, my guess is that it is due to the latency that is bigger with a class compliant audio interface. But it just help to go until 80-85% of CPU before glitches.

Dalski

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/512#Comment_512

😂 This shouldn't make me laugh...but it did, such is NI reputation these days 😅

Dalski

@Akira-76 I appreciate the suggestion and will bare that in mind for instances where I am pushing the box beyond its limits (whether they are reported accurately, or not), but it kind of goes against the reason I got the M+ as opposed to the MK3. Love the standalone nature of it when I want sofa jams! I still very much enjoy the product, besides this shortcoming. Mainly just glad it's not a hardware 'fault' as other peoples units produce the same issue with the same projects.

Good info though! Thanks.

ozon

As mentioned on the old thread:

Both play back fine on mine. 4AM at about 68% CPU, Fields at 71%. However, it’s quite easy to get CPU peaks on the Electric Love Kit which is loaded on Group A in Fields of Cream.

I wasn’t able to find out what is causing this, but the Kit has quite a few effects loaded on almost every Pad.

Additionally I found out that just playing the Kick (Pad 1) on the Electric Love Kit can send the CPU into overload, which is quite odd because it's just a sample with two or three basic effects. In order to get rid of the problem, I had to reset all other Pads, and then the Kick would still consume a ridiculous amount of CPU (AFAIR around 35 %).

Maybe some settings of this Kit are not properly read or defective. In that case, opening the Kit in Maschine 2 Software, saving it to a different location and copying it over to the User Content on the M+ could resolve that, maybe.

DeepThumb

My impression is that in contradiction NI stating all expansions "Optimized for: MASCHINE+, MASCHINE, ..." this is not allways true. Especially the older ones before M+ has been launched?

I don't know what "optimized for" exactly means in that case. If somebody has to do it manually, well then errors are to be expected. Seems to be like GPS maps that allways contain some errors. Some people are just lucky not finding them. ;-)

@Matt @ NI Could yo please give us some insights regarding the optimization process of NI's Expansions?

D-One

I wouldn't go judging the M+ capabilities based on full Projects that were not created with it's specific specs in mind altho I understand that from the perspective of a new M+ user loading a default project and it having audio issues is worrisome.

I don't have that Expansion to examine the Projects but it's either the issue above or just a general instability problem related to the OS or a particular instrument/fx, if it's the latter it's good news as it can be fixed or improved with time if not it can only be bandaid... meaning removing demanding things from the project and just making it simpler so the HW can keep up.

I would agree that if someone is trying every single project one by one and tweaking them to be fully playable in M+ there will be mistakes and getting it perfect for every Expansion would take a very long time.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/476#Comment_476

CPU Meter is an OK'ish method of measuring performance, far from perfect because the size of the buffer has a major impact, for example: On a normal computer with a very small buffer we can have audio issues way before the CPU hits it's limits, this could very well be whats hapenning.

Theres no way to adjust latency / Audio buffer in M+, IMO there should be, it's a computer after all - This would add some complexity and make it harder to compare things with other users but also offer more flexibility, many producers don't mind extra latency later on in the production process when the focus is more on mixing and details rather than constant composition/recording. I understand why it's not there, traditionally standalone's don't have this sort of setting but at the same time devices like the M+ are very far from traditional samplers/drum-machines.

Chris Michael

Have t

You checked your paging files for virtual memory

I set mine from 45000 to 55000.

Seems.to work for me

PK The DJ

I set mine from 45000 to 55000

You did this on the Maschine Plus (standalone)?

🤔

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