Proper setting for 2009 Macbook... Having Lag problem

djwyte

Hi Nick & Everyone @ inklen So today I recorded my 2nd video mix.. Today I experienced Lag during mixing Live.... I am starting this post to see if I'm set up right.. I find it odd as the first time i used ME last week it was fine.. today i decided to use transitions and maybe... thats what was putting on load on my playback? Also when i say Lag, i mean the wave bars on Scratch LIVE were sluggish. I find it odd like i said because It didnt happen before. I started up my laptop and opened ME and Serato and started and I got somewhat lag on the waves and on my LCD tv.. BUT................... I will say this.. the final exported file was perfect.. I see how ME works when it records and i think it is awesome.. I was amazed that it came out great.. SOO i ask What can I do to fix the lag when I mix? I have a regular Macbook (White) not a Macbook Pro......... I Know i want one but right now I can't afford 3 grand. here's my specs 2009 Macbook 2.0Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 4GB Memory 500GB HD (BUT use 500GB Mac External usb drive) Mac OS X 10.5.6 NVidia 9400 Graphics Ok, And In Mix Emergency my setting is at 1GB (default) Should I...decrease? or what Let me know if you need more info

Nick

Some people experience problems with the Scratch Live waveforms more than others. What version of SL are you using? And what dimensions are your output monitor? One thing you can sometimes do to fix the problem is to change the refresh rate of your external monitor away from 60 Hz. 50 Hz is usually a good option (though sometimes you need to adjust the display dimensions to access these refresh rates - it's different for each monitor).

djwyte

I'm using current SL Dimensions on my output? Its a 32Inch LCD HDTV 60Hz So your saying All i need to do is go to the setting on the tv and look for the refresh rate? im lost

Nick

By dimensions I mean the number of pixels of the LCD in the Display settings (e.g. do you have it set to 640x480? or 1280x7230, etc). If you go into the Display settings in the Mac OS System Preferences, while connected to your external monitor, then you should be able to change the refresh rate of the external monitor. The Display settings should look something like this: http://www.inklen.com/public/displaysettings.png Also, I recommend that you set the output size ot something close to 640x480.

djwyte

ok i'll check but as for the serato performance?? is there anything in the ME preferences I can adjust?

Nick

Well, depending on the dimensions that you have your output monitor set to, you may want to reduce the Quailty slider in MixEmergency.... but this is only if it's something high, like 1280x720 or 1920x1080, etc.

djwyte

Ok.. ALSO.. does it affect the quality by any chance when exporting? So do i set the refresh to 640? on system prefrences? or what

Nick

It won't affect the export quality. With MixEmergency you can export using any dimensions. So, if you record while the output window is 320x240 you can export at 640x480, 800x600, etc.... even 1920x1080. Though, obviously using higher dimensions will result in longer export times and larger exported files. In the System Preferences: Set the refresh rate to something other that 60 Hz. Set the resolution (i.e. dimensions) to 640x480 if possible.

djwyte

cool i will do that today thanks i'll keep you updated!!!!

djwyte

Ok i Opened System prefrences, Displays I set Refresh rate to 50Hz (PAL) resolution is 1280x720 It seems if I change it to 640x480 or anything else, It just enlarges the display And it wont allow me to use 50Hz, 60Hz is the default... Soo I'm going to leave it set to 50Hz (PAL) resolution is 1280x720 Let me know if you think thats ok... Its late so i won't try out the video mixing right now but later on after i get a reply from you

Nick

Ok, 1280x720 is quite a high resolution to use for your MacBook - and it will definitely struggle with that. What you can do is to try setting the MixEmergency quality slider to 50%. This "Quality" slider acts as a multiplier for the internal rendering pipeline resolution of MixEmergency. So, when your output resolution is 1280x720, and MixEmergency's Quality slider is set to 50%, then MixEmergency will process all of it's effects, transitions, etc at 640x360 (i.e. 1280x720 * half). This should help to reduce the strain on your graphics card. You can see what resolution MixEmergency uses for it's rendering pipeline by opening the Info Window in MixEmergnecy (shortcut apple-0) and checking the "Output" and "Pipeline" readout.

davidp

Hey DJ Wyte Also, i have been readiing the SSL forums too, and it seems that the GUI for SSL is having some issues too. Mine lags a lot too, but it lags when i run SSL only also. From what they Rane people said on SSL forums is, the GUI is one of the last pieces to get updated, so the processing behind the scenes might be great, the GUI might lag. So the display of wave forums and stuff can "look" like its lagging, but the performance is not. Does that make sense? Anyways, i am having the same lag issues, with ME running too, but like i said, i get lag even with just SSL running. But it should not effect your output. It just messes with your mind...haha

djwyte

True that. The output is always good.. I'm having pitch problems with the pitch control but im sure its not my videos its the turntables their old mk2s. I had better performance with the latest mk5s but anyways I've tried everything, I've tried to reduce the refresh rate in setting and it helps but still.. It runs perfect when I just mix mp3.. I get only lag with video mixing and to this day im frustrated i dont know if i need a new laptop or what. My Macbook is a basic Macbook (White) its a year old here's the specs MAC OS X Version 10.5.6 Processor 2 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Memory 4GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM Graphics NVidia Geforce 9400M VRAM 256mb Serato Scratch LIVE 2.0.0 I see there's an updated one.. So i'm gonna update SSL now and see if it helps.. ASIDE from all that PLEASE tell me if my macbook should run good, please let me know what to tweak in the setting in both SSL and ME for best performance Also all my videos are good, They are all scanned and i deleted tons of crappy videos so i should be good on that.. As i get lag on even the newest vids that I know for sure should be perfect.

Nick

I would say that it is just the stress on your graphics card that is causing this (i.e. driving SL and ME on two separate displays is a fairly intensive task). The laptop you have should handle MixEmergency well, but it is sitting right on the bare minimum requirements. The graphics card also uses shared memory, which isn't ideal. And I agree, it doesn't sound like an issue with your videos. For best performance on your MacBook I can only tell you what I've mentioned before: - Setting the output display to a small size (e.g. 640x480) - Setting the output display refresh rate to something other than 60Hz - If using higher dimension outputs, then reduce the Quality slider in ME's preferences

djwyte

videos look bad when screen is changed to 640x480 :/ I'll check back with you thanks again Nick

Nick

Yeah, it's a pity they don't offer a 640x360 option.

DJCheLu

Hello Nick, Long time VSL user here but i have been using your demo to play with off and on for a few weeks at home and im ready to purchase the program hopefully tomorrow. I would like to see if i can clear up my lag problem though. I have the same waveform lag problem in ssl when using ME. I have output set to 640x480 @ 60hz on 100% quality setting so the pipeline render is 640x480. I get 50fps when mixing or transitions or anything so im good in that department. This lag doesnt happen in VSL at all only with ME. My ssl screen update is set to 45 and audio cache to 40. Im using a Early 08 Unibody MBP model 5,1 with these specs: 2.53Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 4gb 1067mhz ddr3 Geforce 9600M GT 512MB All music and videos on External firewire 1tb The lag doesnt affect the audio but it does affect my scratching since i have a bad habit of looking at waveforms now...... if i scratch using my record markers all is fine, but i need to kick this habit i picked up lol.

DJCheLu

Shoot just read the 50hz comment, let me try that real quick. Well tried out ME in 1.9.2 ssl and it works perfect with no lag. Interesting i wonder why it lags with 2.0 ssl. Well i dont use anything in 2.0 so 1.9.2 it is lol. Should 50hz still be used on 50"HDTV's or stick with 60HZ as long as it runs fine??

Nick

If 60 Hz is running fine, then it's ok to stick with that. I'd be interested to hear whether the waveform jitter you're seeing with SL 2.0 is still there if you use your external monitor at 50 Hz.

DJCheLu

The 60hz ran perfect all night but i dont have a 50hz option in my settings. Not sure if the TV i am using has 50hz ability. But i will try another TV later on for testing.