User Forum

Slipstreamy · #1 09-01-2009, 02:40

Obviously, I'm new to Sync and have an old computer with crappy memory (Mac iBook G4, OS X, 512mb). However, I'm wondering if there's a way to combat some lag I'm experiencing in my mixes.

Stutters, and skipped beats or double beats are most prominent when I have the TimeStretching mode enabled. It seems to run a bit smoother when I'm not utilizing that. But still, if I'm going to use this at parties, I don't want anything like that (let alone crashes) to occur.

My sample rate is 44100hz (non-adjustable at least from the drop-down box in Sync 'preferences'). Latency is set at 40.5 right now. Any suggestions?

Also, how would I locate my audio card stats and tweak those on a mac?

Thanks guys. I'm not too tech savvy yet for digital mixing and performing...just trying to learn in a hurry.

signaturex · #2 12-01-2009, 05:07

If you can increase your latency: that will help you. I run sync at 92.5 and it works well.

Also, don't analyze tracks while you are playing. Each track is analyzed when it is first played and depending on your preferances sync might analyze all the tracks that are new to it.

The best way to handle analyzation is to choose a time when you aren't using the i book for any other task and highlight a large group of songs. Right/cntrl click on the block and select analyze.

You can reduce the number of cell columns in the browser this reduces processor consumption. Especially on large playlists.

Turn off the stuff in preferances if you can. Especially analyzation. Analyze all your tracks before hand.

Also turn off the tool tips.

Other things to do are to minimize other resource drains in your os. Turn off the airportand bluetooth, make your desktop background a solid color instead of a picture. Turn off all the animation stuff, hide the clock, lock the dock. Eliminate all items from your desktop. Keep everthing in the finder.

The time/pitch stretching stuff is cool, but for the degree of mixing that this program offers, and considering your cpu situation, its probably more trouble than its worth to you. You don't have to lock the tracks together. I actually like mixing with this program, its very minimal, and very self supportive. It plays through playlists, unlike traktor. If you want to sync a track to the other track, get the phrases lined up by looking at the wave forms and then press play or the arrow button as they are ready to mix, then just tap the sync button. If the Bpms are close the mix will lock up and you won't have to mess with the tempo any further.

More often a good mix will just be a good transition between songs. End to end. Choose to tell a story with the songs rather than calling attention to yourself by mashing a bunch of sound together.

Ancipital · #3 26-01-2009, 03:09

The single best/cheapest way you can improve the performance of that machine is to put more RAM in it. Go to crucial.com and see what upgrades will fit in your machine- you'd be amazined how cheap memory is these days. 512MB is not really very nice for MacOSX, and it will tend to swap a lot, and timings/latency will be all over the place.

The machine is plenty powerful for what you need- just give it a bit of memory, it's choking atm.

signaturex · #4 26-01-2009, 06:54

yea that will help alot too.

ramm is very cheap and some of it is still available from apple

Ancipital · #5 26-01-2009, 11:12

No no, SX, not from apple. Bad idea. It will cost way too much, service will be way too slow. A third party supplying guiaranteed suitable memory will cost a lot less. Crucial.com is my personal fave for genetic memory- like you they are cheap and very fast :-)

They also have a nice database so you always get memory that suits your system, and excellent pre and post-sales service.

signaturex · #6 26-01-2009, 11:43

Ancipital wrote:

No no, SX, not from apple. Bad idea. It will cost way too much, service will be way too slow. A third party supplying guiaranteed suitable memory will cost a lot less. Crucial.com is my personal fave for genetic memory- like you they are cheap and very fast :-)

I got a gig of memory for my ppc powerbook 70$, it came the next day, and it had a one year warranty. Is that bad or good ?

Ancipital · #7 26-01-2009, 15:14

Pretty pricey, a gig of ram for a g4 powerbook is $52.99 from crucial. They tend to deliver pretty damn fast too- and their aftersales care is a great deal better than Apple

signaturex · #8 26-01-2009, 17:14

Ancipital wrote:

Pretty pricey, a gig of ram for a g4 powerbook is $52.99 from crucial. They tend to deliver pretty damn fast too- and their aftersales care is a great deal better than Apple

well.. I feel played....

hahahahaha. No ... i don't Ive been buying apple products (12 machines total) directly from apple since 88. And other little apple chunks as well. snickers.

Ancipital · #9 26-01-2009, 18:19

Well, now you know you can not pay their memory prices, and save a bit- have used their memory in some very expensive suns in very critical roles with zero problems, too

Generally, margins on machines are a big slim, and people make it back gouging you for overpriced extras. This is why Apple have sometimes charged 10x the market rate for memory in recent years- Dell and co are just as bad.

That said, when I bought my Macbook pro, I got one of the standard packages (4 gigs, 7200 rpm disk and 2.8ghz cpu) as the off the shelf configs ship faster, and I was in a rush