Dual Processors

gardener · Post by **gardener** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 12:56 pm

I know Ableton does not support dual processors but have heard that it will work on a multi-processor machine. Though its code will only use one chip, Native Instruments plugins for example would be able to share the load across both, providing better software performance. Anyone know if this is the case?

inis · Post by **inis** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 8:25 pm

thats the rumor. should work.

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Fri Sep 16, 2005 8:51 pm

eh? so plug-ins that are multi-threaded will perform as such in Live 5?

ableton?
alex?

confirm??

gardener · Post by **gardener** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 2:19 pm

This is what I was led to believe by a specialist music computer supplier. They apparently checked with Ableton but I am not clear if it was them who was saying the Native Instruments plugins would be able to share the processors or if Ableton were saying it?

atomic · Post by **atomic** » Sat Sep 17, 2005 8:40 pm

interesting

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 1:44 am

bump...

someone has to confirm or deny this...
i gotta know...

Machinesworking · Post by **Machinesworking** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 4:51 am

AdamJay wrote:eh? so plug-ins that are multi-threaded will perform as such in Live 5?

I would say no, sorry Adam.

I've heard otherwise that if a plug in is capable of using both it will, but in real world tests with a host that can use both CPUs, Logic, Reactor doesn't use both. It simply loads a single instance of a plug in on a single CPU. Altivec is another story entirely, but it's my conclusion that a host that can use both CPUs, does it by loading plug ins on one or the other.
This makes sense from the standpoint of the process itself. A live audio process cannot handle even the slightest glitch, as it would be heard, where as a program like Photoshop can accommodate for it, and fix it before it's done rendering a file.

I have a very easy way of determining this, certain new presets in Carbon 2 from the Reactor library will overload the CPU on my dual Gig G4, but on my new 1.5Ghz Powerbook, they run fine. The dual has about the equivalent juice of a 1.6 as far as loading plug ins to failure in Logic. So if Reactor is able to use dual CPUs, it's probably for times when you are building a multi instance ensemble for Live use, maybe Reactor will load each instance onto a separate CPU?.....

Live will eventually be able to use dual core CPUs at the very least, as it seems all processors in a few years will be dual core. Right now with OSX, Live, and a dual machine you can run something like Reactor stand alone at the same time as Live with it's CPU maxed out, the OS is dual aware, so you could pipe in Reactor for more juice.

gardener · Post by **gardener** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:32 pm

I wish someone at Ableton would respond. I really need to get a new spec computer and don't want to spend money that may turn out to be wasted. Surely a few words response isn't too much to ask?

AdamJay · Post by **AdamJay** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 12:49 pm

thanks for the real-world test michael.
i had a hunch it was a bit too good to be true.

marky · Post by **marky** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 2:13 pm

Yeah, I wasn't too convinvced myself given that Battery brings Live on a dual processor Mac to it's knees in a short space of time.

gardener · Post by **gardener** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 7:55 pm

Dr. Zoiberg · Post by **Dr. Zoiberg** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 8:19 pm

gardener, if you don't need pci cards, you'd better buy an iMac G5, because a dual won't maka any noticeable dfference (apart from being much more expensive).

gardener · Post by **gardener** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:23 pm

Dr Zoiberg I am a PC user and it was a dual xeon machine I was looking to buy.

Dr. Zoiberg · Post by **Dr. Zoiberg** » Mon Sep 19, 2005 9:29 pm

well, that's the same really.
no dual support in ableton and experience proves that, at least on mac os X, there's no multithreading plug-in, but I bet it's the same on windows.
What we can hope for is multithreading in Live... Sooner or later it will come.

gardener · Post by **gardener** » Tue Sep 20, 2005 8:09 pm