Cycling 74 » Topic: M4L is a CPU hog?

M4L is a CPU hog?

wackazong — Sun, 15 May 2011 00:00:43 +0000

Hi,

I experience serious performance issues with M4L:

Create a new Live Set. Delete the MIDI track. Duplicate the audio track about 10 times. CPU load: 2% or so.

Do the same, but before duplicating, put a new M4L audio effect into the track. Now, with 10 empty M4L effects, the same 10 tracks use about 10% CPU!

How is that possible?? It does not really matter whats in the device, the device itself seems to be very resource-intensive.

Thanks for clearing this up for me….

Re: M4L is a CPU hog?

pid — Sun, 15 May 2011 10:15:25 +0000

try doing the same experiment twice more, but first with 10 simple small vst plugins (e.g. a small delay or so), then repeat with ten vst hogs, e.g. instruments, like 10 reaktors or 10 kontakts. you’ll find that cpu varies wildly. therefore, one cannot determine anything from what you have said because we have no idea what is inside your m4l device. a simple m4l midi device will use next to nothing. a m4l 32 voice poly~ device with spectral processing will take up a massive amount of cpu. such is life (and physics). m4l DOES take a little more cpu than other things because it is an entire programme embedded in another, but it is not excessive. also, a badly programmed m4l device will always be shit. what are you using?

Re: M4L is a CPU hog?

wackazong — Sun, 15 May 2011 10:46:47 +0000

Hi, what I meant with “new M4L audio effect” is a completely empty M4L device (only containing plugin~ and plugout~). Sorry if that was unclear. It is clear to me that the content of the device matters. The problem I am describing here though is that the simple existence of a M4L device with nothing in it is already taking a lot of CPU.

Can you maybe correct me on these assumptions:

- M4L shares memory with Ableton Live, both together cannot exceed 4GB.
- M4L runs inside Ableton and is not multiprocessor-capable, i.e. all M4L devices need to run on one CPU?

Thanks, ALEXander.

Re: M4L is a CPU hog?

Home Surgery — Sun, 15 May 2011 11:18:38 +0000

There was a topic about something similar regarding multiprocessor capability. That topic confirmed your assumptions.

See PLD’s answer.

http://cycling74.com/forums/topic.php?id=33214

I personally agree with you. It is acceptable that M4L is heavy, but both M4L and live in it self uses a lot of CPU power. When comparing ableton live to logic I can see that the sequencers are very different in CPU-usage, Logic being stronger.

Re: M4L is a CPU hog?

wackazong — Sun, 15 May 2011 11:31:47 +0000

This sucks. Big time. Well, I will just have wait until M4L grows up then, I guess.

Ableton and Cycling74, two things on the wishlist for Christmas (see, I give you some time):

- 64 bit Ableton and M4L
- M4L with real multicore capability and leaner plugin architecture

Thank you so much.