Hi- I'm using max/msp/jitter (4.5 running on mac OSX.4.6 on dual-G5 powermac) for an interactive gallery installation. I've noticed that somewhere between 24 and 36 hours running, the patches stop producing audio, while the system sounds of the computer come through the sound system just fine, and the patch is otherwise functioning perfectly.

I'm planning to put the patch in startup items, and configure the machine to periodically reboot and this should solve the problem from a practical standpoint. Still, I'm wondering if anyone has noticed this before, if it's documented anywhere.

Oh, and I'm running two (quite different) patches on two identicle hardware setups, and got the same behaviour from both.

Hi- I'm using max/msp/jitter (4.5 running on mac OSX.4.6 on dual-G5 powermac) for an interactive gallery installation. I've noticed that somewhere between 24 and 36 hours running, the patches stop producing audio, while the system sounds of the computer come through the sound system just fine, and the patch is otherwise functioning perfectly. 

audio-time-out

maybe your audio-interface needs some sleep?

_____________________________________________

so what is this hardware?
maybe your audio-interface needs some sleep?

m a x i m i l i a n   m a r c o l l
http://www.maximilianmarcoll.de


A long time ago, Max used to have an absolute clock that would run out, and stop after a day or so. These days, I think that clock is now a very big number, but Max does have a sort of "mortality".

I have a permenent sound installation, and I've implemented exactly your solution; it restarts periodically. I also have a product to restart my audio interfaces (MOTU 828's) when the computer restarts:

It seems like the audio interfaces do lose it regularly, so restarting them is critical.

A long time ago, Max used to have an absolute clock that would run out, and stop after a day or so.  These days, I think that clock is now a very big number, but Max does have a sort of "mortality".

On all the gallery installations I have ever done I get the 

assistants to switch off the system at the end of each day, and 

switch it on again each morning. This has always worked well with a 

minimum of instruction to the assistants. One installation has now 

been running for four and a half years - there have been problems, 

Lawrence Casserley - lawrence@lcasserley.co.uk

Lawrence Electronic Operations - www.lcasserley.co.uk

Colourscape Music Festivals - www.colourscape.org.uk

On all the gallery installations I have ever done I get the  
assistants to switch off the system at the end of each day, and  
switch it on again each morning. This has always worked well with a  
minimum of instruction to the assistants. One installation has now  
been running for four and a half years - there have been problems,  
but not because of the switching on/off.

Lawrence Casserley - lawrence@lcasserley.co.uk
Lawrence Electronic Operations - www.lcasserley.co.uk
Colourscape Music Festivals - www.colourscape.org.uk

I worked on an installation on a G3 which ran, as far as I'm aware, 

for a couple of years without interruption. (Or so I'm told; it was 

logging sensor input every 10 seconds into an SQL database, so I 

should probably arrange to check.) It wasn't doing audio output, but 

was analysing audio input signals from the sensors via one of the 

eMagic USB interfaces. I had an audio installation running for about 

six weeks on a Mac mini, and it ran continuously, 24/7, with no 

I think it's basically a case of soak-testing, and if a particular 

interface causes problems, schedule a nightly reboot, or have it done 

nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- 

I worked on an installation on a G3 which ran, as far as I'm aware,  
for a couple of years without interruption. (Or so I'm told; it was  
logging sensor input every 10 seconds into an SQL database, so I  
should probably arrange to check.) It wasn't doing audio output, but  
was analysing audio input signals from the sensors via one of the  
eMagic USB interfaces. I had an audio installation running for about  
six weeks on a Mac mini, and it ran continuously, 24/7, with no  
problems.

I think it's basically a case of soak-testing, and if a particular  
interface causes problems, schedule a nightly reboot, or have it done  
manually, as Lawrence suggests.

   nick rothwell -- composition, systems, performance -- http:// 
www.cassiel.com


I should add the comment that most of my installations include a lot 

of other stuff besides the computer (lights, speaker systems, video 

cameras and projectors, various sensors, etc). If the gallery is open 

for, say, eight to ten hours, then there will be a fair amount of 

power being used for the fourteen to sixteen hours when it is closed. 

I think it is more environmentally friendly to shut it all down when 

it is not wanted. OK, the installation does come to rest if there is 

no input from the sensors, but there is a fair bit of standby power 

being used - and that adds up over a long show.

Also, if something is going to be on continually for months, there is 

never a chance to test it for that long. I find it more comfortable 

to know that it will start afresh each day.

I should add the comment that most of my installations include a lot  
of other stuff besides the computer (lights, speaker systems, video  
cameras and projectors, various sensors, etc). If the gallery is open  
for, say, eight to ten hours, then there will be a fair amount of  
power being used for the fourteen to sixteen hours when it is closed.  
I think it is more environmentally friendly to shut it all down when  
it is not wanted. OK, the installation does come to rest if there is  
no input from the sensors, but there is a fair bit of standby power  
being used - and that adds up over a long show.

Also, if something is going to be on continually for months, there is  
never a chance to test it for that long. I find it more comfortable  
to know that it will start afresh each day.

Lawrence Casserley - lawrence@lcasserley.co.uk
Lawrence Electronic Operations - www.lcasserley.co.uk
Colourscape Music Festivals - www.colourscape.org.uk


One of the installations was a rudimentary artificial intelligence, 

so it was rather important that the work was running all the time in 

order to model the mental behaviour (a mind cannot sleep or dream if 

it's turned off). Also, since the mind was encapsulated within a lamp 

One of the installations was a rudimentary artificial intelligence,  
so it was rather important that the work was running all the time in  
order to model the mental behaviour (a mind cannot sleep or dream if  
it's turned off). Also, since the mind was encapsulated within a lamp  
post, it worked best at night.

Quote: nick rothwell / cassiel wrote on Sun, 04 June 2006 07:47

----------------------------------------------------

> the mind was encapsulated within a lamp post

Isn't it morally irresponsible to use artificial intelligence in a lamp post? What if it becomes self-aware? Could you imagine life as a lamp post? A friend of mine was a spotlight operator for a nude cabaret in Vegas for a while, and even that was unbearable more than a few hours a night.

Quote: nick rothwell / cassiel wrote on Sun, 04 June 2006 07:47
----------------------------------------------------
> the mind was encapsulated within a lamp post

Isn't it morally irresponsible to use artificial intelligence in a lamp post? What if it becomes self-aware? Could you imagine life as a lamp post? A friend of mine was a spotlight operator for a nude cabaret in Vegas for a while, and even that was unbearable more than a few hours a night.


We'd obviously be morally obliged to provide some mechanism to allow 

We'd obviously be morally obliged to provide some mechanism to allow  
it to deal with dogs.

audio time-out