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XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 11:24 am
by boobz
Hi,
I'm pretty new in audio production etc. and I don't know what could resolve my problem. I bought cheap laptop few years ago, that I used mainly for internet browsing and storing documents, it's Lenovo g500h with Intel i3-3110M 2x2,4GHz and Radeon HD 8750M+Intel HD graphics 4000.
When I play guitar with Rocksmith cable and Guitar Rig 5 VST on Ubuntu 16.04 using Jack, Carla and Cadence, I have 0 XRUNS, with little latency, also when I use my KORG nanoPAD2 with Reason 5 over wine, I have no issues, but when I use any plugin with QTractor, XRUNS occurs very often. I tried various JACK configurations and it didn't helped. I run lowlatency kernel ofcourse and configured real-time access, I also installed KXStudio repositories. Maybe it's the QTractor issue? I installed Ardour, but the configuration discouraged me - I will try again this weekend.
Can I do anything with that, without buying new laptop or external soundcard?

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 2:10 pm
by bluebell
It's the CPU load caused by plugins. Countermeasures:

- Find a similar plugin that uses less CPU
- Buy a faster CPU
- Increase jackd's buffer size (increases latency as well)

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:26 pm
by English Guy
I found installing cpufrequtils and setting the CPU governor to performance helped.

There is a test utility that you can run on your system, I do have the details on my PC when I can get to it. Perhaps in the meantime someone else can post it.

I also get better results out of the Liquorix kernel than any other I have tried.

I also disable networking while recording.

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 4:35 pm
by English Guy

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:08 pm
by Michael Willis
English Guy wrote:I also disable networking while recording.
Does that apply to both ethernet and wireless? I know I get better results when I turn on my wifi, but I've been considering stringing an ethernet cable through the floor to my music room.

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 6:00 pm
by CrocoDuck
Michael Willis wrote:Does that apply to both ethernet and wireless? I know I get better results when I turn on my wifi, but I've been considering stringing an ethernet cable through the floor to my music room.
Most times I had problems with that, or seen that reported, it was the WIFI. I am not sure if there is a cause behind this correlation.

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 9:34 pm
by Michael Willis
CrocoDuck wrote:Most times I had problems with that, or seen that reported, it was the WIFI. I am not sure if there is a cause behind this correlation.
I will test with ethernet and report back!

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2018 10:04 pm
by lilith
CrocoDuck wrote:
Michael Willis wrote:Does that apply to both ethernet and wireless? I know I get better results when I turn on my wifi, but I've been considering stringing an ethernet cable through the floor to my music room.
Most times I had problems with that, or seen that reported, it was the WIFI. I am not sure if there is a cause behind this correlation.
You could use a wireless repeater with a lan connection. Or power lan.

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 12:34 am
by boobz
bluebell wrote:It's the CPU load caused by plugins. Countermeasures:

- Find a similar plugin that uses less CPU
- Buy a faster CPU
- Increase jackd's buffer size (increases latency as well)
I tested some plugins: amsynth, calf organ, helm and few other and everyone gives XRUNs. Changing buffer settings up to 5 periods and 512 buffer size, reduced number of the XRUNs, but they still occur once in every 2 minutes. Increasing number of the plugins increase XRUNs amount. I tested everything on Qtractor with nanoPAD2, but I remember it was the same with standalone Rackarack and Guitarix via rocksmith guitar cable.
English Guy wrote:I found installing cpufrequtils and setting the CPU governor to performance helped.

There is a test utility that you can run on your system, I do have the details on my PC when I can get to it. Perhaps in the meantime someone else can post it.

I also get better results out of the Liquorix kernel than any other I have tried.

I also disable networking while recording.
Disabling networking really worked. No XRUNs with 5 random plugins and 21.3msc latency. Funny that they occur in the same second every 2 minutes...
Tomorrow I will try with cpufrequtils and Liquorix.

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 1:11 pm
by English Guy
English Guy wrote:I found installing cpufrequtils and setting the CPU governor to performance helped.

There is a test utility that you can run on your system, I do have the details on my PC when I can get to it. Perhaps in the meantime someone else can post it.

I also get better results out of the Liquorix kernel than any other I have tried.

I also disable networking while recording.
Disabling networking really worked. No XRUNs with 5 random plugins and 21.3msc latency. Funny that they occur in the same second every 2 minutes...
Tomorrow I will try with cpufrequtils and Liquorix.[/quote]

Excellent. I cannot remember the exact theory but it is something like, the networking periodically uses buses and CPU to see if there is an active connection. Harrison have a good video about how the CPU treats audio in their help stuff.

I just set up friends laptop to use the performance setting. His CPU was running at half of its power. Presumably it was supposed to ramp up on demand but if that did not happen seamlessly that would cause problems.

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 1:13 pm
by English Guy
English Guy wrote:I found installing cpufrequtils and setting the CPU governor to performance helped.

There is a test utility that you can run on your system, I do have the details on my PC when I can get to it. Perhaps in the meantime someone else can post it.

I also get better results out of the Liquorix kernel than any other I have tried.

I also disable networking while recording.
[/quote]
Disabling networking really worked. No XRUNs with 5 random plugins and 21.3msc latency. Funny that they occur in the same second every 2 minutes...
Tomorrow I will try with cpufrequtils and Liquorix.[/quote]

Excellent. I cannot remember the exact theory but it is something like, the networking periodically uses buses and CPU to see if there is an active connection. Harrison have a good video about how the CPU treats audio in their help stuff.

I just set up friends laptop to use the performance setting. His CPU was running at half of its power. Presumably it was supposed to ramp up on demand but if that did not happen seamlessly that would cause problems.

(sorry I have messed up the formatting, can't see how to fix it on this wretched phone)

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:09 pm
by CrocoDuck
boobz wrote:Disabling networking really worked. No XRUNs with 5 random plugins and 21.3msc latency. Funny that they occur in the same second every 2 minutes...
Classic. I had the very same issue in 2012 and it was, indeed, the WIFI. Clusters of XRUNs every 2 minutes exactly. I think this happens when the WIFI card is on the same bus-controllers of the audio device, and some process does something periodic. In my case, switching off the WIFI card did not help: that would make XRUNs rain. I had to completely unload the kernel module.

I will post the Ubuntu Forums thread of the time, if I can find it (I think it is gone).

EDIT: Found it, but it is archived. Not sure you can read it. https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1976254

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 3:44 pm
by Michael Willis
boobz wrote:Disabling networking really worked.
Just curious per my previous comment, was it wifi or ethernet? I would imagine that wifi is more demanding, but I still haven't tested my audio with an ethernet cable plugged in and active.

Re: XRUNS on native linux DAWs

Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2018 7:02 pm
by English Guy
Michael Willis wrote:
boobz wrote:Disabling networking really worked.
Just curious per my previous comment, was it wifi or ethernet? I would imagine that wifi is more demanding, but I still haven't tested my audio with an ethernet cable plugged in and active.

If it were me, I would not have anything running that is not necessary for recording. I do not know about the ethernet, I just use the disable networking option on XFCE. I have a modest old laptop that is devoted to audio but get away with older specs because anything not needed is turned off or not installed, for example I do not have the Dropbox client as it is a resource hog.