OS X Midiserver CPU usage

  • High loading midi server attempt as long as i have Ti Snow. On Leopard, on Lion, on Mavericks and Yosemite. From old firmware to new, everytime.
    All this time i thinking this is normal behaviour. May be its can be fixed by firmware?

  • Hello again, you still have this problem?
    I'm contact several times with support of Access, but no result :( . I'm ask them, why Virus Ti send 'Active Sence' messages more than 3000 times in 1 sec. and their answer is: I simply cannot answer why this is the case, but this is normal for the Virus TI units and it has no influence on the performance of the unit.


    May be you also write to support of Access and ask them, why this happens on Snow but not happens on Ti Desktop or Keyboard?


    I'm ask several owner of Snow device, and some of they have same problem, but owners of Desktop not have this.

  • I'm contact several times with support of Access, but no result . I'm ask them, why Virus Ti send 'Active Sence' messages more than 3000 times in 1 sec. and their answer is: I simply cannot answer why this is the case, but this is normal for the Virus TI units and it has no influence on the performance of the unit.


    let me just state that neither the driver nor virus control sends Active Send events. the snow features an option to pass MIDI events from the IN to the OUT (because it does not have a THRU). if you have this switch enabled, you are probably dealing with a MIDI loop. but again, the Active Sense events (FE) do not come from the Virus.
    Marc


  • let me just state that neither the driver nor virus control sends Active Send events. the snow features an option to pass MIDI events from the IN to the OUT (because it does not have a THRU). if you have this switch enabled, you are probably dealing with a MIDI loop. but again, the Active Sense events (FE) do not come from the Virus.
    Marc


    Where is it possible to change this "OPTION" ?


  • Config > MIDI > Soft Thru


    I tried change this option to On/Off before. It doesn't matter in which position this switcher, in moment when MidiServer starts this option dissapear (i can see how "SoftThru" label has gone from display on Snow faceboard) and system begin recieve a lot of ActiveSense messages from synth.

  • Well, it all doesn't make any sense. Soft Thru doesn't change anything and when the Audio Unit is active then that section from Virus settings disappears. If it has got to do something with MIDI data, then if Virus is not being used as a midi interface, then why not remove that option - if this is generating this CPU usage. If you pay 1000 eur for a synth that is supposed to be the greatest synth in the universe and it has issues with drivers (only in OS X and not in Windows) and you are kind of blaming users for checking CPU usage and don't understand that loud fans on the computer generate noise which then disturbs making music then who is here to blame? Why can't you get it fixed?!?

  • taavi -


    we have loads of mac books here and the fans don't kick in when the virus MIDI driver is loaded. neither we see the CPU loads you've report about. that's why we don't fix anything. i've posted the soft data regarding the load on my mac book some time ago to illustrate this.
    my post regarding soft thru has nothing to do with your issue. it was you who asked where this option is.
    there is nothing more to add for me.

  • So you're telling that you have Virus TI Snow-s and plugging it to MacBooks won't affect MidiServer CPU usage up to around 18~20%? I have tried my Virus with several macs and it behaves the same way.
    My Virus Snow Has firmware 2.08. Maybe yours has different. Maybe not all Virus Snow's are equal from the inside and I and some other folks have faulty PCB-s or something.

  • Recently i'm also try use my Virus Snow with new macbook air 2014 with fresh os x 10.10 installed. And this problem also here: MidiServer overload, 'Active Sense' messages fall in midi. kernel_task process also grow up to 45%.
    I have tried to remove only midi driver from /Library/Audio/MIDI Drivers/Virus TI MIDI Driver.plugin : in this case Virus Snow worked only like as sound card, without midi. In this point i'm tested Virus as soundcard mode: no problem with midiserver and kernel_task processes, all work fine. I believe, the problem with MidiServer overloading is a Midi part problem, may be in driver or firmware Virus, may be in apple parts, but with other midi devices i'm not watch this problem and the fact of that i'm not alone have this issue, give me point to think this is problem more globally that support can think.

  • Recently i'm also try use my Virus Snow with new macbook air 2014 with fresh os x 10.10 installed. And this problem also here: MidiServer overload, 'Active Sense' messages fall in midi. kernel_task process also grow up to 45%.
    I have tried to remove only midi driver from /Library/Audio/MIDI Drivers/Virus TI MIDI Driver.plugin : in this case Virus Snow worked only like as sound card, without midi. In this point i'm tested Virus as soundcard mode: no problem with midiserver and kernel_task processes, all work fine. I believe, the problem with MidiServer overloading is a Midi part problem, may be in driver or firmware Virus, may be in apple parts, but with other midi devices i'm not watch this problem and the fact of that i'm not alone have this issue, give me point to think this is problem more globally that support can think.


    Thanks for advice, but it didn't solve this "active sense" data from my midi activity. So that MIDIServer still takes ~20% CPU and fans are running loud. I just counted how many active sense messages is being sent per second - it's 2127 times!


    EDIT: After a restart the plugin didn't open anymore. So deleting Virus MIDI driver isn't a solution.


  • Thanks for advice, but it didn't solve this "active sense" data from my midi activity. So that MIDIServer still takes ~20% CPU and fans are running loud. I just counted how many active sense messages is being sent per second - it's 2127 times!


    Wow, you lucky! I'm counted 'Active Sense' events in my midi activity — 2915 messages per sec 8)



    EDIT: After a restart the plugin didn't open anymore. So deleting Virus MIDI driver isn't a solution.


    [/quote]
    Yes, is that!
    Yesterday i'm was setup my virus snow at Windows 7 with drivers/firmware 5.1.1(32bit). After this i tried look at midi events via midi-ox software, as result is a missing 'Active Sense' events (any filters in midi-os was disabled), i saw only midi messages from knobs and audition button of virus.
    Right after this i connect virus snow to macbook for test him for existing midi events and saw lot of midi 'active sense' messages in midi monitor again.


    Today I examined the macbook and replaced Thermal Compound at Heat Sink of processor, hope this downgrade fan noise.

  • I found one solution to the problem - an app called AppPolice. It is discontinued but it's still available to download at some websites. With it I limited the maximum CPU usage allowed for MIDIServer.
    It's also possible to drill holes under the macbook pro, so that it would suck in more air. Best option would probably be both of those together.