I don’t think this is true. At least for notebooks. If you want to buy a “microsoft/windows” notebook with the “really!” same quality and specs, you pay nearly as much as for the macbook. Apple just don’t offers notebooks in the low price category. That’s just my experience from comparisons, I really considered going back to windows. But price was not the big difference
I would agree that replacing the hard drive with a ssd should make a big difference.
I have a 2011 macbook pro and switched the internal drive to a ssd last year. The increase in speed is pretty amazing.
Startup from cold now takes only a few seconds, and opening (fairly light) Ableton projects is down to a few seconds. I used to wait 30 to 40 seconds for my Ableton template to open from the mechanical drive. The whole experience of using the machine is so much nicer and very stable using Ableton.
Granted, my machine has a 2.2 i7 quad processor, but I would be very surprised if you don’t find a pretty drastic performance increase.
A 500Gb SSD is pretty cheap these days, and can be used in another machine or as an external drive if you end up getting a new machine later.
Clean OS install should help too.
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Maybe you should wait for people to start selling their old configurations ( due to the new mac lines ).
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Thanks everyone for the info you guys have given me a lot to look into.
@Patch77 I understand that side of the Mac vs PC debate but to me it’s a preference I much prefer the way the Mac OS runs and I’m very comfortable on a Mac I used PCs for years and I used to repair them I just like Macs better personally.
For my Audio interface I have a Focusrite Saffire Pro24, I know it’s not the greatest and not what I should be using in a professional environment but like I said I neglected the CPU side of things while I was working on stocking up on hardware.
I have had this issue with a fresh install of both the OS and Ableton it just happens randomly.
I do agree that I should appreciate that it’s not only still running but that it’s running for the most most part pretty while minus the issues that I have mentioned.
I have always had Macs run forever for me, They slow down for sure but they always keep running with the regular maintenance I do…I am typing this from a 2007 macbook (An early white one back when they made them out of plastic)
All that aside you guys have given me some good leads to follow, Wish me luck…I NEED my computer to keep running for me to work no computer to edit and mix audio equals no income so I was pretty sort sighted in not spending money on keeping my computer and audio interface up to date and instead buying all kinds of hardware.
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I’m wondering what your very specific issues are? Do things run fine sometimes and then issues appear? If so it sounds more like software issues then hardware…
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Yes (If it was a simple software issue that would be amazing)
The main issues are:
Unusually high CPU usage in Ableton when running not much more than the basics
A very strange delayed latency issue that appears randomly, Basically I will have Live open with a very simple template and I will be working with my hardware synths and drum machines etc all I am doing is running audio through one channel of Live with no software changes not messing around with Live at all just simply running audio and the longer I have Live open while messing with hardware the longer the latency gets…I have tried the Ableton forums and a few different things but to no avail.
and it runs slower than it should overall. If this was not my work computer (I work as a sound designer) and it was only for music production I wouldn’t be too worried.
Here are some screenshots that may give some more insight honestly maybe I just have something set up stupid:
My audio interface is the: Focusrite Saffire Pro24
For controllers I have:
Novation remote SL zero (For mixer, panning, transport etc)
Novation launchpad
My template consists of:
Two stereo channels
One for the Octatrack (I have all of my hardware running though the OT as an Aux send on my mixer)
One stereo channel is the direct out from my mixer where all of the hardware audio goes in when I’m not using the OT as a master FX unit.
One grouped set of tracks for the Analog four (not at all exceeding the amount of tracks allowed in overbridge)
One grouped set of tracks for the Analog RYTM (Again not at all exceeding the amount of tracks allowed in overbridge)
One stereo channel for an internal feedback loop for sampling audio from direct sources in my computer (Youtube etc)
Although the dedicated Bass station 2 channel is shown I no longer use that because I ran out of USB ports so my current template doesn’t have that but everything else is the same
I have the Wave L2 running on the master channel (I know I know that’s a big no no for recording audio I have it on there for when I am first jamming and coming up with ideas and I take it out when I start actually mixing)
I also had one of the Waves noise reduction plugins at the end of the signal chain too to take out some of the hiss from all the gear but it was pretty CPU intensive so now I only use that now as I am recording individual sounds or tracks then take it out when I’m done.
Even though I have sends set up for drums, Delay, Reverb etc there are no plugins in there until I start mixing.
My midi out from the Focusrite Saffire Pro 24 runs a midi chain though all my gear (with the exception of the A4 and AR since that’s handled in Overbridge)
Something of note I have had this issue before using Overbridge so I know it’s not that.
I know my setup might seem kind of weird but it works for the way I work.
So that’s it all laid out, any and all feedback and suggestions would be very welcome I am super appreciative for the help and direction you guys have given me thus far already you guys have been much more helpful and insightful than I’ve found on the Ableton forum and Gearsluz.
The only thing I see that is choking your system is the 32samples buffer. That will kill the CPU for sure. 128 or even 256 will suffice with next to zero noticeable latency and free up a ton of CPU power. At 256, latency should be sub 5ms and thats hardly measurable to the human ear.
And also yes an SSD reduces drag on the entire system and streams samples and writes files faster.
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One thing I notice is the buffer setting in ableton of 32 will put a tremendous load on that processor. Setting it to 64 or 128 will decrease cpu usage significantly, also if you don’t mind, changing the sample rate to 44100 will decrease cpu usage a little more. If your getting a high latency with those settings it might be from Overbridge which does add latency but might seem normal with really low buffer.
Do you have the latest drivers for your audio interface that support Yosemite?
The latency creeping in seems like a software issue.
I’m a bit tired at the moment so can’t look at this much more right now, but those are some thoughts for ya…
Edit: typed at the same time as turbiville 
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Bro… your buffer size!
Try increasing to 256 or 512 at the least. If youre tracking do it via your Saffire direct and mute your channels…
if youre playing over programmed midi patterns or trying to monitor software effects it will introduce latency, but if everything is outside the box and youre just passing through audio it shouldnt be an issue…
Question about using an external SSD drive.
Are you guys talking about wiping my system clean then reinstalling the OS and everything onto the SSD drive and using it as the primary drive to boot from?
Or are you saying I should use it to save and run any and all Ableton projects, audio recording etc
I don’t see how the latter would do any more good than using a regular external drive to handle audio.
If we are talking about the former I have never done that, Is it possible to wipe my OS override the internal 500GB drive and use only the SSD for everything? Also if I do that would I still be able to use the ‘Time machine’ function? Not that it’s that big of a deal but I have a 1TB drive for Time machine automatic backups…I have never had to use it but the idea of having everything constantly backed up is nice. Again if that’s not an option if I am running my OS and all my applications from an external SSD drive then it’s not a big deal at all.
It’s going to be a bitch to wipe everything and reinstall everything but if it makes as much of a difference as you guys are saying then it sounds well worth it.
My 500GB internal that I have now still has plenty of room (I would have to be at the studio space to check exactly how much of the HDD that’s in use but I know it’s at least 100GB away from being full) so I think the 500GB range would be just fine.
Any recommendations on SSD drives in terms of brands etc and good places to buy them?
Thanks again for all of the help!
SSDs add a lot of speediness to old computers that’s for sure, but I don’t think it will help audio latency and high plugin cpu, but still it will make your computer seem much newer. Often wiping and clean installing actually improves performance anyway, and you could consider El Cap or Sierra as they may have better performance than Yosemite and maybe better support for your hardware with more current drivers, I don’t know though, I’m still on Mavericks… 
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Good advice from both of you I will try that and report back if it fixes the issue,
All of my drivers are up to date on everything that was on of the first things I did when this issue started really getting to me (about a week ago lol)
So if I set the buffer size down to say 128 or even 256 what is the deal in Live where you can set the ‘Driver error compensation’? Should I even bother with that?
In terms of setting the audio rate from 48 to 44 I have heard sooo many arguments about this and frankly I’m not sure which side of the argument I’m on, Personally I don’t hear a serious difference between the two though I know any clients I work for always require the samples to be recorded at 48.
True, I actually really regret upgrading. I almost never upgrade the OS unless I absolutely HAVE to since in my experience it seems that with OSX updates the newer the slower lol
Don’t worry about driver compensation, 44100 uses a little less cpu and is the quality of a cd if you want to try, otherwise 48000 is fine…
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Something tells me El Cap or Sierra might be faster than Yosemite, I heard bad things about that one… At some point I’m going to jump to Sierra and hope for the best!
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At this point I’d recommend setting buffer to 256, disabling and removing all overbridge plugins and any other audio streaming devices if there are any, and only using audio interface test for cpu usuage with your plugins and leave running for a long time to see if the latency creeps in, maybe just use a new ableton project to keep it easy. If no problems add overbridge and test again…
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I send stuff off for TV and Radio broadcast every day all day and all my deliverables are 44 and some even want mp3???
if you are trying to record nat farts, then worry about the difference between 44 and 48. Really the only folks who really worry about that are recording entire string sections and they want to hear every hair on every bow rubbing every string in the symphony. I’ve recorded the same synth all the way up to 192 and the difference is lost as soon as you bounce it down to 44.1 CD standard audio, or squish it down to Soundcloud or Itunes level mp4 or mp3.
Dont worry about driver comp, that shouldnt even really be an option there… its over kill.
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I concur that the 32 sample buffer is too low. I use 128 on my system and don’t really notice any latency. I’m not at my machine just now, so can’t give you the exact latency times, but it’s pretty low.
As for the SSD, I was suggesting removing your internal drive and replacing it with a SSD. There are various guides on Youtube.
I realize it’s probably a bit trickier with an imac than a macbook, but definately worth it. I agree that you probably won’t notice that much improvement using it as an external.
When I did it, I created a couple of time machine backups (an extra one just in case!). I think I created a bootable flash drive with OS installer, swapped the internal out for the SSD, installed the OS then transferred my files from the backups, reinstalled applications, etc… Long tedious process but very worth it. There are loads of guides for all this all over the inernet and youtube.
I think mine is a 500Gb Samsung Evo. It’s been solid for about 18 months so far.
Also, I did the upgrade from Yosemite to Sierra and it has seemed a bit more stable - especially noticed using Traktor.
I’ve found Sierra to be rock solid for Ableton. Similarly to you I’m generally just recording a few tracks of Audio from my hardware and a few plugins. Not really any softsynths. Nothing too taxing on the system.
Hope some of that helps.
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The i3 processor probably is not helping you either.
I’ve had issues with Elektrons on C2D, Xeon 8 cores, and i3s, all had SSDs.
but on both a 2013 i5 iMac Quad, and a 2012 i7 MBP Quad that I tested (my wife’s), AR+AK together work great, with 16 audio streams, 64 sample system buffer settings, negligible latency, etc. etc. Both were running El Capitan.
And no overHub, fwiw.
My next Mac will def be an i7 quad.
That said, my 2009 MBP is still kicking and doing everything (except Overbridge audio streaming) quite successfully.
Just one anecdote to counter the anecdotal caution against Mac.
8 years is good run. Hope I can push it to 10.
Like a Subaru seeking its 300,000th mile.
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I still have my mid-2010 imac 27", but a few years back I bought a 2012 13" 2.9GHz i7 MBP, took out the superdrive and HDD and put in two samsung SSD’s (256Gb 840 pro) in RAID 0. I use Logic pro X and run a moderate amount of plugins (Madrona Labs, Valhalla etc.). It has been the best music machine I have ever used. Also, it has two USB ports and a firewire port for my audio interface/Mixer (onyx 820i). I’ll bet the newer ones run even better but they don’t have the I/O I need.
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