Cubase Crashing A Lot

[technodrumguy]

I've got an issue with Cubase Crashing. It normally does it in one of three ways.
First: It locks up and the Audio begins to repeat (in a loop) and I have to reset my computer and restart.
Second: The entire program randomly just shuts down.
Third (and most annoying): the program locks up and my main monitor (I'm running dual) pops up with a blue screen and a warning about turning off my systems caching.

My system should have more than enough power to run this program. I'm running dual AMD MP's, a Tiger MP S2460 server motherboard, 512mb of ram (the board holds 3G's), and an Audigy Plat 2 sound card (I've got an 8 i/o sound card on the way). The computer runs amazing, except for the shut down problems with Cubase.
*****One note on the 3rd issue, my board doesn't have system caching in the BIOS utility, so there is no way to turn it off.

I've watched the VST and CPU usage meter and if the VST gets to about 50% and I start saving.......at that point also, the CPU power tends to jump. Also, once the VST meter gets to about 30%, if I add and audio track or try and import a file, the VST meter jumps to almost twice it self and holds at the higher measurement until the program is restarted (which the first of the shut downs occurs 90% of the time).

Just to answer the question before it's asked, YES all of my plugins and programs are legal and have been either a gift from the manufacturer or bought and paid for.

I've talked to the guys at Steinberg about this and they are at a loss too. Anyone with any hints.......??????
I just thought I would toss the questions out there.
Thanx............

[technodrumguy]

I'm running Cubase SX with the latest patch.

[Blue Bear Sound]

I would guess it's one of the plugs that is failing.... if you're using a freebie VST plug from somewhere, sometimes they don't always play nice!

[technodrumguy]

I've give it some thought on the plugins before, but I have ruled it out, unless one of them is just screwed up. All of the plugins I have are full legal versions with the latest patches. When I said I got some of the plugins for free, I meant full versions from the manufacturer. In fact, I got SX from Steinberg.
I run an electronic drum company and have a great relationship with a lot of the software companies. So they send me full versions of the software to test and play with, for R&D and when they need a kit in their booth at NAMM or other trade shows......I hook them up with a loaner.
I keep thinking it a graphics problem, but I have no real reason to assume that. I just know that is the only area in which my machine may be a little on the lite side. The video cards work perfectly fine, but are only 4mb cards. I don't use the computer for games or anything, just a few music programs, but the rest of them work fine.
Thanx for the reply.

[Blue Bear Sound]

I didn't mean you're running stolen plugs -- I meant if you're uysing some of the freebie plugs that are available -- sometimes they are not fully-compatible.

The way to rule out the plugs is to start a clean project and import some of the audio tracks from one of the projects that is giving you trouble. Don't enable any plugs/patches in the clean project and see if it still crashes.

If it doesn't, then it IS the plugs... start adding them back, one at a time, until the s/w starts giving you the symptoms again... when it does, you've found the culprit!

[JMarcomb]

Sounds silly, but if your power supply is underrated for your system wattage... your computer can do some goofy things.

.... quality of memory is also important.


just throwing out some ideas.. though it can be many other things that are software based

[Scott Mellish]

I tend to think it could be a hardware problem...
I had whats seems to be the same problem earlier this year.
My soundcard's (Delta 44) driver seemed to be the culprit...A new driver update and suddenly Cubase wasn't crashing, wasn't looping and started working smoothly with my delta...
Scott

[Bass Master "K"]

My first instinct was to also ask about the driver for your soundcard. I have heard that Audigy's can be very temperamental if the right driver isn't being used. I seem to remember that a driver called kX came out (was it a third party?) for the audigy cards that was supposed to make it run very smooth. Perhaps someone who is running an audigy based system can confirm that and help you out there.

The next thing I would look at is what Blue Bear is talking about. Unusually high CPU usage and jumping CPU usage is frequently caused by plug-in's gone awry, and that is usually freeware plug in's. It sounds like you may only have professionally released plug-in's, but if you do have any freebie's on there (i.e. not free to you from the manufacturer, but free to everyone over the web) I'd wipe those off and start afresh to see if that isn't the culprit.