Logic Pro problems with new MacMini M4

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Level 1

10 points

Logic Pro problems with new MacMini M4

Hello and thanks to those looking to help.

I have recently bought a Mac mini M4 as a replacement for my aging 2017 iMac - really looking as a stop-gap to use for a couple of years before getting something more substantial.

I mainly use Logic Pro, have used the software since the days of eMagic, so know my way around it pretty well. However, when I've loaded my recent projects in, there have been some issues on playback. It seemed to system overload - had that warning many times - although I thought that odd as my iMac was running them fine (both are only 16gb RAM and both were running off an external SSD boot drive). I went through as many checks as I could, from removing plugins on tracks, changing buffering etc,. I tried running in Rosetta. I tried resetting. I tried reinstalling. Nothing worked.

I then started to create a new track, just one Alchemy synth. It glitched on just playing - stuttering and cutting out (not sustaining). I tried this through an attached midi keyboard via an M-Audio 192/6. So I then tried it just using the Apple keyboard to play - same thing. I have changed the input device to system - removing the M-Audio 192/6. That improved input allowing use of Apple Keyboard playing. However, hasn’t stopped the jitters and system overload.

I am kinda stumped now. I have been running the Activity Monitor to see what's going on, CPU process use (maybe 30% on Logic and a similar on AU) it wasn't pushing really high. And of course when playing just the one instrument on an otherwise blank project with no plugins, the CPU use was very low.

I'm normally pretty good at problem solving and using existing answers on community boards to find solutions without having to ask a question, but I am at the end ideas now so would really appreciate it if anyone has any other ideas... The excitement of a new gadget (Mac) has definitely had the gloss taken off it over the last few days trying to problem solve and failing. I’m questioning if it can be resolved or if I should return it.

Activity monitor shows (approx) 30% Logic Pro, 30% AUHostingService. Overall CPU between 80-85% idle. Memory used is running below 12GB with no Swap Used, 4GB Cached Files. Data reading on the SSD only has low blue peaks (Kingston XS1000 - up to 1050mb/s read drive).

System: M4 Mac mini, 16gb, 256 SSD (internal), 2TB SSD external (Kingston XS1000 - used as the system disk). OS 15.4. Logic 11.1.2

Thanks, Paul

Mac mini

Posted on Apr 7, 2025 05:37 AM

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Answer 1

RedPablo Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 7, 2025 06:19 AM in response to EddieGrey

Thanks for your reply.

I am, but I was doing that on the iMac with the same projects and same plugins and not a problem. And why would that cause a problem with projects with a single instrument track? The activity monitor shows no strain on the disk.

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Answer 2

Pancenter

Level 6

14,764 points

Apr 7, 2025 07:58 AM in response to EddieGrey

C'mon, I'm running 14 audio tracks, several virtual instruments, various plugins while recording 5 new tracks off an external drive, this off an old iMac. I'd start looking into background processes, buffer settings...etc.

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Answer 3

EddieGrey

Level 4

2,000 points

Apr 7, 2025 08:13 AM in response to Pancenter

I would personally never run a session on an external drive but I also run very robust sessions 60 to 100 tracks and heaps of plug-ins. I run M1 Ultra 128gb I believe. I also do fairly complex video edits for my YT Channels.

I spoke to a Computer Nerd at Harvard and he recommended ended I run my sessions only through my internal hard drive. This is not my expertise. Just relaying info.

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Answer 4

RedPablo Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 7, 2025 08:39 AM in response to EddieGrey

Hi, no I do appreciate that and your suggestion. I am absolutely not power-using Logic and find it bizarre that a newer and much more powerful computer cannot handle what an i5 iMac did under the same circumstances - running off the external SSD. And the Activity Monitor suggests it's not touching the sides at 30%.

Absolutely not questioning possible best practises, or the info you were given, but there are is also a lot of advice advising to run off an external SSD. As for how I'm running things, I have just installed Logic to run from the internal with a fresh OS install and still having issues. It is also slower to boot than from the external drive. No other programs running. It's very odd to me.

To be clear, as tone is so hard to read online, I really do appreciate you taking the time to suggest solutions and not aiming to be defensive in my responses!

Thanks

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Answer 5

EddieGrey

Level 4

2,000 points

Apr 7, 2025 08:28 AM in response to RedPablo

Thank you for clarification. Have you tried creating a new User Account and testing the issue there? This has helped me troubleshoot in the past. You could have a corrupt account as well.

There are lots of experienced folks in this forum so hopefully you will get some good information so you can make the best decision possible. I am just saying what has worked for me.

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Answer 6

RedPablo Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 7, 2025 08:32 AM in response to Pancenter

Hi, thanks for your reply. That's the whole point. I was running the same projects on a 2017 i5 iMac with 16gb using a 2TB external SSD and it played fine. New M4 MacMini with fresh install of MacOS and Logic and it's unusable. As per the original post, I've gone through just about every possible combination of background processes (unless I'm missing something) - from buffer settings to virtual disk. I've been using Macs since the early 1990s and had pretty much every generation of them. This is first time I've had a performance issue like this and I have spent a couple of days running through everything I can think (and read online) before seeking help on this forum. Any specific advice would be welcome, but if you're running off an old iMac (like I was) then you're probably in the situation I was when it ran smoothly anyway. I upgraded machines to run some software that doesn't run on the old system, but I'd rather go back to that and have a working DAW at the moment...

Thanks again for your input.

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Answer 7

EddieGrey

Level 4

2,000 points

Apr 7, 2025 08:41 AM in response to RedPablo

I would be curious to see if you uninstalled/reinstalled Logic Pro if that would help the issue.

Maybe try using other applications like Garageband or a Video editor to see if they give you issues as well.

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Answer 8

RedPablo Author

Level 1

10 points

Apr 7, 2025 01:58 PM in response to EddieGrey

OK! Well, let me start with a big thanks for your suggestions and although they didn't solve the issue, going through them all did highlight there was definitely an issue somewhere. I probably need to apologise because I probably should have caught the problem - I thought I had systematically disabled plugins one-by-one to see if that was the issue...

Ultimately there were two issues and I am at fault for being a seasoned user making rookie errors. First off, after the stuttering of the audio interface being replicated across GarageBand and Logic, it appears the problem was the lead - yes I know, sorry. One forgets that even though a lead worked the day before it doesn't mean it's working properly today. The timing was just quite hard to believe having just swapped systems.

Issue two was again a Logic 101 problem. I was absolutely sure I had systematically gone through every single plugin, but it appears I wasn't thorough and the issue lay in Nectar 3 (no I haven't upgraded to 4 yet). Removing that from my chain before playing any of the tracks has meant that they run smoothly now, all with low latency.

So, thank you once again for your input. It did help because I'd got to the point of lost sanity and just going through your suggestions made me go through all the other things too. Sometimes it's hard to think straight when you're pulling your hair out.

All the best

Paul

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