Hey guys used Ebo in a live set for the first time and it was an overall success! But I do have a few questions if anyone can give me some insight:
So my original set up before was Ableton/Resolume Avenue/Madmapper. Audio stripped from video and placed in ableton, video in resolume synced for efx to corespond with ableton triggering/knob twisting. Siphoned to Madmapper.
New set up last night was Ableton > Madmapper. I made a new efx rack that combined audio and Ebo efx. It was really cool to shorten the distance between idea and execution like that.
The issue was that my Mac started to chug a bit. I had the combo efx rack on 3 tracks. I deleted a rack from one of the tracks and this solved the chugging enough for me to go through the set. So my question is this: what am I doing that’s too ambitious for my MacBook? (Late 2013 mbp 16gRAM 1tb Samsung ssd) too many efx? I was thinking maybe I could syphon the master out and have one rack on that but then I won’t be able to take advantage of the potential of syphoning each track individually.
Great! Im happy that you’re having fun using EboSuite.
Are you using many automated and/or midi assigned fx parameters?
If you send us your Live set to contact@ebosuite.info (no need to send the media associated with it) we can give you more detailed advice.
Resolution of vids is mostly 1920x1080 ( I can probably stand to reduce as they’re being sent to madmapper to shrink and warp anyway)
videocard is pretty old (NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 512mb/Intel HD Graphics 4000 1536mb) . Budget stopped me from upgrading so I got an iMac for the studio to be the workhorse. I use the laptop for live stuff but I’m guessing I’ve reached a point where I’ve outgrown the specs and I can’t Frankenstein it any further.
CPU was spiking at about %40-50 at which point video fps dropped drastically and audio would get crunchy
effects rack = Beat repeat > eFX-Shine > eFX-Kaleido > Auto Filter > eFX-BlockBlur > Magnetic(M4L Echo)… Had it on 3 tracks. All 3 tracks had eClips and eSyphon on them. Deleted one of the effects racks and everything seemed fine but I’m guessing I was pushing it?
Hi Willie,
Downscaling your videos will be a quick win. 1920x1080 is fully supported by EboSuite, but calls for a good videocard, since the videos are unpacked on the GPU to minimize interference with Ableton Live. Your effects rack doesn’t look too complex, although 40/50% seems high. Can you check without the Magnetic plug-ins (they’re pretty CPU intensive) and see if that helps? I’ll check if there’s more advice we can give you and get back to you. Cheers!
Nothing automated at present. Should I avoid in the future? I do have plans to build a set that has automated effects on a vocal track for separate shows. No midi assigned fx as far as I’m aware. I’ll send that session file in a few btw.
No, don’t avoid automation! Automation is super useful!
I was just wondering what kind of mappings you were using. That might have some effect on the CPU if they are complex.
Hi Willie
The heavier your tracks are in cpu load the more it has chances to start being sluggish …
avoid the workload as much as you can per track … best thing is using a fast processor with a heavy video card to keep up … don’t forget if you also have other videosofts at the same time it all adds up …
Ableton manual on line …
Why do I have high CPU load in a set with just one track?
Because Live uses one thread per track or signal path, a set with just one track could potentially result in high CPU load if the track contains, for instance, a CPU-intensive instrument followed by a chain of CPU-intensive effects.
Which is more beneficial, a faster CPU speed or more cores?
Both are important, but this depends somewhat on your workflow. If you’re using various devices in one track in series, then only one thread will be used for that particular track, and in this case a higher clock speed might be more beneficial. However if you’re spreading out your instruments and effects over different tracks, then more cores might be beneficial. If your budget allows it though, we recommend getting the fastest processor and maximum amount of cores that you can afford (bearing in mind the maximum amounts that can be utilized: 64 Cores on Mac and 32 Cores on Windows).
I made a new efx rack that combined audio and Ebo efx. It was really cool to shorten the distance between idea and execution like that. 
