Hi

I have a Scan 3XS Scan Performance Audio 17" Laptop, about a year and a half old.
Running Windows 10 Cubase Pro 11 and Pro 12 + various Soft Synths and plugins.
Steinberg UR22c Audio Interface
SSL UF8 Daw Controller.
32 Gig matched Corsair RAM
Samsung 1TB 970 EVO PLUS - System Drive
Samsung 1TB 860 EVO - Project Drive
Samsung 1TB 970 EVO PLUS - Library / Sample Drive

It has run perfectly until 4 days ago when disk activity on the System drive started spiking at 100%.

This makes running any audio program useless and I notice that each time it spikes it makes the lights on the front of the Steinberg UR22c Audio Interface blink (normally they stay fully on).
Before this I could open almost as many insert plugins as I wanted on projects, some with up to 30 - 35+ tracks and it handled it all without an issue.

Since this issue first started (right in the middle of a session), it is present from the second I boot the laptop. Even before I have logged in on the windows boot screen the CPU fan powers up to full speed and the Graphics fan goes on and off impermanently.

The laptop is never connected to the internet except when I want to update a driver or something which is rare.

Windows Task manager shows the CPU activity to be minimal but Resource Monitor shows the SSD spiking at 100%.


So I did every thing that I knew to do, ran windows anti virus, ran Malware Bytes both found nothing.

Checked using Windows Process Explorer and nothing obvious stands out, normally even a malware thats active should show up as a running process.


Booted Samsung Magician which shows the SSD health as good, and I ran a performance test which completed with out an issue although disc activity in Resource Manager was pretty much spiking all through (to be expected?).



During the Samsung Magician test the system temps seemed ok even though the fans are fully running


Checked the drives health in CrystalDiscInfo


and this is the drive actitivity about 3 or 4 minutes after the Samsung Magician test


I am now at a loss as I don't think its a Windows 10 issue and I suppose the ssd could be failing but at a year and a half old it shouldn't be plus Samsung Magician and CrystalDiscInfo show the drives health as good.

If anyone has any insight or suggestions I'd be very grateful.

 

Have you installed or changed anything in the last few days? Do you have a backup that you can restore?

User the free CCleaner and look in "Extras" --> "Autostart" if there are programmes that do not belong there or do not belong there!

CMD as Admin - sfc / scanow
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us...r-rights/16f95564-7c9c-4ae8-9b79-0293a9faa336

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2022

I would try to reset or change your ASIO driver to another known working one like ASIO4ALL. And then changing it back, rebooting, etc. Easiest/fastest thing you can check. Disconnect the Audio interface, since it is an external. And then you are at your drives, and memory possibly. After that power. But I do not think you will find you have a defective/failed SSD in one year.

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2022

sounds bizarre. if connected to the net your system could simply have got hijacked and used a temp server. or rather it could be a hardware issue but without some luck or expertise to look at it sound like one of those random hard to fix issues that hopefully either gets fixed "by itself" or if its software based simply by making a clean reinstall.

by the way,
looking at your graphs, i dont see any disk activity out of the ordinary! just some kilobytes back and forth. that "spiking" in your picture its simply because its a relative graph, to the right it says how much actual data is being transferred and that is not an abnormal amount at all.

if you do connect to the web now and then, maybe its a huge pending windows update that is messing with your system. i would connect and pull down the latest Windows update.

backup projects if they are on your system drive. make a system backup if it would show that its not helped by a reinstall, up to you. i tend to want to reinstall everything when i start getting random issues.

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2022

This doesn't sound like a hdd issue. If your cpu fan is maxing it means that for some reason the cpu gets a temperature spike and kicks in the higher speed fans. Same for the gpu. Have you tried some basic service stuff, like removing the back cover and check for dirt/dust? Laptops are especially sensitive to dirt buildup due to the tight space everything is crammed into. Even basic tasks can easily overheat the cpu/gpu dies if they are not cooled properly.

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2022

Tip 1: Clean the ventilation slots
Since the fans that cool the laptop constantly suck in air, dust also gets into the ventilation slots over time. The more dust, the weaker the air circulation. The fan must therefore work all the harder to bring about the required cooling effect.

Tip 2: Adjust the processor power management (Windows only)
Select "Power Options" in the Control Panel.
Then click on "Additional power settings" and further on "Change power plan settings".
There, go to the menu "Change advanced power settings".
In the list, look for "Processor power management" and open the path "Maximum processor power state".
Select a value between 50 and 75 %. Depending on your device, you may have to experiment a little with the values to find the right setting. After adjusting the value, your laptop will no longer operate at maximum power, but it will consume less power and will not need to be cooled as much. Consequently, the fan is quieter. In normal operation, the adjustment should hardly be noticeable. If you are running work-intensive programmes, it is best to set the value high again.

Tip 3: Check for malware
Perhaps malware is running on your laptop that is causing the CPU to work at high capacity. In this case, the laptop's cooling system would have to work harder to dissipate the heat generated. Either way, it's worth investing in a virus programme.

Tip 4: Have the laptop cleaned
If none of the above methods help, you should think about a check-up with a specialist. They can check the laptop for damage and, if necessary, have it professionally cleaned. If you tamper with the laptop on your own, you will lose any warranty claims and may even cause damage. If you still want to clean the laptop on your own, you should always have the operating instructions to hand. These can be found quickly on the Internet for most models.

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2022

I think the reason why it is happening is because all of these things are loading, and the USB bus load is draining power. The interface lights blinking/flickering is why this is my guess. I would try a different usb cable between the computer and the interface. Cables fail frequently. But I try to write someone some methodical things to try before jumping to guesses

When I tried a UAD with my current MacBook it did this exact symptom; it did not like the 40gbs connection, at all.

This would be literally the worst spyware ever. It would only be more "stealthy" if it flipped the screen upside down and turned on the CMOS beeper.

 

Last edited: Apr 8, 2022

Thanks for all of the replies everyone.
I was at work all day and had a few hours to myself this evening to try your suggestions out.

I have installed a number of the recent R2R all from the trusted sister.

In fact I almost exclusively have all R2R (Legit DAWS) as I have had some bad experiences with stuff from other group.

Tried the latest free CCleaner but unable to find "Extras" --> "Autostart"

Ran sfc / scanow and it found 21 files it had to verify and repair.

After it had finished I did a hard reboot, turned the lap top off for 5 minutes then restarted it but the issues remain.

Tried this and made no difference.
The issue happens with the audio interface disconnected.

It is very rarely connected to the web and the last time it was was just before christmas.

I don't think it could be a pending windows update as I have it set to not auto download to prevent this happening - its wierd
I have also been through windows\software distribution, "%Temp%", Temp, Prefetch, disc cleanup and deleted any files I found.

As I mentioned in my original post, all of my project files are on a separate dedicated drive, and the same with samples a librarys.
Only thing on the system disc is windows and apps.

I am fairly ok with opening my machines, taking things apart, reinstalling and so on
This laptop only had a years warrenty so its six months past that.

Tip 1
Took the CPU & the GPU fans out, blew them off with compressed air, then cleaned the fan blades with a long haired makeup brush (new clean one of course) before blowing then out again and to be sure sucked them over with my hoover.

As I had the machine open and the fqns out I gave everything else a blow out and a clean but it was almost dust free. Just to be sure I removed and reseated all of my SSD's and the Ram.

Tip 2
I didnt know about this tip, good one to know.
So I tried it at 75%, 50%, 25% and out of desperation, 15%, rebooting each time but it makes no difference.
However, this a purely a DAW machine running Cubase Pro 11 and 12, Protools and ableton so in the middle of a session it does get some pretty heavy use, but as I said prior to this issue I really could run as many tracks, softsynths and inserts as I needed too. Never had an issue.

The session that this issue started in the middle of is only 18 midi/softsynth tracks
6 audio and 20 track inserts, nearly all Fabfilter Pro Q3, and a couple of Waves R-Comp. Nothing that would (or should) tax the SSD, GPU or CPU.

Tip 3.
I have Malware Bytes (paid for) and I ran that when this issue first started.
The only thing it found was a file named R2RTool.dll.
It was C\Users\*my name*\Appdata\Local\Temp\R2RTool.dll.
I did not thing it could be anything from R2R but as a test, I renamed the file R2RTool.dll.old, rebooted and it made no difference.

Tip 4
See my comment on Tip 1.

I did think of this but the issue happens with all USB devices disconnect.

What I think I might do as I am getting nowhere is to reformat the system drive and restore a backup.
I use (legit) Macrium Reflect and take monthly backups and the most recent is dated 13th March 2022, so some time before the issue started.
If the issue is gone then all good but if it is still there I will restore the month before, and if it is still there then, its almost certainly a hardware issue.
I have a spare unopened Samsung 980 SSD that keep in case of a drive failure which I could use to replace the system drive but as its only 18 months old it should be failing and it really sticks it to me to have to replace it so soon..

 

Something else I just tried is that in the newer versions of Windows 10 S.M.A.R.T. was added and supported and you can use this at command line level either in CMD (admin) or Powershell (admin) to check the status of a S.M.A.R.T. drive and access the Failure Predict Status (if the SSD supports this.

I got the correct commands from the MS Windows Support Community from a MS MVP as follows...

Microsoft Windows [Version 10.0.19042.630]
(c) 2020 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

C:\WINDOWS\system32>wmic diskdrive get status
Status
OK
OK
OK


C:\WINDOWS\system32>wmic /namespace:\\root\wmi path MSStorageDriver_FailurePredictStatus
Node - DESKTOP-HVF76TV
ERROR:
Description = Not supported

C:\WINDOWS\system32>

So under CND Shell this drive does not support FailurePredictStatus
but it reports the staus as OK which suggests the SSD is not failing or faulty.


Windows PowerShell
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Try the new cross-platform PowerShell https://aka.ms/pscore6

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Get-WmiObject -namespace root\wmi -class MSStorageDriver_FailurePredictStatus
Get-WmiObject : Not supported
At line:1 char:1
+ Get-WmiObject -namespace root\wmi –class MSStorageDriver_FailurePredi ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+ CategoryInfo : InvalidOperation: ) [Get-WmiObject], ManagementException
+ FullyQualifiedErrorId : GetWMIManagementException,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.GetWmiObjectCommand

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32>

...and under Powershell it is not supported either.

I have decided that I am too tired to do the restore thing tonight but going to uninstall the things (all R2R) that I installed before this issue started, one at a time, then reboot and so on as this would take less time than running the restore which takes about 3 or 4 hours+

 

How to use CCleaner's Startup tool:

1. Click the Tools icon on the left, then click Startup
2. You should see a list of all items set to start automatically with Windows. Disabled items show a No in the Enabled column. (See the screenshot below for reference.)
3. After this, you can do one of two things:

To stop a program starting with Windows, select the program, and click Disable.

To stop a program from starting with Windows (and remove it from the list of programs that Windows starts automatically), select the program, and click Delete.

Which programs are safe to disable?
1. Programs that you installed yourself:

Most of the third-party apps you installed on your PC should be safe to disable. Here are some common apps that are set to auto-start with Windows:

• Evernote
• Skype
• Steam

Note: As the answer to this question also depends on how you use your PC, we recommend you use a search engine like Google (or an alternative) to research whether certain apps are safe to disable or not.

https://support.piriform.com/hc/en-...-#how-do-i-manage-auto-starting-programs--0-0

 

Last edited: Apr 9, 2022

I would not replace the SSD. It doesn't solve the spike problem. Here are a few more tips:

Spoiler: LatencyMon

LatencyMon
Windows doesn’t include any built-in tools to check for ISR and DPC latency issues however
there’s a great free tool from Resplendence Software call LatencyMon.
LatencyMon is available here: www.resplendence.com/latencymon

Download and install it as you would any other software. Once installed:
1. If you’re running on a battery powered device, make sure you have mains power attached
2. Make sure your power settings are configured as they would be during performance
3. Close all other running software
4. Start LatencyMon
5. Press the green “play” button to start the test
6. Let it run for a few minutes
7. Press the red “stop” button to stop the test
LatencyMon will show a set of graphs and latency figures that reflect the ISR and DPC performance of your machine.
Ideally, you want the longest of these times to be less that the headroom you have in your audio buffer size. For example suppose your running with a buffer size of 6ms and the peak load as reported by your audio software is 33% (2ms) then you have about 4ms of headroom.

If all the times reported by LatencyMon are less than the amount of headroom then DPCs and ISRs probably aren’t going to be causing you issues. If on the other hand the reported times are longer than the available headroom (or if they’re more than about 500µs (0.5ms), then you should probably take closer look. LatencyMon will show which drivers had the slowest ISR and DPC times.

1. Check for an updated driver. If one is available update it and re-run the test.

2. If you have the latest driver and it’s for a device you know you don’t need during live performance you might be able to simply disable it in Windows Device Manager and re-run the test. (Never uninstall a device and be careful not to disable devices that the system needs for correct operation – see below)

3. Try searching for the name of the driver and the terms “DPC” or “ISR”. You’ll often find forum discussions on particular drivers that are problematic and sometimes a specific version (perhaps even an older version) are known to perform more reliably.

4. Depending on the problematic device you may need to replace the device with a similar device from a different manufacturer If you still can’t find a solution for an essential driver all may not be lost.

• If your machine has multiple processors and your audio software provides a setting to control the number of audio threads you could try reducing this by one.

• If your audio software doesn’t have an option to control the number of audio threads, look for a setting to disable multi-core processing.
Once you’ve reduced or disabled multi-core processing test your system by running your audio program over a period of time - you might find that even with the slow ISR or DPC issue the free processor cores are enough to keep things running smoothly. Another handy tool is DPC Latency Checker by TheSysCon. This provides similar information to LatencyMon, but doesn’t include details on which driver is causing the stalls.

Spoiler: Windows 10: How to set-up and optimize a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)

Windows 10: How to set-up and optimize a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW)
https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/...and-optimize-a-Digital-Audio-Workstation-DAW-
Windows: How to set-up and optimize a Digital Audio Workstation

The basics
A DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) application has very specific requirements that cannot be compared to other applications. A system that runs perfectly fine with games or video rendering may still not be suitable for audio real-time tasks with its very different priorities. While this may [not?] be the final verdict, here are some suggestions on setting up a DAW system properly.

Operating System
Windows 10/11 64-bit is the recommended platform! Most of this article’s content also applies to Windows 7 and Windows 8, though.
Update the operating system regularly. If the Windows 10/11 Update feature yields no results on already released major updates, check this page for additional options.

What about my old Windows 7 or Windows 8 system and my old hardware?
Many of these can be upgraded to Windows 10, however, some systems that appear to be compatible are not really suited for DAW tasks. Please see this article for details.

Components
Make sure that all device drivers are up-to-date and use the latest firmware (if applicable).
Graphic cards/graphics processing unit (GPU)
Use the latest official Windows drivers provided, but do not install the additional software that comes with the driver! PhysX, GeForce Experience, AMD Settings (formerly Catalyst Control Center) are mostly game-related features not needed on a DAW. They consume extra CPU resources and may mess up the processing priorities to the disadvantage of audio real-time processing.

Audio interfaces
Use the latest official Windows drivers provided. If external devices are used, make sure that the drivers for the interface cards (USB, Firewire, Thunderbolt) are also up-to-date.
More on audio interfaces further down.
Update the UEFI BIOS. This may not only improve the stability of the system, but also enhances security and compatibility. See the manufacturer’s documentation for details.
Avoid using dedicated mouse and keyboard drivers, instead use the drivers provided by Windows.

Tweaking Windows

Energy saving
Any energy saving option should be deactivated in favor of continuous operation.
Open Control Panel ▸ Power Options ▸ Create a power plan ▸ High Performance and set the computer sleep time to ‘Never’.
Once set-up, go to Change plan settings ▸ Change advanced power settings ▸ USB settings and disable the ‘USB selective suspend settings’.
Uninstall unused applications and plug-ins.

Remove or disable unused components (WIFI, webcams, printers etc.).
Minimize background tasks as much as possible. This also includes online storage solutions as Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud, etc. They are often not considered, even though constant synchronization can stress the system significantly. Even if you do not experience performance difficulties, it is advisable to pause cloud services at least while recording.
Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST) - long-term audio recording tests have shown audio glitches every few hours on some systems if the 'Link Power Management' option in the RST control panel ▸ Performance is enabled. Disable it if similar issues appear and the software is used.
Try a ‘clean boot’ without all the additional services and auto-start programs to troubleshoot issues. This is described here.

Tweaking Cubase/Nuendo
In the Studio ▸ Studio Setup ▸ VST Audio System ▸ Advanced Options, there are some settings you can experiment with.
‘Processing precision’
A processing precision of 64-bit float can increase CPU load and memory consumption.
‘Activate Multi Processing’
Usually, having this selected is the preferred setting. But if performance issues come up, it is worth deactivating the multiprocessing support for a test.

‘Activate ASIO-Guard’
As mentioned earlier, Cubase/Nuendo makes heavy use of real-time processing.
The ASIO-Guard allows you to shift as much processing as possible from the ASIO real-time path to the ASIO-Guard processing path. This results in a more stable system.

However, depending on the system, the project and the plug-ins used, it is worth a try deactivating it or selecting a different level.
Tweaking the computer

Modern systems with a fully updated Windows should not need any of the default settings to be modified. However, if certain drivers are not fully optimized and you experience audio drop-outs, it is worth having a closer look. Note that the following settings are often not accessible, especially on laptop systems.

Disable Hyper-Threading (Intel)/Simultaneous Multi-Threading (AMD) in the UEFI BIOS if your CPU supports it and if your BIOS allows you to modify this setting.

Disable advanced power-saving and dynamic performance options for your CPU if applicable. This usually needs to be done in the UEFI BIOS of your computer and includes ‘Enhanced Intel SpeedStep (EIST)’, ‘AMD Cool 'n' Quiet’, ‘Intel Turbo Boost’, and ‘AMD Turbo CORE’.
Disable C-States in the UEFI BIOS if this is accessible. C-States allow your CPU to sleep when idle, which may interfere with real-time applications such as audio. This option is often called ‘Disable CPU Idle State for Power Saving’.

Tweaking the audio interface
Onboard sound cards: If your motherboard provides an onboard sound card, it should be configured to be the standard playback device in the Windows Sound Settings. This way, the Windows system sounds will be played back by the onboard device without affecting the audio signal of your audio interface or soundcard. However, if playback issues occur, it can also be advisable to deactivate the onboard device in the UEFI BIOS of your system.

Onboard soundcards cannot be recommended for the usage with our products since they do not allow working with low latencies due to missing ASIO drivers. Furthermore, some onboard sound chips are equipped with substandard AD/DA converters and only offer low signal quality (high noise level, non-linear frequency response, bad electrostatic shield).

Latency/Buffer Setting
If you experience audio drop-outs or crackles, look at the ‘Audio Performance’ (‘Studio’ menu in Cubase and Nuendo). It indicates how much resources are left to calculate the audio data and forward it to the audio driver in time. If the latency is very low (which is corresponding to a very small buffer size) time might be too short for proper signal processing. Depending on the system, the audio interface and the running project, it might make sense to increase the latency/buffer setting. Please refer to the manual of the corresponding audio interface for details. Updating the audio driver might also improve the overall system performance and allow using latencies which weren't usable before.

Advanced troubleshooting
Still with us? Great! Here is more to consider, more tips and some real-life experience from the support department.

Analysis Tools
Use analysis software to monitor the overall real-time performance of your system.
The free utilities ‘DPC Latency Checker’ (only Windows 7) and ‘LatencyMon‘ facilitate the search for possible sources of error a lot. Another tool to find bottlenecks can be ‘WhySoSlow’

USB 2.0 vs USB 3.x
While USB 3.x is backwards compatible and USB 2.0 components should work on a USB 3.x port, the stability and performance may suffer. Preferably, connect USB 2.0 devices to USB 2.0 ports. If none are available, some UEFI BIOS settings allow switching USB 3.x ports back to USB 2.0.
In contrast to that, we also had reports on various MIDI and audio issues (timing, drop-outs) on AMD systems with the audio/MIDI interface connected to a USB 2.0 port. Switching to one of the available USB 3.0 ports resolved the issue. Note however, that this is highly dependent on the interface, its drivers and the motherboard used.

USB ports vs. USB hubs
Normally, it is best to connect audio interfaces directly with the computer. However, certain difficulties can be solved by using a USB hub. Self-powered USB hubs (those with a power supply) are usually the best choice. There are even USB hubs available designed to be used with audio interfaces.

Plug-ins
Do you really need them all? Try to minimize your setup to the plug-ins you really need.
Often, plug-ins cause performance or stability issues. We strongly recommend using VST 3 and 64-bit plug-ins only! Do not use VST bridges like JBridge if you want maximum stability and performance.

Third-party applications
Try avoiding them as much as possible. Install only, what is really needed to work with a DAW.
No additional virus scanner (use the Windows Defender instead), no tweaking utilities, no printer software, streaming clients or management tools (e.g. Asus AI Suite) etc. should be installed let alone running in background constantly.
It is advisable to deactivate these programs and slim out your auto-start. Again, see 'clean boot' for details.

Graphic card settings
Obviously, driver settings depend on the manufacturer, the graphics card model and the driver version. But as a rule, options that boost graphics/gaming performance can be suspected to interfere with real-time audio processing.
If you have to use the additional software coming with the GPU, try whether switching off high/ultra-performance modes, overclocking, high-resolution textures/polygon/shader options etc. solves the issue. Restarts might be required and probably some trial and error efforts.
Some graphic cards like the NVIDIA Quadro series offers different profiles to work with.

In rare cases, the default profile for the card caused performance issues. NVIDIA suggests trying the ‘Workstation App – dynamic streaming’ instead. The option can be found in the Nvidia 3D configuration options under <3D settings management>
Also, if a ‘multi-threaded rendering’ option is available, turn that off as well! More on this here.

Motherboard
We have had reports on poor performance on even high-end systems like an Intel Core i9.
It turned out that the motherboard and a specific UEFI BIOS version had issues with memory performance and the manufacturer suggested rolling back to an older BIOS version, which resolved the issue. As mentioned earlier on, BIOS updates are important but in rare cases, it is worth taking a closer look at the version history or even online discussions in the communities.

Additional troubleshooting
If Windows 10/11 was installed as an upgrade, install Windows from scratch instead.

 

I would not Replace an SSD either, but I would remove any that do not need to be installed for the machine to run.

Test. Add back 1 drive. Test. Then the next. If this is possible. Reseating RAM was going to be next suggestion, of course. I would also consider reseating any other cables which are connected to the motherboard and reseating them, one at a time also.

Rule out all the Windows related BS. Put a Linux Bootable Operating System onto a USB pen drive.
It does not need to be a persistent install USB. Running it in RAM only will be sufficient for you to test because you will not likely save anything. This way someone can stop guessing this is malware.

 

Last edited: Apr 9, 2022

Well I have tried all of your suggestions but the issue still remains.

I should add that I created a bootable Linux disc and booted my laptop to it and left it running for 10 minutes or so and there the fans did not kick in. Of course, I was unable to load Cubase so could not test it.

I restored a macrium image from August 2021 and the issue if anything was worse but at the time the image was taken my system was performing perfectly, as it was until 5 or 6 days ago when this issue started so fcuk knows what is going on.

LantacyMon was one of the first apps I ran earlier this week before I started this thread and it said my system was fine.
However, I ran it while a cubase project was running and almost straight away it said my system is not suitable.

So I closed Cubase and ran it again, same result "Not Suitable".
I rebooted the laptop, ran it again and it reports that it IS suitable.

I then restored a Macrium image that I took on the day I received the machine new, so it had all of the tweeks that Scan do to thier DAW's, and they also remove Bloatware and un-needed processes as they tweak it specifically for DAW use, it is what they are known for.

Also as it is sparkle new there is nothing installed by me and when restore is done, I ran LatancyMon and no issues.
Checked in Resource Monitor and no spikes shown, fans hardly moving and CPU temp was 34c and GPU temp was 0-1c which are normal for this laptop when at idle.

So what I am about to do now, is change out the SSD for the spare Samsung 980, restore the August 2021 macrium backup to it and see it that has the spiking issue. If it does then that rules out it being an SSD issue but what could then be causing the issue I don't know.

I did take a quick video on my phone of the spikes inside Cubase Pro 11.
The project that is open has six softsynths loaded, 2 x Korg M1, 2 x Kontakt with one string library in each, 1 x Ample Bass P & Toontrack EZdrummer so nothing that should even break a sweat on a high powered laptop.

There are two tracks of stereo wave files, one muted and one enabled BUT none are playing, by this I mean I have not hit play.

If I open a new empty project there are no spikes.

This does not mean Cubase is the problem as it could still be something that Cubase needs to access (windows wise) to play the tracks loaded.

 

A few pictures of LatencyMonitor would be helpful.

Graphics type driver ?

Not your antivirus checking files that Cubase is opening, or anything like that?

Conclusion: Your system seems to be having difficulty handling real-time audio and other tasks. You may experience drop outs, clicks or pops due to buffer underruns. One or more ISR routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates.

Little update. I let this above LatencyMon software run a couple of times and got different messages at times and different drivers that were running too long. Without touching the BIOS, I did update some drivers etc, and did get a message referencing issues with a network adapter. My new build has no wireless built in, so I bought a USB wifi adapter as my modem is not close enough for a direct connection at the moment. I have disabled this and it appears to have been the major culprit. Fingers crossed, but no major issues since.

https://forums.steinberg.net/t/cubase-cpu-spikes/160239/10

General observations

Basically, the more plugins that are loaded, the more CPU power is required. Each plugin is different and can behave differently in combination with other plugins and effects. Therefore, there is unfortunately no generally valid solution.

It is helpful to load only the plugins that are really needed. This can quickly get out of hand when trying out the many new and great plugins.

 

Update your BIOS

 

"It has run perfectly until 4 days ago when disk activity on the System drive started spiking at 100%."

Can't hurt, but probably will not fix anything.

 

Onboard Devices

An onboard device is any device built in to the computer. Examples include built-in wireless adapters, audio cards, and Web cams. Most of these are fairly benign but some have the potential to interfere with digital audio software and hardware.

Historically speaking, the most problematic devices are wireless Internet cards and audio cards; we typically recommend disabling these, at least while using your software. Onboard wireless Internet cards periodically send and receive information when activated (even without an Internet browser open), and these bursts of data transfer take CPU cycles, to the point of causing audible pops and clicks in DAW applications.

Onboard audio cards can cause driver conflict problems, and are not as high in quality as professional interfaces. Additionally, they are often selected as the default driver in most DAW applications, forcing you to manually select your primary interface instead.

In the Device Manager, you can right-click on any device and choose "Disable." This will essentially turn that device off, releasing its drivers and stopping any resources from being used to run it. Internet and other wireless cards are typically found under the "Network Adapters" category. Onboard audio cards and Web cams will be found under "Sound, video and game controllers."

***If you activated your copy of Studio One with an online activation, while connected to the internet with your wireless card, do not disable the wireless card, as it will interfere with your Studio One activation.

https://support.presonus.com/hc/en-...Optimizing-Your-Computer-for-Audio-Windows-10

 

Last edited: Apr 10, 2022

Dude. I feel your pain. That said, would you PLEASE try EVERYTHING this guy suggests? It ended ALL my issues (similar to yours) on your system. Magic bullet? Maybe not in every case, but holy cow - the people helped by this number in the 10's of thousands. Let me know!

 

Hi everyone and thank you for your continued help and suggestions, I genuinely appreciate everyone of them.

As I type this the Macrium restore to a the new SSD (as a test) is running with and hour or so left to go.

If the issue still exists afterwards, then its not a SSD issue and I will then try all of your suggestions.

If a new SSD has cured the issue I post back and let you all know.

 

OK So the restore to the new ssd is done and latancyMon says its good.
Been running it on idle for (no programs open) about 15 minutes and the CPU temp seem to be fluctuating between 35c and 72c
the GPU is stuck on 35c.

Normally the CPU just sits between31c and 44c, the GPU at 0-3c so this is not right.

I am going to install my librarys and project drives so I can load a test project and see what happens then.