I just build a high end PC (used to work on MAC) to work with Cubase 9.0.1
I7-6900K/64GB RAM 3200 CL14/ASUS Deluxe II/ WIN10 PRO/ OS drive: M2 Samsung 960 PRO/ 2x1TB SSDs and 1x7200HDD storage drives with the sample libraries.

I installed Kontakt 5.6.5 and the CPU spikes...it overloads crazily.
I get clips and pops all the time and the real time/average CPU (f9) shows a crazy overload usage, hitting the red 100%...this happens even if I load a single library...

I updated to Kontakt 5.6.6 and didn't fix this issue.

I thought that maybe The problem was the M2 drive being the OS drive...That maybe I should switch my OS to a SSD drive...

Then I Google search and find other people with this problem but I didn't find any way to fix it.

Any one having these issues and solved it?

 

What's your set latency on your ASIO/WASAPI driver?

 

Try turning off AsioGuard and see what happens. Also, except what Andrew said, please tell us what is your soundcard and driver version

 

Kontakt standalone or plugin?
You surely know that only the standalone version supports >1 CPU core.
Apart from that, checking the audio driver and settings is a good start.

As you say this happens even with only one library (at what polyphony?),
I bet the problem is neither Cubase- nor Kontakt-related.

 

ASIO DRIVER: ASIO FireFace USB
input latency: 11.250 ms
Output Latency: 11.604 ms
ASIO Guard Latency: 21.33 ms

Buffer size (Latency): I tried everything from 2048 where the problem is just a little less to 64 where the problem obviously increase.

 

AUDIO CARD: RME FIREFACE UCX
DRIVER version: 1.098
HARDWARE REVISION: 46

I tried both, ASIO GUARD on and off

 

I use Kontakt plugin, but I tried the stand alone and same thing happens

 

On the VST PERFORMANCE window (F9):

- average load led goes to more than 50%
- real-time peak goes to 100% propducing spikes and noises
- but disk remains at 0%

 

Make sure you use the 64bits version of kontakt
(not certain if they still put the 2 version's shortcut on desktop, but they used to ... )
Is your DAW 64bits also ?

 

Most likely you are hooking your RME with USB. The only thing i can think of atm, is a USB drivers conflict. If you have exhausted changing usb ports ( i am aware asus deluxe II employs different sets of usbs from various manufacturers) ,the only way to cross check is to revert to something like Kontakt 5.6.1 or even 5.5 and see what gives. Does this also happen with Halion ?
EDIT: Checked your info , and your card drivers and firmware are latest versions, so its a malfunction of something else most likely. Trying to replicate this inside another DAW, even trial version doesn't matter, would shed some light as well.
EDIT2: Reportedly your card is one of the best among the hybrid FW/USB interfaces when it comes to latency. You should be able to work @ 2-5ms with no problems.

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2017

I had some problems trying to run the C. Bechstein Digital Grand with Kontakt 5.6.5 (R13), it was actually crashing my computer. I applied the following settings and they helped immensely:

File → Options → Engine → CPU overload protection (by killing voices) *
Try changing this from disabled to relaxed, medium, or strict.

On the loaded instrument click the info view icon (the lowercase i in a circle) that is to the right of the snapshot (camera) icon. Then set the max voices to a reasonable number like 150 (or lower if you don't need that many). I believe Bechstein had theirs at some ridiculous number like 500, which was the main culprit in causing problems.

 

In such cases (and when you don't even know where to start) it's a good idea to reduce peripherals and drivers to a minimum, then enable them step-by-step and see where the issues start to happen.
Also make sure you disable any anti-virus software running in the background, and use the latest chipset and USB controller drivers for your mainboard and USB controller. Have you done that?
Coming from a Mac you may wonder why you have to do that, so welcome in Windows world!

If problems still persist, try to detach all USB stuff and use the on-board audio first, plus ASIO4All driver with latency set to 512ms and select ASIO in Kontakt standalone and see if anything changes.
If it still does not change, disable the USB controller completely and log onto the machine from a second Windows machine on the network over Remote Desktop, but tell RDP to play audio on the host.

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2017

Try running Kontakt through ASIO4ALL and your integrated soundcard to check whether the problem persist even there.

 

I'm not trying to be a jerk (although I get told I am too many times to count), but this is why I stick to Macs. I can see the temptation of building a supercomputer but it always seems there's conflicts where drivers and components just don't get on. I liken it to building your own supercar and wondering why the clutch on your VW Golf can't handle the newly installed 1,000hp from a V12 engine. It's a bad analogy, but I have musician friends who refuse to go near Macs and are always asking me why the same apps that I have don't function as they expected, while my internal SSD reads my Kontakt libraries from an external SSD via Thunderbolt 2 and it never spikes. But I'm sure you know what you're doing and I really have nothing to add. I hope you find the solution.

 

Disable all power saving features in Windows energy options (load the Speed Profile, dont know whats the name is in english).
Disable Hyperthreading in Bios and all other useless motherboard devices like firewire, 2nd Lancard, etc).
Check realtime driver issues with LatencyMon

Edit: Upss, sry, wrong url, thx Psychoacoustic!

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2017

Download and run LatencyMon:

http://www.resplendence.com/latencymon

 

I could reproduce this. With Studio One and with only the latest Project Sam libraries. OE and symphobia series. There was no problem on Reaper and no problem on studio one with other kontakt libraries. I also say, kontakt version is not important. I have tested these on both v5.6.6 and v5.5.2

The answer was ASIO buffer size. Higher buffer, lower cpu usage. I couldn't find another solution.

 

With HT disabled you lose 25% of the raw CPU parallel power. And it's likely not the source of the issue - I'm running 5 PCs with HT and freq. scaling on without said issues.
On the other hand HPET might cause CPU spikes.

 

I have no problems with CPU spikes and new version of Kontakt in Reaper or Cubase Elements.
I have HDD spikes on some libraries but because they are not stored on SSD.
How many cores you have enabled in Kontakt, only one or more?
Have you tried to move some library to your main HDD, to not run from SSD?
Have you tried to disable Defender, if you are on W7/W10 and you using it?
How Halion works for you? Everything ok? I mean it's similar to Kontakt.
Have you tried with different sequencer? If you are on Elements version on Cubase, there is some troubles. I'm still at 8.

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2017

It´s not a Windows-problem, same on Mac, starting with 5.6.5. Kontakt is getting more and more unusable for real-time playing, only with high buffers it plays without troubles (I´m on an I 7 Quad). I think, it´s the always-growing skript-mashine, what´s eating the cpu.
Karl