Importing disrupting my music

[Garry A. Leslie]

Hey All,
First time I've ever noticed this happening.
Have recently been importing some new discs into Hoster.
When I work on the computer I usually have a digital radio station, www.thejazz.com playing on the computer, suddenly noticed when writing kma files the process disrupts the music playing, doesn't happen during the importing track process.
It's not a problem just irritating.
Wondered if anyone else has had this happen?
Regards from across the pond.
Garry

[madjim- with the Lord]

Garry, Have you defraged your hard drive latley? I defrag every time I import new songs. Give it a go and see if it helps.

Jim

[Garry A. Leslie]

Hey Jim,
Thanks for the advice but it is one of my fetishes, I defrag almost on a daily basis, if only to speed up the computer.
I defraged anyway and it still happens.
I know there are a lot of programmes out there which refuse to work if you have anything else running.
So much for multitasking.
Regards from across the pond.
Garry

[madjim- with the Lord]

Sometimes the simple fixes are the one we pass up. If you have a bunch of programs running in the background it may work if you shut some of them down. This will lighten the load on the processor.

Just trying to help!

Jim

[gd123]

Yes, this happens.

For lack of better phrasing, Hoster is and always has been a processor/memory hog.

When I import, I just walk away from the computer until the import process is finished.

I think, in the past, someone mentioned that it would be nice to have a WAV file attached to alert your attention that the Import process was done. The output of the sound card attached to the input of an amplifier would do nicely, when in another room.

But, how to get the WAV file to play, only at the end of ALL Trks Checked for Import, may be impossible. I wouldn't want to hear the WAV file at the end of each trk imported.

[bryant]

A general rule of thumb in all programs that write onto CD's, DVD's, or importing from them is to close down everything else while it is happening.

And like the man said, walk away.

[George]

Originally Posted by gd123

Yes, this happens.

For lack of better phrasing, Hoster is and always has been a processor/memory hog.

Got curious and checked my CPU usage both during play and import.

During play the CPU usage flatlined out at about 2% usage with an occassional brief spike up to about 4%.

During import the average CPU usage ran an average of 60 to 70% CPU usage and an occassional spike upwards to about 90% and and an occassional downward dip to about 40%.

Imported 8 tracks from a S.C.2092 disc. Total import time for 8 tracks 3:30. Projecting that out, a normal 15 track cdg would import in about 6+ minutes. I shut nothing off from running in the background.

My processor is an Intel P-4 running at about 1600ghz.

Suggest you guys look elsewhere for the problems you're having with CPU drain and slow importing, rather than the software.

[admin]

Thank you George!

I was taken back how someone could say Hoster is a memory hog. We used to be, but we did an extensive checkup and rework and, as you say, we're now in the 2% - 4% range.

As to importing from a CDG disc, our error correction in Hoster 3.316 is the best available in the world! PERIOD! To get that level of quality takes extremely heavy computation. I'm surprised its only 60%-70%. But the results are pristine lyrics without random dot coloration errors.

Even importing track 15 on any Chartbuster's disc, which are the most warped in the world and track 15 is the worst on the disc, and we get very few graphic errors. Comparing the same disc/track importing with other software and the resulting imported file is unusable.


Tricerasoft's Swift Elite has been reported by about 10 of their "ex" users to work the CPU so hard that running it will burn the process up... totally destroy the chip. Now THAT's a processor intensive program!

[Beavis]

what version is he running ???

[George]

Not terribly old, 3.301

[George]

O.K.

I installed 3.316 and ran the same tests.
On play with 3.316 the results were the same.

On importing 8 tracks of S.C.2038, the average CPU usage was just about the same with occassional dips lower that with 3.301, and some spikes higher.

The import time was 3:30 minutes longer(7 minutes), but the total track time being imported was 3:42 longer. Considering what ADMIN said regarding improved error checking, still in the ballpark projecting an average cdg import of 15 tracks in 13+ minutes or so.

[George]

Originally Posted by Garry A. Leslie

Hey All,
First time I've ever noticed this happening.
Have recently been importing some new discs into Hoster.
When I work on the computer I usually have a digital radio station, www.thejazz.com playing on the computer, suddenly noticed when writing kma files the process disrupts the music playing, doesn't happen during the importing track process.
It's not a problem just irritating.
Wondered if anyone else has had this happen?
Regards from across the pond.
Garry

Hi, Gary...

If it's any consolation to you I went to the jazz station and confirmed what's happening. Radio station cuts out ONLY during the write KMA portion of the import process...happened on each of 8 tracks. Dunno why...but it do.

Hope you and yours are doing well.

Take care,
George

[ddouglass]

Originally Posted by Garry A. Leslie

Hey All,
First time I've ever noticed this happening.
Have recently been importing some new discs into Hoster.
When I work on the computer I usually have a digital radio station, www.thejazz.com playing on the computer, suddenly noticed when writing kma files the process disrupts the music playing, doesn't happen during the importing track process.
It's not a problem just irritating.
Wondered if anyone else has had this happen?
Regards from across the pond.
Garry

Garry,
Streaming data (video or audio) uses DMA (Direct Memory Access) which is also the way your computer reads/writes to CD/DVD drives and hard drives. Your problem may be the number of DMA channels available with your processor and motherboard. It is probably that the audio stream and the write function are trying to use the same channel.

[Garry A. Leslie]

Hey Dale,
Don't doubt you are right about the DMA problem, not sufficiently versed in this area of computing. I have an AMD 3400 cpu 64.

George,
Didn't think you could get that channel in the States but of course it is digital,
but what do I know I was brought up using a Cat's Whisker.
Regards from across the pond.
Garry

[George]

Originally Posted by Garry A. Leslie

.....but what do I know I was brought up using a Cat's Whisker. Garry

Cat's whisker searching on a crystal, wearing earphones

talk about "surfing"

[gd123]

Post #1 Original Problem

suddenly noticed when writing kma files the process disrupts the music playing

Logical understanding of the above follows that one can't do anything else in a multitasking eviornment when Hoster is in the "write KMA process."

Not "read" not "play"...nothing other than "write KMA."

Post #5

Hoster is and always has been a processor/memory hog.

When I import, I just walk away from the computer until the import process is finished.

The 1st word is "Processor." And in the CONTEXT of the paragraph immediately following, one should clearly read as with repect to IMPORTING.

And, the reason I walk away, is because nothing can be done on the Computer when the "write KMA," which is a part of Hoster's IMPORT Process, is taking place.

Which, Post #6 agrees:

And like the man said, walk away.

Something I really don't understand is the 1st sentence in Post#8:

I was taken back how someone could say Hoster is a memory hog. We used to be, but we did an extensive checkup and rework and, as you say, we're now in the 2% - 4% range.

Are you saying that "MEMORY" is at "the 2% - 4% range?" How did you measure this Memory usage? Memory seems to still be the subject as I don't see the subject change to Processor in the second sentence when the 2% - 4% range is mentioned.

And, if the Processor was meant to point to the 2% - 4% range, as referenced by "as you say," possibly referencing Post #7:

During play the CPU usage flatlined out at about 2% usage with an occassional brief spike up to about 4%

then, it was nice to have this info pointed out, and re-referenced, but I fail to see how this info has anything to do with the IMPORT process, which I perceive as the theme in this thread and what I based my helpful comment of "walk away," as nothing can be done.