Since a while Dorico Pro 6 is hanging sometimes for more than 30 seconds (spinning wheel) when I close a (small) project. I attached a diagnostic file.
Dorico Diagnostics.zip (1.7 MB)
It does take longer with D6 since itās waiting for the audio engine to quit.
30 seconds sounds a bit long, though.
Jesper
Even when I donāt change anything, just open and close the doc, it takes for ever.
In Dorico 5 and earlier, restarting Dorico could lead to a hang if the audio engine hasnāt quit, so in D6 it waits for the audio engine. I guess what sound libraries you use could affect the time it takes. For me, with NotePerformer, it takes about 6 seconds. Just closing and opening a doc will still require the instruments to be unloaded and reloaded. @Ulf will know if what I say is complete nonsense.
Jesper
Noteperformer and Hallion 7
I just tried again and it took more than a minute to quit the doc.
If I quit Dorico and reopen the last doc. it is faster. Just after opening different documents it takes so long.
Letās wait to see what @Ulf has to say about your diagnostics file.
Jesper
Here is the end of the VSTAudioEngine.log of my last tryout.
2025-08-07 12:25:30 : removeVUObserver 1687
2025-08-07 12:25:30 : removeVUObserver 1718
2025-08-07 12:25:41 : License Info: ping response received in Dorico 6 AudioEngineVersion 6.1.01692929AB8C244E38C0605C7553D3D0B: from silk service
2025-08-07 12:25:41 : License Info: ping response received in Dorico 6 AudioEngineVersion 6.1.06DB18A967A13468F89886ECFB7C828A1: from silk service
2025-08-07 12:25:59 : License Info: ping response received in HALion 77.1.40F4157355E96440EEBC79889FE8FDD48B: from silk service
2025-08-07 12:26:22 : => HALion 7 unloaded
2025-08-07 12:26:22 : closing MixerDocument 1ā¦done
==============================================
2025-08-07 12:26:26 : License Info: ping response received in Dorico 6 AudioEngineVersion 6.1.01692929AB8C244E38C0605C7553D3D0B: from silk service
2025-08-07 12:26:26 : License Info: ping response received in Dorico 6 AudioEngineVersion 6.1.06DB18A967A13468F89886ECFB7C828A1: from silk service
Donāt know if this is relevant.
Jesper
But what if some other app is also using the audio engine? It will never quit then, and Dorico will never close! Or perhaps it doesnāt work like that?
Anyway, Iām also finding closing and opening files in Dorcio 6 extremely slow. (Simple files, piano only, fewer than 100 bars usually, no playback template, Win 11, 32GB ram.) So quite curious to see if there are any solutionsā¦
No temp silk. files on my drive. Half a minute or sometimes longer is definitely too long for quitting small document. I would love to get a solution for that problem!
I donāt have a solution, but out of curiosity how much ram does the audio engine process take up when itās running?
RAM (VSTAudioEngine)
After starting Dorico: 103.6 MB
After opening a doc. in Dorico: 993.2 MB
After closing the doc. : 429.3 MB
After opening another doc. : 2.29 GB
Closing the doc: Dorico freezes for about 30seconds - VST stays after that at 1.92 GB
If I now open the 1st doc. again, VST uses 2,33 GB again (with the same doc in the beginning 993.2 MB)
From now on Dorico freezes every time I close a doc. for 30 seconds or longer.
Hi @Frank_G , from your log files I can also see that the shutdown process takes very long time, but I have no idea of why that is so. From your further writings it does look like as if there is a memory leak, but Iām not sure if that accounts for the long shutdown time.
So your diagnostics leave me completely puzzled. Iād also like @dspreadbury to have a look at the logs and discuss with him, before giving any further advice.
Thanks Ulf!
Hi @Frank_G ,
sorry for the long delay. You have the big HALion 7 and we wonder if that one is responsible for the long closing time.
If you have a project with just HALion 7 and only one single player, does it still take such long time to close the project?
And vice versa, if you a single player project with just one NotePerformer instance, how does that behave on project closing?
In my experience, it takes ā 5 seconds. That of course is not the end of the world, but Iād be curious what Ulf could infer from the log last several lines:
2026-02-12 19:28:38.628 [info] Audio engine: Terminated
2026-02-12 19:28:44.055 [info] Waited for shutdown for 5400ms
2026-02-12 19:28:44.077 [info] notifyPostCommandExecute: File.Exit (7146 ms)
2026-02-12 19:28:44.077 [warning] WARNING: audio device not responding - check device settings
2026-02-12 19:28:44.275 [info] AppControllerHost terminating
2026-02-12 19:28:44.276 [info] AppControllerHost terminating
2026-02-12 19:28:44.299 [info] Disconnecting client Dorico6 with senderID ipc:///tmp/Dorico67C90606A29EB4533BC9C0C55BB1CA0D9
2026-02-12 19:28:44.317 [info] Sending disconnect message
2026-02-12 19:28:44.425 [info] Got client disconnect response
2026-02-12 19:28:44.425 [info] => Disconnect done
2026-02-12 19:28:44.659 [info] Application terminated
What could be the cause of those lines:
2026-02-12 19:28:44.055 [info] Waited for shutdown for 5400ms
2026-02-12 19:28:44.077 [info] notifyPostCommandExecute: File.Exit (7146 ms)
2026-02-12 19:28:44.077 [warning] WARNING: audio device not responding - check device settings
TIA
Igor Borodin
Hi @IgorBorodin, this is the normal behaviour, which is explained on Page 76 of the Dorico 6 Version History:
Thanks for the reply, but Iām afraid you missed the first line in the log:
2026-02-12 19:28:38.628 [info] Audio engine: Terminated
And also, when the log tells you āWARNING: audio device not responding - check device settingsā thatās a definitive flag that something is not working as it should.
@IgorBorodin
It looks similar on my system (I pasted the two previous lines, which you didnāt include):
2026-02-13 05:10:01.527 [info] AppControllerHost terminating
2026-02-13 05:10:01.546 [info] Requesting audio engine termination
2026-02-13 05:10:01.589 [info] Audio engine: Terminated
2026-02-13 05:10:05.227 [info] ping response received in ipc:///tmp/Dorico69B77361523E749FC88F7AA405A0373CD: from silk service
2026-02-13 05:10:08.204 [info] Waited for shutdown for 6600ms
2026-02-13 05:10:08.208 [info] notifyPostCommandExecute: File.Exit (6832 ms)
2026-02-13 05:10:08.208 [warning] WARNING: audio device not responding - check device settings
2026-02-13 05:10:08.247 [info] AppControllerHost terminating
2026-02-13 05:10:08.252 [info] AppControllerHost terminating
2026-02-13 05:10:08.451 [info] Disconnecting client Dorico6 with senderID ipc:///tmp/Dorico69B77361523E749FC88F7AA405A0373CD
2026-02-13 05:10:08.482 [info] Sending disconnect message
2026-02-13 05:10:08.983 [info] Got client disconnect response
2026-02-13 05:10:08.983 [info] => Disconnect done
2026-02-13 05:10:09.255 [info] Application terminated
Possibly what happens is this (just my thoughts):
you quit Dorico; this sends the termination command to the audio engine (and Dorico waits); then the audio engine is terminated; Dorico is still waiting and since the audio engine has already been terminated (and Dorico needs it normally) comes the warning; Dorico waited enough and can now be terminated as well.