Extremely high energy usage. Dorico 3

Dorico
#15

We had several reports on this and it looks like the video engine of Dorico is eating up way too much cpu time. We are still under investigation, but for affected users a temporary workaround could be - at your own risk - throw out the video engine from Dorico’s component folder. But as said, do at your own risk and also make a backup copy of the Dorico app beforehand.

And yes, the video engine might even go berserk with projects that don’t even have video attached to. We will get to the bottom of this.

#16

Just to let you know. Laptop Windows 10 i7 uses also quite more energy then Dorico 2. Everything works fine only the fan makes more noise now.

That’s the only thing, rest of update is GREAT!

Greetings,
Maarten

#17

Ulf - I want to let you know my findings. I’m running under Windows 10 (Intel i7-8700 3.20 GHz, 32 gig memory).

Playing a score (no videos!) under Dorico Pro 2 uses about 8-9% CPU. Playing the same score under Dorico 3 uses about 18-20% Cpu.

Deleting videoengine.dll reduces Dorico 3 to 8-9% Cpu.

So, I think you are on the right track.

BTW, GREAT work with Dorico 3!!! I was a software engineer for 40 years, and I know great software when I see it!

Thanks,
Tom Kearney

#18

I compared the same score played back by Dorico 2 and 3 after I deleted a video engine. Digits are quite similar, any way Tom, both Dorico 2 and 3 on a Mac show 17-26% of CPU usage (Plus 50-55% VST Audio Engine)…At least double rate comparing to Windows…

MacBook Pro 2017, 3,1 GHz Intel Core i7

#19

I also have this problem. If I leave the computer with Dorico Pro 3 open for a while, when I come back after say 15 minutes or so, the fans are always running at high speed, before the computer goes to sleep… Indeed I would say that there is some energy efficiency issue with the software.

I’m using a Macbook Pro late 2013, Quad Core i7 2.3 GHz. 16 GB RAM.

#20

I seem to have this problem only on playback. I’ve only experienced it with NotePerformer, but have not done extensive tests with other playback devices.

Paolo

#21

Is this issue already fixed in Dorico 3.0.10? When I put videoengine.bundle back, where I deleted it from, I experience the same performance issue as before while playing my scores back - CPU usage quickly grows till 100% or more…

#22

Unfortunately not. Our video team has to tackle several issues at the moment, and they have not had the time yet to look into this issue. So please have a bit more patience. Many thanks for your understanding.

#23

I’m having a CPU usage issue too specifically and only during playback, CPU usage from Dorico goes from 0.1% to over 97% with glitches and hiccups happening. It only happens during playback and when moving/inputting notes (it may be because I have it so it plays back notes when editing them). I believe my issue may be caused by the exact same thing described here (the video engine of Dorico 3 causing issues). I have many instruments since it’s a big template but I’m not even using half of them, happens when using the string section (5 instruments sending basic long notes). The VSTi aren’t even hosted on the same computer (they are hosted on a separate slave machine) and neither Cubase, MAX (both on the Dorico computer) nor the slave machine itself spike in CPU usage as Dorico does and Dorico is the only program getting sluggish and buggy.

I’ll try deleting the mentioned file and see if it helps.

#24

Deleting the video engine file definitely helped with CPU usage, at least from my early tests. Average 40-50% usage now, and works way better.

#25

Do you have a small buffer size? If so, try increasing it. Smaller buffer sizes increase the CPU load.

#26

Hi Paul. No, the issue is independent of buffer size, I’m aware of the setting and how it helps the CPU usage but even with the highest buffer size the issue happens. As I mentioned, deleting the video engine related file helped and reduced the strain on the CPU by a big margin so I believe that may be the cause. As I said I have other programs opened on the same computer (like Cubase) and only Dorico is the one that had that huge spike (Dorico sends MIDI to Cubase’s armed MIDI tracks, no samples are hosted on either of them, only MIDI being sent and Cubase receiving audio from another computer but even then it happens when using very few tracks [so little audio is being received by Cubase and it’s not resource-intensive] and Dorico is the program with the spike, not Cubase; all glithces and hiccups are from Dorico’s MIDI mainly from what I’ve seen (the MIDI messages get omitted and cut because of the high CPU usage). And yes it happens when Cubase also has the highest buffer size too because the problem originates in Dorico (I can see the CPU usage in the Activity Monitor of the computer [Mac].

#27

I’m on the the latest Dorico 3.1.10 / Mac OS 10.15.3 and seems the videoengine.bundle may be the cause of the CPU spikes I see the Dorico process take when playing back. I had previously sent an email to the Dorico team to report this but thought I would post my new findings here as well.

With the videoengine.bundle in place inside the Dorico app / Components folder, running playback shows Dorico process using around 120% + VST Audio Engine running 30-40%

Quit Dorico and move the videoengine.bundle to my desktop.

Launch the same project and playback VST Audio Ending is the same (makes sense) and Dorico process is 17-18%

#28

Yes, this issue is ongoing and is not yet solved. The video engine team are aware of it, but at the present time there’s no ETA for a fix, I’m afraid.

#29

Is it safe to move the video engine.bundle to the desktop? I don’t use the video part of Dorico, so this might be the temporary solution (I too, have the CPU running off the charts). But, I don’t want to mess things up by taking this action. Advisable, or no?

#30

I’ve moved the video engine.bundle to my desktop, and everything works fine.

#31

From Dorico’s point of view, yes, no problem to remove it from the bundle. Might become a code signature issue on OSX Catalina, because you mess with a signed bundle. So you need to try it out on Catalina, if it still starts up fine without the videoengine.

#32

In terms of moving the video engine.bundle - copy it to the desk to, then delete? Moving it seems to only create an alias on the desktop. I’m missing something…

#33

Moving it seems to only create an alias on the desktop. I’m missing something…

Yes, there is a special way to move it, but I can’t remember how I did it - sorry! This may work: in the Finder’s Go menu, option-click and hold to show the Library folder. Navigate from there to the video engine (I can’t remember the path right now), and then you should be able drag the video engine file to the desktop. FWIW I haven’t deleted it.


I am using MacOS Catalina, and moving the video engine hasn’t been a problem.

#34

You may not be able to answer this, but assuming this doesn’t get fixed until closer to the next version of Dorico later this year (which I understand will be some type of paid upgrade), is this type of bug/issue one that would still be ported to Dorico 3 as well?