I’ve recently noticed increased fan noise and frequent processing overloads coming from my 2020 iMac while using Cubase 12 Pro (though the issue started while I was still on Cubase 11 Pro).
The issue is present even if the project only has, for instance, one instance of Groove Agent SE. It takes about 12 minutes after opening a project for the fan to gradually ramp up, after which it stays loud during the rest of the Cubase session.
It wasn’t always like this. I got the computer and started using Cubase 11 Pro in January '21. At that time, I participated in an online course (facilitated by a Steinberg rep). We touched on the buffer size setting during the initial weeks of the course, when I set my buffer size to 32. During the intervening time, I haven’t had the issues I’m describing here. My projects are never huge or involve lots of processing, but all the same, I could confidently use more than one VSTi in a session. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Cubase became more or less unusable.
In searching for a solution, I’ve read through the relevant manual sections, watched youtube videos, and chatted with both Steinberg and Apple support. None of the proposed fixes were effective. Increasing the buffer size helps with the processing overloads, but the increased latency makes recording difficult.
I have an open case with Apple support which is moving rather slowly. If I could just figure out whether the problem is an Apple issue or a Steinberg issue, I’d feel at least as if I’d gotten somewhere.
I’m hoping to hear from someone who’s solved a similar issue, or someone with more technical knowledge, who can point me in the right direction.
