N5 and N5.5 crash !
It is so consistent that i can recreate the exact crash on demand, when loading multiple VST’s into a project (even a blank project) and even when using steinbergs vst’s that come with Nek the Host crashes with this error report
We have N4 and N3 and they are both solid. I have noticed that N5 and N5.5 run three extra processes since they use a different video engine apposed to N4’s built in Video engine
Our Studio has done the following process of elimination
Re-installing
Shutting down vsts
Shutting down processes
Exporting selected track and re creating a new project
New Projects
Updates
Net framework updates
Service pack updates
Nek updates
N5 updates
VST updates
Bios voltage
Memory Tests on the Ram
Removing N4 and N5
Removing N4 and N5.5
Forums
Phone Support
We have now requested help from steinberg and our Australian Rep has been very helpful and is trouble shooting it
Note:
Whilst doing our test we found something within the installation process of N5.5 and the order in which things need to be installed to be able to copy your user settings and preferences across from previous versions, we would like to share this with other uses
If you install N5 and run it, it will copy all you user settings from N4 previous versions
If you then install N5.5 and run it, it will not copy any user settings from N4 nor N5
From our experience you need to first run N5.5 before running N5, that is the only way N5.5 will be able to copy user settings, their must be some conflict when N5 steels the user settings before N5.5 can extract them.
Once N5.5 has been activated you can then run N5 and it will successfully copy the user settings across.
To back up the OP, I’ve seen the Videoenginecoder.exe crash only once so far, it was the other night using 5.5 64 in a music only project; no video was running. The crash occurred when I opened an instance of Tone2’s ElectraX synth. I have not been able to reproduce it.
I talked to Tone2 (great thing about a small company is that you can actually talk to them) a few months ago when I was having open plugin / GUI crashes in N5.1 64 / 64 bit Win 7 and they told me they thought it was possible Steinberg had changed something with their Dialog windows call. They worked on it and issued a patch to their synth that solved my problems in 5.1 . . . now we have 5.5 possibly acting up again.
I’m not using Altiverb or Motu plugs btw.
I personally believe N5 can crash with just about ANY plug made by anyone, including Steinberg’s own plugs, because I’ve seen it happen, testing methodically in fresh projects with only one VST loaded, after seeing them go haywire in full scale projects with many plugs. What may be risky plugs in my system may be perfectly fine in yours and vice versa. Often there is no apparent rhyme or reason for it. Once I identify plugins that are risky, I usually either remove them from my plug in folders, or use them to get an initial sound, then print it and remove the plug in from the project. In 5.1.1 though, I was seeing the program crash even at the moment you removed one of these plugs, so even this work around was not fool proof. The tendency of the problem is to be worse not only the bigger the project, but after many, many saves.
In my system, 5.1.1 was the most unstable, and to be fair, 5.5 seems to have fixed a lot of stability problems, but the VideoEngineDecoder.exe crash is new on my system.
For my dollar (admittedly not worth that much) stability is way more important than new features. If every new feature introduces 2 new bugs (not sure what the ratio is), its not worth it, especially for a one man shop. I upgraded to 5.5 to get increased stability, not the new features. Prior to N5 when there was a problem with a VST I always suspected the 3rd party company. Now I usually suspect the program itself. Not good.
I also think preset management is totally screwed up in a byzantine way.
Still have the same problem
Not using Altiverb or Motu plugins
What i did notice that was interesting was whilst watching my performance meter i opened the project up in N4 and it reaches 879mb of memory
Open the exact same project up in N5 and it reaches 1.8g.
N5 video engine seems to crash around the 1.8g of memory stage , N4 is still rocking along
still troubleshooting this one through the night after sessions
Not true
I have 4g and im over clocked
i can get my processor usage a lot higher than 1.8g and its stable,
i currently have 3.4g running at the moment as a test and the system is still stable.
If you run WinXP, and N5 reaches 1.8GB of RAM usage, it will crash. This is how the memory model of WinXP (32 bit) works.
You have to either use the /3GB option or, best solution, install Win7 x64.
In Win7 x64 you’ll have 4GB of RAM possible for N5.
It can of course be a memory leak bug, but N5 use A LOT more RAM compared to N4.