XXengine3.exe stopped playing in ver. 0.9y-4

[hlinssen]

Just installed y-04, love the SQ.  However:
after one track is played the engine#3 quits, msg:  "xxengine3.exe has stopped working", and won't start again for the next track.  Tried any number of setting changes, no go!
When I go back to x-07, everything works properly again, but now I'm spoiled by the detail improvement in the SQ of y-07.

-Vista 32 2 GB
???????
Harry

[PeterSt]

Hi Harry,

Let's first determine you talk about 0.9y-4, correct ?

Next, I assume that the subsequent tracks you talk about are all of the same format (like 16/44.1). But if not, please say so.

Then, did you try to set the "Split file at size" (siginifcantly) lower. I use 120MB for 2GB of internal memory, and that suffices for everything (meaning, also Quad Upsampling, might you want to do that).

Right now, I can't think of anything else. But, to be ahead of things a bit, it can't harm to tell how your digital chain looks like. Also, it is the most convenient for support to add this things to your signature (you can look at mind to get the idea for things of importance for support).

Thank you,
Peter

[hlinssen]

Peter,
See my updated profile. I downloaded and reinstalled 3 times, because,initially, I had halting track endings as well.  However, nothing changed the engine 3 behaviour:  can play only one track at a time, and then the engine stops and won't restart (and 'end after track x' is not checked!).
As I said, reinstalling x-7 works as usual with, essentially, the same settings (no arc prediction, of course).
Whassup!?

-H

[LydMekk]

Have you tried to not start engine during conversion?

As per your signature.

[hlinssen]

yes I did: no change.

[PeterSt]

Harry - in the Settings Area there's a "Log activities" checkbox at the bottom. If you tick that, and next start playback, there will be log files in the TemporaryData subfoler to your current XX folder. Please post those as attachment in here. There are XX, X3 and X3PB files. The time in the file names denote the lastest playback session. After ticking the Log checkbox, it is best for me if you organize everything for playback, then quit XXHighEnd, restart it and then click Play.
Please do *not* click anything when the error message appeared, and instead get the log files at that moment.

I hope it is clear !


PS: Did you try Unattended as well ?

[hlinssen]

Peter,

Yes, I tried Unattended.

Could there be an install issue going from the x to the y series?
To test this I went to the earliest "stable" y issue: 1d.
Same phenomenon:  engine #3 stops and doesn't restart.

Tempfiles XX and X3 were from today - 0.9y-1d; X3PB was from yesterday 0.9y-4 (I think - I was switching back and forth between versions y-4 and x-7)

-H

[PeterSt]

Hi Harry - Thanks, but it is not easy to use like this. I must have consistent data plus I need the data of two tracks, while it seems to me logging was swicthed on at the end of the first track or whatever. I mean, together with your strange problem I must be 100% sure what I see. So that's why I said :

it is best for me if you organize everything for playback, then quit XXHighEnd, restart it and then click Play.

And a mixture of today and yesterday is nice, but not workable hehe.

If you are unsure about which files to send, quit XX (after logging has been set On), delete those files in the TemporaryData folder, start XX and click Play. After playback stops, don't touch anything, but attach the files.

Just use ATtended, which is the most easy for you in those case.

Sorry to be such a burden !
Peter


PS: Interesting, and very important for me to know that earlier 0.9y versions exhibit the same problem. So, very good you told me !! Thanks.

PPS: Sorry about "accusing" you from switching logging on at the wrong time, and maybe you didn't. But what I see does not look normal (thus might indicate the problem !) and I must be sure to have consistent data.

[hlinssen]

OK, here are the files.  Running attended, as usual.
You said you wanted the log files for two tracks, but It'll play only one, and then not restart the engine for the next...

-H

P.S. I collected the files after M$Windows collected info about the problem for approx 5 min. after which the XX fail msg that engine #3 did not start within the expected time appeared.

[PeterSt]

Ah, this looks far better ! Now up to analyzing it.

Thank you Harry, especially at this late hour !
Peter


Edit, PS: Question : Do you have your swap file (virtual memory) On or Off ? (if you don't know it is ok to say just that )

[hlinssen]

Swapfile 2338 MB running.

-H

Wel te rusten.

[PeterSt]

Ik heb het gevoel dat dit een hele moeilijke wordt ...

Can you, tomorrow, try the internal soundcard maybe ? Don't make too much fuzz about it, but if you can easily try, yes please.
I have never seen something like this, and it should be about a memory problem. But then it doesn't make sense that it happens always.
Also, I see you are doing this with Double, and it may be better to further try it without Upsampling. I mean, *if* this is about a memory problem (in terms of too few somehow), this at least helps.

For your information, at the settings you used, internally those 3:25 lasting tracks swap one time of "memory" because of their length vs your Split file setting. There is NO difference between that, and swapping to the next file. There is for reading the file (a second file could be broken), but the log files show this goes allright. So this really really puzzles me.

Oh, might you have normal WAV files (instead of FLAC), please try two of those too. That too is related to memory (althoug for UNattended it shouldn't matter).

Lastly, I am not sure, but it looks like you aren't doing anything with Coverart. You may tick all those boxes for it, including the OSD showing. I say this, because this is the only thing different with track swapping, compared to just memory swapping within one track, and because the Coverart has to be re-shown at a track swap. For the combination you use in this, I may have overlooked something. Notice that it doesn't matter if you don't have any coverart (it will show the big X instead).

[hlinssen]

Not too much fuss, but I can't even find my imbedded soundcard in device manager or sound properties - I guess the Prodigy software thoroughly repressed it.

Memory use: While playing w/o Cover Art, w/o doubling ~1.31GB (out of 2038 installed), 
                                      w/doubling, no Cover Art ~141GB
                                      w/Cover Art and doubling ~1.49GB
                                      while Windows is collecting fault data after failed track change, up to 1.59GB
                                      at idle ~939MB

CPU use:  w/o doubling ~3-13 %
               w/ doubling ~5-15 %

BTW it's not related to track change.  I can jump to the next track in mid-song.

Also Attended Or Unattended makes no difference.

Don't have any WAV, but tried an AIFF rip of Norah Jones, and it did the same thing - also between larger movements of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto.

-Harry                                   

                   

[PeterSt]

BTW it's not related to track change.  I can jump to the next track in mid-song.

Yea, very good you think along with me. But this way of doing it will reset the audio engine, so sadly it doesn't say much.

But your memory useage worries me. You know, even outside the "virtual memory" on disk, there's a similar thing "in-memory", and although it depends on the processor, to me it seems you have exceeded it ! (a rather normal limit is 1.3GB). Also, thus far it is the only explanation I have. For this, don't look at the 0.9x versions because they work differently for memory allocation. Now :

If this is the culprit at all (but let's assume this at not knowing anything better), your idle useage of over 900MB is some 500MB too much !
And no, don't ask me why. Now, keep in mind all is relative :

Let's say 500MB idle useage is normal. Also, the normal limit is 1.3GB for 2GB of memory (this is that "virtual" thing). This gives 800MB of useable memory for playback. Now your case :

This would be 900 idle useage with the same limit of 1.3GB, or 400MB of useable memory for playback. This is twice as less ... (and really too few !).

You may use TaskManager to look for those momory consuming programs ?

Great data you provided there Harry ! now on to the solution !

[hlinssen]

Hi Peter,

When I reported the memory usage, I had two tabs of Chrome running, while reading and replying on this support forum.

After stopping a couple of unneeded startups the memory usage is 750MB with XX idling, and 1.32GB while playing 24/96 Armstrong & Ellington's Duke's Place (w/o upsampling, of course).
When I first started the PC with XX and no previous Browser use the numbers were 720MB and 1.20GB

With this conservative memory usage the problem still persists.  Looks like the problem may not be too little memory.

Now what?

-H