Software help archive

Support
Installed some Mac updates today - Serato now freezes when loading tracks etc.
A read-only archive of old serato.com help threads.

Installed some Mac updates today - Serato now freezes when loading tracks etc.

Product
Scratch Live
Version
2.2
Hardware
Rane SL3
Computer
Mac
OS
Platform
-
JuxtaPoser 2:50 AM - 2 August, 2011
Product: scratchlive
Version: 2.2
Hardware: scratchlive-sl3
Computer: mac
OS Version: 10.6.8
---

I've just returned from a nightmare of a gig, spending 4 hours crossing my fingers and holding my breath every time I loaded a new track... Today I noticed that there were some updates for my Macbook Pro that needed downloading and installing. Being careful not to install the EFI 1.7 update that I spent weeks trying to roll back to version 1.5 some months ago, I downloaded and installed a bunch of seemingly innocuous and necessary updates, without really paying that much attention to what they were. Big mistake.

I'm now experiencing problems similar to those I had using my after-market internal hard drive, before I rolled back the EFI from 1.7 to 1.5 and set up HDAPM to fix that. ie: whenever loading new tracks to either deck Serato will freeze on screen, sometimes with beachball, for a few moments. Audio playback seems to be unaffected, but it feels very unstable indeed and I think I'll be going back to using CDs until this is resolved, to be safe.

Other factors that may or may not be relevant:
- My Macbook's battery and optical drive have both just been replaced (today) under warranty. Is there any way in which this could be responsible?

Obviously, the first suggestion to make would be to restore to a recent backup. However, like an utter idiot, I don't have a recent one. I know, believe me I feel stupid now...

If anyone has any other suggestions, please, please let me know!
Serato, Moderator
AnthonyS 3:27 AM - 2 August, 2011
Hi JuxtaPoser,

So Scratch Live didn't crash at your last gig ?
Where do you store all your music files ? Internal or external hard drive ?
If you use an external hard drive or multiple hard drives do you use a Hub ?
Could you double check the version number and build number of Scratch Live you are using ?

Could you also give me full specs on your laptop please.
JuxtaPoser 3:35 AM - 2 August, 2011
Hey Anthony,

Thanks for the swift response!

It didn't actually crash, fortunately, but like I mentioned in my initial post, there were constant freezes and it felt like it was on the brink of crashing.

All my music files are on an internal hard drive. I tried both Serato 2.1.1 (21122) and Serato 2.2.0 (22033). After a recent unusual crash caused by using Dicers with 2.2.0 it was recommended that I try using 2.1.1, so I have both on my system. I had the same problems with both versions.

Laptop Specs:

Mid-2009 Macbook Pro 13.
2.53ghz Intel core 2 duo processor
8GB DDR Ram
750GB WD HDD
OSX Version 10.6.8 Build 10K549 (Build updated today)

If there's anything else you need to know, please let me know!
Serato, Moderator
AnthonyS 4:12 AM - 2 August, 2011
Hi JuxtaPoser,

Just a couple of checks.

Do you use an iTunes library on your laptop ?

You could try using Scratch Live 2.2.2 which was released for Rane SL 2 and SL 4 users and included a number of fixes. This can be found in the download archive here: sera.to

Alternatively there is a Public beta of Scratch Live 2.3 available for download and the full release is not to far away.

Have you tried rebuilding your database v2 file ? If this is corrupt it could be giving you problems. You can view the 'How To' guide here: sera.to

Let me know how you get on :)
JuxtaPoser 11:43 AM - 2 August, 2011
Hey Anthony,

Yup, I use (and have always used) my iTunes library in Serato. I haven't updated iTunes to the latest version because I was worried about stability/incompatibility issues, so I'm currently using 10.3.1 (55).

I certainly don't mind trying 2.2.2, but until now 2.2.0 and 2.1.1 have been working perfectly for me, so I'm not sure that it will be a result of the Scratch Live version - more a matter of the way it's set up? Also, how stable is 2.2.2? I'm worried that if I was told to revert from 2.2.0 because of instability issues with midi controllers, that 2.2.2 might be even less stable?

I definitely don't want to be trying to use the 2.3 beta, I play out too much and stability is too important to me.

I haven't tried rebuilding the database v2 file, but I'm not sure how/why that would have become corrupted. I'll give it a shot regardless.

It seems to me that the problems primarily occur when reading the hard drive to load songs, so I'm thinking perhaps it could be an issue with using iTunes in Serato. I'll try testing it using normal Serato crates and see if that's any different.

I'll post back shortly when I've tested all these things out. Thanks
Serato, Moderator
AnthonyS 10:30 PM - 2 August, 2011
Hi JuxtaPoser,

Cool, ill stay posted there were definitely some midi fixes in the 2.2.2 version but I can understand your concerns.
You can try the other versions along side your preferred version just rename the Scratch Live App to reflect which version it is and install the next one. The 2.3 release is very close but just ironing out a few issues.
The database V2 file can become corrupted for a number of reasons so I do suggest following the steps to rebuild this.

Let me know how you get on.
JuxtaPoser 4:08 PM - 3 August, 2011
Right, well I tried your suggestions. I downloaded 2.2.2 and installed it alongside 2.2.0 and 2.1.1 and then rebuilt my database v2 file before spending half an hour or so testing it out with my SL3.

The things I've tried haven't fixed the issue, but playing around has given me some more ideas about what the problem could be. I was testing it out by loading songs pretty quickly to see if there were any hangs whilst loading and I noticed that *most* of the time when I was loading songs quickly it was fine, the problems seem to be more common when I've loaded a song, played it for a minute or two, and then go to load another song.

This makes me think that perhaps the issue could be something along the lines of my hard drive going to sleep/spinning down between reads? This seems plausible, but strange to me, as I don't think I've updated any hard drive firmware/drivers etc, but iStat pro doesn't seem to be showing any spikes in CPU/RAM usage.

I'm growing more concerned that this is a problem with my macbook rather than with Serato, but it's strange as there doesn't seem to be any problem whilst using other applications. I'd take it into the Apple Store again, but it's quite difficult to explain and demonstrate a problem that's specific to Serato when no one in there knows what Serato is and I can't demonstrate the issue without DJ equipment.

I don't suppose you've got any other suggestions have you? Getting desperate now!

Thanks
Serato, Moderator
AnthonyS 11:01 PM - 3 August, 2011
Hi JuxtaPoser,

OK, if the CPU/Ram isn't spiking and most files are loading quickly it may be hard drive related. Although the loading time still wouldn't be that long it could be running S.M.A.R.T technology which you may want to remove or disable. You will have to check in the Hard Drive properties.
Are you using a Hub to connect your HDD to your laptop ? Powered HUB's are recommended if this is the case.
Let me know how you get on.
JuxtaPoser 1:42 PM - 5 August, 2011
Hey Anthony,

I'm relieved to report that I've managed to fix the problem and I played a gig last night without any hiccups at all, so thank you very much indeed for all your help!

It turns out that the problem was to do with the hard drive and the recent Mac OSX security update. I have a mid-2009 Macbook Pro which have an infamous compatibility problem with aftermarket hard drives. The work around for this problem is to roll back the EFI firmware and run a HDAPM script that essentially stops a conflict between OSX and the Hard Drive that causes the drive to be put to sleep and spin down regularly. When I installed the Mac updates, for some reason it disabled the scripts that I had set up, so I had to go back and re-do all of that stuff and now it works like a charm.

Here's the link to the updated HDAPM download page - mckinlay.net.nz

I just thought it would be worth explaining what the fix was in case anyone else experiences the same problem (I know there were a few huge threads on this forum concerning this problem in the first place)

Thanks again!
Serato, Moderator
AnthonyS 10:40 PM - 7 August, 2011
Hi JuxtaPoser,

Awesome to hear you had a hassle free gig and got to the bottom of the problem. Thanks for the detailed workaround explanation this will surely come in handy for others i'm sure.

Let me know if you have any further questions.
11:00 PM, 21 Aug 2011
This help request has been closed due to inactivity.