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Forum: VirtualDJ Technical Support

Topic: Freeze songs randomly with new macbook pro M4 - Page: 1
Dear all please help
i changed my macbook pro and now im djing with a brand new macbook M4. fully updated. I used to djing with a macbook pro model 2019 for last 5 years with no problem at all. Now i have serious problem. Randomly, it freezes songs for 1-2 seconds and starts again. it happens once every hour, so u can imagine how embarassing is when u dj in front of hundrerds of people and suddenly stops the music and everyone looks awkard at u
anyone can help??

Pavlos
 
Posted Thu 01 May 25 @ 11:35 am
Have you tried switching off the wifi? That has been reported as a solution previously.
 
@kradcliffe, before giving these specific suggestions, OP should perhaps start with:

  • Their actual machine specs
  • The VirtualDJ version being used
  • The controllers/any other peripherals being used and how they are being connected to the machine
  • What exactly they were doing in VirtualDJ when they saw this problem
 
Fair enough but it's an easy thing to try first and doesn't do any harm. People have reported in the past it solves freezing with the M series processors.
 
I think that is really a last effort suggestion, that I've seen given more to Windows users (e.g. I DJ at least one day every week with WiFi on (to carry NowPlaying info to a separate stream machine, and I've not personally seen sticking, either with my M1 MacBook Pro (which I got and started using with VirtualDJ since 2020) or my M4 Pro MacBook Pro (which I got a couple months ago)).

Not saying the suggestion wasn't good/isn't the problem, but it's always helpful to know what they are using/connecting/doing as well.
 
yes dear friend, problem occurs irrelevant with the wifi, either is opened or switched off

quote=kradcliffe]Have you tried switching off the wifi? That has been reported as a solution previously.[/quote]
 
Dear Vinyltouch
i use the latest update for Vdj
the latest update for my mac
im djing with a pioneer controller sb2. and i didnt have any problems at all with this controller before i start using the new macbook. I was using a macbook 2019 model for 6 years now with no problem at all. So obviously the problem is irrelevant with my controler. It has something to do with M4 processor and Vdj software
as a described, the song freezes for 2 seconds, stop playing, silenced, and after these 2 seconds it continues playing exactly from the last second it stopped

its so so embarassing...
Virtual dj team has to do something about this
DJ VinylTouch wrote :
@kradcliffe, before giving these specific suggestions, OP should perhaps start with:

  • Their actual machine specs
  • The VirtualDJ version being used
  • The controllers/any other peripherals being used and how they are being connected to the machine
  • What exactly they were doing in VirtualDJ when they saw this problem
 
pavlospavou wrote :
So obviously the problem is irrelevant with my controler. It has something to do with M4 processor and Vdj software
as a described, the song freezes for 2 seconds, stop playing, silenced, and after these 2 seconds it continues playing exactly from the last second it stopped


Based on I stated earlier, this can't be a true statement - I use VirtualDJ with a DDJ-1000, DJM-S11 and Phase (HID and DVS mode), on an M4 Pro (48 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD) MacBook Pro and I haven't experienced a freeze once. I've used that same set controllers, and a SoundSwitch Control One with SoundSwitch running on a M1 MacBook Pro (16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD) and also never experienced a freeze once since 2020. In both cases my library is being read off an external SSD.
Based on that info, your problem almost guanteed to be with your OS configuration, VirtualDJ configuration, controller or connectivity - it is not a universal problem with VirtualDJ and arm-based Macs.

Please provide your machine spec details, VirtualDJ version and even your settings.xml, as well as any other peripheral connectivity so that the devs can actually help you (maybe even open a proper supprt ticket for that).
 
i use the same setting as i was using when i was djing with my previous laptop. Honestly friiend i still dont undestand why u keep saying that your mac dont freezes. of course it doesnt! and i believe u. that means mine is not freezing?
my controller is a pioneer SR2 and so far i was using it with my previous laptop with no problem at all
i even opened a ticket and i received an email by virtual support to make a hard reset of the settings of vdj.
i did it
for 4 whole nights i dindt had any stop/freeze it was all fine.
tonnight in front of 300 people my music stopped 5 times....
embarassing...
tragic
 
@OP trust that I believe your problem is real and I'm not trying to be mean or condescending - I'm trying to help you get help for it. However, I'm also saying to be careful with making overgeneralized statements like this:

pavlospavou wrote :
So obviously the problem is irrelevant with my controler. It has something to do with M4 processor and Vdj software
as a described


Because it's not true overall.

You stated that after the settings reset, the problem only happened on your playout. Is it the same controller/cabling that you used there? Just trying to see if it isn't actually a hardware problem/fault with your controller/cables.
 
[Dear friend
first of all thanks for your time and for your help and i know that are not obliged to do this so i really really appreciate this
Im not generalized the problem, but i do have a problem, so even if its only me or more people, there is a problem indeed.
yes, after resetting the settings i had some gigs clear of problems, same controller, same cables, but last night it was a nightmare again.



quote=DJ VinylTouch]@OP trust that I believe your problem is real and I'm not trying to be mean or condescending - I'm trying to help you get help for it. However, I'm also saying to be careful with making overgeneralized statements like this:

pavlospavou wrote :
So obviously the problem is irrelevant with my controler. It has something to do with M4 processor and Vdj software
as a described


Because it's not true overall.

You stated that after the settings reset, the problem only happened on your playout. Is it the same controller/cabling that you used there? Just trying to see if it isn't actually a hardware problem/fault with your controller/cables.[/quote]
 
More questions/things to try:

  • Is the driver and firmware of your DDJ-SR2 up to date?

    I don't see a firmware update on the DDJ-SR2 page but there is a driver update for MacOS listed as new from April 2024 (v4.0.1) that lists stabilityvimprovements and fixes. If you haven't installed that yet then you should definitely do that.
  • What is the source of your music? Is it an external drive?

    If you are using an external, things like the age of your drive (could be malfunctioning) or how it is formatted (ExFAT is horribly supported by MacOS - it's probably recommended to use APFS if possible) can affect its performance
 
I'll guess inductive load on a local power circuit.
Any smoke machines at your venue?
 
1. drivers are the newest ones because when i bought the new mac 2 months ago, i had to install them again
2. i dont use external disk, is only the macbook and my controller


DJ VinylTouch wrote :
More questions/things to try:

  • Is the driver and firmware of your DDJ-SR2 up to date?

    I don't see a firmware update on the DDJ-SR2 page but there is a driver update for MacOS listed as new from April 2024 (v4.0.1) that lists stabilityvimprovements and fixes. If you haven't installed that yet then you should definitely do that.
  • What is the source of your music? Is it an external drive?

    If you are using an external, things like the age of your drive (could be malfunctioning) or how it is formatted (ExFAT is horribly supported by MacOS - it's probably recommended to use APFS if possible) can affect its performance
 
dear friend
it cant be problematci power circuit in every venue im djing...
it happens in lots of places

locoDog wrote :
I'll guess inductive load on a local power circuit.
Any smoke machines at your venue?
 
So @locodog didn't attribute the problem to the venue, he just asked about any extra devices in the venues that could be causing issues with power delivery to your laptop (I believe the controller is USB hub powered)


  • What is you machine specs (we still don't know this)
  • What is your VirtualDJ version
  • Did you try swapping out the USB connector cable/renting out the same controller/another controller to see if the problem still exists
  • Did you try reducing some of the performance related settings (example set stemsRealtimSeparation=Fully Disabled and see if the problem os resolved)
  • (related to the previous point) Are you using any options that can cause the application to be doing more work (e.g. analyzeSongsOnView, browser columns that might actually cause the application to consult the OS, like maybe File Date, maybe even having Cover Flow enabled)?
  • Are you running any other applications at the same time on the machine (e.g. SoundSwitch)?
 
Hi everyone

1. My controller is a pioneer SR2
2. the vdj is updated to the latest version b8553
3. when i dj with my other controller (pioneer ddj 1000) the problem DOES NOT EXIST. So its only with SR2
4. Stems are always fully disabled
5. i will try to change these settings you mention and i come back to u. im djing tonight
6. no other apps are running. not even wifi


quote=DJ VinylTouch]So @locodog didn't attribute the problem to the venue, he just asked about any extra devices in the venues that could be causing issues with power delivery to your laptop (I believe the controller is USB hub powered)


  • What is you machine specs (we still don't know this)
  • What is your VirtualDJ version
  • Did you try swapping out the USB connector cable/renting out the same controller/another controller to see if the problem still exists
  • Did you try reducing some of the performance related settings (example set stemsRealtimSeparation=Fully Disabled and see if the problem os resolved)
  • (related to the previous point) Are you using any options that can cause the application to be doing more work (e.g. analyzeSongsOnView, browser columns that might actually cause the application to consult the OS, like maybe File Date, maybe even having Cover Flow enabled)?
  • Are you running any other applications at the same time on the machine (e.g. SoundSwitch)?
[/quote]
 
So I think you've proven that it's more likely that there is a problem with that particular controller (DDJ-SR2) than VirtualDJ (the DDJ-1000 is pretty much a more complex controller than the DDJ-SR2).

The next steps would be to narrow down what could be the problem there (hardware, connectivity or firmware). Verify the firmware (v4.0.1 is the latest), and maybe try to change USB connector cable, or try to see if u can use another DDJ-SR2 (rent or lend), to see if it still happens there too.

Also, you machine specs is still good information (you still didn't provide that).
 

DJ VinylTouch wrote :
So I think you've proven that it's more likely that there is a problem with that particular controller (DDJ-SR2) than VirtualDJ (the DDJ-1000 is pretty much a more complex controller than the DDJ-SR2).

The next steps would be to narrow down what could be the problem there (hardware, connectivity or firmware). Verify the firmware (v4.0.1 is the latest), and maybe try to change USB connector cable, or try to see if u can use another DDJ-SR2 (rent or lend), to see if it still happens there too.

Also, you machine specs is still good information (you still didn't provide that).
 
 
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