Reaper: Computer chaos

[Arpangel]

I'm using a 2013 iMac, High Sierra.
Lately Reaper has been crashing, no new plug-in's, I haven’t moved or changed anything.
I get a very loud bang in my monitors then it freezes.
I've been on the Reaper forum, the usual answers, plug-in's or buffer size etc, I’ve tried these and it still crashes, I load a fresh project with no plug-in's and done a complete re-install, still does it.
In the past these steps have cured it, not this time, I've tried a new USB lead, and a different port, still there.
I have a few possible solutions, I've got a PC I could use that, or start using Logic, but I’m not sure the current version will run on High Sierra, I can't change the OS because a few other music applications won’t run on a later OS.
I have a MacBook Air but my eyes are bad and I need the big screen of the iMac so that’s out.
I've tried older versions and the latest one, the "universal" download, is this the correct one?
Any help appreciated.

[Drew Stephenson]

What version of Reaper are you currently running? (Or trying to run)

[Arpangel]

What version of Reaper are you currently running? (Or trying to run)

Drew, I'm using the latest version, I'm on High Sierra, and I've downloaded the top one on the Reaper site it says "Universal" but I'm not sure if that's correct, I’ve tried both and they still crash

[Drew Stephenson]

Well the first thing is that you don't want to be using the most recent version. According to my google, High Sierra is 10.13 and the latest version of Reaper is for 10.15 onwards.
So you want the second Mac option.
But also that's Reaper 7.17 - are you actually licensed all the way up to v7?
You can download version 6 from this page: https://www.reaper.fm/download-old.php?ver=6x
And again you want the Mac OS 64 bit Intel version (4th one down).

[Arpangel]

Well the first thing is that you don't want to be using the most recent version. According to my google, High Sierra is 10.13 and the latest version of Reaper is for 10.15 onwards.
So you want the second Mac option.
But also that's Reaper 7.17 - are you actually licensed all the way up to v7?
You can download version 6 from this page: https://www.reaper.fm/download-old.php?ver=6x
And again you want the Mac OS 64 bit Intel version (4th one down).

Thanks Drew, I’ll try that version now.

[ef37a]

"I have a MacBook Air but my eyes are bad and I need the big screen"

Tony, I too struggle with small screens. I know nothing about macs but I do see that the Air will support an external screen. You can pick up 32" and bigger FSTVs at charity shops for peanuts. I would guess the Air comes out on a mini Display port? You would need an adapter for that to HDMI but I have one for this Lenovo and it works fine into a 50" TCL telly.

Dave.

[mountain lion]

I think current logic demands very recent Mac os

[MarkOne]

I think current logic demands very recent Mac os

You need Ventura 13.5 or later to run Logic 11. You need an M1 or later Apple silicon processor to take advantage of many of the new features . (But let's face it, the Drummer, Bassist and Keyboard arranger features - I'm not going to grace them with the term AI, because, they really aren't - Probably aren't things you are going to need anyway)

I'm running Logic on a 13" MacBook Pro and it's happy to provide a video out onto my 32" Acer QVGA monitor. My wife's i5 MacBook Air was happy to work with an external monitor too.

[Arpangel]

"I have a MacBook Air but my eyes are bad and I need the big screen"

Tony, I too struggle with small screens. I know nothing about macs but I do see that the Air will support an external screen. You can pick up 32" and bigger FSTVs at charity shops for peanuts. I would guess the Air comes out on a mini Display port? You would need an adapter for that to HDMI but I have one for this Lenovo and it works fine into a 50" TCL telly.

Dave.

I can't see any other connections on my MB Air apart from just two USB-C sockets.

This crashing is strange, yesterday, downloaded Drew's recommended version of Reaper, thank's Drew, seems to have worked, I think?
However, closed down Reaper, a few minutes later I’m pootling around in the studio and "bang!" from the monitors, then another "bang!" it's so loud I’m worried about my monitors.
It must be a mains spike that's upsetting the computer, but I can't think where a spike that violent could be coming from.
I've changed the plug board, moved plugs around, checked mains input connections on everything, it hasn’t done it since, but I'm going down there later and I’m going to leave it all on for awhile, very strange.

[ef37a]

"I can't see any other connections on my MB Air apart from just two USB-C sockets."
It'll be one of those Tony. I have found early macs uses a MDisplay port and later USB C. The adapters to get it to HDMI are about a tenner.

I am sure very many bods here will tell you how to route the laptop to a second screen. PofP in Windows.

Dave.

[Arpangel]

"I can't see any other connections on my MB Air apart from just two USB-C sockets."
It'll be one of those Tony. I have found early macs uses a MDisplay port and later USB C. The adapters to get it to HDMI are about a tenner.

I am sure very many bods here will tell you how to route the laptop to a second screen. PofP in Windows.

Dave.

Thanks Dave, I’m having trouble now with Reaper on my Macbook, it’s not running smoothly, and I'm getting multiple icons appearing in the dock when I close projects.
All in all, if I stay with Mac I think it's time to move on to Logic, which I think I can run on my MB Air as it has a much later OS than my iMac, the MB is only about 18 months old.
I have a really good PC loaded with Reaper, and it’s rock solid, so maybe I'll use that.

[ef37a]

OK Tone'. I find all these ramifications about what will/will not run on what mac OS version rather amusing?

I have had only PCs since 98se and from XP onward I don't think I have found any hard or software that would not run on any of them?*

Yes, MOTU 'seemed' to have dropped the driver for Win 7 but that could just be me not looking hard enough? In any case I had the driver stashed from 2021 when I bought the interfaces so I am sorted. I dare say had I asked MOTU they would have helped me out, very nice people!

*Oh yes, I have a camera I was given that needs XP...'bout all I can think of though?

Dave.

[Arpangel]

Because I have a computer waiting in the wings, I'm not too worried about this, and Reaper has been fine on my Mac for ages, it's just suddenly gone temperamental.
What's more worrying is this terrible bang, in my monitors, or mains spike I think is upsetting everything, I really don’t know where to start about finding the cause.

[Drew Stephenson]

I think you need to get an electrician out Tony.

[ef37a]

Because I have a computer waiting in the wings, I'm not too worried about this, and Reaper has been fine on my Mac for ages, it's just suddenly gone temperamental.
What's more worrying is this terrible bang, in my monitors, or mains spike I think is upsetting everything, I really don’t know where to start about finding the cause.

I thought the 'bang' was associated with the Reaper/mac FUp? As you have a good Windows installation it should be easy to eliminate that?

N.B. iF it is a mains borne spike do not waste money putting surge suppression filters on your AUDIO system. My experience from years ago (those new fangled Si Planar transistors!) was that it is the SOURCE that needs the suppression, e.g. filter the fridge!

Dave.

[Arpangel]

Because I have a computer waiting in the wings, I'm not too worried about this, and Reaper has been fine on my Mac for ages, it's just suddenly gone temperamental.
What's more worrying is this terrible bang, in my monitors, or mains spike I think is upsetting everything, I really don’t know where to start about finding the cause.

I thought the 'bang' was associated with the Reaper/mac FUp? As you have a good Windows installation it should be easy to eliminate that?

N.B. iF it is a mains borne spike do not waste money putting surge suppression filters on your AUDIO system. My experience from years ago (those new fangled Si Planar transistors!) was that it is the SOURCE that needs the suppression, e.g. filter the fridge!

Dave.

Maybe I should try and make it more clear, the iMac is used solely for music, so the only time it’s on is to run Reaper etc, that's when I noticed the bangs and Reaper freezed. Now, is it Reaper, or a spike? What made me think it was a spike was yesterday when it did it when Reaper wasn’t even loaded.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Dodgy connection to the interface?

Big bangs and pops suggest big DC shifts in the interface. The most likely causes of that are either dodgy USB power into the interface, or wacky digital audio data.

Both could be caused by poor USB connections.

Loose mains plugs might cause issues, but they tend to be arcing rather than one-off bangs. I'd be very surprised if you had spikes on the mains supply.

Crashing audio programs might also generate splats. I'm surprised Macs will let you run the wrong version, but running the wrong version for the OS is certainly a good way to obtain unpredictable results.

[Arpangel]

Dodgy connection to the interface?

Good point, I’ve checked that, and resoldered the cable from the PSU, just in case.
We have a freezer in the basement but that’s never been a problem, you can’t even hear it switching in and out.
There's nothing else on apart from the studio gear, and the ring main is new, on its own consumer unit.
Our electrician is coming today, I'm going to ask him about it.

[resistorman]

Corrosion is always present, I'd treat the USB connectors with a small squirt of Deoxit. I always start with that, it's surprising how many issues this stuff can fix.

[Arpangel]

Editing last night, no bangs.
Hopefully for whatever reason, it’s gone, and my love-hate relationship with technology continues, unfortunately not in the right proportions.

[alexis]

...and my love-hate relationship with technology continues, unfortunately not in the right proportions.

Glad it's all fixed, Arpangel!

Remember, as Nick Lowe famously quoted, "Gotta be cruel to be kind"!

[Arpangel]

...and my love-hate relationship with technology continues, unfortunately not in the right proportions.

Glad it's all fixed, Arpangel!

Remember, as Nick Lowe famously quoted, "Gotta be cruel to be kind"!

Yes, it seems to be OK now, god knows why?

[tacitus]

Back in the day (early IBM PC and the arrival of Dell computers in the UK) I moved our family company into IT awareness. When I started I knew little about the technology, so when faults were reported we used to dismantle the PC, clean and reseat the cards, connectors, etc and power up again. More often than not, the problem was fixed, and if not, it was quite likely the faulty component was obvious. The machines got a good clean, too. Quite handy in offices connected directly to the works where there was always paper dust about.

Despite this procedure, one lady always had huge furballs building up on her keyboard (this bit is totally unconnected with the topic, so I’ll keep it shortish). After a deal of investigation we realised that every time this lady came back from powdering her nose, she got her hand cream out of her desk drawer, put an awful lot of it on her hands, and started typing …

I think I may have told this before. Apologies if it’s not new to you, and isn’t it a bugger when we get old?

[sonics]

The dismantling, cleaning and reassembly of old computers was a regular thing for me, starting with my first IBM ATs.

One example of this was the video projection system for an acrobatic dance show at a theatre where I was the main tech. Running from a fairly old PC, it was proving flaky all afternoon during rehearsals. I puffed up my chest and insisted I look at it. I didn't know the system really, but I simply pulled it apart, cleaned it and put it back together. The show went ahead with no issues at all.

I have many more examples from my studio days.

The motto? Keep stuff clean!