Closing Cakewalk

[Jerry Gerber]

Hi all!

I'm running the very latest version of CW on a Windows 10 machine with a fast i7 CPU, 32GB of RAM and fast SSD drives.  When I close a file in CW, I cannot just close the app at the same time.  If I do, it gets stuck in memory, and even using the Task Manager doesn't work to release it from memory.  So I have to log out, restart and then it's gone.  But if I close a file and wait 3-5 minutes, then I can (usually) close CW and it leaves memory as it should. 

I've had this issue across many versions of the program, going back to Sonar.  I have searched for a solution but so far have not found it.  Any ideas?

Thanks!

Jerry

https://www.jerrygerber.com

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2021 by jsg

[Kurre]

It kind of sounds as the window asking if you want to save the project before closing is hidden and waits for an answer.

[bitflipper]

Something is keeping Cakewalk from shutting down. A hidden dialog could be one explanation. However, dialogs usually don't time out after 3-5 minutes. Whatever's holding up the shutdown is probably not directly part of Cakewalk, but something external. I've seen interface drivers cause this, as well as antivirus products, network adapters and faulty disk drives.

Maybe some more information about the computer system might shed some light. Laptop or desktop? Internal or external audio interface? Wi-fi enabled? What audio driver (ASIO, WASAPI)? 

[Jerry Gerber]

2 hours ago, bitflipper said:

Something is keeping Cakewalk from shutting down. A hidden dialog could be one explanation. However, dialogs usually don't time out after 3-5 minutes. Whatever's holding up the shutdown is probably not directly part of Cakewalk, but something external. I've seen interface drivers cause this, as well as antivirus products, network adapters and faulty disk drives.

Maybe some more information about the computer system might shed some light. Laptop or desktop? Internal or external audio interface? Wi-fi enabled? What audio driver (ASIO, WASAPI)? 

Hi Bitflipper,

It's a desktop. Asio (MOTU) driver with 1248 audio interface.  MIDI over LAN and MOTU Microlite interface. Virus program is Windows 10 default and there is Wi-FI connected to a router.  CW is the only app that has this issue.

 

[Max Arwood]

I don’t know about the freeze up thing, but I just wanted to say I can load 1/3 more plug-ins with windows antivirus disabled. It is amazing how much system resources it take. Disabling it might help. If your pieces are as many tracks as I think they are, you could be on the edge of the computers processing power.  Large pieces look like they close quickly, but cakewalk is still doing stuff in the background for a little bit.  How large are the files and how many tracks?  

[Jerry Gerber]

2 hours ago, Max Arwood said:

I don’t know about the freeze up thing, but I just wanted to say I can load 1/3 more plug-ins with windows antivirus disabled. It is amazing how much system resources it take. Disabling it might help. If your pieces are as many tracks as I think they are, you could be on the edge of the computers processing power.  Large pieces look like they close quickly, but cakewalk is still doing stuff in the background for a little bit.  How large are the files and how many tracks?  

I think the files that might aggravate this issue are ones with VST instruments.   A file with only MIDI tracks, I think, doesn't cause the problem.  My files range from 4  tracks to over 40 tracks...

[bitflipper]

23 hours ago, jsg said:

...it gets stuck in memory, and even using the Task Manager doesn't work to release it from memory. 

I missed this clue on first read. If task manager can't kill the process, that raises the likelihood that it's a hardware problem. It means a very low-level process is waiting for something to happen that isn't happening. Something that times out after 3-5 minutes, a common practice in software that routinely waits for hardware to respond, such as a network adapter or disk controller. Could be a lot of things, but whatever it is it's probably hardware.

Q: Is the behavior consistent, every time, so you'd know if and when it changed?

Q: Does the problem occur when you save a new, empty project? (I assume yes, because you don't see it with a MIDI-only project)

Q: Does the problem persist if you disable your network?

Q: Are all your virtual instruments local, no network-connected VI hosts?

Q: Did this just start happening suddenly? If so, what has changed in the system since it began, e.g. new hardware or updated drivers? 

Q: Does switching to WASAPI make a difference?

Q: Do you have any issues saving projects, like having them take an unusually long time?

Q: When you say it only happens with CW, does that mean you use other DAWS? If so, do you use the same virtual instruments in the other DAW(s)?

Sorry for the blast of questions, but perhaps a clue will emerge from them.

[Noel Borthwick]

@jsg follow the instructions here on capturing a hang dump and send it to me. We should be able to see what is hanging from there. 

[Jerry Gerber]

1 hour ago, Noel Borthwick said:

@jsg follow the instructions here on capturing a hang dump and send it to me. We should be able to see what is hanging from there. 

Hi Noel,

When it happens again I will create the various dump files and send them to you via Dropbox.  It might be a few days...

Thanks,

Jerry