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Max crashes with spat help file from spat overview

Spat
#1

I have a problem with spat. When I try to open a help file from spat overview, max crashes. I tried several max versions (from 7.3.5 to the latest 8.1.3) I also tried several spat versions (from 4.9.3 to 5.0.8.). I didn’t put spat 5.0.9 or above, because my mac doesn’t support avx. I am running a mac pro 2.1 with 2xQuad-Core Intel Xeon and El capitan 10.11.6, in 64 mode

#2

Hi vaggerog,

Sorry for the inconvenience.
Could you please send me the crash reports ? (you can send me a private message – no need to send that on the public forum)
NB : the crash reports can be found in ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReport

Could you also send me the result of “sysctl -a | grep hw.optional” (executed in a Terminal) ?

Thanks,
T.

#4

Hi again,

It seems like your hardware does not support AVX extensions, nor SSE4.1 nor SSE4.2.
Therefore I’m afraid that none of the spat versions (4.x or 5.x) will work on your computer.
Spat >= 5.0.9 requires AVX, but Spat >= 4.0 required SSE4.1 and/or SSE4.2 – and that is the reason for the crashes.
You would need a newer computer. I’m very sorry for the inconvenience.

T.

1 Like
#5

I would like to report that I have the same problem on my MacBook Pro 16 inch base model. Not all the time it seems, but sometimes the helper patchers crash when I try to open them. Running the latest version of Spat~

#6

Hello marijn,

Same remark as previously :
please send me the crash reports, and the result of “sysctl -a | grep hw.optional” (executed in a Terminal)

For @vaggerog, the problem is that his/her computer is too old (i.e. the CPU does not support the required features). In that case, all spat objects would instantly and consistently crash upon initialization. If you notice patchers that crash sometimes, it’s probably another issue.

Best,
T.

#7

Hello Tcarpent, Thank you for taking the time to investigate!

crash_log opening a spat helper.rtf (177.2 KB)

terminal result:
Terminal result .rtf (1.2 KB)

#8

Additionally: it happens with any helper patch, the crash does not happen all the time. It seems like in an empty patch, the crash is less likely to appear.

#9

Hi marijn,

The result of your terminal confirms that your computer should be fully compatible with spat5.

It’s hard to be 100% sure from the crash log, but I’m not sure if it’s a spat issue. It might just be a Max crash. Could you try again with the latest version of spat (seems like you’re using 5.1.1) ? Can you find steps to reproduce ? Does the problem occur with a specific patcher ? If yes, can you send it ?

Thanks,
T.

#10

Hi Tcarpent,

I have updated to the latest version, and reinstalled Max8. I still do have the problem. It is not limited to any specific object. I Have this problem, only with the helper patches from spat5. In fact, I tested it out on two MacBooks.

One from 2014 running Mojave, and one from 2019, running Catalina. Both will crash upon loading one of the helper patches.

Apart from these crashes, I am very much enjoying spat5 and it’s wonderful features!

Thank you for reading.

#11

A demonstration with an empty patch:

#12

According to your crashlog, I suspect that something is going wrong with Max in fullscreen mode.
(again, not sure if it’s related to spat at all)
Do you notice crashes when Max is not in fullscreen mode ?

Best,
T.

#13

Thanks to your video demonstration, I have been able to narrow down the problem.
It’s a Max issue when using fullscreen mode; I’m reporting to Cycling’74.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
Best,
T.

#14

your are very welcome. I hope it gets fixed!

#15

Indeed, the crash does not happen when I am not in fullscreen mode, interesting! :smiley: