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With all programs closed, can't you just open Apple's "audio midi setup". Then under output select something like: 2 channel, 16bit, 44.1kHz? Then if you open Garritan, that should set to 44.1kHz.

https://support.apple.com/guide/audio-midi-setup/set-up-audio-devices-ams59f301fda/mac

What is your USB MIDI keyboard model? Maybe there is a setting there that needs adjusting.

When I open the midi app up it gives me the option to change the sample rate of the built in microphone but when I go on my midi keyboard it just locks on 48000. I’m so confused cause when I use garritan or whatever vst in logic I can change the sample rate to whatever but when I go to the standalone apps it just locks to 48000. My model is Williams legato iii. I looked up the manual for it and found nothing.

This is the manual
https://williamspianos.com/wp-content/uploads/usermanuals/Williams-Legato-III-Manual.pdf

In the Williams menu, did you turn LOCAL to off?

Are you using MIDI by USB or bluetooth? I would disable bluetooth in the Williams menu and use USB.

I had some minor problems with 48/96khz with Garritan, 44khz works fine.

From your description, it does indeed sound like the laptop is going into power saving (or sleeping a core on the CPU), or some kind of hard drive spin-up (I assume a MBA is entirely SSD?).

Maybe try increasing your RAM or pre-cache setting? On my M1 mac I also have best results with a low RAM allocation and small precache amount (which is non-intuitive), but one thing with Garritan is that the solution is never obvious

I tried to lower my polophony bc I read somewhere that the higher it is the more hard it is on your cpu so I lowered it to 16 and lowered my ram allocation down to 500mb but I’m still hearing the pops and crackles. This is very frustrating considering it’s only using 300 mb to actually run the app and when I looked into my activity moniter all in all I was using half of my ram (2.2 Gb of 4) with just garritan being open. I even tried using the compact samples but that didn’t really change a thing.

Local makes it to where the sound only comes out of the computer. I usually have the sound coming out of my midi keyboard. I use a usb cord for all of my vsts.

I’m planning on getting a new MacBook with 16gb of ram so hopefully that’ll solve all of this. Really appreciate all the help!

Rather than running sound to your digital piano's speakers, try local midi.

If you run the sound ONLY out of the laptop speakers (or by connecting headphones to the laptop) do the pops disappear?

Nope still crackling. This is infuriating. I have every setting on my Mac to the lowest possible setting to make it work with the cost of a little latency but nothing works. I got rid of the idle problem but now it just cracks when I start playing for more than 5 seconds. I’ve tried literally everything so I think the only solution is to get a new computer.

That 2013 MacBook Air typically is the I5-4250U system at 1.3GHz with limited power and limited cooling so it is really at the limits to running a big VI real-time.

You can search the forums for newer Apple models that work well with Garritan CFX. You don't the the latest and greatest.

One alternative is an older business computer off lease. Just make sure it comes with a Windows 10 key (in case you need to reinstall windows) & a good SSD. You can search the forums for models that worked well with Garritan CFX.

A few years ago I tried running Pianoteq and Garritan CFX on a 2007 MacBook Pro and that did not go so well. Pianoteq wasn't terrible but it wasn't good either.

Well my birthday is comping up and I’m getting a brand new Mac with 16gb of ram so hopefully that’ll be more than enough to run garritan.

+1. I am running CFX *flawlessly* with an M1 Mini 8GB. Not even the occasional pop, crack or hiss, and I just leave the machine on and connected 24/7. A new 16GB should be glorious.

Hopefully I am wrong in this, but you have not sorted out if the problem is indeed of the computer. It may be of the keyboard or the way you are connecting things... All the other Mac users state that they have never been forced by the hardware to have all set at 48khz. You may get a new computer and be faced with the old problem.

I’m also planning on getting a Yamaha p45 midi keyboard anyways. For my ssd I use wd easystore 1tb idk if it has anything to do with that. And for playing vsts on my keyboard I use a midi to keyboard cord.

I don’t really care about the 48khz being locked as long as it just runs smoothly without any crackling on this new computer I’m getting, than I should be fine.

I think it's not so much whether it's 44/48khz, it's just that being locked to 48khz is somehow indicative that something may be wrong with your setup.

On my Macs, I recall all sorts of weird instances where I might see 44khz or not as an option, or where 88/96khz appear and disappear. I never figured out why/how this happens or what the triggers are at any given time. But moving to a new machine and starting clean is IMO as good a way to go as you can.

Yeah I understand that. I noticed that when the crackling and pops happen on garritan the “disk loss” number goes up. Would this have anything to do with my ssd that I have? I own a wd easy store 1tb. I’m wondering if that has anything to do with it?

No way to know if it is the SSD other than to try a different SSD.

Oddly, some people have had luck using external USB SSD drives with VIs.

Are you sure that your external drive is a fast SSD? That WD name belonged to slow HDD... There are WD easystore SSDs but I think those are internal drives, not external, and not 1Tb.

Yeah I just checked and I have an hdd. Is there a big difference between ssd and hdd? Also could you recommend me some fast ssd’s?