Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

Some, but not all, of my muted tracks unmute automatically during playback. The problem usually occurs when the moving timeline hits a region on a muted track. Suddenly, the track unmutes itself. This affects mute only. Solo tracks behave as they are supposed to. Also, muting a track during playback will keep the track muted until the timeline reaches the end of a region, where the track unmutes itself once again. I have gone through the manual and preference menus numerous times trying to turn off this function, but I am unable to find the cause of this behavior.

Brief history: This occurs in a session that has evolved over 2 years of temp scoring a film project in development. As picture sequences meld into reels, and reels into AB reels; Protools sessions have merged, split and merged again. This is track specific, but not region specific. And not all tracks exhibit this behavior.

I am able to create a new session with virgin tracks and this bad behavior never occurs. Does anyone have any ideas what is going on?

My system: HD2 Accel, v.6.7, Mac G5 2.0, 1 GB RAM, (2) Internal SATA drives, (2) LaCie 250 GB Firewire drives, Canopus ADVC-100

Thanks.

- Mark

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

Mute automation?

Rail

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

Thank you for responding, Rail. Yes, mute automation would seem to be involved somehow, but I do not know how. In this particular case, for example, muting Audio tracks 1, 2, 3, and 4: Hit spacebar to play; tracks 2, 3, and 4 unmute when playback begins, while track 1 remains muted.

Calling up the Automation Enable window and disabling the auto arm: 'mute' does not affect the problem. Clicking on auto suspend to turn off all automation does work, (all muted tracks remain muted) but that also suspends all volume automation as well.

I have been looking for solutions in the Windows > Show Automation Enable window, also in Setups > Preferences window, and Operations menu. Still perplexed. Any thoughts?

- Mark

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

Mark,

Please pardon me if this sounds too basic, but do you know how to view mute automation in a track?

On every track, you can view "waveform" or "volume" or "mute" or "pan" or plugin automation data. Do this from the edit window - per track. I guarantee that you have an automation breakpoint written in for tracks 2-4.

When Rail referred to automation, he meant breakpoints have been written. It has noting to do with enables, or mode, or anything else... one way to check if this is so -- set all tracks to auto-off (option-click on "auto read" in the mix window). Do your mysterious mutes happen now? Of course not. Delete the mute writes and you'll be fine.

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

Nothing is too basic for me. Thank you Jeremy & Rail. I don't know how the automation got switched in the first place because I never visit it (on purpose). Anyway - the problem solved! Thanks again.

- Mark

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

If you copy a region from a muted track ( w no mute automation) to an unmuted track, mute auto will be created.

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

Just for your info you can suspend automation on a track by track basis for mute separately by Cntrl-apple clicking on the Mute popup button (where you select Volume, Waveform, Pan, etc) this will then make the Mute go Grey and italicized and suspends the Mute automation, but allows automation for Volume and Pan etc.
The Automation enable window is really an Record enable Window for Automation not a play enable window as you might expect.
hope this helps
Simon L.

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

JGuth wrote: "If you copy a region from a muted track ( w no mute automation) to an unmuted track, mute auto will be created."

That is how my problem began. This seems like an unintended and corrupting effect. The deeper I get into this, the more frustrating it becomes. At first I thought the problem was solved when automation was turned off for each track. Unfortunately ALL automation, including essential volume automation, got turned off as well.

Simon L. offers an improved workaround by closing off Mute, but allowing Volume automation. This is better. However, muting tracks by clicking on the Mute buttons still does not work (tracks still unmute as soon as playback begins).

I tried this: created a new session. Mutes worked as expected during playback on the empty tracks. Next I imported session data from the problem session. Copied & moved the regions from the imported tracks to the newly created tracks. I muted the four "new" stereo tracks. Same problem occurred (as JGuth noted). Is there no way to get out of this?

- Mark

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

>> Is there no way to get out of this?

There are 2 solutions (one is preferred):

1. Throw your computer out the window. If you are on the ground floor, it won't do much good. See solution #2;

2. for each track, view the MUTE Automation in the edit window. Select all the data (mute breakpoints) in the track - use cmd-A for selc all, then delete. You can do all 4 tracks at once if you opt-shift select "mute" view in the edit window. So now you're looking at 4 tracks in MUTE view. "Select all" on all 4 tracks for the entire length of the song. If you're not sure how long the song goes, drag all the way to the right until you can't drag anymore. But select all is better. DELETE.

This will solve your problem. You have a mute breakpoint written in there... you have to delete it.

Re: Muted tracks unmute during playback
 

jeremyroberts -

Since I am on the first floor, I tried solution #2. You are a genius! It just goes to show that you don't know what what you don't know. This solves a mystery that has been bugging me for way too long.

Most helpful was your step-by-step explanation about removing a mute breakpoint, a concept new to me despite using Protools since version 1.

- Mark