[KSwiz]

This is interesting, just to note...I opened the same session where my problems first arose, with the Optical output, and had the same issue again. Nothing I could do to resolve that issue while that session was open; I could trash the prefs, and open that session, and the issue would reappear.

Other sessions, after I quit, trashed prefs, and restarted, were fine.

This particular session is the first time people sent me files that were 32 bit, 96khz. It wasn't a big session, either -- they sent me 5 tracks. I opened the session and did some overdubs, say, 4 tracks, and started to build a mix with some Aux Sends for effects, say, 3-4 of those. So we have now, a dozen or so tracks, and then it started to have the issue (I can't say exactly when, but...) I am wondering if perhaps, the brain of the 003 cannot face 32 bit 96khz sessions. I have done 24 bit 96khz sessions, no problem. Interestingly enough, when the immutable, no optical out, only ten outputs (knowing, again, that 9-10 is mapped, immutably, to analog output 1-2 in this odd case) conditions are imposed by ProTools, I am given a new option in the Hardware buffer size: 2048 samples; usually the maximum is 1024. Have you encountered similar issues? Do you think my theory has some weight?