Distortion in Pro Tools

[briaboy]

Hi - I've started getting distortion issues when playing plugin instruments in Pro Tools (I'm using both 10 and 11, same problem).

The instrument plays fine for a few minutes, then distortion starts. I change the Buffer Size in the Playback Engine from 512 to 256, then back again and the distortion stops for a short while but then returns.

It also occurs while recording. The distortion gets increasingly worse as the recording continues until the instrument can't be heard. The distortion does not appear on the finished recorded track, only while playing and/or recording. And I'm only using 1 plugin instrument at a time, so it's not a question of "too many plugins" at the same time.

Any thoughts/ideas/help?

Many thanks,

bb

[albee1952]

Could you give LESS info??
Help us Help You - READ THIS Before Posting!

[briaboy]

How very patronizing.

Anyway, I exhausted all of these options that you posted (updates to all software, iloks etc etc, closing programs, apps, etc), and the problem remains.

I am running PT 10 and 11, on an iMac 2014 with Mavericks 10.9.5, 3.2 GHz Intel Core i5. Memory 16GB. Plus 1TB external hard drive. I really should not be getting distortion while using 1 plugin on 1 instrument channel.

Any advice gratefully received, thanks.
bb

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by briaboy

How very patronizing.

Not at all, my friend. You would be amazed to know how many times I've written that very same post...

[JFreak]

Originally Posted by briaboy

The instrument plays fine for a few minutes, then distortion starts.

Which instrument? Which version of the instrument? Has the version of your The Instrument support for your combination of OSX & PT?

Originally Posted by briaboy

It also occurs while recording.

There is realtime playback during recording, so this does not change anything.

Originally Posted by briaboy

The distortion does not appear on the finished recorded track, only while playing and/or recording.

Again, there is no difference in processing audio whether the stuff has been recorded earlier or comes in as you play. How do you determine the recorded track "does not appear distorted"? Looking at the waveform, perhaps? Have you exported the audio track to another software and listened to it there? Distortion is very hard to spot by looking at a waveform but I'm not questioning it here. Just asking how you think the wave file is not distorted but the playback is.

[stickboymusic]

Check you're not using a distortion plug in

[sw rec]

Tell us something about your signal path. Sending a +4 signal into a -10 input, or mic input maybe? That will certainly distort the crap out of it. What interface are you using?

[briaboy]

Thanks All.

ok - so, I'm simply using PT10 and 11 with PT-friendly plugins. It doesn't matter what plugin instrument I use (the AAXs that come with PT11, vsts, all instruments - eg. MiniGrand, xPand2 etc etc). After playing on a single instrument track for a few minutes, the distortion appears and gets increasingly worse. It only disappears when I change the buffer size back and forth between 256 and 512. But then the distortion comes back after a few minutes. *Nothing else* is connected to the MBox or the iMac, all internet connections turned off, and all software, apps, iloks etc. are up to date.

Interface - MBox2 (usb into iMac). That's it.

Thoughts?

thanks,
bb

[JFreak]

Check your playback engine. Have you enabled the "ignore clicks and pops" or whatever option it was called? Back in the day, PT didn't have clicks and pops but as soon as OSX/Logic/AU got the performance together, PT had this option to let audio imperfections through just as any other DAW out there.

I myself never allow that to happen.

[briaboy]

Yes, tried that! I'm really at a loss here. I've been using PT for 7 years and this is the first time this has happened. I'll persevere. Meanwhile, if you have any flashes of inspiration, do let me know!
cheers,
bb