Pro Tools - Eleven Rack, error AAE -6101 with 3% system power

[cryshark]

Hi Guys,

I need help.

In my opinion there is a bug with ProTools in use with Eleven Rack for a long time.


Someone with:

Mac Pro 2013, 32 GB RAM, Mac OS 10.12

Eleven Rack 1.2.12

Pro Tools 12.8.1


The following test:

1. Use Eleven Rack as the audio interface.

2. Start an empty session.

3. Create only a mono audio track and a mastertrack.

4. Set the buffer size to 32 samples.

5. Start the recording for at least 5 minutes!


There is the error AAE -6101, although the system is only loaded with 3%.

Compared to a Focusrite 2i2, the error does not occur. No error occurred during a test with 80 tracks.



Can anybody confirm this?

[Darryl Ramm]

Congratulations you found that you can't run at 32 sample buffer size. Many systems cannot--not many people will actually track that low as it's not stable. There is no news here and nothing "wrong". The 2i2 might have a slightly better driver, but then again the Eleven Rack driver is doing more IO that the 2i2. Pro Tools using the 2i2 will fall over as well if you put load on the system.

Your 80 track test is likely not a useful test, as playing back tracks does not go through the small input buffer (the thing you set the size of) in Pro Tools. It's using a separate 1024 or 2048 sample buffer.

Stop worrying about the CPU meter. It's of no interest.

Do all you can...

Fully optimize the system.

Enable disk cache.

Make the buffer size larger to get it stable if needed.

Change you workflow, print/freeze/commit tracks as needed to reduce load on the system.

[cryshark]

Thanks for the congratulations, Darryl!

It should be possible to record only 1 mono audio track, latency-free, without taking detours with Pro Tools (industry standard), Eleven Rack and a 3000 Dollar computer!
It is only for a single vocal track.

Of course I do not need 80 audio tracks. It was just a comparison to find out where the problem lies.

AVID itself assured me, that this must be possible and has therefore opened a ticket.

I can only work with 256 samples Buffer Size. For that I would not have had to buy a Mac Pro 2013.

You can hear it in headphones.

If I select "Listening with low latency", I have no headphone and effect send anymore.

So for me it is very probably a mistake! Other interfaces can do so, too.

carsten

[Wizzoboy]

In the list of AAE error codes and their meaning on the Avid Tech Talk Webcast series 1 episode 2, it states that 6xxx are driver related.

[musicman691]

Is the 11R even compatible with Sierra?

Unless you're a drummer you don't need to track at 32 samples. Even then a good skinsman can work very well at 128 or even 256 samples.

[Darryl Ramm]

There is not ever any guarantee that you can operate at 32 samples. And there is no such thing as “latency free”, there is always some latency.

If you need guaranteed performance at very low latency you buy a HDX system. It might work, but not something anybody should promise.

And how much you paid for your computer has no useful relation to anything.... but optimizing it properly does. Is the system optimized? Disk cache enabled? etc?

If you get this problem at larger IO buffer sizes then it’s worth worrying about. At 32 samples you are likely wasting your time. 6101 errors are CPU related, Avid has dealt with driver issues to reduce those in the past in some devices including the Eleven Rack. There might be more here, or an OS compatibility issue... but at 32 samples you are just in such a unstable area there are no guarantees.

I don’t care wether you need 80 tracks or not, I was pointing out that tests to show useful things likely need to use the small input IO buffer. A much more useful test is what buffer size do you have to run at to get stable. If that is say 256 samples doing nearly nothing then sure there is a much more serious problem.

So how large a buffer do you need to run to get stable? And confirm that is *Fully Optimized*, disk cache enabled, no plugins instantiated, all third party plugins removed from the plugin folder, prefs trashed, .... (that is something support should have hopefully worked with you to check).

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[musicman691]

Just checked and per this page: http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...n-Rack-Drivers the latest 11Rack drivers are NOT compatible with Sierra. Probably one of the reasons the op is having problems (besides trying to run at a ridiculously low buffer size).

Even on a totally supported OSX version the 11R can't do 32 samples without crapping out rather quickly.

[Cowboy Bob]

Originally Posted by musicman691

Just checked and per this page: http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...n-Rack-Drivers the latest 11Rack drivers are NOT compatible with Sierra. Probably one of the reasons the op is having problems (besides trying to run at a ridiculously low buffer size).

Even on a totally supported OSX version the 11R can't do 32 samples without crapping out rather quickly.

I hate to be disagreeable, but please look again. 11R drivers ARE compatible with Sierra 10.12.

But yes, 32 samples is asking too much for that little orange box.

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Cowboy Bob

I hate to be disagreeable, but please look again. 11R drivers ARE compatible with Sierra 10.12.

But yes, 32 samples is asking too much for that little orange box.

My bad - sorry about that.

[Darryl Ramm]

Thank's I don't know why I kept parsing that as High Sierra. Yes Sierra is officially supported (and what I'm running with an Eleven Rack). I edited my last post.