PT 12.8 MIDI + Click Out of Sync

[rmoat]

I've just started noticing that my MIDI and Click (metronome) are out of sync.

If I set the BPM to 120 (or any BPM), then tap a key on my MIDI keyboard at the same time as the click, when I replay it back, the MIDI note plays just right before the click (about 2 of the grid squares), and it's completely off from the click.

I am pretty sure this just started in 12.8, and now after recording, I have to move all the notes to match the metronome/click after.

Is there a sync setting that I am missing? I've never had this issue before, so I'm not sure what to look for.

[Stig Eliassen]

The click is in time with the PT transport/grid? If you commit the click track, is it in sync?

This happened to me a couple days ago with 12.7.1. A simple reboot was all it took to fix it. Can't recall ever having this issue.

[rmoat]

Hi Stig Eliassen,

Yes, I am watching the click with the transport/grid and it's clicking along with the grid lines. As a test I set up a drum kick track, set it to record, and then tapped the keyboard at the same time as the click.

When playing it back, it sounds like I have no ability of following a beat. If it were a MIDI delay issue, the drum kick would be slower than the click, but it's faster than the click. It's very odd.

I'm thinking about trashing the PT preferences, etc.
I restarted a couple times last night while working on a couple of tracks, but the problem didn't seem to go away. I guess I can try changing the H/W Buffer size and see if that makes a difference, but it shouldn't.

H/W Buffer Size: 1024
Dynamic Plug-in Processing: Enabled
Cache Size: Normal

Hardware:
Intel Core i7 3770K
16 GB RAM
MBOX Pro 3
Win 10 Creators Update/Edition

Originally Posted by Stig Eliassen

The click is in time with the PT transport/grid? If you commit the click track, is it in sync?

This happened to me a couple days ago with 12.7.1. A simple reboot was all it took to fix it. Can't recall ever having this issue.

[rmoat]

Is anyone still experiencing MIDI issues with 12.8.1?

My metronome click + recording a drum track (or any instrument) is still completely off from the metronome when playing back.

The only way around this is to record, and then re-arrange every note on the grid.

Perhaps I should go back to an older version of Pro Tools.

[LFO]

I'm not in 12.8 or 12.81 but I had this problem in 12.7.Now in 12.7.1 never got it again, that's why I'm still there.As far as I understood, there are several Midi sync problems in Protools since at least 2 years, they sometime get rid of them but some come back again with a new update, can't understand why, kind of weird.

[rmoat]

Maybe it is time for me to go back to 12.7.1. Re-arranging every note is very time consuming. I had hoped it would be different in 12.8.1.

Originally Posted by LFO

I'm not in 12.8 or 12.81 but I had this problem in 12.7.Now in 12.7.1 never got it again, that's why I'm still there.As far as I understood, there are several Midi sync problems in Protools since at least 2 years, they sometime get rid of them but some come back again with a new update, can't understand why, kind of weird.

[rmoat]

I have an update on this, and have a better idea of what's going on. Perhaps it will help others.

So we know that there were some MIDI bugs (including MIDI delay). I am also using Vienna Ensemble Pro 6, and in the plugin you can choose the following for buffer: None, 1 Buffer, 2 Buffers, 3 Buffers, 4 Buffers.

I had read this on the VSL Forums:

"The buffer multiplier is a way to trade off CPU load (or more exact, plugin processing time) for latency. So the higher you set the buffer multiplier, the less CPU load there will be, at the expense of extra latency. Latency simply means the time for going from input signal (such as MIDI) to output signal in this context. By setting the host buffer size very low you're somewhat diminishing the advantage, though an increased buffer multiplier and low host buffer size will generally perform better than zero buffer multiplier and high host buffer size for the same overall latency."

So it affects both the latency and the processor load.

Now I've normally always used 4 Buffers and haven't had a problem, but for as long as I have had Pro Tools up until just recently, I had been using Windows 7.

It seems like Windows 10 moved in, Pro Tools 12 moved in, and the driver for the MBOX Pro 3 has remained the same (no updates for years). It has often made me wonder if I need to find a new audio interface.

If I set the Vienna Ensemble Plugin to 1 Buffer or None, it's very close to being on with the metronome click when recording (but it's not perfect still--as I get a slight delay when using Pro Tools alone without any other plugin like VEP), so that could also be the remaining MIDI delay bugs in PT 12. I am not sure, there are too many factors.

[The Weed]

If you are indeed looking at another interface, please give RME a look. Rock solid drivers and they support their products for years.

[rmoat]

Originally Posted by The Weed

If you are indeed looking at another interface, please give RME a look. Rock solid drivers and they support their products for years.

Fantastic! I can't stick with Firewire forever. When I upgrade my computer, I don't want to have to buy a PCIe Firewire card just to use the MBOX, so I'll look into RME. Thank you!