RE: HDX does not show up in playback engine. [PROBLEM SOLVED!]

[adrianrobison]

First I'll list the problem, then a temporary solution, then a final solid solution (all for Mac OS):

PROBLEM: Start the computer. Login. Upon logging in, 2 distinctive "click" sounds are heard from the HD I/O (this is a major cause of the problem). Start Pro Tools. Look in Playback Engine. Find out that HDX is nowhere to be found and Pro Tools is defaulting to Aggregate I/O. Sucks doesn't it?!?!?!?!

TEMPORARY SOLUTION: Leave Pro Tools running. Restart computer. Login. Upon login, notice how there is a tiny spotlight icon under Pro Tools, signifying that Pro Tools was open on the previous login (assuming you have Pro Tools in your dock!). THIS NEXT STEP REQUIRES YOU TO BE FAST!!! Upon login, before you hear the 1st click from the HD I/O, start Pro Tools. Pro Tools will start, and it will initialize the hardware and you will hear your 1st click, but no second click. BOOM! You will still be in Aggregate I/O, but suddenly the option for HDX will be in your Playback Engine settings. Choose HDX. It will say to restart Pro Tools. Restart Pro Tools. Problem solved... kind of.

THE REAL SOLUTION: I was using this temporary solution for months. It was annoying but it worked. Then one day, I decided to randomly check my login applications (apps that start the minute you login, such as Spotify, etc). I went to System Preferences -> Users & Groups -> Login Items and discovered a little application running on every startup called "NIHardwareAgent". I can only assume that this was set to run on startup when I installed NI's Maschine onto my computer. Anyways, I took it off of the Login Items list. I then quit all running applications and reset the computer. Upon the restart login, I didn't hear any clicks whatsoever coming from the HD I/O. I then started Pro Tools. Heard my 1st click. HDX was in the playback engine. World peace was achieved (well, at least in my world). After celebrating by jumping around like a monkey yelling that I am better than the computer looking like a fool in the studio, I calmly collected myself and realized what was going on. It looks like NIHardwareAgent was accidentally trying to start my HD I/O as if it was it's own brand of device. The only reason why the temporary solution worked is because since Pro Tools was left running upon restart, NIHardwareAgent took longer to "automatically startup", so if you could beat it to the punch, Pro Tools would work fine, hence the temporary fix. Wait too long, and NIHardwareAgent would take over, click my HD I/O twice, and prevent you from using HDX. I equate it to going on a date with a girl, putting in all the work, just for some random guy to swoop in at the last minute and take her home.

Anyways, I really hope that this helps the small number of people that it will affect, and I really hope that Pro Tools HQ takes note of this and patches this bug up. I literally was on the phone with Pro Tools support for 5 hours and couldn't figure this problem out with them. I went as far as trying to get warranty repair for my HD I/O. Turns out this was a stupid software problem all along. I should have known better.

Love,
Adrian


My setup:

-MacBook Pro 15” Retina, Mac OS version 10.9.2, 2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, 16GB 1600 MHz DDR3 Ram, 1TB internal flash HD
-Sonnet Echo Express Thunderbolt 2 Chassis
-Pro Tools version 11.2, HDX Card connected to HD I/O
-Pegasus J2 Thunderbolt SSD HD for session data
-WD MyBook USB 3 HD for VI Samples
-Other devices connected include: Apple Keyboard, Trackpad, MAudio Uno Midi->USB, MAudio AxiomPro 49, and my iLok 2, all connected thru a USB multi port hub.