Brand new automation/ish problem

[Marsdy]

I've had this. I think it's a bug, fortunately rare in my case. An audio channel's volume or pan jumps to a random position even with automation turned to "off" on the channel. There is NO way a fader or pan should move on an audio track if auto is set to "off".

It happened with pan on a mono track and volume on another track on Monday. WHATEVER I did, the pan would jump to +66. I looked at the Pan parameter in the automation lane and it was completely blank, regardless of whether automation was in read/write/off etc. I couldn't manually draw in pan automation, there was NO pan "line" in the lane to draw break points on! Same thing with the track view set to pan.

I tried deleting "all" or "pan" automation for the channel yet still the pan was stuck and would jump to +66 when I hit play. I couldn't write new pan automation to the channel in any mode.

I created a new track, copied the clips/plug ins from the stuck pan track across and the pan worked as normal again.

There's something screwy going on here.

[Bill Denton]

Originally Posted by Marsdy

I've had this. I think it's a bug, fortunately rare in my case. An audio channel's volume or pan jumps to a random position even with automation turned to "off" on the channel. There is NO way a fader or pan should move on an audio track if auto is set to "off".

It happened with pan on a mono track and volume on another track on Monday. WHATEVER I did, the pan would jump to +66. I looked at the Pan parameter in the automation lane and it was completely blank, regardless of whether automation was in read/write/off etc. I couldn't manually draw in pan automation, there was NO pan "line" in the lane to draw break points on! Same thing with the track view set to pan.

I tried deleting "all" or "pan" automation for the channel yet still the pan was stuck and would jump to +66 when I hit play. I couldn't write new pan automation to the channel in any mode.

I created a new track, copied the clips/plug ins from the stuck pan track across and the pan worked as normal again.

There's something screwy going on here.

Are you by any chance using a control surface? Is it possible that a midi mapping got screwed up without you noticing it?

[phatbeatstudio]

Originally Posted by Bill Denton

Are you by any chance using a control surface? Is it possible that a midi mapping got screwed up without you noticing it?

I am using a Control24 but there is no midi in the song. It is very possible that a setting on the control surface has become modified. I tried to reset my Control24 a while ago to no avail.
There was no fader or pan movement just a difference in volume.
Im getting some love today from my system so Iv been trying some stuff and its working for now but I had to put a limiter on those tracks unfortunately.
Limiting starts at ten times the ratio over threshold . So at what ratio does it become brick wall limiting.

[Marsdy]

Originally Posted by Bill Denton

Are you by any chance using a control surface? Is it possible that a midi mapping got screwed up without you noticing it?

Bill

Yes I am using a control surface, an Avid C|24. That connects via ethernet so it's not a MIDI issue.

Interesting that phatbeatstudio is also using similar control surface.

@StewartFang
Next time it happens to me I'll try turning the C|24 off.

[Stig Eliassen]

I think I may have a bum HDX card . How can I check .HDX passes and fails digitest with equal occurrence

Have you called Avid about this? Seems to me that automation and limiting are the least of your problems?

[Bill Denton]

Originally Posted by Marsdy

Bill

Yes I am using a control surface, an Avid C|24. That connects via ethernet so it's not a MIDI issue.

Interesting that phatbeatstudio is also using similar control surface.

@StewartFang
Next time it happens to me I'll try turning the C|24 off.

Since the C|24 doesn't really offer much "configurability", you're probably correct about it not being an issue.

But let me offer something in case a noob should stumble across this thread...and note that this is a very simplified discussion...

Did you know that you can send MIDI over the electrical wiring in your house (DON'T DO THIS!) or over a couple of coat hangers? In fact, you can send/receive MIDI over any pair of wires (or even wirelessly) as long as you have the right transceivers at either end.

MIDI, as the term is most often used today, is simply a protocol, or an agreement as to what "language" two (or more) devices will use to communicate. Think of it this way...if both of us are speaking English, it doesn't matter if we are talking over a landline, a cell phone, or via Skype.

While, IIUC, the 9-pin DIN MIDI cable is specified in the MIDI standard as a medium for transmitting MIDI data, it is not the only medium that can be used. In fact, I how imagine that most MIDI data is now carried over the USB cables that now connect "music" keyboards to computers.

So it is with control surfaces...the type of cable (or medium) used doesn't necessarily dictate whether or not MIDI (or protocol) us being carried over it.

So just because a control surface connects with an ethernet cable doesn't mean the protocol isn't MIDI...

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by phatbeatstudio

I am using a Control24 but there is no midi in the song.

If there is no MIDI in the songs you downloaded what exactly did you download from the internet? I doubt anyone puts out .ptf or .ptx sessions for free download on the net except in a learning situation.

Have you done ANY of the things I've talked about in my previous post? You have SO many problems going on that a start from zero would be the best bet.

[phatbeatstudio]

Originally Posted by StewartFang

1 Secondly if your card is NOT passing the digitest even sometimes, then there is something wrong with it. Get it replaced immediately. This should't be a problem for an $8000 card under a year old.


2 .don't clock externally or bounce around at different sample rates...also a big

3 don;t start working until all your files have loaded into your disk cache...if that is on...that is a big one...

4 and make sure all files are loading and your cache is big enough...also maybe the drive you are using is pooched or too slow

1 You think they will replace my card because it doesnt not pass digitest.
It has passed 2 out of 6 times with 4 fails. I honestly only remember it passing once to my memory Im just giving it a credit. It says something like a 192k 96k unable to perform. Something like that.

2 I don't clock externally . I don't have a external clock.

3 There were a few times I tried to play before the files loaded.

4 If cache is green that is good to go isn't it.

I really don't do much automation at all. Some tom fills, guitar to and from different sections . A lot of fade ins and outs. and more recently a bunch of clip gain, But not much automation.

My system seems to be working great today and the little I used it yesterday.
Except it keeps opening without all the tracks. I don't do anything fancy . Because of the issues I get I try as hard as I can to not mess around with it.
If it aint broke don't fix it. Its working now for some reason thats all that matters to me . I just wish I knew more about this type of stuff so I could fix more issues on my own.

[Stig Eliassen]

1 You think they will replace my card because it doesnt not pass digitest.
It has passed 2 out of 6 times with 4 fails. I honestly only remember it passing once to my memory Im just giving it a credit. It says something like a 192k 96k unable to perform. Something like that.

If it aint broke don't fix it. Its working now for some reason thats all that matters to me . I just wish I knew more about this type of stuff so I could fix more issues on my own.

Look, you have to get your HDX card checked out. Faulty hardware can, and will, lead to irratic problems further down the road. You have to rule that out before investigating other options.

I went through hell about 10 years ago. Damaged audio files, sync problems, software issues, etc. It turned out to be the G3 Mac that started to "dissolve". After a glowing phone call to my dealer, they sent me a new G4 instead. Problem solved!

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by phatbeatstudio

1 You think they will replace my card because it doesnt not pass digitest.
It has passed 2 out of 6 times with 4 fails. I honestly only remember it passing once to my memory Im just giving it a credit. It says something like a 192k 96k unable to perform. Something like that.

2 I don't clock externally . I don't have a external clock.

3 There were a few times I tried to play before the files loaded.

4 If cache is green that is good to go isn't it.

I really don't do much automation at all. Some tom fills, guitar to and from different sections . A lot of fade ins and outs. and more recently a bunch of clip gain, But not much automation.

My system seems to be working great today and the little I used it yesterday.
Except it keeps opening without all the tracks. I don't do anything fancy . Because of the issues I get I try as hard as I can to not mess around with it.
If it aint broke don't fix it. Its working now for some reason thats all that matters to me . I just wish I knew more about this type of stuff so I could fix more issues on my own.

You really need to take a step back and start from fresh like I outlined before. Only thing I didn't know then that is known now is you have a faulty HDX card. Send it back to Avid and get it checked. If it's failing Digitest then you've got some basic bugs going on that really NEED to get fixed. All the rest of troubleshooting won't help worth a damn with wonky hardware.

Then while the card is at Avid completely wipe clean your drives, reload whatever version of OSX you're using, get all your ram from the same source (OWC is great), re-load PT and any plugins you're using and try some basic sessions while you wait for the card to come back. Yes - you can use 10HD without the HDX card using whatever basic sound I/O you have on your Mac; it'll even have many of the features of 10HD but without dsp and a couple of other things (basically just like regular PT with the CPTK).

And do NOT use a Time Machine backup or Migration Assassin (Assistant) to bring stuff back into your Mac.