Bizarre Latency Problems in LE8

[playground_strifer]

Hi.

I am a lecturer at a college which runs ProTools 8.0.3/MBox 2 systems.

Part of the module is to create a radio "advert". On most of the computers there is a bizarre latent effect going on. Mainly when a fade file is applied to a stereo audio track (they were asked to cut a pre-recorded song up and find the chorus for the radio advert).

One side of the stereo signal seems to drag behind the other.

In my many years working with ProTools I have never came across such a problem.

I have tried the usual buffer/cache/system usage etc...

The computers have a lot of programs installed on the machines as they are used for other classes which require them. Howeverm, the users have been made Local Administrators to allow them to save to the C: Drive (and therefore prevent running protools of their usual server address).

Has anyone came up against the problem before? The IT department are both useless and unhelpful.

Regards,

B

----

Their systems are:

Intel (R) Core (TM) 2DUO CPU
E8400@ 3.00GHz
2.99GHz, 3.46 GB RAM

Not fantastic computers but they should definately have enough capability to do what is needed for these projects.
----

[ejwells]

Originally Posted by playground_strifer

Has anyone came up against the problem before? The IT department are both useless and unhelpful

Those IT guys should move to America. There's work in the government for them.


But SERIOUSLY, someone will chime in soon to help you out.

[djgizmo]

Originally Posted by playground_strifer

Hi.

I am a lecturer at a college which runs ProTools 8.0.3/MBox 2 systems.

Part of the module is to create a radio "advert". On most of the computers there is a bizarre latent effect going on. Mainly when a fade file is applied to a stereo audio track (they were asked to cut a pre-recorded song up and find the chorus for the radio advert).

One side of the stereo signal seems to drag behind the other.

In my many years working with ProTools I have never came across such a problem.

I have tried the usual buffer/cache/system usage etc...

The computers have a lot of programs installed on the machines as they are used for other classes which require them. Howeverm, the users have been made Local Administrators to allow them to save to the C: Drive (and therefore prevent running protools of their usual server address).

Has anyone came up against the problem before? The IT department are both useless and unhelpful.

Regards,

B

----

Their systems are:

Intel (R) Core (TM) 2DUO CPU
E8400@ 3.00GHz
2.99GHz, 3.46 GB RAM

Not fantastic computers but they should definately have enough capability to do what is needed for these projects.
----

As an IT guru, I find that comment backhanded. They may be useless when it comes to PT (desktop support is not the same as application support), however doubt they are unhelpful.

Anyways, have you...
Deleted the preferences?
Tested this latency for bounce to disk ? To track?
Taken the same session home to verify school pc issue
Tried to place 2 mono regions onto a stereo track to see if the same issue happens.


You do realize PT sessions are supposed to run off a secondary drive and not the main OS drive.

[MikeLip]

If you zoom in, can you visibly see any difference?

Could it be a phase issue on the stereo source that is making it sound weird when applying fades/effects.

Mike.

[playground_strifer]

There is no visible change in the waveforms. It is PURELY audible. Which is why it is very strange.

The preferences have been ditched and loaded from a default stage. The sessions should run fine. We are talking one imported stereo audio file and a stereo master fader.

Of course, in my own personal set up ProTools and the subsequent sessions have their own dedicated drive but unfortunately due to the administration policies of students on the colleges machines that is something of an impossibility.

I work in two different institutions teaching these subjects and can assure you that the IT support guys here are useless and unhelpful! It's not a generalisation.

Thanks for your help guys.

I will look more into pushing for the isolated drives for ProTools.

B

[MikeLip]

Originally Posted by djgizmo

Taken the same session home to verify school pc issue

I liked that idea a lot too.

Tell the IT department Pro Tools audio folders are a realtime Database and so must be on a seperate drive to the o/s. Some manager in the department must know what a 'database' is.

Mike.