Still got the crash...

[Mahieu]

I'm welcoming the PTF 20.9 new version
On my new laptop Dell 3793 (may 2020) with Realtek embedded.
I'm using Focusrite as audio interface.

And... PTF 20.9 still crashes.
I still strongly suspect a bug from the embedded Realtek audio interface.
What ever I do, I cannot deactivate Realtek: it always appears and PTF tries to initialize it and then crashes.

Could you please have a look at this issue?
And contact Realtek engineers to solve it.

Thank you very much

[albee1952]

Some things to check:
1-the Focusrite is USB? Go into Device Manager and make sure the Power Management is disabled on all USB ports(aka "USB Root Hub")
2-open sound properties and make sure that Windows is using Realtek as the "Default Playback Device"
3-hold the N key while opening PT, which should bring you directly to the Hardware window where you will select the Focusrite as the "Audio Engine".

If all this fails, maybe go into BIOS and disable Realtek completely(once you get PT working with the focusrite, then you can work on the rest of it).

[Mahieu]

Thank you for your help.
I have already tested all this workarounds.

Just to remind you: even when I have disabled my Realtek Audio device in the BIOS setup (and then checked it disappears from the Windows Device Manager) : Protools First still lists it as an audio device!!!
I'm not surprise PTF crashes... as PTF tries to initialize a missing device.

My bug report description is quite clear enough, can anyone handle this case please?
Thank you very much

[Darryl Ramm]

DUC is a user forum not Avid support. If you want to contact Avid and tell them what to do you can purchase an ASC to email support. https://www.avid.com/learn-and-suppo...cident-support.

If you actually want to fix what is wrong with your system... then you should be focused on dealing with the obvious issue of finding out what is wrong in your unique case. And why Pro Tools is complaining about an interface that you think has been disabled yet through some magical witchcraft Pro Tools still sees it. Since user induced problems are more likely than witchcraft I would guess that you have done something like installed ASIO4ALL which is still configured for the Realtek device, or your Windows install or Pro Tools First is in some other way messed up. You have not provided much exact expected information here, no info about what exact Focusrite device or what exact Focusrite drivers you have installed etc. Installing the wrong Focusrite drivers is not an unusual beginner problem. If you have the correct drivers installed then holding down ‘N’ while Pro Tools starts should let you select the Focusrite ASIO device as the playback engine. Did you try other basic stuff like Trashing Prefs? (By hand, paying attention to the differences for First preferences from other versions of Pro Tools?).

You are running on a Dell laptop, but did not give a Sandra report. Dell makes some pretty bad laptops for running Pro Tools on, and certainly provide some God awful crapware infested Windows installations. If you cannot sort out what is going on here I would either return the laptop or try doing a full Windows install from clean installers from Microsoft, not an OEM/systems recovery. Install only Windows, the Focusrite interface drivers and Pro Tools First and manually install any absolutely needed graphics drivers etc. (don’t let Windows automatically install drivers). Test if that works.

And you are trying to run First, something very few of the folks on DUC with deep knowledge of Pro Tools actually do. Most of us would not waste our time on that and/or just cannot have it installed alongside our other versions. If you cannot sort out the problem on your system you can try a free one month trial of Pro Tools Ultimate or just go with any other DAW, most of with are much better than feature crippled Pro Tools First, and many of which are easier to get running on Windows systems and non-ASIO audio devices.

On the other hand maybe it is witchcraft and could try sacrificing a goat... that has more chance of actually helping you than your suggestion of what Avid should be doing here.

And ultimately you are wasting other users time here not following DUC guidelines and cross posting the same issue to multiple threads which will result in people going over the same stuff again and again. And for some of your other posts you also don’t provide clear info, tend to jump on the end of other user threads and talk about using a Berringer interface. You really should have kept all this in one thread that other users have any chance of following

[Mahieu]

Thank you for your answer
Please believe me that wasting your time is the last thing I want to do.
And please accept my apologies if it happended.
I have post this issue several times with high details on my system. I'm not sure it may help. I'm using a new machine with the latest version of Windows and drivers.
I have totally removed my Berringer (too old) and switched for a new Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen. That's why I have started a new topic so that you don't focus on the Berringer issue anymore.
And obviously I have installed the right Focusrite driver.
I'm myself a developer, so I know how it is important.
The only thing you mentioned that I have not tested yet is to totally reinstall Windows. Indeed, as I have installed ASIO4ALL and then removed it: some registries data may remain.
Last point, I have sent this request to the customer care, but what I understood from the answer is that there will not be further action as it is a free version.
I'm just quite surprise nobody using Dell has this issue !
PS: when I have time, i will reinstall Windows and keep you informed.
Thank you for your help

[Darryl Ramm]

Be sure to try trashing Prefs and databases carefully. Pro Tools stores lots of config data there. You can also try uninstalling and reinstalling Pro Tools First, if the uninstaller does not delete the preferences and plugin directory contents then remove them delete then all manually before reinstalling.

Unfortunately Pro Tools First is pretty flakey software, frustratingly so. But in this case something is likely just hanging up on the Realtek device. Holding down N should get the playback engine dialog to appear before Pro Tools actually tries to use the device. But it may be that on a messed up system just scanning for devices present even if they are not causes problems in this case... it normally does not but maybe there are corrupt preferences of something else left over from ASIO4ALL. Make sure ASIO4ALL is completely uninstalled.

Make sure Windows does not have multiple devices present for the same Realtek hardware... or anything that looks like some other sound device.

Great you have the correct gen drivers for the 2i2, getting the wrong gen drivers on the 2i2 is a common issue.

[Darryl Ramm]

And since you are a developer...

Keys for ASIO interfaces normally get placed in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>ASIO

Anything named ASIO4ALL there can be removed

Uninstalling ASIO4ALL using their uninstaller usually removed any keys there. Unfortunately ASIO4ALL is a hack, and you were layering flakey software on top of flakey software trying to use Pro Tools First with ASIO4ALL.

[Mahieu]

Thank you
Removed with regedit the Realtek ASIO line.
Foscurite is the only visible device.
Still crashes.
Do you know PTF has a error log file?

[Darryl Ramm]

Yes, great next question. If the same as Pro Tools there should be a text log files for each run in C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local\Avid\Logs

[Mahieu]

I don't see something special before it crashes.
It crashes just after I click on create a new project.
Below the end of the log

(...)
448.046236,03e5c,0f09: 2020-11-02 06:11:57.243 marking Sans titre as need to upload, about to be saved
448.052975,03e5c,0f09: 2020-11-02 06:11:57.249 new save number is 1, new session is 0000.ptpx
448.064687,03e5c,0e0c: PtSess_RunTime::GetDocumentInfo - major version: 6, minor version: 5
448.064696,03e5c,0e0c: this build of Pro Tools supports up to major version: 6, minor version: 11
448.064795,03e5c,0f09: 2020-11-02 06:11:57.261 wrote next save number 1
448.072353,03e5c,001b: CSynchronizer::GetLockUpOffsetSamples
448.072400,03e5c,001b: CSynchronizer::GetVSOCents
448.081360,03e5c,0e0c: PtSess_RunTime::GetDocumentInfo - major version: 6, minor version: 5
448.081370,03e5c,0e0c: this build of Pro Tools supports up to major version: 6, minor version: 11
448.087458,03e5c,0f09: 2020-11-02 06:11:57.284 Save: make session link file at Sans titre.ptxl to 0000.ptpx
448.292790,03e5c,0f09: 2020-11-02 06:11:57.489 TProjectBundleMgr::OpenBundle for Sans titre
448.293000,03e5c,0000: Bundle not online - initializing it as new