Session switches Sample Rate %@#$

[EdgarRothermich]

Can someone confirm this disturbing behavior (macOS 10.15 / PT2020.12).
This has to do with the ZoomAudioDevice that you should have on your computer installed if you used a Zoom Meeting with ScreenSharing and Computer Sound enabled.

I have a Pro Tools Session recorded in 44.1kHz with my Audio Interface (SSL2)
Now when I switch the Audio Interface (Playback Engine) to ZoomAudioDevice I get the error message that this Playback Engine does not support 44.1 (see attachement). This is true because it only works in 48k.
If I click OK, the Session will close and open again.
The Session Setup Dialog now says 48k and the Session plays playback with the wrong speed and pitch, as expected.

Now there are two scenarios:

Scenario 1:
When I close the Session without saving it, change the Playback Engine to a device that can switch to 44.1kHz (SSL2), then the Session opens correctly, displaying the 44.1kHz in the Session Setup Dialog.

Scenario 2:
When I save the Session (in that 48kHz state), close it, switch to the other Playback Engine (44k) and reopen the Session, it remains in 48kHz, playing back with the wrong speed and pitch

This is quite disturbing because that saving before closing the Session (by accident or on purpose without expecting anything bad to happen) would change the Sample Rate without a chance of getting it back. Unless there is some is something that I overlook.
Of course, applying a sample rate conversion would have the wrong result, because the audio files are in the correct format (44.1), just the Session SR is wrong.

[Top Jimmy]

Yeah it’s been doing this for a while. I first noticed it doing the same thing with Dante sound card and another interface almost two years ago. Technically, what I saw was Pro Tools warning about the sample rate mismatch, and rather than refusing to open, it would continue opening the session at the wrong sample rate anyway.

I submitted a bug report and the responding tech was all ho-hum about it.

[EdgarRothermich]

Originally Posted by Top Jimmy

Yeah it’s been doing this for a while. I first noticed it doing the same thing with Dante sound card and another interface almost two years ago. Technically, what I saw was Pro Tools warning about the sample rate mismatch, and rather than refusing to open, it would continue opening the session at the wrong sample rate anyway.

I submitted a bug report and the responding tech was all ho-hum about it.

Did they at least provide a solution to revert such an SRC-altered Session besides pulling out the last saved version?

[Top Jimmy]

The support rep was no help so I made a video and put it on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/YwcltBXGixI

The solution after the fact is to save copy in changing the sample rate back without SRC. Or import session data without SRC. Or recreate the error back to the right sample rate.

Sessions are not supposed to be able to be knowingly opened at the wrong sample rate, and even more important, a session’s sample rate is not supposed to be able to be changed which is what’s happening.

[EdgarRothermich]

Originally Posted by Top Jimmy

The support rep was no help so I made a video and put it on YouTube.
https://youtu.be/YwcltBXGixI

I watched the video and it is exactly the problem I ran into. You made this video two years ago and they still haven't figured out how to fix the bug. How about, just change the Dialog for the meantime and give an option, "Don't open".

I always tell my students that Sample Rate is most important parameter they have to look out for, check, and double check ... or really bad things will happen. Now here is a 2-year old bug that is doing exactly that, messing up the Sample Rate. Thanks you Avid.