Just moved from Logic Pro - Getting "DAE can't get audio from the drive...." error :(

[teknosmoker]

Hello all! This is my first post here on the DUC. :)

I'm a Logic user of over 10 years and just picked up Pro Tools 9 native recently, as I really like its audio editing capabilities & layout. I also need to be running Pro Tools for compatibility's sake with other studios.

With a 21 stereo track 16 bit/48k session (.sd2 files imported as .WAV into a new session), using only 3 instances of Sony Oxford's Dynamics plugin and 1 UAD Precision Bus Compressor, I'm getting:

"DAE can't get audio from the drive(s) fast enough. Your drive may be too slow or fragmented, or a firewire device could be having trouble due to the extra firewire bandwidth or CPU load (-9073)" errors during playback. This tends to happen most often at the end of a cycle region, right as playback returns to the beginning of the cycle. My Mac Pro's fans are also revving up & getting pretty loud as well. This has never happened with Logic.

The only other programs running are my Fireface Mixer and Fireface settings.

I've never experienced anything like this in Logic, even with double the track count of this project. Is this normal behavior? If not, does anyone have any ideas as to what should I be doing differently?

My rig:

-A Mac Pro with 2 x 2.66 GHz Dual-Core Intel Xeon CPU
-4 x internal 7,200 RPM Seagate drives
-7 GB of RAM installed in matched pairs
-Mac OS 10.6.8
-Pro Tools 9.0.3 update installed
-RME Fireface 800 (tried different FX cables, both 400 & 800)
-UAD-1 (with latest software, drivers and firmware updates)
-UAD-2 Duo (also with latest software, drivers and firmware updates)
-No Airport or Bluetooth on the machine
-I've disabled Time Machine, Software Update, Spotlight (on all drives), FileVault & Firewire Networking
-The computer is set to never go too sleep
-Permissions have been repaired several times
- I have deleted the Digidesign Databases, as well as preferences (com.digidesign.ProToolsLE.plist, DAE Prefs, DigiSetup.OSX and Pro Tools Prefs)
-ALL login items have been removed

Playback Engine:
- Hardware buffer size is set to 1024
- Using all 4 Host Processors
- CPU Usage Limit is 85%
- ADC is turned off
- DAE playback buffer is set to Level 2
- Cache Size is set to Normal
- Plugin Streaming Buffer is set to Level 2

I am recording to one of the separate, dedicated (internal) audio and cannot for the life of me figure out why I'm running into these problems...

Thanks in advance for any help that you can offer a noob like me coming over from Logic Pro!



-T

[teknosmoker]

Did I not provide enough information about my system to get troubleshooting advice on this issue? Please let me know and I can provide more info.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but I purchased the academic version of Pro Tools 9 and authorized it on my old iLok, so as not to use up more USB ports.

[Marsdy]

In Playback Engine settings, try setting 4 Host Processors to 3.

[Eric Seaberg]

Originally Posted by Marsdy

In Playback Engine settings, try setting 4 Host Processors to 3.

And raise your CPU Limit to 99%

[Park Seward]

"DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than 1500 msec; Level 2 (Default) allow higher track count, higher density of edits in a session, or the use of slower hard drives. However, a higher setting may increase the time lag when starting playback or recording, starting preview in context from DigiBase browsers, or cause a longer audible time lag while editing during playback.
Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of 1500 msec (Level 2) is recommended unless you are encountering –9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”) errors."

Yes, don't use all your cores for PT. Also, try 85% CPU usage. I saw a note from Avid that recommended that for troubleshooting.

[KMcK]

And if none of the above works, ditch the unsupported UAD crap and try again.

[teknosmoker]

Thanks to everyone so far for the helpful and informative responses.

Originally Posted by Marsdy

In Playback Engine settings, try setting 4 Host Processors to 3.

Interesting. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, this seems to have impacted Pro Tools' performance on my Mac Pro measurably. I can now play the session without getting the error, though I still see "disk usage" spike when playback reaches the end of a looped cycle and returns to the beginning.

Originally Posted by Park Seward

"DAE Playback Buffer Size settings higher than 1500 msec; Level 2 (Default) allow higher track count, higher density of edits in a session, or the use of slower hard drives. However, a higher setting may increase the time lag when starting playback or recording, starting preview in context from DigiBase browsers, or cause a longer audible time lag while editing during playback.
Using a larger DAE Playback Buffer Size leaves less system memory for other tasks. The default setting of 1500 msec (Level 2) is recommended unless you are encountering –9073 (“Disk too slow or fragmented”) errors."

My DAE Playback Buffer is set to Level 2. Are you suggesting that I set it higher?

Originally Posted by Park Seward

Yes, don't use all your cores for PT. Also, try 85% CPU usage. I saw a note from Avid that recommended that for troubleshooting.

Yup - Because of both what Avid has said on the subject and in a Pro Tools 9 training video I recently watched (on Lynda.com), I have my CPU usage set to 85%.

Originally Posted by KMcK

And if none of the above works, ditch the unsupported UAD crap and try again.

Not being able to use my UAD plugins would kill me (as well as my computer's CPU!), particularly on processor intensive sessions. I've also invested several thousand dollars on my UAD's. I thought that Avid and UA worked together to make the "wrapping" almost seamless. From what I understand, you used to have to use a 3rd party VST-to-RTAS wrapper in order to use them and that is no longer the case.

That being said, it would be really nice if UA would simply port their plugins over to RTAS natively.

[huzzam]

Originally Posted by teknosmoker

Interesting. As counter-intuitive as it may seem, this seems to have impacted Pro Tools' performance on my Mac Pro measurably. I can now play the session without getting the error, though I still see "disk usage" spike when playback reaches the end of a looped cycle and returns to the beginning.

It's basically because the system still needs a free core to do other things, so you can't give it all to Pro Tools.

~peter in oakland

[upscaps]

Defrag first. Usually helps. Or back up files off of that drive and then run set up and reinitialize the drive. Then put files back.

[Park Seward]

Originally Posted by teknosmoker

Thanks to everyone so far for the helpful and informative responses.

My DAE Playback Buffer is set to Level 2. Are you suggesting that I set it higher?

Yes. See if that helps