Major Omni/Native Recording Problems

[seanmccoy]

Hey all. I have a long list of complaints about the severe recording limitations presented by this very expensive combination, but I'll save that for another thread.

For now my concern is complete inoperability due to constant failures during recording of single-track voiceover sessions. The lowest buffer setting I can use with acceptable latency for the talent is 128. The longest I can record without the system stopping is about four minutes, sometimes considerably less. Also get occasional freezes requiring a hard reboot. Also, the system frequently cycles in and out with the audio constantly broken up, particularly after changing buffer sizes. Sometimes a reload will resolve this, sometimes a reboot, but this week nothing would make the system work and I had to use my Mac to record the session. I'm running HD, and the problems are identical in both 10 and 11. Problem disappears when I go to 512 buffers, but latency makes conducting a recording session impossible.

The CPU meter shows very low usage, but I do see the bar occasionally flash red, so I suspect CPU spikes are the culprit. The system is a Core i7 2.67, so it's no slouch, but it's over five years old.

All that said, given the sporadic nature of the problems and the fact that my computer should be more than fast enough to handle whatever I throw at it, would you agree that the computer itself is likely the culprit? I'm hesitant to give 80 bucks to Avid for a protracted problem search that will likely yield no solid results, and am ready to spring for a new system, but based on what I've described, I'm curious as to where long-time Native users think the problem lies.

[guitardom]

Hey Sean,
More than likely the computer is the problem. My HDN is one the most stable setups I have used. Here is a link to post the Sandra specs of your machine.

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=359978

[albee1952]

Are you running PT 10 or 11? My 5-year old i7 quad(see signature) runs 10(HDN card with dual HD IO's) very nicely (tracking full bands at the 64 buffer with plenty of EQ, compressor and 3-4 reverb plugins active, and 5 stereo headphone mixes via AUX sends). My template session in 10 runs with the cpu meter around 30-34% and no issues. Open the exact same session in PT11 and the cpu meter jumps to 70-75% with a dancing line shooting higher, with flashes into red(which will halt playback or recording every time). I ran an 003 until 2 months ago and results were the same.

My friend's rig(with 003) is a newer i7 6 core/x79 motherboard and 32GB of RAM runs 11 like a train. I suspect that the code was written with newer processors and the early i7 doesn't handle the load as well(speculation on my part).

I believe on some systems, moving the HDN card to another slot can make a difference(my system is loaded up and I can't really move the card). My plan is to build a new computer when funds are available

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by guitardom

Hey Sean,
More than likely the computer is the problem. My HDN is one the most stable setups I have used. Here is a link to post the Sandra specs of your machine.

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=359978

Thanks, I believe you're right. I've never posted a Sandra report before. I'll check it out.

[seanmccoy]

Originally Posted by albee1952

Are you running PT 10 or 11? My 5-year old i7 quad(see signature) runs 10(HDN card with dual HD IO's) very nicely (tracking full bands at the 64 buffer with plenty of EQ, compressor and 3-4 reverb plugins active, and 5 stereo headphone mixes via AUX sends). My template session in 10 runs with the cpu meter around 30-34% and no issues. Open the exact same session in PT11 and the cpu meter jumps to 70-75% with a dancing line shooting higher, with flashes into red(which will halt playback or recording every time). I ran an 003 until 2 months ago and results were the same.

My friend's rig(with 003) is a newer i7 6 core/x79 motherboard and 32GB of RAM runs 11 like a train. I suspect that the code was written with newer processors and the early i7 doesn't handle the load as well(speculation on my part).

I believe on some systems, moving the HDN card to another slot can make a difference(my system is loaded up and I can't really move the card). My plan is to build a new computer when funds are available

Thanks for that. My system is similar to yours, though my MB is the UD4P. And I've had a couple of occasions where the MB has lost its settings and had to be re-optimized, and has displayed a few baffling errors. It was also incompatible with the BlackMagic card I bought for the system. Add that to the fact it doesn't have USB3, and I'm feeling that it's just time to move on. While I'm still tempted to troubleshoot with Avid first, I'm not sure I can wait that long, and I've already spec'd a new system at ADK.

The chorus to "Let it Go" is growing louder in my head.

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

Thanks for that. My system is similar to yours, though my MB is the UD4P. And I've had a couple of occasions where the MB has lost its settings and had to be re-optimized, and has displayed a few baffling errors. It was also incompatible with the BlackMagic card I bought for the system. Add that to the fact it doesn't have USB3, and I'm feeling that it's just time to move on. While I'm still tempted to troubleshoot with Avid first, I'm not sure I can wait that long, and I've already spec'd a new system at ADK.

The chorus to "Let it Go" is growing louder in my head.

Aha. ADK can be a good choice(avoid the bottom-level systems from any vendor) and you should look into http://www.pro-tools-pc.com/ as well. The mobo losing its settings suggests that the battery is spent(the lithium disk battery on the mobo). These are generally good for maybe 5 years, tops(and replacement is easy and cheap). I also think your mobo is a bit older than mine, pointing back to my feeling about building a new rig here, too. I am loving HDN in general, but really want to get 11 working for all that 64 bit "goodness"

[seanmccoy]

New system ordered. A bit painful, since this one has ample power for just about everything I do. But I can't justify more cumbersome troubleshooting for a six-year-old system. Fresh start!

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by seanmccoy

New system ordered. A bit painful, since this one has ample power for just about everything I do. But I can't justify more cumbersome troubleshooting for a six-year-old system. Fresh start!

I feel your pain. I have new parts on the way as well