Avid Audio HD driver / server glitch free yet?

[syMPh]

Hi Guys, I've been off support and parked at 2018.3 (currently using 12.8.3) and I've stayed away because of very subtle avid audio driver issues I've found... I'm hoping they have a better core audio driver now and wonder if anyone else has noticed the following..

Using the hd driver from 12.8.3 or up to 2018.3 I find three core issues.

1/ Using Pro tools HDX as usual can sometimes get little crackles in audio which can be coaxed out of the system (similar crackers to what you get if spiking cpu usage momentarily.. all you have to do is open safari even with pro tools active and core audio disabled (using built in audio for Mac apps) I find that when safari makes call to the audiodriver (perhaps Facebook opening a audio or video while scrolling) for some reason it can cause little hiccups with hdx.. (I know I can avoid this by not using safari while using pro tools but it also happens with no other apps open although much more occasionally)

same exact sessions on older versions in mavericks and before the core audio updates do not do this at all...

2/ using it as a core audio driver (for logic) the latency is incorrect.. and hdx does not achieve the actual latency specs it used to in older versions.. the delay for recording is absolutely useless and again using older versions prior to the "update" work as usual with no extra latency and without messing with audio post recording - audio recorded using old versions gets into the timeline correctly , newer versions often just end up completely out of time..

3/ audio assignments to hardware can randomly just not work. - for example I insert master chain on my burl channels 3-4 (HD port 2) every session has exactly the same config. sometimes I can open a session and my master is not working. .. remove the insert to hardware and I'm good... only way to get it working again is shut down pro tools and restart, open session again and magically it works again... In logic using core audio it can arbitrarily work and also I can find simply opening the same few sessions and working on them results in sometimes finding a different thing in that the audio 3-4 all of a sudden doesn't work and looking at my burls it is coming out different channels (an odd pair of all things). again closing the session and reopening can make this go away with logic but sometimes it needs a reboot because core audio just won't work with logic sometimes after opening and closing a few sessions.

All of these things only happen if using Sierra 10.12.6 with later versions of pro tools... it happens on old operating system installs and completely fresh installs with minimum software installed. I absolutely know it is a core audio thing going on... what exactly I don't know but I want to rid myself of it by either going to a newer version of pro tools which doesn't have this problem with the hd driver OR I'm going back in time and staying there permanently and forgetting about using a new version of logic x for programming.


Both problems do not exist if running under mavericks using any older version of pro tools prior to the HD Driver update that brought core audio back for system sounds.

My guess is the core audio driver is not rock solid and even when the hd driver is locked to hdx for some reason using core audio apps can interfere with it... (this will make it happen often) but also little glitches can happen just in general as those versions of core audio driver mated with a system just aren't as tight as old hd drivers were.

Its a very subtle thing to come across, one could work happily for years not really knowing it was the driver as it can sound like a minuscule peak of cpu overhead but I am certain it is the driver having a little conflict with apple core audio that is not completely fool proof. I could be wrong of course but its pretty reproducible and ive tested this till I've gone crazy as I wanted logic to work properly with core audio but alas...

can anyone confirm if anything similar happens on later versions of pro tools? asking because I want to know for sure this problem will disappear by getting back on the support plan and trying a newer version with Sierra.

sorry its a marathon to read, you won't get that 10 minutes back!!! I just don't know how to make it any shorter!

thanks :)

Mat

[JFreak]

The problem may also be related to your own configuration so the only sensible thing to do is jump into the support bandwagon and try for yourself; then open support case(s) if needed. You don't pay for updates per se, but their ability to help you with your problems.

[syMPh]

Hi Janne, thanks for your reply but I'm trying to avoid buying back in unless I know for sure the main issue I have with their HD driver is not happening anymore, otherwise it is a waste of 1000 USD at this point considering I would have to use the older versions anyway to avoid the issues if they're not fixed in the most recent hd driver revisions. While tech support have been quite good to deal with in general I have had enough experience over 20 years to realise not every contact results in an issue being resolved because a bug is somewhere down priority list and workarounds are in place. It will be nice to know this particular problem is a non issue now to give me a reason to buy back in if you understand where I'm coming from :)

[JFreak]

Sure let's hope someone can confirm then..

[syMPh]

hey Janne, have you recognised any of these issues yourself?

[JFreak]

I don't use HDX

[syMPh]

could be with either hd native or hdx i would imagine...



i also can report that latency spec of recent hd drivers using logic DOUBLES.

a 256 buffer using logic pro X with a HDX card = 23.2ms roundtrip...



using the hd driver from pro tools 12.3.1 on mavericks is halved (or what i would call normal) for same buffer to 11.6ms roundtrip...



That is surely a decent sized issue .. i cant be the only one to recognize it.?


not only that if you use recent (12.8.3 - 2018.3) hd drivers for logic and try recording in logic the driver must report the latency incorrectly and randomly as the recorded audio lands in different areas of the timeline depending on mood. non of this happens with older drivers pre 12.4 etc



can anyone please tell me what sort of roundtrip latency Logic Pro X reports for a 256 buffer using the latest hd drivers? say 2019.6 or .5..



Please !!!! :)