Mbox 3 Pro on Windows 8 randomly going mute

[ddj1991]

Hi,

ever since I got my Mbox 3 Pro in november I've used it on my Windows 8 machine. It has worked like a charm, even before the Win 8 update, but there's one problem I've always had.
I'm streaming all my audio through my Mbox, I never use my on-board card, and at random times - VERY OFTEN - I lose sound.
The sound just cuts out, and to temporarily solve the problem I have to go to playback devices in Windows, deactivate the device (after the win 8 update it's called 'Speakers - Avid Mbox Pro') and reactivate it.
I can use either the device called 'Speakers' or the device called 'Line 1/2'. I can change between them as a default device, but audio still drops out.
Before the update there was only one device, but I had the very same issue then as well. Sometimes I have to restart my Mbox.
I've noticed that opening media players like Spotify or Winamp sometimes triggers it. Or any new applications that pop up in the windows mixer...

...but:
The audio also cuts out in Pro Tools!!!
What I do to temporarily solve it in PT9 (PT10 doesn't run on W8) is to simply change the buffer size back and forth.

I have tested the firewire connection on my motherboard with other devices, and I have not had any issues.
I assume it's a driver issue on Avid's end. I have the latest updates from Avid (and ASUS).

Anyway... I need a solution! Is this a known problem?
Please. This is very time consuming and frustrating.

Let me know if you need more information.

Thanks
-Daniel

[ddj1991]

Megabump.

[jgehring]

I just got done fighting this for the better part of a month on my Windows 7 SP1 machine. I tried 3 different FW cables & went so far as to buy the SIIG approved FW card even though I never had an issue with the onboard FW port prior to updating to the newer mbox driver (it is a TI chipset). The new card didn't help, though I guess I'll keep it rather than go through the hassle of returning it to Amazon.

Long story short I went back to the older driver (the one from early 2012 I think) & everything works fine again. I have both 10.3.6 & 11 installed on that machine though I've only tested 10 now & it played back a session for about 15 minutes without dropping last night. Finally. Serenity.

Those new drivers are messed.

[jgehring]

UPDATE: I noticed the 1.1.9 drivers came out so I thought I'd give them a try - ended up with the same garbage as the 1.1.8 set from earlier this year. Playing any audio through the mbox 3 pro results in a choppy clippy mess. Anything. Changing the buffer doesn't help. I monitor through the mbox's SPDIF out to a Benchmark DAC, so who knows maybe that has something to do with it & Avid just dropped support for the SPDIF out on the 1.1.8 release without mentioning it. All I know is I'll have to go back to the 1.0.19 driver again. It's not like those are perfect either - when I'm playing back videos from the hard drive via Windows Media Player I still get random audio drops for anywhere from 10 seconds to several minutes 2-3 times every 30 minutes or so. It's dumbfounding that these new drivers can't perform the relatively basic task of playing back audio in Windows.

WTF Avid? Why don't your drivers work anymore? Are millions of the rest of you having these problems or is it just me?

[Intuition]

No, I totally go through this almost daily. In all truthfulness I have probably put up with it more than a normal person would. Been recording an album. Almost finished and its acting up even more lately.

Its still pro tools 9 but mbox pro 3rd gen.

Constantly. CONSTANTLY. rebooting. .losing signal. going offline and online but freezing my reason or protools sessions. Making saving a file in pro tools a 12 minute ordeal once crashed.

Reason wont come back so any work is lost.

I have had great results with the combo as far as sound quality goes so I keep at it but there are times I wonder.... why is this even an issue... like ever?

I have far exceeded the minimum requirements for drives ram storage etc. Even got the recommended SIIG card. etc.

Just the dang mBoxpro that is unstable.. Everything else is fine. The drivers for 1.0.19 were the most solid for a while then my windows updated some how even though I told it to notify me. Now even the 1.0.19 drivers are just as useless as the newest one.

There are days I get so frustrated. I just want something more robust like an actually card that has an actual connection, not some firewire or usb, but a real heavy cable connection from the computer to the box. I've almost broke down and bought the HD system a couple times out of frustration. It looks like those have actually been engineered to work.

SO I feel your pain. Its been a a long decade run with pro tools problems. Where I love the software and everything its made to do but its always the dang box that messes up. I did Audigy in the early days. Then an mAudio setup with fw1814 and now mbox pro 3rd gen and the problem ALWAYS lies in the connection to the input/output box. Every time. I just expect it from protools hardware.

My buddy has an emagic logic pro setup on his humble mac book pro and a nice 1200 audio card and it never ever ever ever ever ever ever has crashed on him in 4 years and he runs many more tracks and plug ins that I ever need in one session. I am about to switch. I just hate relearning an new app. But... I tell you. There are days you know.

For now I am stuck till i finish this project... rebooting 30 times a day and all.

---edit----

Sorry about rant... Just know. I love the protools software and the work I do with it. I just wish it wasn't so intermittent in the hardware...

Know that I am on my 3rd computer and 3rd audio interface since starting protools and its always been this way. Sometimes stable sometimes not.

Maybe its better on a mac? More stable. Can anyone weight in? Maybe I should just set it up in a mac.

[JoelG]

Can you all post your full system specs and what version of Pro Tools you are running? Also, have you gone through the Optimization Guides.

@DDJ1991 - Windows 8 is only supported with Pro Tools 11:http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/e...dows-8-Support

For those that are on Win 7 - Try the Legacy Firewire driver (part of the Optimization Guide).

Joel

[AquaBoogie]

Did anyone resolve this problem? I am having the same problem running PT 10 with win764. Either I exit the program, or change the sample rate and that normally kicks it back on. I thought it was just me or something in my system. I accidentally came across this thread by looking for anyone using a MBox Pro with Benchmark DAC - so call it fate ...LOL

if you found a resolution to this problem I would surely appreciate it.

[chubits]

I have the same problem to mbox 3 pro! Avid is not going to fix this problem!!!

[jgehring]

@AquaBoogie FWIW I tried disconnecting the DAC-1 & going straight out the mbox outputs - no difference. I'm checking back here for the first time in months & I find that I'm conflicted - sad that there's still no solution but somehow happy that more of you have the problem. Misery loves company I guess. Keeping my HD rig at the house now is just ridiculous overkill - I'd really love it if the mbox would just work the way it's supposed to so I could sell the HD stuff. I have a PT11 license & can't even use it because unless I'm mistaken I'd have to use the newest drivers to make it work. Still stuck on 1.0.19 & living with random audio drops.

[Sidecut]

Ha ha...I finally have found the thread!!! I was using PT 10 with no issues on a WIn 7 machine and an Mbox pro 3. Then I went to 10.3.7 and PT 11 and installed the new drivers and firmware. Now there are instances of the sound just stopping. Its playing in PT but not making it to the Mbox pro 3. I trashed all the Prefs DBs etc and now I get the sample rate error in 11 but not 10. This is a mess.