Pro Tools 2023 and Mac Studio Ultra M2 graphic issues

[garnoil]

I have a new Mac Studio ultra M2 with 128 gigs of RAM. This machine can do like 14 streams of 8k video at once and insane stuff like that but...with Pro Tools (latest version), I am getting all kinds of visual graphic glitches. After about 1 minute of use, the timecode display just stalls and the number crawl totally wrong from what it should be. Other re-draws appear ok on my main screen. On my second display (where I have my plugins and meters) there is also a crazy lag.

I did not migrate from an old machine. I installed brand new software (very time consuming and lost all my user pre-sets). All software in the machine is fresh install including Pro Tools, Eucon, and all the plugins I own.

Running Mac OS 13.5 Ventura (cam in the machine I can not back)

I have to run Rosette because a few plugs like Altiverb.

There is a considerable speed improvement when off line rendering (Izotope, Accentize, CEDAR de-clip etc). Pro Tools is very responsive, the mouse is crazy fast, had to slow it down in settings...so it seems OK but then the graphics glitches.

To fix the graphics glitches, I switch all tracks to Block View and back to waveform and that fixes these glitches but they come back in a matter of minutes. My operations while editing don't seems slow or affected, but the graphics are terrible.

Also my I-lock gets disconnected, it says 'pace antipiracy not found' - re-plug your i-lock or Pro Tools will quit....all along the I-lock was connected.

Is there are fix for these graphics issues and the I-lock?

[Darryl Ramm]

On the iLok disconnecting issue:

Make sure you have the latest version of ILM installed. Try removing as many unneeded connected peripherals as you can. I would try plugging the iLok into it's own dedicated port on the Mac and also try running off a powered USB or Thunderbolt hub/dock (I'd personally mostly trust a good Thunderbolt dock, like one of the large ones from OWC).

There are some known problems with Thunderbolt and USB on Mac Studios including USB devices disconnecting. Make sure your system is fully optimized. Make sure all the normal do not sleep/power of settings are set and also disable any other forms of sleeping/monitor power off, including System Settings>Displays>Advanced "prevent automatic sleeping on power adapter when the display is off" is enabled.

If you had a lower-end Studio I'd suggest trying it on the front-panel USB-C ports since they are USB only not Thunderbolt, but all the ports on your Studio are Thunderbolt.

If you don't make progress or don't get other suggestions here that help then you probably should go ahead and contact Avid and/or iLok support. I know dealing with support orgs can be a PITA but here it might at least be worth opening cases for the most serious issues you have and just seeing if they can help.

---

I don't have a Mac Studio and not sure if other high-end systems are suffering with graphics issues as bad as this. How many monitors and what resolutions are you running at? (if multiple what happens with only one monitor connected?) I'd also start up Pro Tools in native mode just to if it this issue goes away, maybe you already tried that. And I'd do the standard troubleshooting steps of moving all .aaxplugin file out of the plugin folder and trashing prefs and just seeing if Pro Tools runs much better with only the core plugins installed. Amongst all the other problems that plugins can introduce, they sure can also cause graphics issues.

FWIW Ventura seems to be a great OS release.

[garnoil]

Thank you for the reply. I will try the I-lock on its own port with nothing else. As far as the video glitches, I optimized the system based on Avid's website, all items are optimized.

I am running 2X32" monitors on my desktop running 1920X1080 at 60Hz (these are good for my eyes so they size of the font and graphics are perfect for my eye to screen distance). I have double lens implants on my eye lenses but they work great! So I don't want to change the size of the resolution, I am so used to it and have dedicated eyeglasses for the distance.

So..2 desktop screens 32" at 1920X1080, another HDMI to a large client screen which I only use to show video, this large screen is not affected by any of this. I run Pro Res Proxy 1920X1080 Pro Res. I also have a 12" titler screen vertical to my Artist control (looks like the I-pad you put on the Dock), and that screen only plays video from a Blackmagic card that is resolved to video reference for video edge. There is another flat screen in the VO room that uses a loop to play the video.

I also trashed prefs several times, the only thing I have not tried is re-installing Pro Tools...don't have time for that now. My workload is very heavy.

I am not sure how to run PT native? I have an HD2 system (the cards are in the Sonnex Echo 3).

One more thing I forgot: If I run the video in that screen, the video is not affected by these glitches, I think is the software. May be is the rosetta thing? I'll try to do no rosetta and see if that is the issue?

G

[Darryl Ramm]

All things are optimized, but doublecheck, and for good measure set the stuff I said that's not in the usual list. Displays powering off is one known way USB/Thunderbolt devices are get kicked off these Mac Studios.

I meant native as in Apple Silicon native, you just uncheck "Open using Rosetta" in the Pro Tools.app Information box (select the app type Command-I)". Maybe you already have tried this, just was not clear from what you wrote.

Forget reinstalling Pro Tools, I never suggested that, and rarely would.

I want to make sure you tried checking Pro Tools with only the core plugins installed. Uninstalling and reinstalling Pro Tools does not remove all the plugins, and is frequently a waste of time. One of the earliest steps should be to go into the plugin folder, move all the .aaxplugin files elsewhere (Unused folder is a great place), trash prefs and start up Pro Tools which will automatically put reinstall the core plugins. See how bad graphics is like that. If it's suddenly much better then you likely have a plugin issue, if not you know you don't. No problem help just move all the file back. This should only take minutes to test.

[Emcha_audio]

you mention that you have a HD2 system, what version of pro tools are you running?

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by Emcha_audio

you mention that you have a HD2 system, what version of pro tools are you running?

That will be HDX2 sir.

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

That will be HDX2 sir.

I would hope so but better to ask

[garnoil]

Originally Posted by Emcha_audio

you mention that you have a HD2 system, what version of pro tools are you running?

Latest version

[garnoil]

Originally Posted by Darryl Ramm

All things are optimized, but doublecheck, and for good measure set the stuff I said that's not in the usual list. Displays powering off is one known way USB/Thunderbolt devices are get kicked off these Mac Studios.

I meant native as in Apple Silicon native, you just uncheck "Open using Rosetta" in the Pro Tools.app Information box (select the app type Command-I)". Maybe you already have tried this, just was not clear from what you wrote.

Forget reinstalling Pro Tools, I never suggested that, and rarely would.

I want to make sure you tried checking Pro Tools with only the core plugins installed. Uninstalling and reinstalling Pro Tools does not remove all the plugins, and is frequently a waste of time. One of the earliest steps should be to go into the plugin folder, move all the .aaxplugin files elsewhere (Unused folder is a great place), trash prefs and start up Pro Tools which will automatically put reinstall the core plugins. See how bad graphics is like that. If it's suddenly much better then you likely have a plugin issue, if not you know you don't. No problem help just move all the file back. This should only take minutes to test.

I will double check all the optimization

[Emcha_audio]

Originally Posted by garnoil

Latest version

and just to make sure you have HDX and not HD?