Losing connection to MBox - please help!

[avidscott]

Hi
I'm running ProTools7.0 on a 12" 1.5GHz PowerBook G4 with OS X 10.4.9 and 1.25 GB RAM and media on a firewire drive.
My problem is that for no apparent reason I suddenly lose the connection to the MBox2 and with a click the speakers are silent. I currently only have 2 instrument tracks open and was simply selecting a different patch on Absynth when the connection failed, so I'm not overworking it! This was also an issue on the previous version of OS X so I don't think it's that.
Because I'm short of USB connections I have a Belkin Hub connecting midi keyboard and ilock but the MBox2 is connected direct.
Any suggestions as to why this connection keeps dropping after 10 - 30mins?
Many thanks
David

[cheekypaul]

Hi
I'm running ProTools7.0 on a 12" 1.5GHz PowerBook G4 with OS X 10.4.9 and 1.25 GB RAM and media on a firewire drive.
My problem is that for no apparent reason I suddenly lose the connection to the MBox2 and with a click the speakers are silent. I currently only have 2 instrument tracks open and was simply selecting a different patch on Absynth when the connection failed, so I'm not overworking it! This was also an issue on the previous version of OS X so I don't think it's that.
Because I'm short of USB connections I have a Belkin Hub connecting midi keyboard and ilock but the MBox2 is connected direct.
Any suggestions as to why this connection keeps dropping after 10 - 30mins?
Many thanks
David

What happens after the click> Do you get a message saying you've lost communication?

[avidscott]

"What happens after the click> Do you get a message saying you've lost communication?"
No message at all, the laptop thinks it's still connected, and if I check in the set up window the Mbox is still listed as an option.
Any ideas?

[Stiff]

Does it happen often? Can you hear anything through headphones? Can you try different speakers and cables?

[cheekypaul]

I suspect your problem is this...
One of your plugins you are using is "spiking".
By this I mean that the audio signal created by going through the plug in, fx or eq or vi (anyone, don't know which one), has caused some kind of super low or super high click. This in turn "ruins" the channel.
When this happens you lose sound not connection.
Very common with GRM tools and Reaktor, when you push them to their limits.

To solve try these ideas...

Duplicate the channel, delete the old one.
Try toggling through the playback buffer etc, in the hardware drop down menu (though i suspect this will crash the system)
Save the setting of the PlugIn, delete channel, quit, reopen and reinsert on new channel.

Pro Tools has done this for as long as I care to remember, so don't panic.

[·[-_-]· Richon]

i think it happened so because you have 10.4.9 instaled... check the troublesouport here...

i've read here that 10.4.9 isn't supoorted yet

[avidscott]

Hi Guys thanks for all the advice.
The strange thing with this, is that it happens sometimes when nothing is running. So with simply Strike loaded onto one instument track no other plugins, and nothing playing, after about 30mins "click" and no audio to the MBox. The lights are still on, so it's getting USB power but no signal. This also happened under the previous version of OS X, so I more inclined to think it could be a hardware issue?
Any further thoughts?
Thanks
David

[DigiTechSupt]

Have you tried the basics of trashing preferences yet?

Are you absolutely sure all of your plug-ins are the latest versions and are Pro Tools 7 compatible?

[avidscott]

Hey everyone, thanks for the advice.
I finally cracked it. A friend who's a broadcast sound engineer suggested "change the USB lead". Sorted!!!
It's the lead which came with the unit and it's never left my studio so is in perfect condition, therefore never suspected it, but it was faulty. Always the obvious eh?!