Newly imported or recorded audio playback problems - Pro Tools 8.04 [RESOLVED]

[Protools8matt]

Hi, I have been using Pro Tools for many years and not had a problem like this before until now! I have searched the net but not found anybody that has suffered from this before either, maybe you can help (I'm using pro tools 8.04 with an mbox 2 and a 2011 imac, and have been for some time):

I was recently working on a large session using 48khz audio AIFS, and at one stage I dragged from my browser a couple of 44.1 mp3s - something seemed to have gone wrong in their conversion as despite being able to see their waveforms, playing them would bizarrely not output any sound, or register in the track meter. The regions were located on tracks with other audible files, and no muting, automated volume or output routing was applied that would have prevented me from hearing the file. Ever since this happened ANY imported or newly recorded audio has given me issues when attempting to play it back, in ANY session - the process has somehow stopped working altogether!

All audio from existing sessions still plays just fine, but any newly introduced audio, either freshly recorded or Imported is problematic. Imported audio, depending on sample rate and possibly filetype, either makes no sound at all, bizarrely only plays quietly in one channel, or, more often than not will result in a hideous distortion sound. I bounced a chunk of it down so you can hear what it sounds like, but I warn you to turn down your speakers right down first, this is nasty!!!: https://www.mediafire.com/?ghwx38xm0c2ckgv

Recorded audio is audible, but mixed with the same painful distortion noise described above.

All of the audio files that won't play back correctly look perfectly normal in terms of their waveforms, I could even make an edit to an affected file, export it as a new file - and the new file will play back perfectly well, edits and all in a regular player. Similarly recorded audio can still be exported and sound fine in other software (also running through the mbox 2). But the output via pro tools is screwed.

Trashing the prefs has no effect. The only workaround I could find was to save a copy of an affected session, copying all audio files and converting the file type- then the newly copied session will playback fine. Far from ideal. I also had ableton live software open when the problem first occurred, I don't know if that has somehow contributed to this current mess.

Any ideas??

[Chief Technician]

Originally Posted by Protools8matt

Any ideas??

Do a clean uninstall of Pro Tools and then reinstall Pro Tools.

[Protools8matt]

Reinstalling pro tools didn't help, so I ended up resorting to restoring my system via an older time machine backup, and everything was fine, or so I thought!

Now Pro Tools is giving me the same issues as before, except now playback of freshly recorded or imported audio always just sounds like white noise. I can't understand why -- I've used the same setup for years, and the fact that the restored system functioned perfectly well for a number of weeks would seem to suggest it's not a hardware problem, I've thoroughly checked the net and can't find anyone else complaining about the same issue!

[Craig F]

make me think some of your hardware is going south
do you have a friend with a rig to try your session on them maybe their interface on your rig

[Protools8matt]

I have found a solution! The problematic sessions (and all my most recent sessions) were saved to my root hard drive. Yeah I know, I'm well aware this is not recommended but it has given me no problems or performance issues in the past. I am very relieved to have discovered that when using an external firewire drive everything functions normally! That's good enough for me, thanks guys.

[Craig F]

glad you got it fixed