Let's hear it: How's PT 5.1 working for you?

[sidereal]

Maybe a bit early, but I'd like to get an idea of people's impressions of 5.1. The good, bad and ugly. Anyone plan on installing it on OS 8.6 (my preferred OS, but not officially supported)? I'll move to 9.04 if I have to. I'm jonesin' for Beat Detective, TDM/RTAS, multiple output destinations, MIDI improvements, etc. Those are the big ones for me.

[Chris Lambrechts]

Side, I plan to install it on 8.6 when I FINALLY GET IT http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif Paid for it in decmeber (was included in Mixfarm offer)

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Chris Lambrechts
digi, is this one OK ???
(no I'm not a member or employee there, I don't even know them but they try to add their 2 cents ............ and I support them doing that)
http://www.copyrightcontrol.com/Clients.asp

[Captain Crunch]

its by far the best upgrade ever, it should be called ProTools 7.0. Beat Detective works like a charm--the first time I used it I just about cried over how many years I've spent chopping drums for 8 hours on one song--now you can do it in maybe an hour, including crossfades. Multiple undo is great. Using RTAS along side TDM plugs is da bomb. Also, a great obscure feature lets you pull a plug in from one track to another--it makes tuning vocals WAY faster. Tab to transient is very handy.

I have not one thing negative to say about it. It makes the whole system do so much more. Thank you thank you thank you Digi.

[Chris Lambrechts]

and why does CC have it and I not http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/mad.gif



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Chris Lambrechts
digi, is this one OK ???
(no I'm not a member or employee there, I don't even know them but they try to add their 2 cents ............ and I support them doing that)
http://www.copyrightcontrol.com/Clients.asp

[KingTor]

Chris, can you tell me more about the system you're planning on installing 5.1 on? I'm thinking of installing it (when it becomes available to me, which will likely be after you) on a 9600/300 running mac os 8.6 -- I'd be willing to upgrade to OS 9.04, but I've been told by a few people that OS9 is not advisable on a pre-G3 machine.

Am I an idiot for thinking this machine can handle the new software? Should I be upgrading the whole kit and caboodle?

[Captain Crunch]

chris,
I have it because I'm a beta tester, and I just got the "final candidate" version. I haven't been able to talk about it until now (I assume most people who bought the upgrade just got it or will within a few days).

why don't you just go to OS 9.04

[sidereal]

Chris, thanks for being our unofficial 8.6/5.1 beta tester! Let us know how it goes. I just dread "upgrading" to a bloated OS when everything's running perfectly on 8.6 right now.

CC, sounds like things are stable. I wouldn't expect there to be problems, but it's good to hear from an actual human using it for real that everything's smooth.

[jorainbo]

KingTor,

I too use a 9600/300 and I have been running 9.04 since it was released and it has been solid as a rock. Not a problem to report.

Rick

[Ted Ma]

I installed 5.1 on Monday. It came with my upgrade mix24 card. I am using a G4 350 with a Magma 7 slot chassis. So far everything works great. One thing I have noticed is that files converted or bounced to AIFF or WAV now get new Icons and seem to be less recognizable to NT workstations. I often mix to picure that has been created on Avid Symphony. This was not a problem before, something must be different in the file header info. But there are plenty of workarounds.
All in all I am having alot of fun with it. NoCrashes!

[the dude]

heres the BIG question
Does it handle the 6042 and 9071 errors any better or do they still pop up
its about time that Digi address these long time issues , there is really no reson
that we should have to deal with these, there are many less expensive programs that can do the same things without having to worry about those damn PCI errors
anybody notice if these still creep up with 5.1
would love to here about it

[baobab]

In the new macs the PCI bus is over 2x as fast (it used to be 100Mb/sec now it's something like 215Mb/sec) that should reduce PCI bus errors as well.

[Mt.Everest]

Hey ADVOCATE,

Please tell me you made a typo... A mixer in 5.1 takes up a WHOLE mix CARD?? or a whole dsp CHIP on a card.. I mean if it took up a whole CARD people buying a PTMix system would have no dsp left for plugs...

please say it aint so
victor

[Stratman]

I don't mean to sound too bitchy, but why do people that upgraded a card a couple of months ago, get their 5.1 software, and people like myself that have been "valued" customers for years, have to wait another week or so?

I'm sure I'm gonna get hammered for this one, but shouldn't long time users get some priority here folks? Microsoft does it, airlines do it, hotels do it, Adobe..etc., etc.

I'm am excited as a kid a week before Xmas to get my upgrade, but I don't appreciate clients who come to me for my veteran knowledge of PT's telling me that their buddy that has been using it for 5 months just got 5.1!

Maybe I don't get something here, but I think that people that have invested 10's of thousands of dollars in Digi over the years (so Digi could develop a 5.1 upgrade and become the #1 DAW of the music industry) should get some consideration.

Maybe I'm wrong....waitin' for the heat.

[This message has been edited by Stratman (edited February 09, 2001).]

[Jakeman]

Stratman, I purchased Pro Tools just before Christmas, and I have not yet
received and email on how and when to download 5.1, so don't feel to left out. You do have a point though, that long term customers should have some priority.

[the dude]

see this is a common mistake the PCI buss errors that I asked about have nothing to do with through-put it is all about timing , and that is a software issue not a computer [ PCI ]issue
so if anybody has a chance to test 5.1 with lets say a large res. on the main monitor or dual monitors and set to thousands of colors with large track counts just to see what happens I would love to here about it

[This message has been edited by the dude (edited February 08, 2001).]

[uno1234]

Stratman-- we should get a Digidesign Gold Mastercard-- all our purchases can be redeemed for "Digi points" and allow us to get free upgrades! If you spend enough money, maybe you could even get a free Digi001 (or maybe just the faceplate) to toss around in the backyard.


(Actually, I guess it's called the Gold Passport and it runs 2K+ a year. Shucks...)

[Studio Dweller]

Originally posted by Mt.Everest:
Hey ADVOCATE,

Please tell me you made a typo... A mixer in 5.1 takes up a WHOLE mix CARD?? or a whole dsp CHIP on a card.. I mean if it took up a whole CARD people buying a PTMix system would have no dsp left for plugs...

please say it aint so
victor

As far as I know, the surround mixer certainly does NOT eat up an entire Mix card. I don't think you can run it on a Mix card that has an I/O declared and it won't run on an older DSP Farm. For 5.1, I believe that you get a 17x6 surround mixer per Mix chip.

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Larry Bentley
Cellar Dweller Productions
www.cellardweller.com

[Stratman]

Sorry for taking this thread off topic with my last post.

I'll repost it on the Digi "Frequent Buyers" forum.

[robdarling]

I've been having the 6042 errors once I get up over 24 tracks with my 1600x1200 monitor, G4 dp 450, under PT 5.1. Two monitors is an absolute no way.

Digi Tech Support:
I'm seeing different reasons posted for this problem. What is the official Digi word on this? Is there any solution? Any extenuating circumstances that can cause the problem? What are we to do?

[Chris Lambrechts]

My system : G3 / 350 / 256 ram.... Mix plus with extra Mixfarm and "vintage" dsp card in Expansion chassis (bit3), two monitors, 2 888's, blabla etc etc....

why not go for 9.04 ..... well ..... I like 8.6 that much ....... I have 9.04 on an imac which I use for internet ...... otherwise, no specific reason realy ........ 8.6 seems slighty "faster" as 9.04 (especialy during startup, I hate it when 9.04 stalls during 30 sec's or more,..... just to locate the extra HD / CD-rom or whatever. I suppose 9.04 is fine, but I hope 8.6 is too ..... I never saw the use in upgrading to 9.04, it adds NOTHING for me to the OS (my imac has to have 9 installed ....)



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Chris Lambrechts
digi, is this one OK ???
(no I'm not a member or employee there, I don't even know them but they try to add their 2 cents ............ and I support them doing that)
http://www.copyrightcontrol.com/Clients.asp

[eiqs]

I,ve got a question regarding rtas plug count. I've used the 001 on a G4 400 and had 20 tracks open and as many as 12 plugs, depending on the type. You would think that you could have even more on a tdm system, considering the host cpu is not dealing with recording or playback of audio. I wonder if this is intentional since the use of rtas could reduce the need for more farm cards? You're opinion?

[Joris Vincken]

I really like this update. Stereo tracks, a few other life saving things like swithing between volume and waveform display by a key command and having the auto-input recording switch on the pro control. The RTAS plug-ins work fine and PT searches the HD to find any missing files. The list is very long with all those small improvements that really make my life a little easier.

One thing I personally do not like is the I/O window. I think it creates more troubles than it solves. The import track option does not work fine because of the double I/O in/outs it creates.

Finally if you own a 1622 please wait installing this update, because there are some problems with it (Sometimes only the first two inputs work with 5.1).

[thefly]

just installed 5.1, and the first thing i noticed is that it can't communicate w/ my motormix anymore. i had used both the motormix and hui profile and still not work. also, delete audio file by apple + shift + b causes the program to crash.

[Jules]

"The auto-input recording switch on the pro control."


Where is that BTW?!

http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif

Jules

Are we screwed for dual monitors on 5.1 - G4 ??? What's the deal here Rob?

[This message has been edited by Jules (edited February 10, 2001).]

[robdarling]

I'm not sure what the deal is with the dual monitor thing. I came late to the problem, after a lot of the first issues came up, and have never gotten a solid answer as to what the problem really is.

Again, I will ask Digi Tech Support:

What is the situation with dual monitor pci bus overload? What is the cause, what are the mitigating circumstances, and what is being done to deal with the problem?

[Joris Vincken]

I know where the auto input button is, but don't what the button is labeled. It's the one right to the pan selection button on the left of your PC. When switched to input only the rec. button on the transport window turns green.

[Jules]

Oh the mon//phase button - thanks!
interesting, cant wait for the download to become available...
Jules

[Joris Vincken]

Jules, I was at home writing this, so I had no procontrol in front of me.

[Jules]

Cool!
)
Jules

[Dog BBQ]

I can't believe you can't Put a RTAS Plug on an AUX channel!

I can't believe that there is no RTAS Direct Connect in TDM even if I had to put it on an Audio track! It looks as though the TDM DC doesn't adhere to the Shell II Plugin Sharing? If I just use one DC input it uses a whole chip and won't Share with any of the Digi Rack stuff?

Where's my Groove Quantize¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿

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[email protected]
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">quote:<HR>The Greatest Risk in Life is Doing Nothing<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Stratman]

Hey Mike,

Lighten up...I already apologized and retracted...let's get back to the post.

[sidereal]

So no crashes or bugs so far? That's good. Hate to keep harping on this, but anyone installed in 8.6 yet?

What about other issues like 5.0 plug-ins working with 5.1. Any updates needed?

Who's had a chance to dig into the Event List?

[Captain Crunch]

you can use Beat Detective for groove quantize, via swing value.

I've had a few crashes here and there, and was saved by the auto-save feature, a great new asset.

the RTAS plugs limitations are a bit of a drag, but at least its a step in the right direction.

[Mount Royal]

Any words of caution before we install newly arrived 5.1?

Thanks,
John Caldwell

G4 450 DP
Core & Farm
Dual ATTO
Appian J2000 AGP
single 888/24

[Joris Vincken]

5.1 is a superb update with many many new great features. But Mount Royal, there are a few issues with 5.1 that could be of importance to you.
When a 1622 is connected as the first interface, any other inputs than 1/2 do not work. There are also a number of reports of bounce problems, DAE buffer sizes, the I/O window and problems with WAV files. For most of these things there are workarounds, but if you want to be save, I would wait 'till 5.11. It seems Digi really had to push to get this update ready.

[Mount Royal]

Joris;

Interesting indeed. Thanks for your insight. Pro Tools 5.11 eh? Is there concensus that 5.1 is that rocky and in need of a big work-around stategy? Has there already been conjecture of version 5.11, which addresses problems created by rushing 5.1 to market?

John Caldwell

[Dog BBQ]

There is a Beta Folder on the ProTools 5.1 CD which contains a Version of ProTools 5.1cs2. Might fix some of these problems Might not

Read about it here:
http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002376.html

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[email protected]
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif">quote:<HR>The Greatest Risk in Life is Doing Nothing<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[[Benjamin]]

Re OS8.x/9.x systems & 9600

If you have a 9600/300 you have a 604e processor which practically Is a G3. So if I were you I'd go ahead (burn your old system partition on a cd, so you can return/restore and/or use another partition for a testdrive) Considering the architecture on the 604e processor, maybe you can use a powerlogix or xlr8 controlpanel to set cache writethru mode on/off, speculative addressing off (it will be) to see how fast /solid you can drive the system, etc. (Use Gauge PRO 1 1b2 to check memory, cache & processor speeds)

I've had great stability for 1 1/2 years using a Railgun 300/300/1MB G3 in my 9600. I've been using 9.0.4 for 3 months, and 9.1 for one month. (I don't use any networking extensions). No problems at all, potentially less than with 8.5.1 or 8.6.

(9600, 300/300/1MB Railgun G3, 512 mb interleaved RAM, voodoo3 graphics (works! superfast scrolling & screen redraw!) some wierd colours sometimes in PT sessions at launch (from using less that millions colors) but that's X-mas!)

Card order: (group1 http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif mixcore, mixfarm dspfarm, (group2 http://duc.digidesign.com/ubb/images/icons/smile.gif adaptec 2940UW (audio only), empty, Voodoo3.

-I've tried all kinds of combinations, not just to weed out problems, but to maximize screen redrawing speeds. (I freak out if I have slow screen redrawing..) I think I wait a couple of seconds longer upon opening a session with this cardorder, but it seems the most compatible & stable so far, and the screen redrawing is nowhere near inhibited!


Now, I don't know what this had to do with 5.1, sorry..


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[HYPERSONIC]

[Paul Greyson]

Originally posted by Joris Vincken:
5.1 is a superb update with many many new great features. But Mount Royal, there are a few issues with 5.1 that could be of importance to you.
When a 1622 is connected as the first interface, any other inputs than 1/2 do not work. There are also a number of reports of bounce problems, DAE buffer sizes, the I/O window and problems with WAV files. For most of these things there are workarounds, but if you want to be save, I would wait 'till 5.11. It seems Digi really had to push to get this update ready.

What "problems with WAV files" are you referring to?


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Paul Greyson
Digidesign Engineering

[BenjiF]

Originally posted by sidereal:
Hate to keep harping on this, but anyone installed in 8.6 yet?

Yes - yesterday. No problems so far....


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|>
|>enji

Benjamin Flaming
www.solobanjo.com

"Eating is for the weak in body,
Sleeping is for the weak in mind."
- A wise Flamingan monk

[muhamk]

For the record, I am running 5.1 with dual NEC 1810x monitors and the Appian video card with no problems. So far everything is working great!

[Joris Vincken]

Paul, the problem with WAV files we have are loud clicks and pops when the auto region fades are on.

[GVDB]

I haven't tried 5.1 yet but I heard that the audio-scrub function still hasn't been improved. I hate it when my cursors doesn't stop exactly at the point I want (and when you zoom in the cursor just dissappears). This feature is almost useless now.

Geert

[Paul Greyson]

Originally posted by Joris Vincken:
Paul, the problem with WAV files we have are loud clicks and pops when the auto region fades are on.

No kidding. I could swear that problem had been squashed during beta.

Thanks for the information.



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Paul Greyson
Digidesign Engineering

[vancalot]

Here's what we got go'n on..
New 533 G4
Promax DH MAX Dual Video Card
2 Monitors
Mix Plus
Protools 5.1

Happy to say no major problems to date, except we found that having a desktop picture instead of a pattern slowed video to a crawl during record(12 tracks at once).The Big Counter would only display the 1 of every bar! Removed the desktop picture (to the dismay of the artist...) and...fixed!
Thanks to all for the great advice, there's my two sense/cents.
Vance Powell
Sputnik Sound
Nashville TN

[cjguitar]

One question:

I thought that when you fill in the gaps in Beat Detective, it would pull audio from the front of a cut, not the end, or is there a preference for that?