Several Problems with PT 8 and 2626

[rastro2]

I've recently upgraded to a very powerful Mac Pro Quad Core 2.66 gHz with 8g RAM.
Here are the recurring problems that I'm having.
"ProTools Hardware is not installed or in use by another program" even when no other program is using the hardware.
It takes several cycles of restarting to clear up this problem, while clients get increasingly annoyed.
Also, major problems trying to run sessions at 88.2: Clock problems, and pops and clicks when running sessions. This happens whether I'm using the internal clock on the 2626, or slaving to the WC on an Apogee Rosetta.

Eventually, I will get a session up and running, but it's essentially trial and error, with lots of restarts and opening and closing the M-Audio control panel.

I'm connecting to the 2626 via the Firewire port on the front, using a FW 400 to FW 800 cable. I've tried different cables, but always with the same result.

Unrelated to this is a separate problem. The M-Audio software mixer will freeze (this happens in all sessions). I can continue to run the session, but I'm unable to change levels in the mixer. I eventually have to close ProTools and force quite the 2626 mixer.

I often get the "No M-Audio Device Can Be Found" error, even when the 2626 is connected. Power cycling the 2626 eventually clears this up.

I'm running ProFire Software 2.2.4, Firmware 1.1.10, ProTools 8.8.3, Mac OS 10.6.3

Please help. Both of these problems wast a lot of my time in sessions.


thanks,

Joe McGinty

[necjamc]

This to me sounds like a firewire chip issue. I can't say that it won't work with the 400 to 800 cable or with your chip, but these are all problems I have had when using either a chipset that wasn't compatable, or a dodgy cable. It would work, then freeze, or not connect right at all, or click and pop. Have you tried another cable? You might want to look into a TI chipset firewire 400 card to run it off of.

[barters81]

I've been using a couple of profire 2626's now for a while with no dramas. I use a 400->800 cable as well. I had some popping and stuff early on when I didn't have the Profire set up correctly. That was a year or more ago now, and I don't have my recording setup in front of me.

Can you put up what your settings are for the profire? Are you recording to an external drive? If so how is that setup?

Failing everything else......this may be a 64 bit operating system issue.

[necjamc]

I have never had an issue on Win 7 64bit. I would like to see what firewire chipset is being used. And if a different cable was tried.

[fizzler]

I know it doesn't help, but I have the same Mac Pro (6GB, 10.6.4) + the Profire 2626 running flawlessly on an extra FW-PCIe-Card for its own (with TI chipset).
But I remeber it also worked well connected to the built in FW-port on the back.

Important:
Don't use any other FW-device f.e. external harddisks on the same bus, you will always run into problems at some point. The Mac Pro has 4 internal HDD slots, that should be more than enough ;-)

Hope you get your setup fixed.

cheers,
patrick

[rastro2]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm going to try getting one of those FW cards with the TI chipsets. I'll let you know how it goes.