Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

There is a problem with Pro Tools Ultimate 2022.5, the Mac Studio M1 Max and OS 12.4.
(I posted about this on the "New "Mac Studio" from Apple" thread, but I believe a new thread is necessary.)

The PT Playback Engine has no dropdown menu, it just shows Aggregate. I have not been able to test with Avid hardware.

All the interfaces I use appear in Audio Midi Setup and work perfectly with other manufacturer´s software.

The same interfaces appear correctly on a Silicon Macbook Pro running OS 12.4 and PT 2022.5, and on a Mac Pro running Mojave.
So it is only a problem with the Mac Studio.

To eliminate the possibility of any 3rd party driver problems, I just used Apple and Avid. I did a clean install of OS 12.4 on a new volume and just installed PT 2022.5, nothing else. I wanted to see if the dropdown menu appeared.
Mac Studio speakers appear in Audio Midi setup, but do not appear in the PT Playback engine. There is no dropdown menu.

So there we are, Avid has not configured PT 2022.5 correctly for the Mac Studio M1 Max.
2022.5 seems to work correctly on a silicon Mac, but not on the Mac Studio.

I have not been lucky with Avid support, unfortunately getting the same person each time I call or email.
Her analysis of the problem is that it is up to other manufacturers to make interfaces work with Avid.
She has failed to understand that there are only two manufactures here, Avid and Apple. Yet she knows, without testing with a Mac Studio, that it is not Avid´s fault!

Incredible.

Re: Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

Thanks for the heads up. I'm on a Mac Studio M1 Max using 2022.5 and it's working just fine for me, but I'm on OS 12.3.1 so it might be a 12.4 issue. Can you roll back?

Re: Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

I´ll look into rolling back to 12.3.1. Thanks for the feedback.
Just to confirm you are not using Aggregate? (aggregate does work for stereo and Mac Speakers)

Re: Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

No, using my Lynx Aurora 16 (original, not the 'n' version). Drop-down works fine and I can see all the other devices I would normally see listed as usual.

Re: Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

Thanks for confirming that. It does point to a 12.4 and Avid issue with the Mac Studio.

Re: Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

Some good testing there.

Did you also try changing LOCALE as I previously suggested? That *might* explain why you are seeing problems other users don't' seem to be.

The CoreAudio HAL which Pro Tools uses to build that playback engine list is heavy with multilingual support/localization code and having beaten my head against that code I'd be suspicious of bugs caused by that to start with. Heck some of the HAL sample code our there has stupid issues, some with multilingual CFString conversions.

If your Mac's LOCALE is less frequently used may explain why other are not seeing the problem. Either bugs in drivers, the HAL or in Pro Tools or more than one could causing problems like this... and trivial to exclude LOCALE as an issue by setting the Mac to USA/English. What LOCALE are you using (so others can test switching to that)? Did you try USA/English?

Also since I've seen very rare CoreAudio glitches with headphone stuff... but on any of these systems is it possible you have a headphone plugged into the Mac Studio? Or AirPod or other wireless headphones connecting or trying to connect? I'd check to make sure that you don't/that it's unplugged. Heck I'd even try plugging in a wired headphone if one was not connected and see if that changes behavior.

Re: Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

Yes, thanks. I did try that, but no change.

No headphones, wired or wireless.

Re: Mac Studio M1 Max Problems with 2022.5 Playback Engine
 

Thanks everyone for your help. I found the bug.
It is between Pro Tools and the Mac Studio Hdmi output.
I have an Hdmi to Vga adaptor connected for one of my monitors. This was preventing the dropdown menu from displaying.
When the Hdmi output is connected directly to an Hdmi monitor the dropdown menu does display, however the "OK" at the bottom right of the Playback Engine window is absent, as are the 3 traffic light buttons at top left.. "Return" does close the window, but there is something wrong there.
Fwiw, Apple, Motu, iZotope and DaVinci have no problems with the Hdmi to Vga adapter.