Satellite Issue when transport is online

[Etienne_C]

Hi,

we have 2 Protools HD and 1 Protools LE (for the video) linked with Satellite. We have an issue that appeared this monday:

When the transport is online and at the same time there is a satellite link, the Administrator shows a message after a stop command that says: "Satellite cannot currently play. Please resolve the issue with the satellite and try again".
The Admin is automatically unlinked. The problem doesn't exist if the transport is not online.

I trashed the prefs, repaired the permissions, even reinstalled protools (back from 8.0.4cs2 to 8.0.3cs2) but no change.

The protools LE now runs with MMC and MTC. The other protools HD follows LTC. But that's not very convenient and I want to use the Satellite again.

Any help will be appreciated...

Thank you

[Norad155]

Transport on which system is online... the admin? and why are you putting it online?

[Etienne_C]

The transport is online on the Admin. He has to chase the LTC of our console (DFC). We could setup the Protools as a Machine control master but the mixer doesn't like the protools this way. Anyway this problem never happened as we already did it in previous mixes.

[Frank Kruse]

Originally Posted by Etienne_C

The transport is online on the Admin. He has to chase the LTC of our console (DFC). We could setup the Protools as a Machine control master but the mixer doesn't like the protools this way. Anyway this problem never happened as we already did it in previous mixes.

You don´t need transport at all. Don´t you just chase TC on the master and lock the slave via VS?

[Postman]

Originally Posted by Etienne_C

the Administrator shows a message after a stop command that says: "Satellite cannot currently play. Please resolve the issue with the satellite and try again".
The Admin is automatically unlinked. The problem doesn't exist if the transport is not online.

Are you sure this just started happening? This is how things have always worked for me (at least since 8.01) with Video Satellite.

It happens to me a couple of times a day when I'm editing. Whether it is my error at the keyboard (I don't think I typed command-j) or whether there is something else happening, I will sometimes find my system (the admin) unexpectedly online, with the same error message.

[thierryd]

I've seen this several times a day as well, since I started using Video Satellite (which was VS LE from the moment it was launched and later VS with 2 HD PT systems). Normal behavior I guess, till Avid eventually finds a solution; unfortunately I sometimes get the feeling that some of these issues are difficult to solve for Avid (maybe due to changing personnel in the development teams...).
Sometimes the issue can be resolved by control (or apple I'm not in front of it) clicking the satellites link button, but more often you have to solve it at the satellite system itself (which I do via screen sharing)...

Greetings,

Thierry

[Bob Brown]

Etienne_C,

Could you describe your setup in more detail?

From what you have said, you have 2 PT HD systems and 1 PT LE system all linked together with Satellite Link.

Which system(s) is online?
Is this system chasing LTC or MTC?

The more details you can provide about how the systems are starting playback (by pressing space bar or by chasing time code) the better.

Thanks,
Bob Brown

[Etienne_C]

Hello,

glad to have news from you!

So here is the setup:

2 Protools HD5 (8.0.4cs2) and 1 Protools LE VS (8.0.3cs2). These 3 systems are connected on a dedicated switch. For this mix, we have one protools HD chasing LTC and the other PT HD + VS LE chasing the first PTHD with Satellite.
The problem happens in this case:
when we hit stop on the keyboard or with the mouse on the screen;
when the first PTHD chasing LTC is stopped because LTC is stopped.
It even happens in another setup where the first PTHD is in remote control with the console and is either master or in LTC chase.

I tried different setup with the Satellites:
The first PTHD with only the VS LE.
The first PTHD with only the 2nd PTHD.
The 2nd PTHD administrator with only the first PTHD.

Same issue.

We already used this setup several times and for what I know, it never behaved like this. We have other studios where we have this kind of setup and it never happens either. I tested it yesterday in an other studio and I didn't have this.
I know that the versions are not the same but I tried to revert the first PTHD in 8.0.3cs2 and tested it with the VS LE only and it did the same.
There's a Cedar DNS3000 connected to the second ethernet port of the first PTHD and I tried to disconnect it but the problem remains.

That's all for the moment...


@ ThierryD: it's funny to have news from you via the DUC! :)

[sebanseban]

@ Etienne

Sorry for OT, bu we have very same setup but without VS but we are thinking about installing VS.
In our setup one PT station is just LTC master for 3 others PT and DFC.
What is the problem with setup when Protools as a Machine control?

[Etienne_C]

Hi Sebanseban,

the setup with the DFC and Protools in Machine Control works quite well, if you don't have to work on the timeline, edit and so on... because when remote is on, you can't do what you want as you could when the transport is online only.
I imagine that what you could do is to setup the protools which is the multitrack recorder as the MCS master and as the Administrator for the Satellite system.
And if you're ok with a Protools as TC master, Video Satellite is a good solution too because your pictures will follow exactly like a video file in the Protools HD.

Here we have plenty of freelance mixers working with different habits and preferences. So sometimes Video satellite is a good solution and sometimes I would prefer to put the video in an RS422 non linear deck that works straight with the MCS. It depends. Maybe we could make a little investment in a RS422 to MMC/MTC converter...