Cloud Collaboration/Pro Tools Projects/Avid Link issues

[colliderman]

Ok, I'm really at my wits end here. Could anyone from Avid please tell me if the cloud collaboration feature is currently working as expected, or if there is some sort of issue with Avid servers that is causing it to be temporarily unavailable?

I have been trying to Collaborate with someone who is on an active subscription and using the latest version of Pro Tools. Neither of us have been able to get either the pro tools project to work reliably or in any sort of consistent manner, or Avid Link working properly, which I'm assuming Avid Link working properly and cloud collaboration working properly are intrinsically connected.

Listing all of the problems we're experiencing and everything we've tried in detail would be too much to post here as there's just no consistency to the behaviour of either program, other than they're just not working 95% of the time.

The main issue seems to be connection related. For instance, the times I am actually able to get logged into Avid Link, neither the projects or messages tab will load and display properly most of the time. Occasionally they will maybe 1 out of every 10 attempts after some combination of log out/log in, restart avid link, clear cache files, restart application manager, restart computer,

When in Pro Tools, with the project open, I am signed in (it shows signed in at the bottom of file menu, plus I'd have to be signed in to open the project in the first place) but if I open the Start Collaboration/Artist Chat window, the user icon does not show that I am online, none of my messages or contacts show up, and if I select the "add contacts" tab, Pro Tools tells me "search is unavailable in offline mode". How could I be in offline mode if I am signed in?

We've been trying everything to get this working over the past 3 days and there was one point in time, 2 nights ago where suddenly it did appear to be working. In the pro tools project Start Collaboration window messages through the artist chat were going through, my contacts list was there, the little green circle by the profile icon was lit showing online, it was actually working! But then, next day back to same issues as before and we haven't got it back up since.

So my question to anybody that can help is: is anybody right now currently using cloud collaboration successfully? In other words, is it a problem on my end, and if so I can keep trying to troubleshoot and figure out. Or is it a problem on Avid's end that someone can acknowledge and tell me it's being worked on? I have no problem being patient if it's the latter I'd just like to know so I can stop chasing my own tail and find a workaround until things are back online.

Thank you!

[BLG]

I have more issues with PT Cloud than I could list here, but basically I (we) think it just SUCKS!!! How many years has this been around for and they still haven't worked out all of the bugs!?!?!? Here are just some of the issues that I run into on a semi-daily basis:


1 - Can't download songs - it hangs on "looking for latest version"
2 - When I open a song that's been previously shared it shows no tracks have been shared. When I try to share them the button toggles, but still shows not shared. The green upload button doesn't light up.
3 - My collaborator makes changes and saves/uploads them and I can't see them. Same thing the other way around.
4 - More frequently than not when I upload changes nothing shows in the task manager.
5 - The share button is greyed out and it says that I'm not logged in but under the File menu it clearly shows that I am. I log out and back in again but that doesn't help.
6 - When I open the Start a Collaboration window it searches endlessly but never connects. It says Looking for Pro Tools Projects (for well over 2 hours now). Right now it says "Connection lost - trying to reconnect"
7 - I just noticed that when the collaboration buttons are greyed out at the bottom of the screen it says No internet connection. But clearly I'm connected to the internet - I just opened the project. And I can browse the internet fine.


This is just a partial list and I'd say that on average PT Cloud works as expected maybe 50-60% of the time.

I've uninstalled/reinstalled PT at least 10 times, sometimes doing so fixes issues - other times it does not.

When I open a support ticket it takes WEEKS for a response.

AVID - what the heck is going on? This product has been around for SO LONG that this stuff should be working like a fine-tuned machine. But no. I don't think that's ever going to happen.

I've considered using DropBox instead, but then only one person could have the project/session open at a time. That's not very useful.

Any other suggestions would be welcome.

[JFreak]

How reliable and fast is your internet connection? I have zero trouble with this budget 250/50 mbit/sec fibre connection. Could get 1000/100 for 19,90 euros more but why would I do that as the cheaper one is fast enough. Liking the price tag of 10 euros a month. In fact the connection is so fast I need to have wired connection, wireless cannot reach 250/50 speed (Apple are you listening, we need better routers).

[Eric Lambert]

We haven't tried it in quite a while. Our initial tests were somewhat uninspiring (with issues similar to what you've mentioned) so we've avoided it since then. Love the idea of it. Maybe it's time for another test drive to see how it's changed.

[BLG]

My internet is very stable. It goes down just a few times a year. Right now it's reporting speeds of 280/17.

Those are some pretty good speeds for a "budget connection"! Fiber isn't an option here - it's just Comcast cable (which I have and is very expensive (close to $200 a month bundled with TV and home security)) or AT&T. I haven't tried AT&T, but like I said my connection is very stable.

So you're saying that you don't have these issues with PT Cloud?

[JFreak]

I have zero issues. You may want to find out if your ISP blocks some ports that are needed for Avid Cloud? Sorry I do not have a list but you would get it from Avid Support if needed.

[BLG]

Wow Janne - no issues!?! I think you're extremely lucky (in more ways than one - your internet is so much better in the EU than here in the states!). I've heard mostly complaints about Avid Cloud.

I don't think it could be blocked ports since it works maybe 40% of the time. And like I said Avid support takes a minimum of 3 weeks to respond, so that's not much help.

[JFreak]

I don't know what to say really. Generally speaking internet in EU is much better than US even though Avid is located in California. Internet is actually a civil right in Finland where I live, anyone is entitled to internet connection even if unenmployed, sick or whatever.

Back to the point, if it works sometimes I agree it cannot be blocked ports. That was just my first guess if your internet works in basic browsing but not with Avid's. On another note I have zero issues so Avid servers must be operational.

Maybe you should just contact Avid Support and ask them what is going on?

[BLG]

Thanks Janne. I just submitted a support request via the portal but I just heard back last week on an issue I opened about a month ago and there's another in the queue that's been there for about 6 weeks so I don't expect to hear back any time soon. And as a perpetual user I only have access via the support portal - no phone support .

[ktuulu]

I am having the exact same problems as the OP. Most frequently, even though I am signed into Avid Link and PT, I get a "Connection lost, trying to reconnect" error. Avid Link shows no projects, messages etc. I can still sometimes open a project from within PT, but once I make track changes I can't upload them to the cloud.

Everything worked on the exact hardware/software setup I had, intermittently, a few months back. Now it simply works 20-40% of the time.

I've checked that windows is allowing PT through the firewall. Updated to the latest version of Avid Link (2021.2.1). Nothing works.

Have others found these problems to be persistent? I'm wondering if going back to the dropbox method is the only option.