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  #1  
Old 07-15-2021, 07:52 PM
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Default PT unable to require hardware

I'm running Windows 10 and PT 2020.3. My interface is a PreSonus Studio 26C.

Today out of the blue I started getting the situation where the playback button blinks green and the stop button turns blue.

I ran Trasher and the problem continued along with these errors:

Pro Tools is unable to reacquire the hardware because it is in use by another application....

and

Pro Tools is either not installed or used by another program.


I've searched online, searched here, checked all my settings, and can't find anything amiss. It's been many months since I've had any issues. I haven't had any hardware or software issues or changes.

If anyone can offer any ideas as to how to fix, I'd appreciate it greatly.
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  #2  
Old 07-16-2021, 08:17 AM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

I'm wondering whether uninstalling then reinstalling my PreSonus interface would resolve this.
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  #3  
Old 07-16-2021, 09:11 AM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

Check in Control Panel>Sound and make sure your interface is NOT the default in the Playback and Record Tabs. Make your onboard soundcard the default and disable any instance of the Presonus. Reboot and open Pro Tools again holding down the "N" key before you click the PT Icon and while PT is starting until the Playback dialogue opens up. Choose your Presonus there.
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  #4  
Old 07-16-2021, 12:14 PM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

Thanks for weighing in.

I tried this and it had no effect.

I'm not getting the hardware error, but I still have the stop button blue and no playback.

I think something else weird is going on. I use 'freeze track up to this insert' a lot.

I just tried to do that on a track and all the freeze options were grayed out.
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  #5  
Old 07-16-2021, 12:38 PM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

Initially I believed the particular session file I'm currently working on is corrupt.

When I opened another session, everything was fine. I closed an reopened that and other sessions and had the same issues.

The 'acquire hardware' errors are back, and I still have the stop button blue and no playback.
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Windows 10 Pro 64 21H2, Pro Tools 2022.7.0

Last edited by dg27; 07-16-2021 at 01:08 PM.
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  #6  
Old 07-19-2021, 08:05 AM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

Hmmm, re the stop button flash and no playback, I have had this happen a fair amount. Closing PT and re-opening has solved that issue 100% of the time for me(it usually only happens on the first session from booting the computer).

Re the hardware issue, here are some thoughts:
1-Since the Presonus connects via USB, have you turned off the Power Management feature on all USB ports(sometimes called "USB Root hub" in Device Manager)?
2-open Setup>IO>Output tab, and look for duplicate paths(delete the duplicates) or dead paths and delete those(a dead path will show in italics)
3-the fact that almost all Windows systems require you to make sure the interface is NOT used as the Windows default playback device can't be over-stated. You said you checked, so you may have this set correctly, BUT, you also need to be aware that this can get reset without you knowing and it can happen for 2 reasons; 1-some Windows updates(happened here twice last year) and 2-when you install or update the Presonus drivers(had this happen once when I was using a Studio 1810c on my rig).
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  #7  
Old 07-19-2021, 08:37 AM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

Albee,

Thanks for weighing in: I'll recheck and confirm the hardware issues you raised, but there have been new developments.

Since the original post, I decided to uninstall/reinstall PT since nothing I tried worked. I also decided to update PT to a newer version, since I have paid updates till May 2024.

I was on Windows 10 Build 1909; the last version of PT that supports 1909 is PT 2020.11. (I had run PT 2020.3 on Win 10 Build 1909 with absolutely no issues for over a year.)

In order to get a newer PT version, I updated Windows to Build 2004 (aka The May 2020 Update) and installed PT 2020.12.

PT 2020.12 is running unbelievably slowly: Just opening a session used to take under a minute; now it can take 5 minutes.

But even more concerning is that in the upper left-hand corner I'm constantly getting "Pro Tools (Not Responding)", when the wheel will spin and I can't do anything. This happens even when I just try to access the toolbar.

All other aspects being equal is PT 2020.12 that much more demanding in terms CPU usage? PT 2020.3 was great and I'd be happy to go back to that.

Or is this a Windows Build 2004 issue?. I vaguely remember seeing references to an Avid-issued patch for Build 2004, but can't find anything on the Avid site.

I'm seriously considering rolling Windows 10 back to Build 1909 and reinstalling PT 2020.3, because as it stands now the 2004/2020.12 combination is completely unworkable.
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  #8  
Old 07-19-2021, 11:35 AM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

I doubt it has anything at all to do with which build of Windows you are using. Troubleshoot by doing the usual stuff:

Do not let Windows System Sounds access your audio interface.
All AVID optimization steps.
Uninstall bloatware.
Run Windows Security scan.
Kill unnecessary startup items.
Windows updates - latest/current version.
Audio interface drivers - latest/current version.
iLok - latest/current version.
All plugs - latest/current version.
Uninstalls/reinstalls, as needed.
No 3rd party plugs (for now).
CCleaner - registry & cleaner passes.
New or proven-working cable for audio interface.
Affinity/Priority switch.
Correct type (& matching) memory sticks.
Memory sticks installed in correct motherboard slots.
MemTest86.
New or proven-working PSU.
(Did I forget anything?)

Skip just one step ... and you could have a problem lurking. Your Windows rig should run Pro Tools well, once properly set up and optimized. If you do ALL the above and still have issues, I'd probably start over with a fresh install of Windows, preferably on a fresh drive. Hope this helps!
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  #9  
Old 07-19-2021, 11:42 AM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

Quote:
Originally Posted by dg27 View Post
... It's been many months since I've had any issues...
But now you do have issues. See my above post.
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  #10  
Old 07-19-2021, 11:48 AM
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Default Re: PT unable to require hardware

Quote:
Originally Posted by EGS View Post
I doubt it has anything at all to do with which build of Windows you are using.
Thanks for all the details; I'll go through the steps you recommend.

Two questions.

Quote:
Originally Posted by EGS View Post
No 3rd party plugs (for now).
Previously, weren't the 3rd party plugins in a separate folder?

Quote:
Originally Posted by EGS View Post
CCleaner - registry & cleaner passes.
I'm very leery about using any registry cleaners. I used CCleaner for years, but it's gotten a very bad rep over the past few years.
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