PT 9.0.2 "loud pop and No Sound" problem related to plugins and 002R

[bortraws]

I have a strange problem with Pro Tools 9.0.2 (incl CPTK). Especially when I use many plugins in a session, especially with plugins like Harmony EFX, Magnetic and Steven Slate VCC.

The following occurs. A loud pop will be heard in the speakers (it sounds like when you accidentally turning on an external device while your monitors are on) and my Digi 002R will lose connection without Pro Tools giving an error message. Pro Tools will function perfectly normal except no sound is heard when the session is played.

Now this problem happens in two situations:

1) I am working on a session and everything runs fine until I insert an umpteenth plugin into an insert slot. Pro Tools pops in my monitors and I loose my sound. It's not always the same plugin but it happens a lot with Magnetic, Harmony EFX and Steven Slate VCC. I can then deactivate the plugin (command ctrl click on the plugin insert) and the pop will be heard again. Unfortunately the sound won't come back after that.

2) I can save the session and load another one which will play back fine. But when I open the problem session again, during the loading procedure while Pro Tools is rebuilding tracks and activating inserts my speakers will pop again and the session won't give any sound when I play it back.

I have already undertaken and checked the following to no avail:
- checked if I had the latest versions of my plugins (especially the 3);
- deleted prefs and dbases either manually or with Tech Utility;
- tried to change the Hardware Buffer Size in the session to see
if the 002R will come back alive. It will pop again but it won't
play back the session;
- Restarted the 002R with the session open to see if it will come alive.
Pro Tools gives the message of missing connection. After reconnecting
by clicking ok it still won't play back the session.
- opening up the session with the shift pressed (no plugins are loaded)
The session works and plays back. I the activate the plugins again one
by one and all of a sudden the pop comes back and I lose my sound.
As said this not just happens with the same plugin but with several
different ones. Particularly with the previous mentioned three.

Anyone else with this problem? Help would be nice DigiTechSupport.

Thanks in advance.

I have the following setup:
- Digi 002R
- Eleven Rack (with Expansion Pack firmware)
- Mac Pro Xeon 8-Core with 8GB RAM
- Mac OS 10.6.6 (in the middle of Mixing and don't want to upgrade to 10.6.7 yet)
- Pro Tools 9.0.2 with Complete Production Toolkit 2

[Carl Lie]

This happened to me recently and I tracked down the culprit to be SD2. Once I moved my drums over to VEPRO everything worked out fine.

Carl

[bortraws]

I'm also using Superior Drummer 2 (latest version) but when I turn that on (after having started the session with all plugins deactivated) there is no problem whatsoever.

SD might be involved indirectly because I can't pinpoint it to one plugin. My guess is it could have something to do with memory. Maybe a memory leak like I have been experiencing with HD sessions that contain lots of VI's. (I have also worked with HD a lot and had many crashes due to memory errors).

This might have something to do with it even though it's on Native 9.0.2 with CPTK2.

Anybody have some other ideas?

[bortraws]

Bump

[danander11]

Hold down the shift key when opening the problem session. That will disable all plugs. If everything is hunky dory, then activate your plugs one at a time until the proverbial hits the fan..

It may not be the answer, but could get you closer to finding your problem child..

Peace!

[bortraws]

Already did that.

It's one of the many things I wrote in my post that I tried.

As soon as I activate the umpteenth plugin it will pop again and I lose sound in the 002R.

[futz]

This exact situation has happened with me. Through the expected means I found the guilty plugin. Then it happens again on another session where that plugin has not been instantiated, and I am able to find, once again the (supposedly) guilty plugin, a plugin that, as in the previous case, works in other less plugin-heavy sessions without a problem.

This tells me what the OP seems to be saying - that it's unrelated to any certain plugin. It it then the number of plugins instantiated? Why is there no error message - only a loud pop and then no more audio? What might be causing this? What might be a remedy, other than not using that last plugin in my session?

Selfishly, I hope this is an issue in which DTS takes an interest, and if so, thank you in advance for your help, or that of anyone else. There's a pretty decently high annoyance factor here...

My setup:
- Digi 002R
- Mac Pro Dual Quad-Core Xeon with 18GB RAM
- Mac OS 10.6.6
- Pro Tools 9.0.2

[futz]

I was hoping to hear from Mr. DTS on this. However, Bortraws and I seem to be the only people experiencing this issue, and presumably DTS has never heard of this other than here in this thread - for those reasons maybe it's not worth DTS's time to address this issue (as I mentioned earlier, it looks like DTS has been addressing a lot of other posts - it isn't like he's napping all day).

Mr. DTS, is it true you haven't heard of this issue, other than from Bortraws and me? Might you have any idea why this happens to us? Might you have any suggestions?

Other than this, my usage of PT 9 (with help from VEP) has been so flawless as to begin to erode a good habit I had developed over my many years of composing via computer (starting on a Commodore 64) - hitting "Save" constantly. I almost *never* have crashes anymore. That makes my current issue all the more frustrating.

If you have a moment, Mr. DTS...

[Carl Lie]

Which VI's are you still running in PT if any?

Carl

[futz]

Speaking for myself, I run some of my 32-bit plugins in PT - obviously all of the Air plugins (VI's and effects), IK Multimedia modules, Ivory II, Play, Applied Acoustic's stuff, Garritan, Crystal, etc., as well as plugins on the Master channel.

As I mentioned, the supposedly guilty plugin from one session where this issue arises might not even be instantiated in the next session where the problem occurs, and removing a different plugin solves (that word used advisedly here) the issue, at least for the moment. So it doesn't seem to be a particular plugin, but rather the number of them being used at any time that causes the pop and the following absence of audio.

I appreciate your interest, Carl. I hope DTS takes some interest in this as well...

By the way, all my plugins are up to date.