Communication problems between Carbon and Pro Tools

[michenal]

Hi there,

I have received Carbon a few weeks ago and I really love it for its sound and the workflow!

I have run into persistent connection issues, however, between Carbon and Pro Tools recently. I am wondering if I am alone or if it's a widespread issue that will hopefully be resolved in future firmware/software updates.

I have a pretty powerful new Mac Pro with 16 cores, lots of RAM and large fast storage space with MV2 SSDs etc.., but somehow, it seems that the issue arises whenever the audio engine struggles to keep up at low buffer settings, especially when using CPU intensive virtual instruments but also when working on large sessions with many native plugins. Instead of getting the usual CPU overload errors that would sometimes stop playback but be inconsequential with my other audio interfaces (Metric Halo 3D), with the Carbon interface, I get the following message:

“Pro Tools cannot communicate with the Selected Playback Engine device. Please quit Pro Tools, reconnect the unit, and then relaunch Pro Tools.”

I then need to quit Pro Tools and restart it to be able to work in my session again. This situation has happened a lot lately, as I am working more with orchestral virtual instruments for my new project.

I am wondering if I should open a ticket or whether I should just be patient and wait for a new firmware release. My Carbon interface is connected straight into the Ethernet port using the provided cable. I should clarify that I am not using an aggregate playback device, just Carbon in my sessions.

Anyone else here has encountered these issues? Do you think it’s a hardware issue and that I should open a support ticket?

Thanks!

Sebastien