VENUE Link, no go

[Howardk]

I’m on an avid S6L 24D tonight (Version 7.0.0.348) on the east coast USA, trying to record show (fly in date). I have ProTools 2021–7 I have established a link between the console and ProTools. Can see Pro Tools under Devices on the S6L and used Audio Midi Setup etc.. to establish a connection and I can see the E6 Engine in the Pro Tools playback engine but there is no button to create from session when creating a new session and when I refresh the I/O it doesn’t say Venue it just still says input or output or whatever. Watched the videos, scanned the document. Console owner barely knows the board, he’s a Midas guy.

Called a couple S6L guys out West, no ideas on wtf is wrong.

What am I missing?

[Howardk]

… Venue link is enabled in Options/Interaction, but Venue says “not connected”.
MacBook Pro is not picking up an IP address… I guess no DHCP Server exists in the Avid landscape, but doc says different.
Audio is passing from Venue to Pro Tools via AVB when I manually create the 64 Tracks.

Show in 5 minutes…at least I can record into Audio 1, Audio 2, etc…

Over and Out for now…

[Valentyn]

Originally Posted by Howardk

I guess no DHCP Server exists in the Avid landscape, but doc says different.

There's no DHCP server in internal S6L network, that's true. So Mac should get an address like 169.254.x.x and that's as intended. Don't try to add DCHP server or you will disrupt the network.

VenueLink has own connection - that's separate from AVB audio connection. The first thing for VenueLink is to check ProTools' Setup->Peripherals, VENUE tab and ensure VenueLink is connected there. Check the network interface to be correct, and choose VENUE system from the list of discovered systems (there could be few consoles found if in I/O sharing). That's it.

[Howardk]

I did go to the peripherals dialog in Pro Tools and it was unclear… I remember it showing 127.0.0.1 toward the bottom for the interface IP with a port toward the right, and there was nothing connected under “Venue System” but the that drop down had a place to put a manual IP address, what IP address, I don’t know.. Certainly did not line up with what I expected to see from the Avid document, but recourse was unclear.

Also Avid document states something like… set computer Ethernet port to DHCP and an IP will be assigned to the computer, when in fact an IP is not assigned to the computer, but instead the computer self-assigns an IP… misleading instruction that had me thinking there was a problem With DHCP.

I am thousands of miles away from this system now, so the ship has sailed, opportunity missed.

[Valentyn]

Originally Posted by Howardk

I remember it showing 127.0.0.1 toward the bottom for the interface IP with a port toward the right

127.0.0.1 is a virtual loopback network interface, that's the wrong one. You need to choose a real network interface where the address would be like 169.254.x.x. That's the key to your issue.

Originally Posted by Howardk

Also Avid document states something like… set computer Ethernet port to DHCP and an IP will be assigned to the computer, when in fact an IP is not assigned to the computer, but instead the computer self-assigns an IP… misleading instruction that had me thinking there was a problem With DHCP.

Link-local IP address (what you call self-assigned) is still an IP assigned to computer. So the manual is still technically right.

[Valentyn]

P.S. We'll update manual based on your experience.

[Howardk]

Yes, definitely confusing to me… hey, I’m old! To me the steps in the doc make it sound like the E6 Engine will be accessible or the interface IP auto populates in the other drop down for selection under peripherals… which did not happen in my case. Also the word “Interface” is used loosely… which interface? I was assuming I needed the S6L system’s IP to get this working, but could not find that info anywhere…. or it seems now it may want the Computers’s self-assigned IP. I don’t know, thousands of miles away from this setup now so I can’t walk thru it… might well be something I did incorrectly and AVID Support on short notice seems to have evaporated, plus the next time I run into an S6L will likely have a tight timeline on a fly-in day of show. Still working mostly on Profiles…. it has been my experience that production companies are trying to push us toward Midas, Yamaha and Soundcraft as the US based regional companies are shying away from Avid as they feel the pain of their Profiles and SC48’s being no longer support and dying, lots of disgruntled owners out there. I had 2 shows in July alone that I had to do surgery on rented older AVID consoles to not blow a date… scary.