Hui protocol control

[Jon Sonnenberg]

So... My old computer crashed. I updated to Pro Tools 12 from a much older version where everything had worked like a charm for years and years. I installed everything and am having intermittent issues with my Mixed Logic M24 motorized controller. I am using a Mac Pro 2x 2.4 GHz quad core with OS 10.5.9 Mavericks.

My problem is this. the M24 is set up as 3 HUI controllers of 8 channels each over USB. If I set up just one of these and use the first 8 channels, it works perfectly as expected, though I am only limited to the first 8 channels of a 24 channel board. If 2 are set up, it is a little more sluggish, and I have a 16 channel limitation. If all 3 are used, I can use all 24 channels but it has a noticeable delay of several seconds before motorized automation mimics what is done in PT. I have gone into the MIDI mapper and created a virtual MIDI instrument there (which was suggested by Mixed Logic) for the computer to streamline this a bit more which fixes the problem only intermittently. I also notice that sometimes this problem goes away now if I open a session, reassign HUI machine control, and turn on and off the MIDI thru / echo control. Then and only then, does the problem SOMETIMES go away. What can I do to get this system robust enough to have low latency, where timing between my machine control surface and PT are negligible, and I don't have to scurry around the peripheral menus to try and correct issues that I thought were resolved that last time I opened the session? Does anyone have any suggestions?

Is this some kind of confusion in the computer or in the software that is causing the extra delays when 3 HUI devices are assigned? Is there some setting in PT that I may not have considered changing that could allow the HUI protocol control surface to be streamlined with my sessions?

[Jon Sonnenberg]

To be clear, I am using a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 as my I/O module. I am having no problems with the input/output audio latency. That seems to be rock solid.

It is the Mixed Logic M24 (24 channels of motorized faders) that works with the HUI protocol that I am having several seconds (and I do mean both SEVERAL and SECONDS) of latency when I am trying to use it with a session. The fact that sometimes when I turn MIDI thru on, then off again can clear the problem is a mystery. Once the control surface board is working with the session, then it seems to be fine throughout the whole time that I have it open. I can save the session, close it, then reopen it and is may or may not be back to the delays.

It is so bad and such a delay, in fact, that I can be playing a session then hit stop - for illustration sake, let's say I hit stop at 3:00 minutes- the audio stops immediately, but the motorized faders will still be moving and acting like it is still playing through 2:50 to 3:00, then it finally stops.

Is anyone else having issues like this? Again, if I don't use all 3 channels of the HUI interface, but only use 8 channels (and make the remaining 16 channels dead and unused by taking HUI 2 and HUI 3 out of the setup), then I am not seeing any of these issues, but I limit myself to 8 channels.