System audio thru a MixPlus system

[Syntho]

When I'm using my PT rig everything sounds fine inside of PT. But when I want to route system audio through the PT hardware, I get a rather weird kind of sound. I tried SoundJam, Mint audio, iTunes, and Quicktime, and every one of them gives me this rather weird noisefloor. If a track is really low in volume like a fade in or fade out, I can hear weird digital noise and a bit of hissing until the song is at full volume, then the song masks it, but it's still there. This disappears completely when playing a song inside PT.

I know I shouldn't use system audio thru a PT rig, but the ONLY thing I want to route thru it is an audio player. When I installed PT apparently a driver was installed to get it to show up in the Sound control panel. I looked for an update for the driver but couldn't find one and I'm not sure that would help anyway.

[Knezzen]

The drivers are very picky. You have to follow the guidelines in the Pro Tools "getting started" manual if you want the system to work like it should.

Is it a dual processor machine? You might need to remove the SMP extension for everything to work like it should.

http://www.pacificav.com/library/Pro%20Tools%20Getting_Started_MIX_60.pdf
Scroll to page 39 and follow the advice on how to set up the extensions. If you still have issues, try updating your Pro Tools version to the last supported version (5.1.3cs11 for MIX systems).

Some basic questions:
Which computer do you have?
In which order are the PCI cards installed?
Which version of Mac OS and Pro Tools are you using?
Which audio interface do you have?

[Syntho]

What's the SMP extension?

Also, the PT manual says to change the Disk Cache to a custom setting of 512k. There's a default setting that it's on now which calculates it automatically. I wonder if I should change it...

[Knezzen]

SMP = Symetric Multi Processing. Pro Tools does not support dual processors, so the multiprocessor extension can give you a whole lot of problems.
My Dual 1.5ghz G4 would not run Pro Tools 5.1.3cs11 stable until I removed the Multiprocessing extension from the extensions folder.

Heres a link on the digidesign archive: http://archive.digidesign.com/download/mp/

From the site:

Users with multiprocessor systems may experience -6042 errors unless they remove the Multiprocessor folder from their extensions folder, thus disabling the second processor.

Set the disk cache to the recommended value until you have ironed out all the issues. Just to be sure. You can put it back later when all is stable

[Syntho]

I have a single core system. Should that extension be disabled even if I have a single core?

[Knezzen]

It's not activated if you only have one processor. Did you do what Digidesign recommended in the PDF, BTW?

Which version of Pro Tools and Mac OS are you using?

[Syntho]

I'm on 5.1.3 and OS9. I've already set everything up minus the disk cache thing.

I actually got around the noise issue. I added a hardware monitor controller and the noise isn't audible any longer. It might not be 'fixed' but pfft it does what I need it to and it worked fine in PT itself anyway.

[Knezzen]

Goodie. I recommend updating to the last version of DAE, DSI and Pro Tools 5.1.3 for the MIX systems. Just to be sure you have ironed out all the bugs

Updates can be found here:
http://archive.digidesign.com/download/cs/513cs11/
http://akdownload.digidesign.com/support/digi/mac/dae-dsi/dae513cs1.hqx
http://akdownload.digidesign.com/support/digi/mac/dae-dsi/dsi513cs5.hqx

[Syntho]

I'm running 5.1.3 but I hear there's a 5.2 and 5.3 version. I wonder if those were only for OSX though.

[Knezzen]

5.2 is actually the same age as 5.1.3. 5.2 added support for somthing called DigiStudio (an online service, now dead) but removed some features from 5.1.3 in the mean time. 5.3 is for Pro Tools HD only, and is identical to 5.1.3 apart from adding driver and system support for the HD cards and the HD interfaces.

So 5.1.3cs11 is what you should use if you are using a MIX system.

Pro Tools 6 was the first OSX version of Pro Tools and dropped support for Mac OS 9 and earlier.

[Syntho]

I'm not sure these DAE updates apply to me. Mine says v5.1.3 October 2001. The updates are for people with an expansion chassis where the cards aren't being recognized, and for fixing SCSI problems. I do have a SCSI card and a Jaz drive but it says ATTO SCSI devices and to not use the updates if they don't apply to you.

[Knezzen]

Do whatever you want, but they are very much recommended in general. Made my system alot more stable. I think they only list the major bug fixes.

Save your old DAE, DSI and Pro Tools 5.1.3 executable and you can allways go back if you want to. The updates are only to the binary executable files.

[Protools5LEGuy]

Hey guys!
You both seem as in protools as me! I am a poor LE guy. 
Why don't you take your time to fill in http://macos9lives.com/smforum/index.php?topic=570.0
with yours extensions and yours DAE and DSI versions. I have an Audiomedia III and a Digi 001

I had used the Powerbook/multiprocessor extension for my Ghz Dual in PT5LE.
Also used the dual in PT5le with no extension without any trouble

[Knezzen]

The Multi processor extension might do more "damage" when used on a TDM system. My Mac was very unstable with the fans reving up and down at random when using Pro Tools with the multi processor extension in place. Crashed alot (as in about once every two hours or so). After I removed the extension all is fine.

This is on a Dual 1.5ghz MDD with 2gb RAM with one MIX Core, three MIX Farm's and Pro Tools 5.1.3cs11 (with updated DSI and DAE).

[supernova777]

why would u go out and get a pro tools system.. only to use it for system audio syntho??? ??