I have a GLD80 + Dante, and I’m running it into a Macbook Pro with Pro Tools. I set it all up last week and used it this weekend, but got a lot of pops and clicks. After a lot of research, I discovered this was due to a clocking issue. I think I got that issue resolved, but today another issue came up that I do not know how to resolve.
As I was testing things today, the signal became really fuzzy, and then faded out. I was testing on a wireless mic, but the battery was great and the board had signal. Everything looked right…it just started getting fuzzy and fading out after about 1min. I saved the PT12 session if it would be helpful to hear and diagnose what happened.
Here’s my setup, and it’s a little crazy:
GLD80+Dante → MBP w/ ProTools 12, recording 28 channels of audio AND —> Presonus Audiobox (as an aggregate device) for the OUTPUT to a video switcher and then broadcast to Livestream. The purpose of Pro Tools is to get a good mix for broadcast.
So all of that said, as I’m monitoring Pro Tools today, the signal on my wireless mic go really fuzzy, faded off, and was gone…but still active on the board.
Any help would be great. This is a new setup, and in theory should work!
It would be helpful to hear/see the recording and to see your GLD showfile. I primarily use Reaper and Tracks Live, but I can test our GLD/Dante system with PT when I’m in the shop tomorrow. I am curious if you Macbook Pro is able to keep up with sourcing the inputs from DVS, processing in PT, and streaming audio out through a separate interface. Have you measured the load on your CPU or your buffering settings? I assume you’ve turned off low-latency.
Again, it’s been a year or two since I’ve used PT in a live sound environment. If I think of anything else, I’ll post. I’m interested to hear from other engineers who are working with a similar setup.
Does it work any better if you just use Dante as your audio device for both inputs and outputs? Have you tried changing the cat5 cable between the GLD and MBP?
I would sack off the aggregate device asap. I would question do you have the Audiobox set to a 48k clock as well as the desk running clock from the Dante card?
But i’m not sure what the need for the aggregate device is. You can route Dante returns from PT straight back through the desk and if needed just direct out them to a pair of spare outputs… Unless your racks and surface outputs are completely full already? If you have spare outputs this is a no brainer to streamline the setup. I have never heard of anyone trying to aggregate device the Dante system let alone need to.
Maybe I’m overthinking my setup, but I couldn’t figure out how to get a stereo output from the GLD80 to our video switcher out of Pro Tools. We have some open outs, but maybe I don’t know how to route them correctly? Would you guys be cool with me uploading a video later today to my setup and maybe giving me some guidance?
Okay… I haven’t got Pro Tools to hand but you want to try something like this for your routing…
GLD80 Dante card linked to Macbook pro
Macbook Pro running Dante Virtual sound card and Dante controller. In Dante controller set the matrix grid to show the GLD80 transmitting the first 44 Inputs to the Macbook Pro on the first 44 channels Then on the Macbook Pro transmitter page route the first 12 returns of Macbook pro to some spare Dante lines, say 45 and upwards. This should make the Dante sound card’s outputs 1 and 2 return on Dante line 45 and 46
In protools, set your active sound card to be Dante Virtual Soundcard, and on your output routing set your main stereo mix for example, to route to Dante Soundcard 1-2. Get some audio playing so your mix is outputting on those channels.
Now on the GLD80 on an input channel, on the preamp page set the source to be from the appropriate Dante return channel. You should get audio coming back through the desk.
I haven’t got all of this in front of me, but that process should basically work.
You may need to ensure that Pro Tools is set to the same clock as the desk, sound card etc. - 48k i’d be assuming. You can confirm your hardware clock speed over Dante by looking on the ‘clock status’ tab of Dante Controller.
EDIT - Oh and for the output to your Streaming box. If you have a spare bus or aux out, just send the return faders from Pro Tools/Dante to the spare aux or bus… and on your GLD80s patch window, set some spare outputs to come from this Aux or Bus output. This could be on the surface’s outs or an AR Rack’s outs on whatever format you have spare - most likely XLR pairs. If you get nothing on those outputs, check that the channel is sending them pre-fade to the aux, and that the aux or bus master is unmuted, etc.
It took forever, but I finally had a chance to get this setup. Everything is hooked up properly now and I have signal routed through the GLD80 from Pro Tools back into the board. Thank you for the walkthrough.
However, that has brought up a new issue. The sound coming through has static on it. It sounds like clipping, but nothing is clipping. It comes and goes, fairly often though. I have an mp3 playing on PT12 and its routing through the board great, but we have static.
Any thoughts? I updated the firmware on the Dante and the GLD80. Still the same issue.
What’s interesting is that everything seems to be clocked correctly, and it’s only Pro Tools. I opened up Logic Pro X, and it was clean and clear. However, when I try to multi-track record the event (with 30 tracks), Logic Pro keeps giving me error messages while Pro Tools records perfectly for hours.
Just for poops and giggles, how should the clock be set up between the GLD80, the Dante card, and Pro Tools?
Interesting. It’s hard to clearly make out the “static” from the recording, but it doesn’t appear to be a clock/sync issue. That would “pop” every few minutes.
To setup the clock on the GLD, go to Setup>Audio>Audio Sync>Slave Option Card.
Curious why you are getting error messages from Logic and static from PT. You are sure that the sample and bit rates are setup correctly?
I assume we are listening to the output of the GLD through your monitors, correct? Or is this coming post the livestream system? Have you worked back up the signal path and found where the audio begins to sound corrupted? I would pull audio from the following locations (working your way back until you find which stage introduces the static):
We have the clock set correctly in the controller. That’s an interesting point about sample rate and the clock in PT. I’m going to test this out today and report back.
I don’t know why Logic gives me error messages. It says the write time is too slow. I’m running the session on a thunderbolt external drive. We record 30 channels live in PT all the time and never an issue. I couldn’t get 12 to run in Logic Pro X without getting write errors.
In the video, you are hearing the GLD output, post video switcher. We aren’t broadcasting in the video, but it is post switcher. There is still static even in the headphones, though. And with Logic its clear through the switcher, vs. Pro Tools where there is static.
Will report back later today. Thanks for the help guys!
What specific errors does Logic give you? I did mention to ensure that the project’s clock is set to the same as your system. Logic defaults to 44.1 for a new project - it will just stumble and freak out during recording. If you set the project to 48k you should be fine. Same process in 'tools.
I can’t hear much in the video, but the PT file is intriguing. I once struggled with something that sounded extremely similar with some M-Audio interfaces. It was due to to M-Audio not updating the drivers to work with current versions of MacOS. What version of DVS and MacOS X are you running? From the video it looks like you’re running Yosemite so I think you NEED the latest 3.7.1.3. https://www.audinate.com/content/dante-virtual-soundcard-v3713-os-x
What is the Dante Latency setting in DVS, my 2013 MacBook Pro is unhappy if you drop the latency to 4ms when in 64x64 mode, but fine at 6 or 10ms. Not that the symptoms are similar, I just get random mutes, which are reported in Dante Controller.
Are there any errors in the Events tap of Dante Controller?
Having said all this that it’s fine through Logic would suggest it’s a Pro Tools issue.
I’ve hit the same issue with Logic (although Pro9 not tried X for this yet), I have a laptop that will happily record 64 channels in reaper for hours on end, but Logic would always choke with that message. Pro Tools seemed better but I’ve also had it choke, better than logic though.
Every DAW I’ve tried is working crystal clear. No static or distortion. But guess what? Not true with Pro Tools 12.
Clocking is correct. Sample rates and but rates match. Everything is setup correctly and identical in each DAW. But PT12 produces static and distortion. Nothing else does. It’s the strangest thing, and I’ve got no explanation for it.
Does anyone have any thoughts as to why PT12 causes this while Logic & Reaper do not?
Do the tracks record with static and distortion? Or is this something that is being heard just on playback through the Dante network?
This is an important thing to work out! Record something, experience the pops and crackles. Then unplug the machine from Dante and use your built in sound card with some headphones or speakers plugged in directly on a Minijack and see if you still have pops and crackles. This identifies a little whether it is involved with the PT playback engine, or something being recorded with errors.
I still reckon it is a PT clocking issue… I appreciate this is for PT LE 7.4 but should be similar now - i don’t have PT to hand
Have you set both sections up? It is possible to have the hardware set up to an external clock, in that case DVS at 48k, but the project setting is at 44.1 or some 88/96 type rate. It may record OK but play back all kinds of wrong.
They record fine, it’s the playback through Pro Tools that’s the issue. The issue isn’t pops or clicks. It was in the beginning, but once we got the clock issue worked out it was never once popped or clicked.
Regarding PT12, I’ve checked everything I can find. The board and DVS are 48k/24bit, as is the PT12 session. It’s simply that all audio coming back through from PT12 has random static/distortion on it every few seconds.
Today we broadcasted live using Logic Pro X instead of PT12, and it was clear the entire time. I’m on vacation but was able to watch/listen to our service this morning live and mixed on Logic Pro X. So our theory and plan from the beginning works, just not in PT12 like was had planned. I think the issue is definitely with PT12.
