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Basic Pro Tools Troubleshooting
As much as we all love the flexibility and power of the all mighty Pro Tools, from time to time we find ourselves scratching our heads in confusion, wondering “what the #$@! is going on?” This week at the corner I will walk you through some basic Pro Tools trouble shooting techniques, including some valuable tips on “resetting” Pro Tools when nothing else seems to work.
Before you get too carried away, always remember the age-old adage, “if it aint broken, don’t fix it.” So while you may be tempted to try some of the things outlined in this article, if your system is working fine leave it that way! Remember, troubleshooting any computer based recording system can be time consuming and full of frustration, but it is likely that someone else has experienced the same problem and found a solution. Manufacturers FAQ’s and message boards are great resources for finding solutions to many common problems and many issues can be solved with a simple search on Google.
Updating Software
Keeping your software up-to-date can be time consuming, but is a critical component of a healthy digital studio. Many issues can be solved simply by updating Pro Tools and all 3rd party add-ons to the latest available version. Digidesign releases CS (Customer Service) updates to Pro Tools that fix software bugs between major version revisions. Many times troublesome issues are a result of software incompatibilities or buggy 3rd party software plug-ins used within Pro Tools, especially when using wrapped VST plug-ins that were never properly tested by the developer.
Checking Compatibility
In my troubleshooting experience, I would say that 50% of the time the computer is just not up to the challenge of running Pro Tools. There are some system configurations that will not run Pro Tools at all, and some will just run it poorly. Whether it is a lack of memory, the wrong operating system version, or complex bios, chipset, and motherboard incompatibilities, Pro Tools is not known for being the most hardware friendly software. Digidesign will often list specific configurations that are incompatible with Pro Tools so before you buy the latest 100-core speed demon, make sure Pro Tools will actually support it.
You can find the latest compatibility information in the compatibility section of Digidesign’s website. Make sure you check out the recommended system for the specific piece of hardware you will be running. System requirements for Pro Tools HD are way different then Pro Tools LE, so be sure you are looking at the correct information before dropping a few thousand dollars on a new computer. Generally all Apple computers that meet the minimum system configurations will work with Pro Tools. PC’s can be a little more challenging, as the amount of configuration available is almost infinite. audioMidi carries a variety of “turn-key” DAW PC systems that are pre configured to work with Pro Tools, check out systems from MusicXPC, Rain Recording and Terra Digital. Remember Pro Tools does not yet support Windows Vista, but support should be here sometime this summer. DIY computer buffs can find some great information on the Digidesign user’s conference or DUC, where you can learn about the latest and greatest custom systems working (or not working) with Pro Tools.
DAE Errors and the Digidesign Answerbase
Many times DAE (Digidesign Audio Engine) errors come from running your system beyond its capabilities. Be sure to check out my previous article on the Playback Engine for more info on minimizing your latency and maximizing your systems performance. If you are sure it is not a performance issue, you can search for DAE error numbers in the Answerbase, a tech support search engine offered by Digidesign. The Answerbase often gives specific troubleshooting advice for fixing common Pro Tools problems. You can search the answerbase from the main support page.
Tips for using the Answerbase:
- Remember that the search is a simple engine, so it won’t correct spelling errors and doesn’t parse complex sentences well, so keep the search terms to a minimum.
- Sometimes helpful information can be found in non-related topics just by browsing through answerbase listings.
- Sometimes late breaking tech issues are not immediately posted to the answerbase and can be found in the DUC, or in the support FAQ pages for the specific software version.
Trashing the Preferences
Before re-installing Pro Tools, an old trick that works for me a lot is trashing the Pro Tools preference and database files, a sort of Pro Tools “soft-reset” if you will. This will reset the preferences and force pro tools to rebuild the files the next time it launches. The corruption of these files is often the culprit of unusual Pro Tools problems. Don’t worry, this will not delete Pro Tools, your sessions, or any of your plug-ins.
To trash the preference files and databases on Mac OSX
- Quit Pro Tools
- Browse to MacHD > Users > “your user name” > Library > Preferences
- Delete “com.digidesign.protoolsTDM.plist”, “DAE Prefs” (folder), “DigiSetup.OSX” and “Pro Tools preferences”.
- Delete the “Digidesign Databases” folders on the first level of all mounted hard drives, then delete the "Volumes" folder in MacHD > Library > Application Support > Digidesign > Databases.
- Empty trash and restart the computer.
- Restart Pro Tools to rebuild prefs and databases.
To trash preference files and databases on Windows XP
- Quit Pro Tools
- Start Menu > My Computer > Local Disk(C:) or correct hard drive (click "show the contents of this drive" if the files aren't displayed) > Program Files > Common Files > Digidesign > DAE > Right-click on the DAE Prefs folder and delete.
- Browse to Local Disk(C:) > Documents and Settings > "Your user folder" > Application Data > Right-click on the Digidesign folder and delete. (If the Application Data folder is not showing: Tools Menu > Folder Options > View Tab > Select "Show Hidden Files and Folders" > Click Apply and OK.)
- Browse to Local Disk (C:) > Digidesign Databases > Right-click on the Digidesign Databases folder and delete. Repeat for all hard drives.
- Browse to Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > Digidesign > Pro Tools > Databases > Right-click on the Volumes folder and delete.
- Empty Recycle Bin, Restart.
- Restart Pro Tools to rebuild prefs and databases.
Un-installing/Re-installing Pro Tools
Sometimes it is necessary to un-install and re-install the Pro Tools software (sometimes you may also have to un-install/re-install 3rd party plug-ins if they are causing the problem). On Mac OSX, Pro Tools ships with an uninstaller found on the installation CD (or download from the web). On Windows XP use the Add/Remove Programs utility in the Control Panel. Choose a “Clean” un-install, this will clean out Pro Tools but will not remove any of your Pro Tools session files or 3rd party plug-ins that you have installed.
When All Else Fails
Rarely there have been situations where a system is so far gone that reformatting and re-installing the operating system is the only thing that fixes it. Some users swear by this time consuming process and do it on a regular basis to keep their systems healthy. If you work in a critical studio environment, where down time is un-acceptable, you may want to look into creating an image (or exact duplicate) of a healthy system drive on a spare backup drive. That way, troubleshooting is as simple as popping in a fresh system drive and re-booting. There are many freeware software packages that will “clone” your hard drive into an exact, bootable duplicate. I personally use Shirt Pocket’s Super-Duper utility. Although you will have to invest in a duplicate system drive, this can save you a whole days worth of re-installing software and configuring your set-up if your system fails or starts acting up.
Finding More Help
Digidesign has a great in-depth troubleshooting guide for both Mac and Windows based Pro Tools systems. You can find them here:
Pro Tools Troubleshooting Guide for Mac OSX
Pro Tools Troubleshooting Guide for Windows XP
Pro Tip – Managing Plug-in files
Are those expired demo plug-ins driving you nuts every time you boot Pro Tools? Well managing your plug-ins is actually pretty simple once you know where to look. Plug-ins in Pro Tools are actually stored in there own special folder. These plug-in files can be deleted to remove a specific plug-in, or placed in an un-used folder to temporarily disable them on that system.
On Mac OSX the Pro Tools plug-ins folder is located in:
Mac HD > Library > Application Support > Digidesign > Plug-Ins
On Windows XP the Pro Tools plug-ins folder is located in:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Digidesign\DAE\Plug-Ins
To prevent a plug-in from loading when Pro Tools launches simply delete that plug-ins file from the plug-ins folder (you will want to quit out of pro tools before doing this). I personally like to move unused plug-ins into the “Plug-Ins (Unused)” folder found under the same directory as the plug-ins folder, that way if I change my mind later I can always bring it back. This works great for multi-user setups where individuals bring their personal iLoks to authorize different sets of plug-ins while working.
Pro Tools Tidbits
- Propellerheads is showing off previews of Reason 4 on their website and looking for beta testers, look out for in-depth PT Corner coverage when it ships later this year.
- Toontracks released EZ Drummer 1.1.0 update.
- Native Instruments has released a brand new drum library download free for Battery 3 owners.
If you have a Pro Tools related question that you would like me to take a shot at answering or have any feedback, please send it to brian@audioMIDI.com. I will do my best to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
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