DP6 : Hobbit Meets With MOTU

[Bill O'C]

Thanks for taking this upon yourself, Frodo.

Not only did you get down to specifics, but you opened wider the door of constructive dialog between MOTU and its customers.

This Hobbit journey may not make the big screen, but it may help spawn many more excellent soundtracks.

[Shooshie]

Wow, Frodo! BIG Thanks! (I just read the Q&A) That's like stepping into a roaring stream that was dry last year, and feeling the water over your toes. And maybe slipping on the occasional rock. But that's more answers than I've heard from MOTU for the past 10 years straight, other than the tech support that Dave gives us here, in which he occasionally gives us a glimpse into the inside of things.

Once more: thank you, and thank you MOTU, if you're reading. I'm very encouraged about DP6, and yet I still do have "issues." I'm going to wait for version 6.1 before I voice them directly to you (MOTU), as I think you probably have picked up on some of those issues already.

Good job, all!

Shoosh

[Tritonemusic]

Thanks for taking the time to do all of this for us, Frodo. You turned my frown upside-down.

[Phil O]

Thank you so much, Mr. Frodo, for that wonderful report. Your generous contributions to the board are greatly appreciated.
But if I may be so bold, one quick question:

12. MAS/AU wrapper still reporting problems. fix?

Different things, including third-party plugs, can impact on MAS/AU bundle behavior. Reports from users, including any resulting crash reports, will contribute to a worthy fix. But it seems that the workaround of swapping the MAS/AU bundle

The suspense is killing me. Could you finish that sentence, pretty please. I've been hesitant to try this for fear of screwing something up. Does MOTU sanction this as a viable workaround?

Again - thank you, thank you, thank you.

-PO

[bradswan]

Leaner, meaner code

Now that's what I'm talking about. I wonder in what significant ways "Leaner, meaner code" makes 6 a great upgrade?

Thanks Mr. Frodo!!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Leaner, meaner code

Now that's what I'm talking about. I wonder in what significant ways "Leaner, meaner code" makes 6 a great upgrade?

It might mean that the code is so hot that is burned away the GUI!

[tripit@earthlink.net]

Very informative Frodo, thanks for the effort.

[JSMITH8763]

Thank you Frodo!
I have many issues that I will need answered. You have given us a very great deal of information to work with though. I am leaning toward Shooshie's thoughts of waiting for 6.1 until I call MOTU or start the real worries.

Thanks again,
Jack

[Killahurts]

28. Eucon, Novation, surface controller support status

No word yet.

Boo, hiss.

What a disappointment.

Good thing I only wasted $1500 (MC Control), and not the $5500 for the whole system yet.

My email to MOTU February 4, 2008:


Hello,

I'm about to purchase a Euphonix Artist controller system. I am a long-time DP user. I have understood from Euphonix that DP will soon support the Eucon protocol, so that this Artist system will work to it's full potential, without having to use the Mackie HUI emulator.

Can I expect that this compatibility will be available in the upcoming DP6 release?


And the response from MOTU Customer Service February 6, 2008 (left his name out, of course):

Hi Killahurts,

Thank you for writing.
At current time, Euphonix Eucon would work alongside DP 5.13 with the Mackie/HUI Emulation drivers. I can also verify that it will be fully supported with the upcoming DP6 and by this time should run natively with its own drivers.



Thanks for all this Frodo, your efforts are greatly appreciated!!

[monkey man]

Thank you Frodo. Nice work man.

Funny, I guessed in another thread somewhere that DP's new-found accuracy (sample accuracy, possibly "better" sound) might well be due to leaner code's providing more headroom for operation/correction/self-checking etc.

Interesting response to the "update old plugs" question too.
I'm pretty much convinced now that we're going to be hit by a veritable tide of new DP VIs and FX.
OK, so I'm dreaming again. Please, nobody wake me up.

[Frodo]

Thank you so much, Mr. Frodo, for that wonderful report. Your generous contributions to the board are greatly appreciated.
But if I may be so bold, one quick question:

12. MAS/AU wrapper still reporting problems. fix?

Different things, including third-party plugs, can impact on MAS/AU bundle behavior. Reports from users, including any resulting crash reports, will contribute to a worthy fix. But it seems that the workaround of swapping the MAS/AU bundle

The suspense is killing me. Could you finish that sentence, pretty please. I've been hesitant to try this for fear of screwing something up. Does MOTU sanction this as a viable workaround?

Again - thank you, thank you, thank you.

-PO

LOL and Oops my face off!!

"Bottom of the 9th, bases loaded, two outs, the count is 3 and 2, here's the pitch and...."

Hey Phil-- I can't promise a grand slam, but I do promise to find the thread where other users were talking about the MAS/AU Support bundle to find the specific name of the file that they swapped for the version used by DP5.

Sorry about the truncation!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Hey Phil-- I can't promise a grand slam, but I do promise to find the thread where other users were talking about the MAS/AU Support bundle to find the specific name of the file that they swapped for the version used by DP5.

Sorry about the truncation!

You guys talking about the MAS AudioUnit Support.bundle .

You talkin' to me? ARE YOU TALKIN TO ME? 'Cause I don't see anyone else here... You talkin' to ME?

ps- location: root>library>audio>plugins>MAS and just pray you still have the old version of this lousy 32k file.

[monkey man]

Hey, who're you callin' cache, you unit? LOL

[nadeama]

Sigh.... For what it's worth, I've reported it in another thread on the first day I got my copy of DP 6 and well, I guess I'm reporting it again here today. Not only volume burst but also MIDI bombs and all the other MIDI bugs often discussed in the past.

I've been going on power naps for the past couple of days, and I really hope your other post wasn't something I saw and responded to but had forgotten in just a few days. How embarrassing would that be? Certainly, bursts would be of particular bad news to me because that's what was happening to me for most of 2007. Hmm.

Sorrry Frodo, I just realized that it seems like I was "sighing" at you for not having read my other reports. I actually meant "sigh" at MOTU for saying they've not been able to reproduce the problem when I sent them a detailed techlink one year ago, to which they've replied "resolved" not once, but twice in the course of the last several months. Yet the bugs are still there in DP 6.

It was clumsily worded, and my only excuse is to have written this at 4:30 AM after having played World of Warcraft for the entire night.

I would not expect anyone to read or remember every thread on the forum. So, my apologies again.

And this has nothing to do with VIs. The volume outbursts happen all the time when sending MIDI to external hardware, with no VI loaded. I've explained this in detail in my tech link to them. I don't understand why they say the workaround has to do with VIs. Unless of course it's two different problems with the same symptoms.

Now, if that doesn't snatch all the hind fur off a wolverine!!!! I'd not heard of this happening with OTB MIDI devices. I tested this on some outboard MIDI gear and it didn't happen for me-- only on VI tracks. There's something else afoot going on here, then. This is SO odd!!

I'm currently working on a very simple project for an intimate film score, only 4 or 5 MIDI tracks per sequence, almost no controller data, no VIs loaded; everything is sent via MIDI to my external slave computers. Yet, I'm experiencing occasional volume outbursts (no MIDI bombs or other oddity on that one, though). This wouldn't be a good test sequence to send to MOTU because the problems happen too sporadically, but it does happen. It really has nothing to do with VIs (unless, as I said, there is a different problem with VIs that happens to have the same apparent symptoms - that's certainly possible).

I don't know if you've seen all the long threads on volume and MIDI bursts with DP5, but none of them were conclusive, and a number of us were running tests of all sorts. DP 5.13 and 10.4.11 seemed to reduce this quirk almost entirely-- maybe 95-97%. I think that's when we all sort of gave up talking about it and started waiting for DP6. I'm totally befuddled.

Yes, I actually started a couple of such threads last year. I was reading them again a few days ago, because I wanted to refresh my memory as to what tests I had actually run last year. Well, I did run quite a few tests! In fact, I'm planning on running one last set of tests within the next few days before making my final decision to switch DAW, but now, re-reading the threads, I honestly can't think of anything that I hadn't tried last year. And of course, DP 5.13 didn't fix anything for me. It's too early to tell if DP 6 will display all the same problems, but I've certainly experienced the MIDI volume outbursts already.

Here are links to the threads, in case you're interested. Please note that the links for test files in those threads are no longer valid.

http://www.unicornation.com/phpBB2/view ... highlight=

http://www.unicornation.com/phpBB2/view ... highlight=

All I can say is keep reporting the issue and keep reporting back with your results. Once again, until I get going with DP6 on my system and dig into it, I can't even test or confirm anything. Am feeling quite helpless at the moment.

I think if I experience the volume bursts, I may have to just run a video camera during a session one day since the bursts are too unpredictable to reproduce. Then, I can send MOTU a DVD just to make sure they've seen it happening even if they can't make it happen on their own systems. The video may be the best way of "sending them your computer".

Here's my own personal plan: within the next few days, I'll again run as many tests as I can to try and find out what's going on. Hopefully, I may have better luck this time and figure out that some non-DP-related element in my system is causing all this. I'll probably even start a thread here asking for help. If I can't find anything, I'll call MOTU up and offer them to go over there with my computer and show them the problem. I live 5 hours away, but I'm ready to make the trip in-between gigs. Last year, I had asked them to pay the shipping fees, but this year I'll offer to go myself. If they decline, I'll have no choice but to conclude that they have absolutely no interest in getting to the bottom of this issue (which is not affecting only myself), and I'll switch to another DAW. Crossing my fingers...

Okay, sorry for hijlcking this thread. I'll shut up about this now (until I run my tests). I've been posting quite a bit about this, using the forum as my own personal shrink, and forum members must be getting annoyed.

Thanks again for all your efforts, Frodo!

[Frodo]

26. white papers, more frequent RSS updates with software releases and announcements, reports of official bugs, bug fixes, better organized tech data base

RSS feeds, especially when new updates are posted. Would be a step in the right direction to keeping users posted.... and it's a wasted resource where tech links, e-mail, and phone calls could be freed up for more urgent needs

RSS feeds are already there:
http://www.motu.com/other/rss-feeds

Right you are-- and they've been there for a very long time.

But if you subscribe to the RSS feeds, you'll see the following announcements:

Feb 26, 2008-- The Oscar goes to Dario Marianelli
Oct 27, 2007 -- Unleash a Leopard in your MOTU Studio
Oct 18, 2007-- Al Kooper visits MOTU at AES
Aug 9, 2007-- MachFive 2 is now shipping

That's it for the past YEAR-- hardly the best use of the RSS feed when users are starving for more info.

All od DP's included instruments support bounce to disk, it's in the manual.

That's good to know and I'm glad it's in the manual! Thanks for posting that. It's strange that Ethno and Mach5 MAS versions (and unknown others?) currently do not support offline BTD where the AU versions must be used. At least we now know that we haven't done something wrong when certain instruments won't BTD where expected.

Between users and further MOTU reports to come, we'll caulk in all these info gaps somehow.