Plug-In High Pitch Screaming Noise???

[timothyclee]

I have had this problem with some projects I've been working on lately and I can't quite figure out which plug-in is causing this, or maybe someone out there has had a similiar problem. I open a project and it loads fine. When I press play I get a loud high pitch squeel from my main outs and I have to disable all the plugins. I can't figure it out and I've updated all my software to current versions and I'm stumped. I'd at least be happy if someone else has heard this same sound which might make me feel a little better. The only way to fix the issue seems to be to mute all tracks before playing the project. Let the project play a bit with no channels on, and then unmuting channels from individual channels first then moving to subgroups and then the main fader??? Am I crazy???

[Shooshie]

This is probably a stupid question, but have you checked for feedback loops? Have you checked Cue Mix for feedback loops? I have a physical feedback loop between my mixer and audio interface which I keep at bay using CueMix. It exists because sometimes I need my mixer to act as a pre-amp and mixer sending signal TO the audio interface, and other times I need it receiving and mixing signals FROM the three audio interfaces.

Seems like if you had a feedback loop, it would return as soon as you unmuted its channel, so that's probably not the case here. Anyway, it might cause you to think of other solutions that lead to the lightbulb in your mind clicking on in one of those eureka moments when it finds the solution.

Or... your audio interface may be wack.


Shoosh

[timothyclee]

I've never used cuemix, would that cause this?? I actually havn't turned on DP7 in quite a few days because this is frustrating me.

[Kubi]

Not sure if this is what you're experiencing, but a handful of plug-ins have had problems resulting in loud digital noise in DP7 (maybe also DP6). For me it was Sonalksis Gate (mono version only) and Sonalksis Compressor (again mono version only.) I believe beautypill had a similar issue with AudioDamage Replicant. For me it was exactly as you describe - as soon as you hit play (and the plug gets fed signal, there it was. I haven't tried un-muting while playing, I just went to another plug...

I'm curious if this digital noise issue is related to the other occasional DP AU issues (need for dummy busses on side chains in Sonalksis and one more manufacturer that I now forget, problems with passing through key commands to the host when plug-in GUI is active on Stylus RMX, Apple AUs and Stillwell.) But seems to me there is something deep down in DP's (overall improved) AU implementation that still needs some fine-tuning...

[timothyclee]

For the life of me I can't figure it out and I agree something with the AU deep inside DP has an issue. The new cabinet simulator and guitar plugins in DP7 crash when launched too.

[Kubi]

For the life of me I can't figure it out and I agree something with the AU deep inside DP has an issue. The new cabinet simulator and guitar plugins in DP7 crash when launched too.

If you're talking about the ones included in DP: I'd say that is more likely an issue in your system, they work just fine here. Plus, they aren't AUs to begin with, they are MAS plugs. The AU issues I'm talking about are very few and far between and occur only with very few AUs. Some I know now are due to Carbon/Cocoa issues.

Here's a few things to try and sort your problems out:

•Trash DP Preferences, MOTU Audio System Prefs, and Audio Unit Info Cache
•Remove all third party plugs and hide in a folder somewhere (so all AUs, plus any third party MAS plugs you may own. Be sure to keep them sorted so you can put them back easily.)
•Launch DP and start a NEW project.

Play around for a while and see if everything works. It probably will, unless you have some other problem (directory issues, issues with your audio interface etc.)

If everything works fine…

• quit DP,
• then add a couple of AUs back into the components folder, start with those you use the most.
• Launch DP. Since you trashed the Audio Unit Info Cache it will scan the AUs you just added back. It will also alert you if there are any issues with the AUs. Play around again and see if things are working.

Now if things are fine, keep adding AUs, repeating the steps above. Never more than a couple or three at a time. Always make note of which you added, and keep playing around with a few things. As soon as you get instability, you'll know that one of the group of three or so AUs is giving you trouble. You can then test which one.

Now if everything works fine, but things then go back to bad when you open old projects, load the sequence from the old project into a new project using the load command. Sometimes problematic projects get corrupted due to a crash or a bad plug-in or a directory hiccup, but the sequences can be rescued by simply opening them into a new project.

DP works extremely well with 95% of my AUs and 100% of my MAS plugs, so I do not want my comment on the "under the hood" issues to all of a sudden be misinterpreted as "DP has issues with all AUs and even MAS plugs". Not true.

[timothyclee]

Thanks for the answer I will try soon when I have a good deal of time to muck around.