MOTUnation.com

Had 2 hours down time and went on a mad updating spree:

elicense control center
ilok software
waves update from Dec. 2
audio damage updates
apogee symphony i/0 update
ivory software
VE pro and VI pro software updates

I also deleted a demo version of a plugin called "Unveil."

I can already feel the difference...no beach ball when I open sequences. Everything openly instantly and responds instantly like it did 8 weeks ago. Crossing fingers...

The force is strong with this one...

My DP and all plugs are legit. Also, I have not been switching back and forth between DP 7 and 8 on projects.....AND, I only wish I were so lucky as to get crash reports....!! What happens most of the time with me is that everything just seizes--the audio playback will continue DP, but I have zero control over DP, my desktop, or anything else on my screen. Audio continues to play and sometimes tracks drop out. It wont respond to a force quit from the keyboard. The only way to get it to stop is by a force shutdown with the power button (Mac Pro). I have also had the even weirder situation happen where my monitors will go black, as if someone turned them off (but they are on). I will have zero control over anything, cant even do a force quit and once again only a force shutdown gets me out of it.

Test your RAM, and fast! You could also have a graphics card meltdown, burned out capacitor, mother board problem or something like that. This is not normal behavior and suggests a much larger problem. It is extremely difficult for any app to take down your system like that. It may even be time for a new machine. It happens. Been there. Got the receipt for the new machine.

MELTHEDOG13 wrote:My DP and all plugs are legit. Also, I have not been switching back and forth between DP 7 and 8 on projects.....AND, I only wish I were so lucky as to get crash reports....!! What happens most of the time with me is that everything just seizes--the audio playback will continue DP, but I have zero control over DP, my desktop, or anything else on my screen. Audio continues to play and sometimes tracks drop out. It wont respond to a force quit from the keyboard. The only way to get it to stop is by a force shutdown with the power button (Mac Pro). I have also had the even weirder situation happen where my monitors will go black, as if someone turned them off (but they are on). I will have zero control over anything, cant even do a force quit and once again only a force shutdown gets me out of it.

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:Test your RAM, and fast! You could also have a graphics card meltdown, burned out capacitor, mother board problem or something like that. This is not normal behavior and suggests a much larger problem. It is extremely difficult for any app to take down your system like that. It may even be time for a new machine. It happens. Been there. Got the receipt for the new machine.

Whoa. Not so fast. I've experienced most of what MELTTHEDOG13 described (my monitors have never gone black thank goodness) a couple if times and my machine is brand new with factory installed ram. Zero control is an apt description. And this only with DP8. Fortunately it has literally been only a couple of times.

Freaks me out cause such a hard reboot can lead to some seriously bad HD juju. Hope you run disk warrior or such afterwards to check out the HD files system.

At this point I would start suspecting anything and everything. Just because this is a MOTU-centric site doesn't mean it can't be something else. A freeze like the one described is clearly some system related conflict or system problem. Checking RAM is a basic diagnostic. Also checking HD health, etc. No whoa about it. I say: get to it.

MIDI Life Crisis wrote:Test your RAM, and fast! You could also have a graphics card meltdown, burned out capacitor, mother board problem or something like that. This is not normal behavior and suggests a much larger problem. It is extremely difficult for any app to take down your system like that. It may even be time for a new machine. It happens. Been there. Got the receipt for the new machine.

+1
Agreed this sounds like a Mac/hardware problem not DP.
When my G5 went south a few years ago it was similar.
I needed a new Logic-board & a new
Power supply.

Freaks me out cause such a hard reboot can lead to some seriously bad HD juju. Hope you run disk warrior or such afterwards to check out the HD files system.

A hard reboot will not cause any problem that Disk Utility cannot fix - or that Disk Warrior can. You may have to run Disk Utility a number of times but, if it gives you a different report every time, it is working and your drive will come back to life.

Disk Warrior is the most overrated utility out there. I have never seen it bring a drive back to life, unlike DU which has saved my butt too many times to count (I maintain over 30 Macs). I have DW and run it twice a year but would never buy it again.

Test your RAM, and fast!

Absolutely! TechTool Pro is most useful for diagnosing RAM and drive problems that other utilities declare to be good. RAM and drive manufacturers accept TTP reports for warranty exchanges.

MELTHEDOG13 wrote:My DP and all plugs are legit. Also, I have not been switching back and forth between DP 7 and 8 on projects.....AND, I only wish I were so lucky as to get crash reports....!! What happens most of the time with me is that everything just seizes--the audio playback will continue DP, but I have zero control over DP, my desktop, or anything else on my screen. Audio continues to play and sometimes tracks drop out. It wont respond to a force quit from the keyboard. The only way to get it to stop is by a force shutdown with the power button (Mac Pro). I have also had the even weirder situation happen where my monitors will go black, as if someone turned them off (but they are on). I will have zero control over anything, cant even do a force quit and once again only a force shutdown gets me out of it.

Please post your hardware setup and OS the way that the rest of us do. It helps big time.

Like MLC, I am suspecting RAM but it could just be that you don't have enough. No way to know otherwise.

mikehalloran wrote:Like MLC, I am suspecting RAM but it could just be that you don't have enough. No way to know otherwise.

Actually, I won't be posting another suggestion to any thread where the o/p (or subsequent poster) presents a problem w/o their specs in the sig. G4? G5? PowerMac 7600? 128k RAM? What?

12 hours plus non-stop today and zero crashes...8 is great!!! AGAIN!!!

Life goes on, baby!

Thanks for all the reply's. I've updated my signature with my system details. Some of the potential issues that have been mentioned are indicative of my worst fears, but my next step is to do a RAM test and then go from there.

Crashes are back...suspect it's because I started using .m4v codecs for this new reel. I was using .mov before. Will investigate.

In case this helps anyone with crash issues: I was getting a lot of crashes in DP8 (and 8.01), and traced it to NI Akoustik Piano. Only songs with that particular VI had issues, and subbing Ivory in fixed it. AP was whatever the latest version is, as per NI's Service Center. Running in 32 bit.