1 Topic by SonicExplorer (edited by SonicExplorer 2018-05-17 23:15:56)

  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 104

Topic: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

Hi Gents,

I am reaching out in desperation at this point as I've tried everything I can think of.  I am running Windows XP Pro SP3 32-bit with Sonar on a newly built DAW.  My previous DAW was W2K SP4 and used all the identical software, plug-ins and Fireface.  Worked flawlessly.  Yet now I am having the host software occasionally lock up.  Usually shortly after stopping playback or recording.   Using WDM drivers (dated circa the time period that matches W2K and XP, same ones I've always used).  TI chipset (PCIe card).  Running 44.1KHz rate, 24-bit.   I also ran disk and memory stress tests, latency checkers, etc. Everything looks fine.

Does anyone recall any history of this kind of lockup??  I am going crazy having tried all the basic obvious things with no luck and cannot consistently reproduce the problem - which makes it very difficult to troubleshoot.  Are there any ways to rule out the Fireface 400, or some kind of RME stress test or logs hiding on my system?

Any help or guidance appreciated.

Thanks,

      Sonic

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
  • Posts: 9,549

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

Please provide more details about the hardware etc. Why would you opt for a 32-bit XP on a new DAW system? If the hardware is new, does XP even support all of it? Which audio software is affected, which others have you tried?

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

3 Reply by SonicExplorer (edited by SonicExplorer 2018-04-01 01:56:29)

  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

I would have stayed with W2K had it not been for the fact the DAW CPU ran out of horsepower and I also needed XP to run next gen drum software and a newer version of Sonar (both of which I bought long ago as upgrades but never upgraded because they won't run on W2K).  I have not yet installed those newer versions on the new DAW, thus far have stayed with the same configuration as the previous W2K DAW until I am sure things are stable.  The new DAW has more horsepower than I'll ever need, and I already own all the software and hardware I'll ever need so no reason to repurchase and re-learn everything from top to bottom.

Not sure what you are asking WRT hardware...it is the Fireface 400.  And the PC is completely XP compatible.  It's a newly built DAW with all new everything (power supply, hard drives, RAM, DVD drive, PCIe Firewire card, etc) just using an older Intel motherboard that is fully XP compatible (manufactured around 2010 and is rated for hundreds of thousands of hours MTBF).  Sonar 5 is the host software and that is what appears to be locking up intermittently - but it may not be the fault of Sonar rather something in the PC, OS or drivers.  That's why I am hoping maybe I can get some assistance or ideas from the forum.

Sonic

4 Reply by SonicExplorer (edited by SonicExplorer 2018-04-06 06:10:49)

  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

The x1 Firewire PCIe card is in the x16 slot (that is often used for a PCIe video card, but in this case I'm using the onboard GPU).  Is there any chance the problem could be a conflict involving the PEG lanes between the onboard GPU and the PCIe Firewire card ??   

Turning off DEP and HPET in the BIOS are the only other things I can think of trying at the moment....

5 Reply by ramses (edited by ramses 2018-04-06 06:19:50)

  • ramses
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: UTC+1
  • Registered: 2012-10-14
  • Posts: 12,062

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

Your OS is heavily outdated and its very questionable that any new HW will run on it without issues.

With newer CPUs of Intel it will even be the case, that Windows 7 and 8 won't be supported anymore.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/windows-7 … -gen-cpus/

The technology that you use is from ~2000. The support of Windows XP ended at 8.4.2014 and neither business partner nor end customer get any support or security upgrades anymore.

You should prepare yourself having to migrate to Windows 10 soon instead of chasing the shadows of the past.

BR Ramses - UFX III, 12Mic, XTC, ADI-2 Pro FS R BE, RayDAT, X10SRi-F, E5-1680v4, Win10Pro22H2, Cub13

6 Reply by SonicExplorer (edited by SonicExplorer 2018-04-06 09:48:33)

  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

ramses wrote:

Your OS is heavily outdated and its very questionable that any new HW will run on it without issues.

With newer CPUs of Intel it will even be the case, that Windows 7 and 8 won't be supported anymore.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/windows-7 … -gen-cpus/

The technology that you use is from ~2000. The support of Windows XP ended at 8.4.2014 and neither business partner nor end customer get any support or security upgrades anymore.

You should prepare yourself having to migrate to Windows 10 soon instead of chasing the shadows of the past.

There is no reason whatsoever my DAW needs to be upgraded.  I guarantee the approach will still be working 10-15 years from now.  The current system works flawlessly, sans this one intermittent host software lockup I'm chasing.  Which frankly is a lot more solid, and no different than most modern DAWs, there are always gremlins in the systems, that is the nature of DAWs.   I keep the system offline, so security is not an issue, and no new software or hardware gets introduced.

Sonic

7 Reply by vinark (edited by vinark 2018-04-06 10:13:33)

  • vinark
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2009-06-05
  • Posts: 2,650

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

Try a different firewire driver if available. Go to device manager. Click update on the firewire card. Choose manual 2 times and you will see most of the time 2 drivers. One branded, one generic. Try both. Or if available try the driver from the manufacturer website.

If sonar 5 supports asio try that in stead of WDM.

I am having the same idea about not upgrading from win7 to 10. Hoping to be on it for ever. But I thought that about XP (64 bit in my case) too.
Hope it works out!

Vincent, Amsterdam
https://soundcloud.com/thesecretworld
Babyface pro fs, HDSP9652+ADI-8AE, HDSP9632

8 Reply by SonicExplorer (edited by SonicExplorer 2018-05-17 23:11:11)

  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

I ran a utility that provides a snapshot of the system info. It appears hung waiting on an event object, but that much was already kind of apparent. 
------------------------------

Hang report for C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\SONAR 5 Producer Edition\SONARPDR.EXE
Generated by using WhatIsHang.exe on 4/6/2018 7:33:18 PM

Remarks:
* This program hangs because it waits on another system object. The type of the system object is Event and its handle is 0xd94

Strings found in the stack:
.?AUITopologyManager@@
name "tom4FX"
filename "TO05_04_DS_FH_R_"
velocityknee H 101
\Program Files\Cakewalk\SONAR 5 Producer
__GLOBAL_HEAP_SELECTED
ienc2hfdùY½¸Å
.?AUIAudEffectsBin@@
\\?\1394#a35&2#411908221350a00#{6994ad04-93ef-11d0-a3cc-00a0c9223196}\hdspfireu
ud.drv
16]=RolaDï¸S Power Pï¸Key[0,24\ï¸land GS hï¸tronic S
Key[16256
\??\C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\SONAR 5 P
Vol = 0.0


Modules found in the stack:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\MFC71U.DLL , Microsoft Corporation , Microsoft® Visual Studio .NET, MFCDLL Shared Library - Retail Version
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\SONAR 5 Producer Edition\CJ609Lib.dll , CodeJock.com URL: http://www.codejock.com , CJLibrary MFC Extension Library, CJLibrary MFC Component Library
C:\WINDOWS\WinSxS\X86_Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.5512_x-ww_35d4ce83\COMCTL32.dll , Microsoft Corporation , Microsoft® Windows® Operating System, User Experience Controls Library
C:\WINDOWS\system32\MSVCR71.dll , Microsoft Corporation , Microsoft® Visual Studio .NET, Microsoft® C Runtime Library
C:\PROGRA~1\DIRECT~1\adapvst2.dll , Kirill Katsnelson , DirectiXer, VST2 DirectX Adapter
C:\WINDOWS\system32\wdmaud.drv , Microsoft Corporation , Microsoft® Windows® Operating System, WDM Audio driver mapper
C:\WINDOWS\system32\myokent.dll , Jamie O'Connell , MIDI Yoke Junction NT, MIDI Yoke Junction NT
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WINMM.dll , Microsoft Corporation , Microsoft® Windows® Operating System, MCI API DLL
C:\WINDOWS\system32\WMVCore.DLL , Microsoft Corporation , Microsoft® Windows Media Services, Windows Media Playback/Authoring DLL
C:\WINDOWS\system32\RPCRT4.dll , Microsoft Corporation , Microsoft® Windows® Operating System, Remote Procedure Call Runtime
C:\Program Files\Cakewalk\SONAR 5 Producer Edition\TTSRES14.DLL , Twelve Tone Systems, Inc. , SONAR 5 Producer Edition, SONARPDR.EXE

********************************************************************************

9 Reply by SonicExplorer (edited by SonicExplorer 2018-05-18 08:01:24)

  • Registered: 2007-05-01
  • Posts: 104

Re: DAW Host Software Locking Up Using Fireface - *** SOLVED ***

Sorry for the late update but wanted to close out the thread....

The problem ended up being a multi-processor issue.  It seems Directixer (a DXi to VST adapter) is not multi-processor safe and therefore does not play well with Sonar and Superior Drummer 2 on a dual core CPU.   The workaround is to either use a different VST adapter or run the host software in single-processor mode.

Sonic