Protools newbie - help needed please.

[qiktune]

Hi guys,

I've purchased a Digi 001 with PT 5.1 (I've since downloaded 5.3) and just had a PC built to run it.I don't know the first damn thing about computers and not sure if it's running the right gear as I was doing some recording yesterday and got a pop up message saying my CPU was struggling so I had to remove some plug ins. I looked at the CPU usage and it was going into the red.

I had 9 audio tracks with about 6 plug ins max.

I'll list the parts that have gone into the machine if that helps to work out where I may have gone wrong...

Intel 4 - 3000 (775,631,800 fsb)
2MB cache VM900M motherboard
1gb Kingston ddr2 ram
160gb seagate 7200 rpm hdd

...any help would be much appreciatted.

Brett

[ridgeback]

I'm not a Windows guy but it would seem the hardware is up to snuff. Have you had the machine optimized for ProTools use? I think you need to let us know what OS you're running and such.

[elicantu]

i have a digi 001 and i used to run it with 5.1 too. it was a pain in the rear..just go ahead and download 6.4. thats the latest version that the digi 001 will run in..i also switched to a mac because windows was frustrating me .

[qiktune]

ridgeback - I should have thought to state the OS in the first post.PC is running XP Home. As far as optimizing the machine for PT,I wouldn't know where to start.


elicantu - I may do just that. I must have misread a post somewhere else re 5.3 being the latest I could use. Funny, but whenever I do searches on the 001 most threads are actually a couple years old....something I hadn't noticed until yesterday.

I re recorded an entire song last night (I had a tempo issue) and it seemed to do ok. I did notice that when I used the Amplitude plugin I also picked up a very noticeable static spike every couple of seconds....I figured that perhaps it was because Amplitude was only a demo version - but that's a whole other thread.....

[bennychico11]

Originally Posted by qiktune

elicantu - I may do just that. I must have misread a post somewhere else re 5.3 being the latest I could use. Funny, but whenever I do searches on the 001 most threads are actually a couple years old....something I hadn't noticed until yesterday.

that's because the 001 is old

6.4.1 is the last version to work with the 001. And I believe if you're running XP, SP2 will NOT work with it. So make sure you don't update.

[qiktune]

Originally Posted by bennychico11

that's because the 001 is old

6.4.1 is the last version to work with the 001. And I believe if you're running XP, SP2 will NOT work with it. So make sure you don't update.

So I should stick with 5.3? I don't know what "SP2" means (I'll do another search and find out). I'm not unhappy with 5.3....geeez, I've not even begun to use it yet. I just didn't want to start out with something like 5.3 if I should/could be using 6.4....know what I mean?

Is there a version between 5.3 and 6.4 that I could use?

Thanks for the input guys.

[qiktune]

Originally Posted by bennychico11

And I believe if you're running XP, SP2 will NOT work with it. So make sure you don't update.

SP2 is Service Pack 2 geez I'm slow.....

[bennychico11]

your best bet is just to get 6.4. It was a very stable and popular version back in the day. At least you have 5.3 now, so you have more than the one undo like 5.1 offered!!

6.4 upgrade will cost you a small amount of money (i think maybe like $75), but you should be pretty well off for awhile. Just don't read about what's new in 7.3 because then you'll be wanting to upgrade to THAT however that will take a lot more than just $75

[qiktune]

So I should get 6.4? ( I feel as thick as a couple of planks - not sure I understand what you're telling me )
My XP Home does indeed have SP2 so my interpretation of what you're saying is that 6.4.1 will NOT work on my machine.....correct?

Digistore is offering 6.4 for $35....

[bennychico11]

you have 5.3 now AND SP2...and it's working just fine? Hmmm, that's weird. They didn't come out with a patch for SP2 until like 6.7 or 6.9

If you can upgrade to 6.4, do it. Just check the recommended specs on the digi site or Digi store to make sure it will work with your computer. Although, if you're running 5.3, I don't see why 6.4 wouldn't work.

[mojew]

Get 6.4 then go to www.musicxp.com.

Thats got all the little system tweaks to get your pc running better for audio, without getting too in depth.


BUT! In my experience with PT I just couldn't get it to run well on my PC (granted, this was like 3 years ago and hardware has come a long way, but I had a top notch system at the time) and ended up buying sonar and using the digi001 as an interface for it. Worked great until I got a laptop and a presonus firebox!

Slowtools!!

[qiktune]

Originally Posted by bennychico11

you have 5.3 now AND SP2...and it's working just fine? Hmmm, that's weird. They didn't come out with a patch for SP2 until like 6.7 or 6.9

If you can upgrade to 6.4, do it. Just check the recommended specs on the digi site or Digi store to make sure it will work with your computer. Although, if you're running 5.3, I don't see why 6.4 wouldn't work.

Hmmmm, perhaps I shouldn't push my luck if it's working lol.

[qiktune]

Originally Posted by mojew

Get 6.4 then go to www.musicxp.com.

Thats got all the little system tweaks to get your pc running better for audio, without getting too in depth.


BUT! In my experience with PT I just couldn't get it to run well on my PC (granted, this was like 3 years ago and hardware has come a long way, but I had a top notch system at the time) and ended up buying sonar and using the digi001 as an interface for it. Worked great until I got a laptop and a presonus firebox!

Slowtools!!

Thanks mojew, I'll spend some time researching all this new info (it takes some time to sink in - I'm a real Nowhere Man when it comes to computers).

I am however pretty pumped because I've managed to start recording a few songs and the results a fantastic.....still needs a bit of tweaking but hey I need experience.

[charger]

Some misinformation here... first, PTLE v6.4 DOES work with SP2, and it also works with multiple processors (something that I have also heard said it doesn't work with). That said, there are two issues that I would look at right away.

1. Update to 6.4, it's just a better software release than anything in the 5.x series.
2. When you update make SURE you update any Digidesign plugins. I think this is automatic with the installer, but just be sure. I remember a few bugs involving things like D-Verb that would cause CPU spikes.

To solve the CPU spike where your CPU goes into the red, and then you can't play or record:
Save and close your session, then reopen it. Most of the time this fixes the problem, and CPU meters go back to normal. If they don't, close and restart Pro Tools.

Also, optimizing your system for Pro Tools using the tips on the site is not a bad idea.

[qiktune]

Originally Posted by charger

Some misinformation here... first, PTLE v6.4 DOES work with SP2, and it also works with multiple processors (something that I have also heard said it doesn't work with). That said, there are two issues that I would look at right away.

1. Update to 6.4, it's just a better software release than anything in the 5.x series.
2. When you update make SURE you update any Digidesign plugins. I think this is automatic with the installer, but just be sure. I remember a few bugs involving things like D-Verb that would cause CPU spikes.

To solve the CPU spike where your CPU goes into the red, and then you can't play or record:
Save and close your session, then reopen it. Most of the time this fixes the problem, and CPU meters go back to normal. If they don't, close and restart Pro Tools.

Also, optimizing your system for Pro Tools using the tips on the site is not a bad idea.

Thanks charger, I discovered last night that I need to save and close my session when the cpu spikes. I'll upgrade to 6.4 tonight and see how that goes - hopefully I'll have the next three days to spend on recording (gotta love APEC lol).
I don't have any plugins yet - I got an Amplitude disc from the guy I bought the digi from but it only lets me use "demo" mode.

[qiktune]

Guys I need HELP.....I've purchased the upgrade to 6.4 and tried downloading it a couple of times. 55mb and it says "index" (file type unknown).

What now?
I thought it would be an exe. type file.......

[qiktune]

I contacted Digi and got a reply. That's gotta be THE BEST (and fastest) online customer service I've ever experienced.

I did was I was told to do and it worked.Here's the reply for anyone that encounters the problem in future....

This is a fairly common problem that can be caused by your web browser
during the download process. We are not sure why this happens, but we
have learned this can be easily corrected by adding the “.zip�
extension to the end of the file name. From here, you should be able to
unzip the software as you would normally.

[bennychico11]

question, are you using the Firefox browser?

I have a feeling it's something with Firefox

[qiktune]

No, using IE.

I now need to update my drivers right? I went to the "Pace" site but didn't know what to click on

[steve.h]

I breezed through the thread, and didn't see anybody ask the obvious question: Do you have other programs running while running pro-tools? Check your start bar next to the clock: if you have a bunch of icons down there (for stuff like antivirus software), you'll want to quit out of those and make sure they don't run again. In general, this would be why many-to-most studios don't allow their recording computers on the internet, or to be used with anything other than recording. You'll have better luck running JUST Pro Tools and related software (reason, etc.) vs. having your regular shit on top of it.

Originally Posted by bennychico11

question, are you using the Firefox browser?

I have a feeling it's something with Firefox

What are you tryin' to say... haha

[bennychico11]

Originally Posted by steve.h

What are you tryin' to say... haha

lol, nothing. I actually use Firefox too...love it better than IE.
I just think there are some quirks with it when downloading stuff that I never saw with IE.

[qiktune]

Morning gents.....anyone able to point me in the right direction to update my drivers for PT 6.4?

[qiktune]

....anyone?