Freezing problems using Pulsar 2 on new P4 DAW

AndreD · Post by **AndreD** » Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:29 am

On 2004-08-05 12:09, paulrmartin wrote:
And after 2 hours I have no freezes.

Things are looking up.

..without hyperthreading support...
it´s not a big loss but...

geoffd99 · Post by **geoffd99** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:48 am

Hi all, I had a problem sort of solved a few pages back, PCI overload, turned off HT and USB; but I still get some PCI Overload msgs. But I think they are caused by midi data from my keyboard (the only external device) which is a Yamaha VL1 which puts out a lot of controller info (I believe). When it is switched off, I never get a PCI msg; when on, I do (even with new software Ableton Live 4 etc).
So if you had a lot of external gear, it might cause problems, whatever the PC setup.
Just a thought!

BingoTheClowno · Post by **BingoTheClowno** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 10:56 am

With Yamaha products you could use the serial port MIDI cable ("To Host") and free your real MIDI ports. (If it's avaialble)

valis · Post by **valis** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:35 am

It seems like the best thing for many users would be to put a small external midi filter module previous to the pulsar's midi input and set it to filter activesensing.

dbmac · Post by **dbmac** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:38 am

Have you ever seen such a thing?

/dave

AndreD · Post by **AndreD** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:43 am

On 2004-08-12 12:35, valis wrote:
It seems like the best thing for many users would be to put a small external midi filter module previous to the pulsar's midi input and set it to filter activesensing.

or a small midi-interface like midex 3..

BingoTheClowno · Post by **BingoTheClowno** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 11:47 am

On 2004-08-12 12:38, dbmac wrote:
Have you ever seen such a thing?

/dave

My Peavey 1600X MIDI controller is able to do that.

valis · Post by **valis** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 1:22 pm

This one is a bit pricier than the ones I've seen locally but notice that mode 28 filters 'active sensing':

http://www.audiomidi.com/assets/4305_FT4a.jpg

http://www.audiomidi.com/common/cfm/pro ... m?pid=4305

dbmac · Post by **dbmac** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 2:35 pm

Cool, I've been looking for something like that for years. The local music shops are hopeless with midi accessories.
Thanks,

/dave

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Thu Aug 12, 2004 3:55 pm

On 2004-08-12 12:35, valis wrote:
It seems like the best thing for many users would be to put a small external midi filter module previous to the pulsar's midi input and set it to filter activesensing.

Let's see, I buy a $2,200.00 card(actually two) and I have to spend another $200.00($1500.00?) for an external MIDI device because my computer won't take MIDI otherwise?

*Things that make you go "Hmmm...."*

_________________
Paul R. Martin - Are we listening?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: paulrmartin on 2004-08-12 17:04 ]</font>

geoffd99 · Post by **geoffd99** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 3:43 am

Isn't there any switchable (or programmable)filtering in the CW interface(hardware IO)?
Sonar can filter midi, but by then it is already inside.
Some keyboards etc have midi options to switch modes etc.

Post by **garyb** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 4:57 am

you know, this may be an issue that the mobo bios needs to address. my intel d850 has NEVER seen this problem with ANY keyboard connected to it. i have seen a d65perl with the freeze problem and a d865perl without it(older and newer board). i never did think to compare bios revisions, but sharcsound's mobo problems were solved with a new rev, so it's a place to look. i just don't think that it is entirely the card's fault if it works in some machines and not others. that would seem to indicate the possibility that the environment the card was in might be a factor.

valis · Post by **valis** » Fri Aug 13, 2004 5:14 am

One of my synths here is a JD800 which sends out a constant stream of active sensing messages itself. I had it connected to my Pulsar1 for years and it currently hangs off a 4-port midisport.

Here's the interesting part...whether attached to scope or to the usb midisport (which needs replacing with an AMT-8 probably but that's unrelated) everything works great with Logic here. However before logic 4.81 I was using Nuendo since I'm an NT (and win2k/xp) user. I used to get the nastiest bsod's on my dual machine under Nuendo and never really knew what happened. The day that I expanded my setup to include a usb hub I started noticing that shortly before Nuendo would bomb all external midi devices would completely disappear. I was never able to 'see' this when using the Pulsar but it was definately evident now. If I didn't reboot then shortly a blue screen would occur. Everything was the same symptomatically and 'bsod-ally' whether I used the midisport or my Pulsar.

Now it turns out that my JD800 was the keyboard that I always used as my master. I'm not sure if its related, but I can attest that I basically have all the same gear now and use Logic instead, and have no crashes. Also my cpu's are the first HT capable Xeons but I only use them in non-HT mode. However they ARE dual so that means that rather than HT I have SMP here. Its possible my experiences are related (I can still replicate the bsod's under Cubase SX 1&2 to this day) and its possible that Cubase just hates my dual Xeon (which was built almost exactly to Nuendo 1.5x spec, I used a dual p3 previous to this).

Anyway adding the midi port filter is a suggestion for those that want to get work done and avoid problems.

darkstar · Post by **darkstar** » Sat Aug 14, 2004 3:48 pm

I have same freezing problems,my mobo is asus p4c800e-deluxe,and I am really pissed off...I send email to creamware telling them that this IS midi bug with new motherboards(I saw many posts about this),and that is stupid to buy midisport or another midi interface if you HAVE midi on your soundcard(I have luna 2).So if there is no solution to this problem except buying midi interface,I will sell Luna and go for some serious card that WORKS.
Regards

paulrmartin · Post by **paulrmartin** » Sat Aug 14, 2004 4:16 pm

Well, I got an email from Ralf confirming that SFP does NOT work well in ACPI. This email came after I switched to Standard PC mode. I have no more freezes since then.

urban_productions · Post by **urban_productions** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 3:17 am

hi,

as the prob arises with ni-standalone also, i think of the asio-driver first... install new aspi layer (change version of aspi layer), change buffers, lower frontside bus speed, check pci: voltage, speed, grafic-card (remove/replace), (interrupts should not be the prob).

hth
u.

geoffd99 · Post by **geoffd99** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 4:56 am

Hint:
Before going on an endless series of fixes (as I did) confirm whether the problem is from external midi devices by switching them all off (or disconnecting midi). I have done every fix possible, and wasted a huge amount of time, and it seems to all come back to the external mdi keyboard.

In fact the only track I have delivered in the last 3 months was an audio-only mix I did in Acid 4. It was the only program that worked (this was before I'd sussed the external midi problem).

This is a massive 'doh!' for Creamware, what are these cards they produce that don't handle midi properly?

Has anyone noticed that the press hardly mention Creamware - wonder why?

I have had email conversations with various CW synth makers, who say the professionals use one card per PC, for hosting the synths only - ie the 'studio on a card' is all a bit half assed.

However, eventually, I seem to have a stable system (with no midi!).

Go figure...

Mehdi_T · Post by **Mehdi_T** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 6:45 am

may be there a workaround for midi/active sensing.
For some reason my Midi Ins A & B are dead on the scope (might come back one day, i think it happened in the past _ I often change cabling so they might have gotten old). Midi Outs work fine.

Fortunately, I have an Edirol pcr keyboard which can send midi through usb. So I sent it to my usb hub, and get it directly into Cubase. Now I have midi again in the sequencer tracks, which can be sent to Scope.

This keyboard has a Midi In, so may be I can plug the drum pads and use it again too (looks quite complicated and unflexible in the PCR keyboard though).

I have checked in the Midi Monitor and there is no active sensing coming out the Sequencer Midi Source. Only Notes On/Off and controller messages.
May be it can help some of you (active sensing never caused a problem to me in the past - nor USB - ASUS P4PE mother board - win XP - no xpSP2 ).

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Mehdi_T on 2004-08-15 08:17 ]</font>

astroman · Post by **astroman** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 6:49 am

On 2004-08-15 05:56, geoffd99 wrote:
...
This is a massive 'doh!' for Creamware, what are these cards they produce that don't handle midi properly?

Has anyone noticed that the press hardly mention Creamware - wonder why?
...

first point: I have neither freezes nor BSOD on an Intel 815 under WIN98

and there's a pretty sohisticated midi implementation for the internal control of SFP...
if this (or whatever) collides with some mobo/bios/os related stuff and one can cure it by an external box for 50 bucks, then what's the point ?
btw, I can immediately freeze a Mac (under certain apps) if I 'steal' the midi port by shutting the external box off.

second point: indeed - but I don't wonder as their ads have almost vanished from the pages...

cheers, Tom

fidox · Post by **fidox** » Sun Aug 15, 2004 7:49 am

i agree with Astroman, since i was running celeron 1300, intel chipset 815 with 2 luna's midi in + out, win98 and also later winxp, ACPI mode, there was no problems with midi or freezes,
then i have bought first intel 865perl mobo - freezes
now i have asus P4C800-deluxe, so far everything is ok, but i don't have my luna box connected , since i don't have any hardware synth anymore, just creamware + vst plugs

matej