This is the first in a series in which I will outline the basics of how to use Digidesign's Pro Tools systems to work to picture. First of all, we look at the decisions you need to make in setting up your system. There are three basic ways to work to picture in Pro Tools.You can lock Pro Tools via time code to an external video playback machine and then Pro Tools can 'chase' the VT machine. This process doesn't put any extra load on the computer but it is slow, because you have to wait for the VT machine to spool backwards and forwards and cue to the correct position on the tape before you can work on a section. You will also need some sort of timecode synchroniser like Digidesign's Sync I/O.You can import video files directly into a video track in Pro Tools. This is fast, because there's no waiting for the VT machine to catch up: Pro Tools can continue to work in a 'non-linear' way and will jump to the correct part of the video file as you move the cursor around the Session, just as it does with the audio files. However, handling the video file puts a load on the computer, and you will find that with high track counts and plug-in counts, Pro Tools is more sluggish when using a video file as your picture source.You can use a separate non-linear video player. This can be either a second computer running an application like Virtual Video Tape Recorder from Gallery Software, or a dedicated non-linear player like Rosendahl's Bonsai Drive. This has the benefits of both of the first two options, with the only down side being cost.

There has been some discussion on daw-mac email list about missing voices and what had eaten them up. Folk chipped in that using RTAS plug-ins can cost voices. So I thought it would be good to outline the conditions under which this can happen.Basically in the TDM architecture which is the core on which the HD systems are built, there is one law that cannot be violated: Every signal entering or leaving the TDM Environment requires a Voice to do so; each Voice is one-way only.So in more detail, if you have a mono audio track, the audio coming from the disk requires a Voice to enter the TDM Environment. Audio tracks are the only track type that will grab a Voice by default upon creation, and keep it as long as it is active. Make a wider track (stereo, LCR, etc), and an additional Voice is grabbed per channel added. Therefore, a 5.1 audio track will use 6 voices upon creation. On the other hand Aux In, Instrument, and Master Fader tracks do not utilise a Voice by default. When it comes to plug-ins, TDM plug-ins do not use a Voice ever, because TDM Plug-ins exist solely within the TDM Environment and so you don't need to leave the TDM environment to use a TDM plug-in. Slightly more surprising is that hardware attached to the HD cards like Digidesign interfaces is considered part of the TDM Environment, since they are directly connected. This means using a Hardware Insert would not grab a Voice, for entering or leaving.Moving on to RTAS plug-ins, they are powered solely by the native host. In order for the native host to do this, the signal to be treated must be sent away to the host CPU. To do this, the signal must either originate from the native host, and the only way to do this is a hard disk feeding an Audio track, OR, it must leave the TDM Environment, get processed in the host environment, and then return to the TDM Environment. It does this through those one-way gates, known as Voices. So when you have a signal in the TDM Environment, and you want send it out for RTAS processing, it must use a Voice to leave, and then another Voice to re-enter, which means to use an RTAS plug-in on a mono track costs you 2 voices. Multi-channel tracks will cost you more voices.However as with most rules there are exceptions and this rule is no different. If the track is an Audio track, and is being fed from the hard disk (NOT via live input), and you have an RTAS plug-in as the first plug-in the signal goes through, the audio can simply pass from the Hard Drive to the CPU, and then onto the TDM Enviornment, so only costing one voice. You can have a number of RTAS plug-ins in series as it it is only at the point at which the audio goes into the TDM environment that it will cost you a voice. So there are some tricks to employ to keep the voice count down.Try using RTAS on Audio tracks that are playing off Hard Disk.Try to use TDM plug-ins on Aux tracks. With the ever increasing voice counts on TDM systems we have become complacent but with the growing use of RTAS plug-ins and higher channel counts when working in Surround especially when you have an HD Core system, voices can be an issue you need to plan for. This is now a serious consideration in deciding whether to use an HD or LE system.Following on from the thread on daw-mac, Jerome Boiteau, who raised the issue, has just posted...I just installed two 8 core LE systems. They totally beat our HD3s. In every way. We are mixing a TV series on one of the 8 core. A 5.1 mix AND a stereo downmix in the same session. Multiple 5.1 and stereo busses, C4, RenEQ and DeEssers on each of the 12 dialog tracks. Three UM226 (stereo to 5.1 upmix from waves), Rencomp+ 2C4 + L1 on the 5.1 mix bus, and the same on the stereo mix bus, and HD video playback. 5.1 and Stereo Dorrough meters. The system usage never goes above 29%Jerome BoiteauStudio Expression, Quebec, CanadaVery interesting developments. Have we got to the point where it will be better to dub on host based systems using a large multi-processor machine running Pro Tools LE with either DV Toolkit 2 or even better The Complete Production Toolkit and drop the HD hardware and its significant cost to boot. Please add your thoughts and experiences to the comments below.

I needed to process a voice to sound "evil" but how to do it? So after a little internet research this is what I found....Pitch shift it down and slap a slight ring modulator on it?Use Antares' Mutator - I got it on special offer from audiomidi.com for $10Reverse your voice clip then apply a long reverb to it, then reverse it again..Pitch shift the voice down (not too much). Then, apply the reverse reverb trick, keeping your printed reverb separate (record only the reverse wet signal). Pitch the reverb down a bit more. Bring everything back forward and mix up that satanic reverb to taste. Try treating the voice and its reverb differently. I find that creates unsettling effects very fast.If you have H-Delay from Waves it has a preset named something like EvilUse the pitch shifting and using reversed verb pitch down it's very effective also added ultra short delay with feedback to give it metallic quality and lo-fi to break it up bit.Try GRM Tools. What works for you? Please post your tricks as comments to this thread.

There seems to be a number of reports about poorer video playback in Pro Tools 8 as reported on the Digidesign User Conference.There seems to be a number of issues.Using movies encoded with H264 seem to be more jerky in PT 8 than PT7.There is a sound preferences setting that helps that has been around for quite a while. In Pro Tools sessions with QuickTime video, playback start time is significantly increased. This is an issue with QuickTime on Mac OS X 10.5.3. To avoid this problem, do the following before launching Pro Tools...Open the Mac System Preferences.Click Sound.Click Input.Select any input device other than Digidesign HW.Note: In some circumstances, it is also necessary to also change the output to something other than Digidesign HW to resolve this issue."If you move the video window on the monitor to the edge of the screen so it is just poking out the playback on the screen fed from a Canopus or equivalent can be much smoother.Digidesign are aware of the problem and apparently are working on a fix with Apple.

Occasionally I have been asked to resolve a time stamping problem where fro one reason or another I have needed to modify the time stamp embedded in the wave file.It is possible to modify the user time stamp in Pro Tools but Pro Tools doesn't seem to enable you to modify the original time stamp.So what are the solutions...One is to spot the errant file at the time you would like it to have and then Consolidate it. This will create a new file with the correct original time stamp.However if you want to simply modify the meta-data in the original file then you have to leave the cosy world of Pro Tools and set a free application called Wave Agent from Sound Devices who make portable audio flash card recorders.They have produced a piece of free software that will enable you to edit the meta-data embedded in a BWF (Broadcast wave Format) wav file.They have also produced this helpful video to show you some of the features of Sound AgentWave Agent Overview from Sound Devices on Vimeo.A brief overview of Wave Agent

In this thread on the DUC someone wants to be able to share Raid arrays with both Macs and PCs and the basic outcome is that resolving formatting issues (Mac OS Extended with MacDrive or NTFS and the new MacFUSE software won’t be enough. What is needed is SAN software management software, and that Apple’s Xsan doesn’t work with Pro Tools what is needed is SNS SANmp or Fibrejet for Pro Tools compatible solutions.

There has been a thread on the DUC about using a Canopus box on Macs that don’t have Firewire 400 ports.Apparently the Canopus spec only supports 1394 and 1394 and not 1394b (FW800) so the news looked gloomy.However a number of users have tried using a simple FW800 to 400 adaptor cable and it has worked fine.

This is from their site... If you are a student or belong to the staff of a school, institution, training center or any other EDU entity and can provide a verification of your educational affiliation, we offer you a 50 percent discount on all of our products. To apply for the EDU purchase program you need to send us an email containing the following information: Your full name.A scanned copy of your id-card/passport/drivers license.A scanned valid student card or a valid official document from the EDU entity you are affiliated with verifying your connection with the entity.Or you can just send the application direct from your e-mail address connected to the EDU entity you are affiliated with. As soon as your application is handled and approved, an email will be sent to you with a voucher code for you to use in our online shop granting 50 percent off from the listed standard retail price on any or all of our products. Please send your application to the Flux:: support team

This month Waves have two special offers on. The Native Power Pack is an excellent entry bundle that continues a great bundle of basic plug-ins and I recommend this to all my clients and with 20% off it makes it even easier.The Mercury bundle is at the other end of the bundle sprectum and contains pretty well everything Waves do and 20% off certainly helps here too!For more information and to be able to order these go to the Waves site or your Waves dealer.

There is a great thread on the Digi User Conference.Someone has problems with decoding a Dolby E stream via his Avid. Help has come in from both Minnetonka and Neyrinck as well as a number of other users. Also a query about what to do if you need to route AES 3 into an LE system which of course only has SPDIF digital I/O which has been answered with a signal path solution from Paul Neyrinck.It is really nice to see both Dolby E plug-in manufacturers getting stuck in to help folk.

This is a known issue in Pro Tools HD & LE 7.4.2 & 8 (Mac OS X PPC).Workaround: Format the drive with Apple Partition Map partition scheme.This little problem slipped in with the introduction of Intel Macs and Mac OS 10.4.6 when GUID Partition Table support was introduced. The default mode when formatting drives now on Intel Macs is GUID Partition Table. If you put this drive onto a Power PC Mac like a G4 or G5 then you are likely to get 9131 errors in Pro Tools.You can check if your drive is partitioned with a GUID Partition Table using Disk Utility.If you select the higher level icon in the drive list in Disk Utility, in the bottom section it will show what partition map has been used.Any drive formatted on an Intel Mac will use a GUID Partition Table. You will need to use the Options menu in the Partition tab to force Disk Utility to select Apple Partition Map.Alternatively just format the drive on a Power PC Mac and it will be formatted with an Apple Partition Map.If you have an incorrectly formatted drive you will need to move all the material off it to reformat it with the correct partition map.It is in the Pro Tools documentation but it has caught me out!

One of my clients had an iLok go down that it wasn't covered by ZDT. So what happened in this case?Day 1:I received a call from the client and it became apparent that the iLok was not being recognised and I found that the green LED on the iLok wasn't lit. I checked it in another known working USB socket but still no light. Fortunately the software assets on the iLok were not 'life threatening' to the client, so I moved the relevant plug-ins into the Disabled Plug-ins folder, so that they wouldn't complain every time Pro Tools was booted, and brought the iLok back to my office for further investigation. I verified on my system that there was still no light and also that the Pace software couldn't see the iLok either. It was definitely a dead dongle!Day 2:I went into the client's iLok account on ilok.com, and under the Help section, found an article on 'Broken, lost or stolen iLoks'. Clicking on the link I was presented with a clear set of instructions as to what to do next. Pace will replace the iLok free of charge if it fails in the first year and it hasn't been physically damaged.When you are satisfied it is faulty you have to start an 'RMA process', which involves sending it back to Pace in the US — there is no UK-based operation. You may be charged $39.95 plus shipping, depending what they find. Next, you need to fill in the on-line RMA form, which is clearly laid out, with prompts to help you along the way.Once I had submitted the RMA, I received an email from Pace explaining again how the process works, reminding me that I had to send them the iLok even if it started working again. The email confirmed the iLok serial number, gave me an RMA tracking ID and explained how and where to return the broken iLok. They strongly recommend that you send it via a service that requires a signature at the far end and offers a tracking system whilst in transit. They advise you to only insure the iLok for its hardware value and not include the value of the licences held on it, as this can cause a delay in Customs. A second email also arrived almost simultaneously, advising me of the potential total cost of $39.95 for the RMA and an estimated return shipping of $33.14.I packaged up the iLok in bubble wrap and then into a padded envelope, labelled exactly as described on the RMA confirmation email including the RMA number, and set off to my local post office. Airsure seemed to meet the advice from Pace, as it is a tracked service, and it cost £5.84 to send it insured up to the value of £36.Day 10:Eight days later I received an email from FedEx, advising me of the tracking number of a package from Pace.Day 11:I received an email from Waves advising me that they had been informed by Pace that some of the licences on the broken iLok were Waves licences, and that they had reset the Waves Authorisations on the client's Waves account so I could download the licences on to the new iLok when it arrived from Pace. The FedEx tracking system reported that the package was now in the UK.Day 12:The replacement iLok arrived, with the non-Waves licences already on it: all had been replaced. The iLok was replaced free of charge under warranty and all charges had been waived. I logged onto ilok.com, registered the new iLok on the client's iLok account, then moved onto the Waves site and downloaded the Waves licences from the client's Waves account on to it as well.Day 13:I returned the iLok to the client's system, moved the appropriate plug-ins back into the proper plug-ins folder and checked that everything was back to normal.We may all moan about iLoks but I have to give respect where it is due: Pace turned this iLok round incredibly quickly, especially when you consider there were two transatlantic trips in that period as well.So even though the iLok was not covered by ZDT, their system was effective and efficient.

Last month I reported that Waves were introducing a Plug-In rental scheme. Well know they have added an extra feature in that you can offset your rental fees against the upgrade or purchase of any Waves product, not just the product you have rented.Waves have been criticised in the past for high charges like their WUP programme but hey listened and modified that and they have clearly responded in a similar fashion with this offer.Here is the small print...The Rental period begins once the iLok has been authorized.With each Rental, you will receive a Rent-to-Own coupon code.To redeem the code, contact your dealer.Rent-to-Own coupons can be redeemed for up to 50% toward the MSRP, up to 45 days from Rental expiration date.Waves Update Plan coupons can be redeemed for up to 50% toward the MSRP, up to 45 days from Update Plan purchase date.Rent-to-Own and Waves Update Plan coupons together can be redeemed for up to 50% toward the MSRP.

Source Elements have announced a major overhaul of their Source Connect product that enables remote recordings over the internet and supersedes ISDN lines and enables total integration of Pro Tools sessions running at both ends.I reviewed this a while back in Sound on Sound.This from Source Elements....Source Elements announces Source-Connect Pro 3.5, now available for download.Source-Connect Pro 3.5. is a full standalone application, meaning it is now more efficient on your CPU resources and circumvents RTAS performance issues in Pro Tools HD systems. You can also now switch DAW sessions without losing your connection. New features include auto-accept any connection, copy-paste in the Instant Messaging window, see all your offline Contacts and more.Great for traveling - no need to take an entire workstation with you just to establish a remote connection.Integration with Pro Tools etc.Source-Connect Pro 3.5 is a fully standalone application. To integrate Source-Connect Pro 3.5 with your DAW you will need to physically connect the Audio I/O. Source-Connect Pro 3.5 has been purposefully designed to maintain full compatibility with your Digital I/O to operate perfectly with the Q Manager for Auto-Restore and Replace. RecordingTo record into Pro Tools, for example, you will connect the Digital I/O from your Mac to your Digi 96/192 and set your Pro Tools HW settings accordingly. You will see that Source-Connect Pro 3.5 can now send and receive from your Digital I/O in the Settings panel. Further, you could use your Digital I/O to send the output to Pro Tools, but use any other core-audio interface as your Mic input - including the built-in mic on your Mac!If you don't require access to the Q Manager Restore and Replace processes, any analog audio connection will also work for you. New features:Fully standalone application, works with all coreaudio interfaces.Full support for Auto-Restore and Replace when recording to your DAW using digital I/O.More responsive level meters.With 'Always on Top' mode it feels like a plug-in.Integrated Advanced Settings.Optionally show all contacts, both online and offline.Minimal CPU and RAM usage.Fully compatible with all current RTAS/VST/AU versions.PricesSource Connect Pro costs $1495Source Connect Standard costs $395Rent itYou can rent Source Connect Pro for $250 per week if you only need it occasionally.

Paul has released a cost effective new plug-in that will provide a Dolby ProLogic II compatible LtRt mix from a 5.1 source in Pro Tools. It comes with TDM, RTAS and AudioSuite options as standard. This from the Neyrinck web site... Designed for post-production studios, TV mixers, video game mixers, and broadcasters that monitor or deliver downmixed and Lt Rt encoded audio compatible with Pro Logic™ decoders used in homes worldwide. SoundCode Stereo LtRt Features • Pro Logic™ II compatible matrix encoding • Pro Logic™ I compatible matrix encoding • Lo Ro non-matrixed down mixing • Mute and Phase controls to isolate down mixing problems • Mix Level controls • Brick-wall limiting • Adjustable Metering: VU, PPM BBC, PPM Nordic • Adjustable Peak Metering: Hold, Auto Reset Hold, and No Hold • Adjustable Reference Scale: -16, -18, -20, -24 dB • Peak Value Display • Audiosuite processing for ultra-fast downmixes • Home theater surround monitoring SoundCode Stereo LtRt Specifications • Pro Tools HD and LE (complete production toolkit) 7.0 and later • Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista • LCRS-to-LCRS, 5.1-to-5.1, 6.1-to-6.1, 7.1-to-7.1 (DTS-HD) • LCRS-to-Stereo, 5.1-to-Stereo, 6.1-to-Stereo, 7.1-to-Stereo (DTS-HD) • Bundled With SoundCode For Dolby E • MSRP 349 USD , 269 EURO Paul has produced this little video that shows very simply what this plug-in can do. It is an excellent plug-in at a reasonable price and Paul also offers an upgrade package from the basic plug-in that is included in Digidesign's Complete Production Toolkit at 249 USD.

Minnetonka Audio Software have released an update for their Pro Logic II plug in. This from their press release.... Minnetonka Audio Software announces the release of SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II v2.3. Provided as a cross platform plug-in suite, SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II now ships as a unified installer for Mac/PC operating systems supporting Pro Tools, VST based workstations and standalone applications, using a single iLok license for all flavours. Unlike other “compatible” Pro Logic II products, SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II is a fully licensed and certified application suite for both encoding and decoding. With an all-in-one installer, users can choose when and how to use SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II, giving you powerful multi-platform deployment at no additional charge. For example, the very same license of SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II on Pro Tools will authorize both the standalone product, on Mac and Windows, along with instances on any VST host. Multi-instance support has also been added, allowing multiple Pro Logic II programs to be processed at the same time on the platform of your choice, saving time and streamlining your workflow. An example would be simultaneous VST or RTAS instances in your DAW, with the stand-alone processor running in parallel. For a limited time, existing VST based or standalone customers can upgrade at a reduce price of only $99. Customer who purchased after May 1st, 2009 or existing SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II RTAS users, may upgrade at no additional charge via the web direct from Minnetonka's site here. This upgrade offer will expire August 15th, 2009.SurCode for Dolby Pro Logic II v2.3 retails for $795 and is available through MASI's international network of pro audio resellers, and online at Minnetonka's site. It seems to me that this release is firmly pointed at the demise of the Circle Surround plug-in which has been discontinued and doesn't work properly in Pro Tools 8, see my post on it here. They have also made sure the upgrade fee is not excessive especially if you already own the RTAS version!!.Thank you Minnetonka.

Don't Shoot The Messenger!PACE have had a rough ride in some quarters over the years, but in my opinion it is mostly not their fault. If we where all nice honourable people, software manufacturers wouldn't need to use copy-protection products like the iLok system to protect their business and investment through developing all these creative and useful plug-ins. I accept that PACE have a duty to provide a reliable product so that we, the software developers' customers, are able to use our legally purchased plug-ins without problems and hindrance and I believe PACE have worked hard to develop a reliable system, as subcontractors to the software developers, to deal with end users like us through the iLok.com service. The other criticism levelled at PACE and iLok is that it's unfair to charge us for services like ZDT: after all, the argument goes, we have legitimately bought our plug-ins, and if we have a problem it should be sorted out as part of 'customer support'. Well it can and it does. If you are not covered by ZDT then, as with most products, all it costs you is to ship the damaged item back to the manufacturer or their agent (in this case PACE) and they will fix the problem and send you back a fully functioning device. The charges for that service would reflect whether the item was in warranty or not.What PACE and iLok are offering with ZDT is an insurance policy, similar in many ways to the sort of policy we take out to cover the possible loss of all our credit cards. In that case, all we have to do is phone one number and that company will contact all the different card companies on our behalf and get the lost cards blocked. We don't tend complain about paying for that sort of service, and for professional users, $30 per iLok per year is peanuts compared with two weeks' lost work and goodwill because you don't have any plug-ins on your system to edit and mix with.

Hi folks,I am back from the summer break.This came up a few days ago and it is nice to see Digidesign not forget those people who for what ever reason haven't upgraded to Pro Tools 8.The notes from Digidesign say...Pro Tools 7.4cs10 updates for all versions of Pro Tools 7.4 for Tiger and Windows; and Pro Tools 7.4.2cs4 updates for all versions of Pro Tools 7.4.2 for Leopard are available for download from the Pro Tools CS Updates page in the Support section. Pro Tools CS Updates Pro Tools 7.4.2 Systems The following are the current CS Updates for Pro Tools 7.4.2. Previous installation of Pro Tools 7.4.2 for Mac OS X Leopard is required. Released July 30, 2009:Pro Tools HD 7.4.2cs4 Update for Mac OS X (Leopard)Pro Tools LE 7.4.2cs4 Update for Mac OS X (Leopard)Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4.2cs4 Update for Mac OS X (Leopard) Pro Tools 7.4 Systems The following are the current CS Updates for Pro Tools 7.4. Previous installation of Pro Tools 7.4 is required. Released July 30, 2009:Pro Tools HD 7.4cs10 for Mac OS X (Tiger)Pro Tools HD 7.4cs10 for Windows XP Pro Tools LE 7.4cs10 for Mac OS X (Tiger)Pro Tools LE 7.4cs10 for Windows XP-VistaPro Tools M-Powered 7.4cs10 for Mac OS X (Tiger)Pro Tools M-Powered 7.4cs10 for Windows XP-Vista What's New in These Updates? In addition to all fixes from previous CS versions, Pro Tools 7.4cs10 and 7.4.2cs4 include the following: HD, LE, M-Powered (Mac & Windows) Fixed: A play command in Pro Tools may not always engage playback on the first attempt. After a play command, the Play and Stop buttons may flash, however, Pro Tools does not playback. Subsequent tries would allow playback.Fixed: Cannot open sessions due to PolyVector error. Certain sessions cannot be opened due to the following error: "Could not complete your request because out_of_range: Cmn_PolyVectorImpl::At"Fixed: Audible drift when using PAL to Film TCE conversion on long audio files. Using the Time Shift Varispeed preset (PAL to Film -4%) will result in a file that drifts over time and runs out of sync with picture. HD, LE, M-Powered (Windows) Fixed: Cannot select the number of RTAS processors on a hyperthreading-enabled CPU. When working with a hyperthreading-enabled processor, Pro Tools does not allow selection of the number of RTAS processors in the Playback Engine dialog. HD (Mac & Windows) Fixed: Missing audio while recording with Destructive Punch. After a record pass using Destructive Punch, there may be a waveform present but no audio recorded to disk. LE (Mac) Fixed: OS X may become unresponsive while using Core Audio applications with Mbox 2 USB interfaces. The operating system becomes unresponsive (spinning beach ball, freeze, or “kernel panic” message), requiring a restart of the computer.Please Note: Connecting or disconnecting an interface while the computer is turned on (hot swapping) can also cause problems with the operating system, such as "You need to restart your computer" (kernel panic) messages. This is a separate issue unrelated to the fix listed above. Hot swapping is not recommended with any audio interface, particularly when that interface is being used by an application. Fixed: With Original Mbox on Intel-Based Macs, DAE Error -9136 Could Occur During Playback.This problem does not occur on any Mbox 2 products or PowerPC-based MacsPlease note that for Intel-based macs only, this fix will add approximately 3ms of monitoring latency when performing with virtual instrumentsThis fix eliminates many, but not all instances of error -9136 during playback with the original Mbox on Intel-based Macs. For other possible causes of -9136 errors, see the following article: DAE error -9136 with an Mbox on Mac OS X. LE (Windows) Fixed: Pro Tools LE does not launch when connected to a VENUE system via FWx card. Pro Tools LE would hang on "DAE Loaded" while launching when connected via FWx card.

Our Mike Thornton writes the Pro Tools Notes, Techniques and Workshop articles for Sound on Sound as well as reviewing many of the new Pro Tools related products. Note that you will need to be a subscriber to view the recent articles or you can choose to Click & Buy individual ones.   Pro Tools - Troubleshooting -  Click to continue Mike's newcomer guide to Pro Tools. Newcomers and power users alike need to know how to make things right when their Pro Tools Sessions run into trouble.