Hello,

This is my first post in this forum, and sadly, a not too happy one.

I just purchased a WaveArts Trackplug5 plugin two weeks ago, which is lovely… and according to the documentation on this website is compatibile with PT 6.9 and OSX 10.3.9. There is a specific mention of that and a download to install…

My problem is caused specifically by placing (this time) the WaveArts Trackplug 5 plugin in my plugins folder. Once the Trackplug is in there, then next time I open a PT session, the automation parameters disappear from the PT plugin parameters list interface, affecting a lot of other plugins. (It seems that the only plugins immune to this are the basic digidesign plugins, the rest is rendered unusable, as you can not select the parameters you wish to automate.) As soon as I remove the Trackplug 5 from my plugins folder, the problem is solved.

So why am I writing this if I found a way to solve my problem?

Well, simply not using the great product I just purchased does not strike me as a solution. That’s not solving the problem: that’s avoiding the problem. I am running supported PTLE software on a supported Mac machine, with the right OS for that software. According to the documentation PT 6.9 LE should work with no problems: as per description of the product I purchased. The Trackplug 5 is supposedly also supported on my system (there is a specific reference to Pro Tools 6 on a Mac OS 10.3.9 [my setup] on this website). Yet when I try to use thw two things together, after spending my money, they not only do not work together, they also make OTHER plugins unusable! I think that is scandalous and unfair.

I did a quick search on this forum, an d found no mention of this problem, but I have a feeling there are others who are experiencing this problem. There was, however, some discussion of it on the DUC (Digidesign User Forum). I am bringing this up here with hopes that perhaps there actually is a real solution to this. And, at least to alert potential usesr to this conflict.

Sincerely,
p.

Hi,

Well I assure you we are not deliberately trying to cause a scandal. 

Did you happen to try any of the demos of our other products, and did they exhibit the same behavior? 

We will try to reproduce the problem here on our end, and I will post again with any news.

Rob

Hi,

Thanks for the prompt response.
My apologies for the scandalous tone of my message

I did in fact try the demos some time ago, but did not recall the problem then (it could be that I just did not need the automation during that session). If you would like me to do that, let me know, and I can try to run some tests with your demos to see if they also cause this problem.

Below I am pasting an exchange that took place on one of the DUC forums that seems to most specifically hint at a particular technical problem. perhaps that could be useful to you in identifying the culprit?…

--------------------
begin pasted reference
--------------------

DigiTechSupt
Administrator

Re: Free Dynamics III DigiRack Plug-in Suite [Re: andydadd]
#931408 - 12/22/05 10:55 AM

I think we’ve discovered what the problem is.

Because some 3rd party plug-ins do not use a ‘proper’ page table resource or don’t have a resource at all (which was the case with Waves until they came out with an update), the method the Pro Tools uses to get that resource can reveal issues with improper page tables. That’s the reason that there doesn’t seem to be any consistency to which plug-in causes it and which one exhibits the problem.

In other words - there is nothing wrong with Dynamics III or EQIII or any plug-in that has proper page table resources. You’re merely seeing the secondary effects.

There were changes made in Pro Tools 7 that address this. We’re looking into a possible fix for Pro Tools 6.9, but we do not have any specific information from engineering if this is going to be possible yet, so no promises.

--------------------
Digi Tech Support

-- RESPONSE:

Cool Stuff Labs
member

Re: Free Dynamics III DigiRack Plug-in Suite [Re: DigiTechSupt]
#949916 - 01/27/06 02:16 PM

Quote:

Because some 3rd party plug-ins do not use a ‘proper’ page table resource or don’t have a resource at all (which was the case with Waves until they came out with an update), the method the Pro Tools uses to get that resource can reveal issues with improper page tables. That’s the reason that there doesn’t seem to be any consistency to which plug-in causes it and which one exhibits the problem.
In other words - there is nothing wrong with Dynamics III or EQIII or any plug-in that has proper page table resources. You’re merely seeing the secondary effects.

Reply:

This is incorrect and disingenuous.

There are two ways a plug-in can specify page table layouts, “legacy” and “XML”. Both are ‘proper’ and legal according to the Digidesign Developer documentation. It explicitly states that XML page tables are recommended but optional and that legacy page tables are supported in all versions of DAE.

The disappearing page table issue is a *BUG* in PT 6.9 which, at minimum, can be triggered when a plug-in using ONLY Legacy page tables is instanciated after a plug-in using ONLY XML page tables. DynIII was one of the first plugs to only use XML page tables, not both or Legacy only, and hence was the one of the triggers for exposing this bug.

Legacy-only page tables are not improper. Neither are XML-only. Yes, the easiest fix is for developers with Legacy-only plugs to add XML page tables. But those plug-ins were properly, legally, constructed according to Digidesign specifications. It is misleading to claim this issue is due to faulty workmanship by the plug-in developers. It is PT 6.9 (DAE really) that is failing to properly load legally constructed page tables according to the specifications in place at the time of its release.

--------------------
end pasted reference
--------------------

I think Trackplug is a great product, and am sincerely hoping to be able to use it. As it is at this moment, i had to remove it from my plugins folder, just so I can use my other plugins.

Thanks again, and am looking forward to hearing from you,

p.

Are you using older plug-ins in conjuction with TrackPlug 5?  Our version 4 plug-ins use the “legacy” tables but TrackPlug 5 uses the newer XML format.  If TP5 is the ONLY plug-in you try to use, does the problem still occur?

Hi,

Trackplug 5 is the only WaveArts plugin I currently own. I have tried the demo of the whole 5 suite, but have removed all but the Trackplug. Never tried your older products.

I have not tried a session with only Trackplug, but can try it now.
Give me a minute.

p.

OK,
In a session with only Trackplug 5 the automation parameters for the Trackplug do appear in the list.
However, when another plugin is added, the parameters for that plugin are not available. Tracklpug appears to retain the parameter list itself, while affecting the other plugins…
p.

Hello,

Amazingly: the problem of disappearing plugin automation parameters is SOLVED.
It took no other than Mr. Massey himself:

http://www.masseyplugins.com/

to point me in the direction of the (seemingly obvious) solution: the final CS update of PT 6.9, namely 6.9cs4:

http://archive.digidesign.com/download/cs/69cs4/lemac/

After running that update, all is good and all can be automated without further headaches.

I am happy that the problem is fixed, and am posting this note for any other potentially miserable souls who might have given up on automating their plugins…

Onward and Upward!

p.

- - -

PS
One amazing part of this whole issue is (to me) the fact that it took months, in fact years for the solution to arrive at my desk. You could say that it just shows how poorly I managed my system… but I have tried. I posted questions about this as early as 2005! Started with the Digi website, then elsewhere. never received a direct answer to my problem. How is it that the moderators of the DUC could not point me to the software update that would address this issue? I searched the Digi website too, but never found the right page. Navigating this maze is a challenge in and of itself. Oh well. I am just ecstatic to report: problem solved! No extra money spent.

Great, thanks for the update… makes us feel better too that the issue is known and has been resolved!

ok, NEVER MIND… I was wrong. The CS update does NOT solve this problem. Sorry to get your hopes up…

After returning to the studio this afternoon: the automation parameters are gone again!

I did a quick test in the morning: right after installing the 6.9cs4 update, and looked like all was good: I loaded a few “suspicious” plugins, then a few of the “victims"… all displayed the automation parameters correctly. Hence my elation in previous messages. Now I got back to my studio to get some work done: and SMACK… we are back at squere one. It is EXACTLY how it was before. I have no idea what that brief, shiny moment of glory was all about, but I do see that is gone… along with my plugin automation parameters....

OK

What am I missing now?

p.