• Registered: 2007-06-10
  • Posts: 105

Topic: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

I have been experiencing some serious problems in the last week, & wonder if they are related.

There is a lot if info to digest. It took me a while to document all this, so please give it your due attention. Thank you very much.


Aug. 18
TotalMix showed bursts of high levels & overloads while no audio was being played, GUI changes.

No audio was playing through FFUC. Only other app running: Safari on a webpage with no audio.

Occurred shortly after I turned the computer & FFUC on.

TotalMix window appeared from behind other windows with some channels showing audio at maximum level with their red overloads lit. These levels went down slowly with the red overload lights remaining lit for some time.

No monitors were turned on, so I did not hear if there was actually any audio associated with the levels.

Channels with levels:
Input: 3/4 (channel 4: red overload remained lit)
Playback: 1/2, 3/4
Output: Phones

Output 5/6 had its settings panel open (it had been closed last time I used TotalMix)

Then the mute turned on for channel 3/4.

The TotalMix GUI was sluggish – I tried to drag its corner to extend window but nothing happened, then it finally moved. Mac keyboard shortcut to hide the window took longer than usual.


Console messages:
8/18/12 3:13:04 PM    kernel    USBF:    2007.540    Fireface UC Mac (23139072)[0xb0be100]::joinPMtree - could not find the hub device

8/18/12 3:14:17 PM    kernel    USBF:    2081.331    There is not enough USB isochronous bandwidth to allow the device "Fireface UC Mac (23139072)" at location 0x1a200000 to function in its current configuration (requested 508 bytes for endpoint 0x82 )


Troubleshooting
Shut down both computer & FFUC, power on, repaired permissions.
Trying a different USB cable.

Specs
Driver v1.75
Firmware v115
TotalMix 0.984 (1)
MacBook Pro 4,1 Early 2008
FFUC plugged into left-side USB port
Cinema Display in use, screens mirrored, USB cable plugged into hub

Other USB Gear In Use
Apple wired keyboard
wired trackball
USB hub (powered, multi-TT)
Midisport 4x4 MIDI I/O
iLok



Aug. 16
Garbled, glitchy audio & Fireface USB Settings launching & re-launching itself

Driver v1.73

Watching netflix, paused movie in full screen, noticed that Fireface USB Settings was open in the dock. I closed it with keyboard shortcut.

I resumed netflix to hear garbled audio. I checked audio playback in QuickTime & it was also garbled, so it wasn’t netflix/Safari.

Noticed Fireface USB Settings was open in the dock again. I closed it with keyboard shortcut, but it was still open in the dock. So I navigated to the USB Settings window & closed it again with keyboard shortcut, finally closed in dock & audio was normal.


Console messages:
IOAudioStream errors & adjusting messages: between 1:48:37 PM & 1:52:33 PM (4 minutes) I got 1,910 messages!

8/16/12 2:43:41 PM    TotalmixFX[158]    kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGSShapeWindow

8/16/12 2:43:41 PM    TotalmixFX[158]    kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.

8/16/12 2:43:41 PM    [0x0-0x1e01e].com.apple.Console[208]    Thu Aug 16 14:43:41 Alaric-Burnss-MacBook-Pro.local Console[208] <Error>: kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGSShapeWindow

8/16/12 2:43:41 PM    [0x0-0x10010].de.rme-audio.TotalmixFX[158]    Thu Aug 16 14:43:41 Alaric-Burnss-MacBook-Pro.local TotalmixFX[158] <Error>: kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGSShapeWindow

8/16/12 2:43:41 PM    [0x0-0x10010].de.rme-audio.TotalmixFX[158]    Thu Aug 16 14:43:41 Alaric-Burnss-MacBook-Pro.local TotalmixFX[158] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.



Aug. 14
Audio MIDI Setup switching back & forth between Fireface & Built-In Output, FFUC appearing & disappearing in Audio MIDI Setup as the audio from it also appeared & disappeared.

Started happening after 14 minutes into Skype call.

Had to stop using FFUC to continue my call.

After I concluded my call I opened Audio MIDI Setup & FFUC was not there. I turned FFUC off & back on, & it appeared.


Console messages:
IOAudioStream errors: many.

“usb SetConfiguration failed” listed in Console messages twice in a row.

“ACInterfaceGetPower called with NULL interface” message twice in a row.


8/14/12 4:51:38 AM    TotalmixFX[170]    kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGSShapeWindow

8/14/12 4:51:38 AM    TotalmixFX[170]    kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.

8/14/12 4:51:38 AM    [0x0-0x12012].de.rme-audio.TotalmixFX[170]    Tue Aug 14 04:51:38 Alaric-Burnss-MacBook-Pro.local TotalmixFX[170] <Error>: kCGErrorIllegalArgument: CGSShapeWindow

8/14/12 4:51:38 AM    [0x0-0x12012].de.rme-audio.TotalmixFX[170]    Tue Aug 14 04:51:38 Alaric-Burnss-MacBook-Pro.local TotalmixFX[170] <Error>: kCGErrorFailure: Set a breakpoint @ CGErrorBreakpoint() to catch errors as they are logged.

8/14/12 4:52:51 AM    kernel    usb SetConfiguration failed


Thanks again for bearing with me during this long post.

2 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • Registered: 2007-04-06
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Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

Can be as easy as a broken USB cable / connector, or as bad as a temperature-dependent broken UC...

On the other hand issues that you reported before 1.75 have been fixed in 1.75, and when the last one (with 1.75) happened after wake from sleep then it will be fixed soon too.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

3 Reply by oblique strategies (edited by oblique strategies 2012-08-20 05:53:17)

  • Registered: 2007-06-10
  • Posts: 105

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

Thank you for the swift response! Much appreciated.

Do you know if the FFUC was actually generating audio, or was the TotalMix GUI just showing erroneous levels that had no associated audio?

My main concern is getting my ears blasted when using headphones if the FFUC is generating audio at maximum levels.

4 Reply by MC

  • MC
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Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

The last one (Aug 14) points more to a broken power supply or broken UC. Do you have another ps to try?

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

5 Reply by oblique strategies (edited by oblique strategies 2012-08-21 04:31:19)

  • Registered: 2007-06-10
  • Posts: 105

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

The power supply that came with the UC is:
Model: STD-12020T
Output: 12V --- 2A 24W MAX
Pin Positive

I have numerous 12V power supplies, but none have 2 Amps output. The closest is 1.25A, & it doesn't list if it's AC or DC! The next is 1A (1000mA) DC.

And none of them list the Wattage Max as the UC's does (12V --- 2A 24W MAX)

Also: is the UC ps Output AC or DC?

I'm located in the USA.

Would be disappointing if the UC was broken. It's spent all of its short life racked in my studio. I have air space both above & below it for cooling.

6 Reply by MC

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Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

Sorry, but I overlooked something quite obvious:

> There is not enough USB isochronous bandwidth
> USB hub (powered, multi-TT)

It seems that all these errors might be caused by a different USB device. To check that please disconnect all others, and/or make sure the UC has one of the two USB2 ports all for itself.

12 V 1.25 A is enough for testing. AC/DC - just try it, the UC has internal protection, it will either work or not. The UC typically needs 12 Watts @ 12 V DC.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2007-06-10
  • Posts: 105

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

Thanks for the catching that. Let me clarify my setup:

The UC is the only thing plugged into left-side USB port of the MacBook Pro. I always use it this way.

The powered Multi-TT USB hub is plugged into the right side USB port.

All other USB devices are plugged into the hub.

The other USB devices in use at the time of the Aug. 18 incident:
1. Midisport 4x4 MIDI I/O (no MIDI devices in use & no MIDI info being sent/received)

2. iLok (no software requiring it in use)

3. Cinema Display - which has the following plugged into its USB port:
     3a. Apple wired keyboard - which has the following plugged into its USB port:
          3b. wired Kensington trackball (Expert Mouse)


Armed with this information, what does the 'There is not enough USB isochronous bandwidth' console message tells us?

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

It tells us that no one knows how the Macbook Pro handles all these ports internally. tongue

In order to help analyze the issue it would really help to unplug _everything_ except the UC to see if it works then. If it doesn't it's a better start to look further into the issue.

If the UC works on its own then you start plugging in USB devices one after another to find out which of these gets the UC into troubles.

9 Reply by oblique strategies (edited by oblique strategies 2012-08-22 11:59:48)

  • Registered: 2007-06-10
  • Posts: 105

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

Definitely good troubleshooting practices.

The UC works, except for the incidents mentioned. And no further incidents to report.

Personally, I'm hoping that it was a bad USB cable -do the Console messages either confirm or rule this possibility out?

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

I'd say they confirm this possibility. When the cable is broken it introduces errors, which in turn might have caused the connection to be dropped down to USB 1 or just plain introduce some silly messages.

  • Registered: 2007-06-10
  • Posts: 105

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

Do you think a bad cable would cause TotalMix to freak out the way I described?

12 Reply by oblique strategies (edited by oblique strategies 2012-08-27 00:46:05)

  • Registered: 2007-06-10
  • Posts: 105

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

No further incidents since switching USB cable.

Still wondering:

Concerning TotalMix showing maximum levels & overloads when no audio source was active & playing: Do you know if the UC was actually generating audio itself, or was the TotalMix GUI just showing erroneous levels that had no associated audio? My main concern is getting my ears blasted when using headphones.


MC wrote:

> There is not enough USB isochronous bandwidth
It seems that all these errors might be caused by a different USB device.

1. Can a bad cable also cause this problem?
2. Do you think a bad cable would cause TotalMix to freak out the way I described?


Thanks Mattius & Timur.

  • Registered: 2008-01-01
  • Posts: 3,025

Re: Multiple Fireface UC problems: are they related?

Broken data transfer from the UC to Totalmix may have causes wrong values. Or the ongoing loose connection (connects/disconnects) may have caused the UC to "pop" internally, because of loose grounding (USB caries grounding, too).