Hello Avid Community, 

I am currently having a strange (intermittent) issue with Media Composer 2019.12 – on a Mac OS 10.14.6 (Mojave) install.

I have gone through many different stages of uninstalling all things AVID (Media Composer, Pro Tools, Interplay, and Nexis) and re installing it. I have done a complete erased one of the client machines and started from scratch (a complete OS reinstall - harddrive was erased). It worked on one computer but not reliably on the next.

Basically – We hit play and it takes about 4-6 seconds for playback to start (Both is source and record window). This only happens on an M-Audio, Display audio, Pro Tools Hardware. IF I change the audio output to Internal (in the OS level) – everything works fine - Playback responds fine. Yesterday I was pressing the HW/SW button and the video would play back first – I would see the Metering of audio – but the actual audio feed would still only start 4 seconds after.

Here are the Computer Specs:

macOS Mojave 10.14.6

Mac Pro (Late 2013)

Processor : 3.5 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon E5

Memory : 32 GB 1866 MHz DDR3

Graphics : AMD FirePro D500 3 GB

Installed AVID Software: 

Media Composer 2019.12.0.53599

Pro Tools Ultimate 2019.12

Avid Nexis Client Manager 2019.2.2

Are you using audio plugins, particularly track effects? For a while using AAX track effects would substantially slow down MC, including what you are seeing. However, I don't recall this being as much of an issue in 2019 as it was in 2018 (although loudness metering has inexplicably been broken for over a year now).

I'm also using a Nitris DX and not Pro Tools hardware, however, so I'm not sure if your issue is hardware related since you say using internal audio is fine.

This happens regardless of plugins. It happens even when I only link to video - Not even and audio track present. 

Not sure what it can be at this stage - I've tried all different combinations of things. Might be a Media Composer 2019.12 with Mac OS 10.14.6 issue. I'm still testing different combinations of things. The one certain thing is that the only thing that is stable is the Internal Audio (or Headphones) on a Mac. 

Do you have background services running in activity monitor?

What graphics card do you have?    Graphics : AMD FirePro D500 3 GB????

Marianna

more to add after I checked.

I don’t believe MC supports the HDX cards for play.  Not sure if that is what you are referring to with “M-Audio, Display audio, Pro Tools Hardware”.

Anyways, any testing with M-audio and pro Tools HW is done by Pro Tools QA.  I have never tested with Pro Tools HW.  I will ask them.

Marianna

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Hello Marianna, 

Thank you for your response. 

Background services will not matter - I disabled it and still was a lag (press space bar - 5 seconds later the video plays). 

The graphics card are two AMD FirePro D500 (GPU) PCI-e with a total VRAM of 3GB. 

If I chose to playback (in the finder level on a Mac OS system - System Preferences —> Sound —> Output) from the Display Audio (apple display) or M-Track 2x2 audio interface - this lag will start in Media Composer. If I chose to set the sound output to Built-in Output - the Delay in blackback goes away.

I have no issues in Pro Tools with playback. 

Something I did notice was that the HW/SW button seem to be related to this lag somehow. If I press this down (as in broadcast IP) - there is no Video Lag - but the audio will be played back 5 seconds later.  Maybe something with the — OpenIO_NDI

Also - I cannot Disable the HW/SW button on the MacPro. On my MacBook Pro (2015) laptop - with Mojave 10.14.6 and Media Composer 2019.12 I do not have the lag AND the same button is Disabled (I see a large red circle with it being crossed out). 

PontusG:

Might be a Media Composer 2019.12 with Mac OS 10.14.6 issue. 

I'm running MC 2019.12 and PT 2019.12 with macOS 10.14.6 (also on a 6,1 Mac Pro) without issue,  so I don't think that's your problem.

PontusG:

The one certain thing is that the only thing that is stable is the Internal Audio (or Headphones) on a Mac.

In MC, under Preferences (aka Settings) -> Project tab -> Audio Project -> Hardware tab, what do you have listed under "Card" and "Peripheral"? If you have Pro Tools hardware drivers installed I'm wondering if it's causing some kind of conflict.

PontusG:

Yesterday I was pressing the HW/SW button

This must mean you have video hardware attached as well otherwise that wouldn't be available. What kind of peripherals and I/O do you have attached to your system(s)? Also, any difference in peripherals or setup between the systems that work and those that have issues?

Hello Gstrudler

I do not have any video hardware installed (Or connected) on the student machines .

For sound Hardware Tab:

Card: OpenIO_NDI & 1394 Audio&CoreAudio Host Audio

Peripheral : OpenIO_NDI_Family & Avid OHCI

One weird thing is that if I press the Gear ICON next to Periheral and close out - the playback acts normal. Then If I go back in to Hardware and press it again (nothing comes up) - the playback is lagged. 

PontusG:

Maybe something with the — OpenIO_NDI

I'd look at this closer and see if it's causing the issue. I don't have NDI installed on my machine, but a quick search revealed there is a "play local audio" option if you right-click on the HW/SW toggle. I suspect this may be turned on and for some reason having a conflict with audio devices other than the "Built-In" hardware. I would try just turning that option off first and see if it clears up. If not, try disabling NDI output except when you need it. If that still doesn't work, I'd try removing the NDI component entirely, which may require an uninstall and then re-install, but choosing not to install the NDI option (it's enabled in the installer by default).

Hello. 

Thanks for your help. I tried uninstalling Media Composer 2019.12 and Pro Tools 2019.12 on the MacPro. 

Then got rid of all the AVID files in the system etc. Then Reinstalled Media composer - but disabaled the NDI option. But am still seeing this lag with anything but the Built-In audio. At this point I wonder if it is worth it for me to revert back to Mac Os 10.13.6 - High Sierra. 

The play local audio does not change this issue. Also - I am unable to disable the NDI option on the HW/SW button. 

Maybe it's a OS thing (but everything else works fine on my machine). Or a way that Media Composer acceses the USB / Thunderbolt (external) hardware. 

I'll keep diggin and try different combinations. 

Quick note: 

on an iMac (2017) "27 with a similar install (Mac OS 10.14.6 - Media Composer 2019.12) I am having a simliar issue. 

I also tried the Tone Generator - no playback - and with "External" USB connected devices - it still lags . So must be a Audio Hardware Out issue. But only in Media Composer - I do not see this in other applications. 

Hi,

Did you ever figure this out? Think I'm having the same problem.