Can't Update Firmware - Lynx Support Forum

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Jperkinski View Drop Down

Wildcat

Joined: January/20/2014
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Points: 159

Topic: Can't Update Firmware
Posted: November/24/2015 at 9:54am

As noted in a thread last month, I decided to revert to the previous firmware 13.2 because of some Pro Tools crackling issues when the CPU load spikes after a plugin insert or something else. WaveLab would also have audio crackles or interrupts if something made a CPU spike. I thought it was the 14.0 firmware update because up until then, my system was solid.

Lynx support helped me revert to 13.2 using PROM 1 but now I want to try Firmware 14.0 again because I'm still getting the Pro Tools issues with 13.2. Might be a Thunderbolt 1 bottleneck issue. I don't really know at this point.

Anyway, I get the follow attached error messages when I try to update the firmware.

Do I need to switch to PROM 1 again?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Edited by Jperkinski - November/24/2015 at 9:59am

PaulTech

Admin Group

Joined: August/13/2004
Location: United States
Points: 5495

Posted: November/24/2015 at 3:06pm

Have you tried the update after a reboot with no other software running? Disconnect and reconnect the Thunderbolt chassis as well.

If that does not help, you might need to try Prom 1 again.

Paul Erlandson
Lynx Studio Technology
Support
714-545-4700 x 206
Lynx Support and Updates on Facebook!

Jperkinski View Drop Down

Wildcat

Joined: January/20/2014
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Points: 159

Posted: November/24/2015 at 6:35pm

Thanks, that did the trick.

Are you able to explain a little but about what Disabling CPU Power Management does, as well as Enable Safety Offset? I'm using OS X 10.10.5 and trying to get the most out of Pro Tools.

I get the feeling that my Mac might be a little stressed. It's a 3.5GHz i7 iMac with 32GB RAM. Solid State hard drive for the OS and external Solid State drives for the audio.

The bummer is that it was one of the last Thunderbolt 1 iMacs.

In one TB port, I have an OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock which feeds the Sonnet Echo Express III D containing my Lynx AES16e card, UAD Octo Card, and a FW/USB card that normally has nothing connected to it.

From there, I'm coming out of the Sonnet Echo Express to feed a Phillips TV as an extra display using a TB to HDMI cable. The OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock also feeds a 55" Samsung TV via the HDMI output which is used as my main display.

The other TB port is feeding a Blackmagic Multidock with the external SSDs.

The computer itself also has a few dongles for iLok, Steinberg key, and Weiss Saracon dongle.

Other peripherals include an Apple wired USB keyboard, Apple USB Superdrive, bluetooth Apple Magic Mouse.

I think that's it. Despite all this, I never hear the iMac fan kick on so I feel like the iMac can handle it, but when I'm working in Pro Tools and start inserting plugins on more than a couple tracks, I get a huge CPU spike for a few seconds and Pro Tools won't playback audio until the spike settles down. I get error message AAE -9173

Also, sometimes the playback won't stop and give that error message, but the playback audio is full of crackles and pops until things settle again after inserting a plugin or using another app that might cause a CPU spike.

I'm thinking of upgrading computers but waiting to see if Apple refreshes the Mac Pro.

David A Hoatson View Drop Down

Admin Group

Forum Administrator

Joined: October/01/2003
Location: Idaho
Points: 4993

Posted: November/24/2015 at 9:18pm

You might try swapping the order of the OWC TBT2 Dock and the Echo Express. Go from the iMac to the Echo Express then to the OWC. Having the extra latency of going through the OWC may be what is causing the issue with updating the firmware - although we have tested with 6 devices and haven't see any issues. Never have tested with the OWC however.

The other thing you can consider, the AES16e has two EEPROMs. You can have 13.2 on PROM1 and 14.0 on PROM2 and just switch between then by changing the jumper. No need to re-burn the firmware on PROM2.

Edited by David A Hoatson - November/24/2015 at 9:19pm

Thank you,

David A. Hoatson
Lynx Studio Technology, Inc.
Co-founder, Chief Software Engineer

Jperkinski View Drop Down

Wildcat

Joined: January/20/2014
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Points: 159

Posted: November/25/2015 at 5:19am

Thanks David. I was able to update the firmware. I'm not sure what the trick was, but I disconnected the TB chassis, restarted computer, quit all apps, reconnected TB chassis and then it worked.

My main concern now is the audio crackling when there is a CPU spike. Sometimes Pro Tools stops playback and gives an error message, but sometimes playback doesn't stop and the audio has crackles/pops until the CPU spike settles.

In the past, I don't recall seeing such major CPU spikes just from inserting any given plugin.

I know it may not be Lynx related, but if you have any ideas what would cause the CPU spike shown in this video, that'd be great:

http://www.dropbox.com/s/d5ejpdragh6mgzl/PT12_CPU_Spikes.mov?dl=0

I was also asking for more detail on the Disable CPU management and Safety offset settings.

Thanks.

PaulTech

Admin Group

Joined: August/13/2004
Location: United States
Points: 5495

Posted: December/01/2015 at 1:34pm

Generally the driver is largely irrelevant for CPU spikes, However, considering your chain, you might experiment with disconnecting everything but the expansion chassis from the thunderbolt port on your Mac and see if that behavior changes.

Also, do you have ProTools 11 you can test with, as a comparative?

Disable CPU Management is a switch that can help performance with some Mac Models, that have aggressive power management features. I would suggest having this enabled in your case.

The Safety Offset adds an additional play buffer. This can be helpful as a troubleshooting step. You may try enabling that as well and see if there is improvement.

Otherwise, a more drastic but effective approach would be reinstall the OS on a clean partition, load your DAW and drivers, test. If clean, install plug-ins one at a time, testing as you go.

Paul Erlandson
Lynx Studio Technology
Support
714-545-4700 x 206
Lynx Support and Updates on Facebook!

Author	Message Topic Search Topic Options Post Reply Create New Topic Printable Version Translate Topic
Jperkinski Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Wildcat Joined: January/20/2014 Location: Milwaukee, WI Points: 159	Topic: Can't Update Firmware Posted: November/24/2015 at 9:54am
	As noted in a thread last month, I decided to revert to the previous firmware 13.2 because of some Pro Tools crackling issues when the CPU load spikes after a plugin insert or something else. WaveLab would also have audio crackles or interrupts if something made a CPU spike. I thought it was the 14.0 firmware update because up until then, my system was solid. Lynx support helped me revert to 13.2 using PROM 1 but now I want to try Firmware 14.0 again because I'm still getting the Pro Tools issues with 13.2. Might be a Thunderbolt 1 bottleneck issue. I don't really know at this point. Anyway, I get the follow attached error messages when I try to update the firmware. Do I need to switch to PROM 1 again? Any help is appreciated. Thanks. Edited by Jperkinski - November/24/2015 at 9:59am

PaulTech Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: August/13/2004 Location: United States Points: 5495	Posted: November/24/2015 at 3:06pm
	Have you tried the update after a reboot with no other software running? Disconnect and reconnect the Thunderbolt chassis as well. If that does not help, you might need to try Prom 1 again.
	Paul Erlandson Lynx Studio Technology Support 714-545-4700 x 206 Lynx Support and Updates on Facebook!

Jperkinski Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Wildcat Joined: January/20/2014 Location: Milwaukee, WI Points: 159	Posted: November/24/2015 at 6:35pm
	Thanks, that did the trick. Are you able to explain a little but about what Disabling CPU Power Management does, as well as Enable Safety Offset? I'm using OS X 10.10.5 and trying to get the most out of Pro Tools. I get the feeling that my Mac might be a little stressed. It's a 3.5GHz i7 iMac with 32GB RAM. Solid State hard drive for the OS and external Solid State drives for the audio. The bummer is that it was one of the last Thunderbolt 1 iMacs. In one TB port, I have an OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock which feeds the Sonnet Echo Express III D containing my Lynx AES16e card, UAD Octo Card, and a FW/USB card that normally has nothing connected to it. From there, I'm coming out of the Sonnet Echo Express to feed a Phillips TV as an extra display using a TB to HDMI cable. The OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock also feeds a 55" Samsung TV via the HDMI output which is used as my main display. The other TB port is feeding a Blackmagic Multidock with the external SSDs. The computer itself also has a few dongles for iLok, Steinberg key, and Weiss Saracon dongle. Other peripherals include an Apple wired USB keyboard, Apple USB Superdrive, bluetooth Apple Magic Mouse. I think that's it. Despite all this, I never hear the iMac fan kick on so I feel like the iMac can handle it, but when I'm working in Pro Tools and start inserting plugins on more than a couple tracks, I get a huge CPU spike for a few seconds and Pro Tools won't playback audio until the spike settles down. I get error message AAE -9173 Also, sometimes the playback won't stop and give that error message, but the playback audio is full of crackles and pops until things settle again after inserting a plugin or using another app that might cause a CPU spike. I'm thinking of upgrading computers but waiting to see if Apple refreshes the Mac Pro.

David A Hoatson Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Forum Administrator Joined: October/01/2003 Location: Idaho Points: 4993	Posted: November/24/2015 at 9:18pm
	You might try swapping the order of the OWC TBT2 Dock and the Echo Express. Go from the iMac to the Echo Express then to the OWC. Having the extra latency of going through the OWC may be what is causing the issue with updating the firmware - although we have tested with 6 devices and haven't see any issues. Never have tested with the OWC however. The other thing you can consider, the AES16e has two EEPROMs. You can have 13.2 on PROM1 and 14.0 on PROM2 and just switch between then by changing the jumper. No need to re-burn the firmware on PROM2. Edited by David A Hoatson - November/24/2015 at 9:19pm
	Thank you, David A. Hoatson Lynx Studio Technology, Inc. Co-founder, Chief Software Engineer

Jperkinski Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Wildcat Joined: January/20/2014 Location: Milwaukee, WI Points: 159	Posted: November/25/2015 at 5:19am
	Thanks David. I was able to update the firmware. I'm not sure what the trick was, but I disconnected the TB chassis, restarted computer, quit all apps, reconnected TB chassis and then it worked. My main concern now is the audio crackling when there is a CPU spike. Sometimes Pro Tools stops playback and gives an error message, but sometimes playback doesn't stop and the audio has crackles/pops until the CPU spike settles. In the past, I don't recall seeing such major CPU spikes just from inserting any given plugin. I know it may not be Lynx related, but if you have any ideas what would cause the CPU spike shown in this video, that'd be great: http://www.dropbox.com/s/d5ejpdragh6mgzl/PT12_CPU_Spikes.mov?dl=0 I was also asking for more detail on the Disable CPU management and Safety offset settings. Thanks.

PaulTech Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: August/13/2004 Location: United States Points: 5495	Posted: December/01/2015 at 1:34pm
	Generally the driver is largely irrelevant for CPU spikes, However, considering your chain, you might experiment with disconnecting everything but the expansion chassis from the thunderbolt port on your Mac and see if that behavior changes. Also, do you have ProTools 11 you can test with, as a comparative? Disable CPU Management is a switch that can help performance with some Mac Models, that have aggressive power management features. I would suggest having this enabled in your case. The Safety Offset adds an additional play buffer. This can be helpful as a troubleshooting step. You may try enabling that as well and see if there is improvement. Otherwise, a more drastic but effective approach would be reinstall the OS on a clean partition, load your DAW and drivers, test. If clean, install plug-ins one at a time, testing as you go.
	Paul Erlandson Lynx Studio Technology Support 714-545-4700 x 206 Lynx Support and Updates on Facebook!