KVR Audio

AdmiralQuality · Post by **AdmiralQuality** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 10:31 pm

Willabong wrote:I'm the one with the rare bug......NO! It's not Ebola virus!
Mike has worked hard trying to solve this one. Is anyone using an SSE1 CPU who can still get the Poly-Ana upgrade to work?
Anyone with an Athlon XP up to 3200 has got SSE1 only?

Hold your horse there Willa, I'm 10 seconds away from sending you a SSE1 only version of 1.13RC3.

AdmiralQuality · Post by **AdmiralQuality** » Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:35 pm

This fixes HumanBeing2's crash on editor closed during automation bug in eXT2 and AudioMulch.

http://www.admiralquality.com/download/ ... 113RC3.exe

I'll probably be releasing this one as the final 1.13 later tonight or tomorrow. I'm not expecting any changes, unless anyone reports some problems with RC3.

The cause was hosts with poor thread handling. In this case the host was trying to set parameters in the editor on one thread at the same time the editor was being asked to close by another thread.

My code already checked if the editor has been deleted before it'll try to access any controls, but in the case of multiple threads, it's possible to get the editor's setParameter called when the editor is only "half destroyed", and that's what's been happening here.

I prevent it by putting a critical section around the two conflicting pieces of code. But threading SHOULD be transparent to the plugin developer. There's no mention of anything to do with threads in the VST 2.4 SDK. It's the host's responsibility to make sure it doesn't call potentially conflicting functions in the plugin at the same time. (So in this case, eXT should add the critical sections around their calls to the plugin, not rely on every single plugin developer out there to have to do it themselves.) And the host has a lot more information about what's going on than any plugin has, another reason for all these restrictions to be managed by the host.

But there's a LOT of developers out there, many here on KVR, who just don't get this. (If you're one of them, kindly debate me in the Dev board please, not here.) This is exactly why there's a lot of flakey hosts out there that won't run plugins that run fine in the Steinberg hosts. Just because SOME plugins run on a given host, that doesn't mean that host is OK and all the "broken" plugs are bad. In fact, just the opposite. If host A can make a particular plugin work, host B should be able to as well. So it's usually a sign host B needs some more cookin'...

Anyway, can't change the world so I've added this. In this case it shouldn't impact performance as it only happens during editor close, but the more of these you add the more you risk getting in locked situations (for example I experimented with a critical section around the editor::open function too and it caused the sound to stop while the graphics load! Ungood++)

Let me know how RC3 works for you everyone and if there's no big problems I'll make it official.

http://www.admiralquality.com/download/ ... 113RC3.exe

Willabong · Post by **Willabong** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 12:37 am

Mike, you are not only a great guy, you are also a genius!
Works perfectly with slightly less CPU, about 2% or 3%.
Thank you for sticking with it!

AdmiralQuality · Post by **AdmiralQuality** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 12:42 am

Willabong wrote:Mike, you are not only a great guy, you are also a genius!
Works perfectly with slightly less CPU, about 2% or 3%.
Thank you for sticking with it!

Sweet!

And actually it was you who figured this one out. I just put it back to the way it worked in 1.11 for your SSE1 vesion. So thank YOU Willabong!

AdmiralQuality · Post by **AdmiralQuality** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 2:16 am

OK, I declare version 1.13 official. Get it! (If you downloaded the RC3 link above, you already have it, excepting some slight changes to the readme.)

http://www.admiralquality.com/products/Poly-Ana/

Enjoy.

annode · Post by **annode** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 6:50 am

AdmiralQuality wrote:OK, I've been able to reproduce HumanBeing2's bug in the eXT2 demo. It crashed it good, took the ASIO driver with it, requiring a reboot.

These are one of the worst kinds of problems to debug, because it requires a reboot every time you test. But that's pretty common in this biz.

I'll see if I can find it, holding off the 1.13 release until I've had a go at it, probably not till tomorrow now.

Thanks HumanBeing2!

I've found,with my asio driver,when an audio app crashes and hangs the driver, it will reset after you open say...media player...any audio app.
Then sx3 can be reopened without reboot. (FYI)

dacaumodo · Post by **dacaumodo** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:10 am

Mike, you let me know if you'd like a French language release announcement for use on websites like audiofanzine (huge french speaking, CM related website - they have anywhere between 1500 and 2500 connected users at any given time

)

I don't know how much advertising goes for there but I'd think it wouldn't be a bad spot. Just a thought.

d/g

AdmiralQuality · Post by **AdmiralQuality** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:26 am

dacaumodo wrote:

Mike, you let me know if you'd like a French language release announcement for use on websites like audiofanzine (huge french speaking, CM related website - they have anywhere between 1500 and 2500 connected users at any given time )

I don't know how much advertising goes for there but I'd think it wouldn't be a bad spot. Just a thought.

d/g

Thanks daca! Spread the word on all the French boards too! Haw haw!

Oh and annode,

Most people have ASIO drivers written by the manufacturers of their audio interface, so they're all different. I use an Edirol UA-1000 and can't say I enjoy the same kind of recovery behavior. In fact I gave my new DAW it's first BSOD doublechecking that just now...

First I crashed SX by terminating it with the debugger instead of through it's own interface (something I do by accident/force of habit all the time when debugging) and as always, it keeps looping the same buffer contents in a never ending buzz until I reboot.

I then launched MediaPlayer and played an MP3. It mixed with the buzz.

Then to get really creative I launched a game (Day of Defeat, FREE WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND! Come kill Admiral Quality, which is actually my handle in there too.) and while it was updating my machine BSODed.

I haven't quite torture tested ASIO4ALL. I was actually preferring it a few weeks ago as it lets me get a 64 sample buffer instead of 96 which is as quick as Edirol's ASIO driver will go, but I run into a lot of problems with routing all the extra ins and outs, and it also refused to work ("beyond logic") when I switched the UA-1000 to 96 kHz, which I think I did to match you as closely as possible while trying to reproduce your bug. (If it wasn't you, it was somebody here. But I generally want to get in the habit of working at 96 kHz anyway, now that I've got CPU power to spare.)

FYI.

Opax · Post by **Opax** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:31 am

AdmiralQuality wrote:Then to get really creative I launched a game (Day of Defeat, FREE WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND! Come kill Admiral Quality, which is actually my handle in there too.)

If I kill you, do I get a free license?

AdmiralQuality · Post by **AdmiralQuality** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 7:33 am

Opax wrote:
AdmiralQuality wrote:Then to get really creative I launched a game (Day of Defeat, FREE WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND! Come kill Admiral Quality, which is actually my handle in there too.)
If I kill you, do I get a free license?

You get a free license... to kill.

Opax · Post by **Opax** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 8:06 am

AdmiralQuality wrote:You get a free license... to kill.

Touche!

Treeper · Post by **Treeper** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:33 am

Question please -

I usually "audition" demo plugs on an Athlon XP 2.6. (separate from my studio running a Quad Core) - I like to keep the studio setup mean and clean!

Im running the last version 3 of Cubase SX (3.114?) in the studio and on the Athlon. (I've resisted going to V4 due to the whole direct x plug thing...

The Polyana demo isn't loading up in Cubase for me (plugin info shows it as unloadable)on the Athlon.

I've checked the bios, and there doesn't seem to be anything that says "enable sse".

Is this an Athlon thing, a motherboard thing (asus) or VST 2.4/2.3?

I'm resisting upgrading Cubase in the Studio as long as possible...

thanks...

annode · Post by **annode** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:42 am

Treeper wrote:Question please -

I usually "audition" demo plugs on an Athlon XP 2.6. (separate from my studio running a Quad Core) - I like to keep the studio setup mean and clean!

Im running the last version 3 of Cubase SX (3.114?) in the studio and on the Athlon. (I've resisted going to V4 due to the whole direct x plug thing...

The Polyana demo isn't loading up in Cubase for me (plugin info shows it as unloadable)on the Athlon.

I've checked the bios, and there doesn't seem to be anything that says "enable sse".

Is this an Athlon thing, a motherboard thing (asus) or VST 2.4/2.3?

I'm resisting upgrading Cubase in the Studio as long as possible...

thanks...

Hi Treeper. Maybe I can help .
I had the same prob on my first demo.
In my case I didn't read the "readme.txt".
Not following the "to the point" instal instuctions will result in sx3 seeing it as unloadable. A correct reinstall fixed this for me.

Treeper · Post by **Treeper** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 9:59 am

Thanks annode - I'll have another look now....

annode · Post by **annode** » Fri Jul 04, 2008 10:09 am

Quote from AQ above;

Oh and annode,

Most people have ASIO drivers written by the manufacturers of their audio interface, so they're all different. I use an Edirol UA-1000 and can't say I enjoy the same kind of recovery behavior. In fact I gave my new DAW it's first BSOD doublechecking that just now...

First I crashed SX by terminating it with the debugger instead of through it's own interface (something I do by accident/force of habit all the time when debugging) and as always, it keeps looping the same buffer contents in a never ending buzz until I reboot.

I then launched MediaPlayer and played an MP3. It mixed with the buzz.

Then to get really creative I launched a game (Day of Defeat, FREE WEEKEND THIS WEEKEND! Come kill Admiral Quality, which is actually my handle in there too.) and while it was updating my machine BSODed.

I haven't quite torture tested ASIO4ALL. I was actually preferring it a few weeks ago as it lets me get a 64 sample buffer instead of 96 which is as quick as Edirol's ASIO driver will go, but I run into a lot of problems with routing all the extra ins and outs, and it also refused to work ("beyond logic") when I switched the UA-1000 to 96 kHz, which I think I did to match you as closely as possible while trying to reproduce your bug. (If it wasn't you, it was somebody here. But I generally want to get in the habit of working at 96 kHz anyway, now that I've got CPU power to spare.)

Shame about not everyone being able to reset a crash and audio hang with a simple media player start. Never knew it was possible with my driver till just recently.
----------
On my crappy celeron 1.10g,no version of poly that i've tried is displayed by chainer. (I have redirected the installation to another directory using the included browser tree.)
I can see chainer write it to it's vst log.
------------
Minihost sez "it's not a valid will say it's not a valid vst". Although minihost opens one other vsti I have installed for testing.
------------
The celeron is embedded DX, so I am using asioforall for testing.
------------
Chainer in my P4 HT opens poly. For some reason minihost opens all vsti but no cpu shows and no sound...although midi works.(will install a new version of minihost.)
EDIT: Installed new minihost.resolved CPU and sound prob. Poly runs in it.
------------
These are FYI only.not complaints.
I at no time have had any playing enjoyment time with poly-ana, only running it for my tests.
------------
I am formatting a "core2 duo" for a friend.
I have it here,and can't wait to use it as comparison to my hyperthreaded P4.
I expect it will work on the core2. I hope i'll be able to narrow my P4 prob down.

Announcing Poly-Ana 1.13 update:25% less CPU, More bug fixes