Solving problems in your studio March 4, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Project Studio, Studio Setup, Troubleshooting , trackbackThe internet is an extremely valuable tool for home or project studio owners. A lot of problems can arise in a studio: compatibility issues, hardware problems, computer problems, error codes, improper clocking, cable setups, software updates/authorization, plug-in installation, mysterious pops and clicks, virtual instrument problems, mix problems… etc etc etc. Learning how to fix any issues that your studio experiences is a valuable skill.
So what are your options for solving these problems? Obviously, you want to solve any problems as fast as possible. Problems in your studio hinder creativity, but can also cost you a lot of time and money (especially if these things happen when a client is working). I am going to cover some ways on how to get accurate and fast information for all your troubleshooting needs.
1) Read the manual! Many problems you have may be answered in the user manual. Plus, technology makes it really easy for us. Rather than finding the 12 pound, 1562 page manual, looking through the index, etc… Just go to the Help menu of your DAW (or program, OS, whatever is causing problems) and pull up the electronic manual. If its not in the help manual, check the Application folder, or even the original install disk. In the manual, there will be a search option. Just type in what you are looking for. If you are having a problem, check the manual first. Often, this is the fastest way to fix things.
2) If you are having problems with equipment that you purchased recently, call the company who you ordered it from, or call the manufacturer of the gear. Chances are, if you are having a problem, someone else has/is also having that problem. Also, if it turns out that you have a defective piece of gear, these are the people you need to contact for an exchange or repair.
3) Forums are also a great source of information. (Sweetwater, DUC, Unicornation, Gearslutz, etc) But, you need to “help everyone help you” when posting on a forum. Be sure to give very specific information about your equipment/computer/software and specifics about the problem. Here are two examples:
- “Bad” post: “I use Pro Tools, my computer is fast but its stalling when I run the program, help me fix this!!
- In this post, users trying to help you will not know what operating system you are using, what audio interface, what version of the DAW (Pro Tools), or even when the program is crashing. It is likely that either users will not respond, or they will respond by asking you for more information. You can save yourself some time by making a post like below.
- “Good post: “I am using Pro Tools LE 7.cs2 on Leopard 10.5.1 with a Mac Pro 2.8 quad core 2GB ram. When I start Pro Tools, it stops loading at the ReWire plug-in, and either stalls, or quits Pro Tools. Does anyone else have this problem or know how to get the program to load”
- This is much better. Users will know specifics about your setup, and now know exactly what is going on. Chances are you will get some fast and good information on how to fix your problem.
Be very specific in your posts. If you are asking about replacing equipment, be sure to indicate what sort of projects you will be using the equipment for and your budget. Also, when you are posting in forums, be sure to be courteous, and have good forum “etiquette”. This would include not typing in all CAPS, spacing your paragraphs, not overusing “smileys”…
4) Ask TheStudioFiles.com! We are here to help you out. Either post in the comments, send us an email with your problem, or even just send us a topic you’d like to see an article or video on. We’d be happy to help.
If you are having problems, I would suggest consulting these resources. Hopefully you will get everything working asap.
C
The Studio Files
Comments»
Dedicated to RawkNRoll? lol
Some good advice. Lots of times a new forum user will feel “browbeaten” and not follow up because they simply don’t know how to properly get their question across. As someone who has answered a lot of questions on a lot of boards, I know it can be fatiguing–especially if the issue has already been dealt with and the user hasn’t even done a search for it first!
Anyway, we all noobs at something. With me it’s video production and editing, so I am starting to “lurk” on a few of those forums.
Questions and comments always welcome.
DS
The Studio Files
Oh yeah, good point. I forgot to mention that searching the forums BEFORE you post your question may save you a lot of time (and snide responses). Again, many times, any problem you are having may have already happened to someone else.
If you are a “noob” at something, all the more reason to post in forums! Forums are there to help out. But, remember to “help everyone help you” by providing all the necessary information along with your question.
And Russ, that may have been some of my inspiration
I’m using ProTools LE 8 on Mac OS X 10.6.6 with a MacBook Pro 2.4 duo core 4GB ram and a Digi 003 and also an Mbox Mini. ProTools is crashing about every 15 minutes (“quitting unexpectedly”). I’ve been using this machine for about a year, and this problem started two days ago. In the past two days, I started using plug-ins that my friend installed recently (Q 10 series, TrueVerb, etc.) and I believe this may have caused the problem. Will a re-install help? Please help!!!!! Thank you!