Vegas 8.0c Stopped Recording During Live Gig

Sneddy wrote on 11/21/2010, 10:40 AM

I was doing a live 2 track recording and the recording meters locked while the cursor continued. I stopped Vegas, brought it back up and it worked fine until the end. This happened eight minutes in after the intermission (a new Vegas file).
The first set was an uneventful 51 minutes. I saved that .veg file as Set 1 and then saved as again Set 2.

I'm using an ADK laptop nearly four years old (it has been working GREAT)
Here are the specs:
Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (build 2600)
Intel Corporation Calistoga & ICH7M Chipset
2.15 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
4096 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded
2 GB Ram

I had antivirus, firewall, and wireless disabled.
I was using a Presonus Firestudio with latest firmware/driver
along with a WD Passport 500GB hard drive to store the files to.
Enable track buffering was not checked. The FS kept its sync to my computer
(blue lights stayed steady - not the flashing red when it's not synced).

I have done three previous two hour eight track live recordings with no problems. Any thoughts? I can certain get the Vegas 10 upgrade if anyone thinks this might help.

Thanks, Sneddy

Comments

musicvid10 wrote on 11/21/2010, 11:09 AM

"along with a WD Passport 500GB hard drive to store the files to."

I'll give you odds that was the problem. These drives are poorly ventilated, and go into protective shutdown at the first hint of overheating. Moving my 500G Passport to a new drive enclosure with a fan solved the problem completely, and I now use it for all kinds of multimedia stuff including rendering, which I couldn't do before.

Oh, and thanks for providing complete information. It helps in identifying possible solutions.

Sneddy wrote on 11/21/2010, 1:35 PM

Thanks for your thoughts on this. I have a live 8 track recording day after T-Giving.
I'll use an external drive I know spins at 7200 and one that has better ventilation.
Additionally, I'm going to put my laptop/Presonus through its paces between now and then. Thanks again, Sneddy

musicvid10 wrote on 11/21/2010, 1:50 PM

I got one similar to this -- the fans mean you can't use it next to mics though . . .
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0315511

Sneddy wrote on 11/30/2010, 4:06 PM

I have an update on my recording levels meter lockup. It had nothing to do with the WD Passport - it was a setting on the Presonus Firestudio. When setting it to Safe Mode 2 along with raising the buffer to 1024 it solved the problem. The settings when it locked up was Normal Mode and 512. I've done several two hour plus 8 track recording tests with no lockups. I stumbled on this myself and then verified with Presonus. Sneddy

richard-amirault wrote on 12/31/2010, 4:11 PM

There are people who would *never* rely on a computer to record an event .. at least as the only source .. just because there are *so* many things that can cause a computer to stop working properly.

A seperate, digital audio recorder would add an extra layer of reliability.

Chienworks wrote on 12/31/2010, 4:14 PM

Quite true. When i do a live recording i parallel the output to my laptop, a digital recorder, and i usually bring along the trusty ol' Tascam tape deck too. Funny thing ... i've never had the tape deck crap out on me. Not ever.

musicvid10 wrote on 12/31/2010, 5:15 PM

H4 with fresh batteries is part of the kit on all productions -- has saved the day more than once.

Before I got the H4, it was a lowly mp3 recorder with a rigged stereo mic that saved the first 20 minutes of a major show. Cheap lesson indeed.