Overbridge meltdown nightmare (with video proof)

Elektron Software Overbridge
#1

I mean folks… why is it everytime i want to make some music after a few months hiatus, that i have to be penalised with several evenings of mystifying new bugs.

  • Latest macOS (Sonoma, latest version too)
  • Latest latest versions for analogue heat v1, digitakt, digitone, overbridge, transfer… all!

Trying to even explain whats going on, and how nroken this is is impossible without just seeing how bizarre it is on the video. I also narrate the issue there so it’s clear as day.

Btw, even have a Elektron USB Overhub! And guess what? It’s superbuggy. The cheapo dinky USB hub from the corner tech shop here in pigalle is consistently stable… I mean I’m really starting to pull my hear out at this point.

Just wanna jam…

Any help appreciated.

EDIT, omg, you can actually hear the issue lol, my talk track dips in and out as I talk lol… this is so weird. Since when did overbridge get so bad?

How can I be the only one with this issue?

If it helps, i’m using a Focusrite Scarlett 4i4, but I always did, and it was never an issue.
Also not using a DAW here… ableton is not open or in the picture.

thanks, Marc

#2

Run a disk utility first aid in Recovery mode on the Mac first, on all volumes (view menu > show all volumes) and test again.
What year is your Mac?

#3

My take would be to uninstall overbridge, reinstall again and then use devices one at a time to find out if it’s a specific device or software issue.

1 Like
#4

Hey, it’s 2021, 16 inch, 32GB ram, very good mac tbh.
What would recovery mode achieve though, what would I be recovering if i did this? thanks :slight_smile:

#5

I’ll give this a go.
Could it be related to the focusrite, or maybe settings in the machines themselves? (USB etc?)

#6

Recovery mode is a separate mini-OS, so you can fix drive errors without having MacOS using the disk. It’s a good idea to run this every few years for studio machines.

#7

I don’t know what it could be, but I find trying to isolate the problem by connecting things step by step often exposes the culprit.

#8

If you want a consistent experience, stop changing things. Software moves fast. Much faster than many of us are comfortable learning and often faster than companies on the periphery have the resources to keep pace with. So a lot of times the extent to which one can have a consistent experience creating music is the extent to which one can remove software from the equation.

It is, of course, unreasonable to remove all software — most gear runs software internally, and for many a DAW in an indispensable part of the studio. But it is reasonable to find a version of everything that works how you want it and stick with it. I’ve been in places still booting Windows 98 for this reason.

Conversely, if during a hiatus you update and change a bunch of things, it makes sense to set aside some time when coming back to work out all the new interactions, flows, and replacements these changes may require. The troubleshooting methods outlined above (taking everything down to its core, adding one thing at a time, isolating change and observing effect) are an indispensable tool during this time.

7 Likes
#9

This is why major studios only update when it is absolutely 100% mission critical to do so. Find a config that works, stay there for as long as possible. If possible, test on a different (non-production) system before making any changes.

2 Likes
#10

Update: It’s all good now. Thanks for all your suggestions. The issue stemmed from the way i’d setup my Focusrite 4i4 (3rd gen).

Tbh i’m not quite sure what made macOS and the stand-alone plugins go so loopy. As seen in the video), I mean it wasn’t just macOS switching mic modes every few seconds, it was also the plugins stalling continuously.

But I reset the 4i4, built up the inputs again, and things were back to normal :man_shrugging:t2:

Just adding this here for potential future google searches :slight_smile:

Cya

3 Likes