SOLVED : AVA ME crashed Linux Mint in a bad way ( Linux only )

[jonetsu]

   

Toggle HPF, toggle LPF, crash. Bitwig 2.3.2. Linux Mint 18 KDE.

'In a bad way' means that the audio is totally gone bad. Restart plugin, close Bitwig, restart Bitwig, load pianoteq for a clean sound reference... sounds like frying eggs. Close Bitwig again, restart, audio still is crackling all over.

To make it simple, computer needs rebooting to recover quality of audio.

Background: I run 90% of the plugins available for Linux since more than two years now. Recently I started to run Windows plugins such as ALL the Voxengo plugins, along with Synplant and Microtonic. I have seen plugins crashing before (although I do not recall with corruption of the OS audio system) and I have seem Bitwig's sandboxing (default behaviour) working very good and restarting crashed plugins very well.

Did not test in Mixbus32C.

UPDATE

Rebooted a few times. removed AVA ME from being sandboxed (did not make things better). It turns out that the plugin crashes at the moment the curve is clicked upon. No need to do anything else. And it always crashes along with corrupting the audio layer which needs a reboot of the machine.

[Ben@Harrison]

Hi Jonetsu, that's a bummer!

The new AVA plugins are developed with the "JUCE" plugin framework which is highly tested for AAX ( ProTools ), VST3 ( Cubase ) and AU ( Logic ) hosts.

While we test the AVA plugins on linux here, we can't guarantee that the plugins will work on every linux setup. Generally speaking, our XT-ME plugin for Mixbus might be a better option on linux for now. We are likely the first commercial plugin developer using JUCE on linux.

Please write our support email ( plugins@harrisonconsoles.com ) and we will investigate the problem with you.

Best,
-Ben

[jonetsu]

Hi Ben,

I run the OB-xd Oberheim free synth which is also built on JUCE. I don't use it much, but I run it from time to time. Seen no crashes.

Bitwig does not run LV2. This is why I quickly gave the AVA ME a try.

Thanks for the support offer. I think I will rather stay put on this one and wait further developments. Just wanted to report what I saw. I do all the mixing/mastering in Mixbus32C anyways and there I can use the XT plugins.

Cheers, and looking forward to the expansion of the AVA line.

[Ben@Harrison]

We tested on several linux systems and the plugin works fine in our test systems.

We were able to recreate your crash in Linux Mint, and we are investigating it. But there is no guarantee that the plugins can work on "every" linux setup.

Harrison's plugins (including the AVA-ME) utilize hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics. Unfortunately there are a lot of different OpenGL implementations in linux: you might be running the software version, or an open-source hardware driver, or the proprietary driver from nvidia.

[carlv]

Freezes both Mixbus 4 and Ardour on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS.

[x42]

Freezes both Mixbus 4 and Ardour on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS.

Does the equivalent XT-ME (LV2 plugin, comes with Mixbus) work? That also uses openGL.

[jonetsu]

We were able to recreate your crash in Linux Mint, and we are investigating it. But there is no guarantee that the plugins can work on "every" linux setup.

If we compare with Bitwig who do support Linux commercialy, have chosen Ubuntu as reference. Linux Mint is from Ubuntu. AV Linux is also from Ubuntu. Which means, as I did recently, I can take deb packages from AV Linux (plugins) and install them just fine on Linux Mint.

To choose a highly popular Linux distro makes sense. Now, one can ask, Fedora or Ubuntu ? IMHO, Ubuntu is user-oriented fully whereas Fedora maybe not that much.

Regarding OpenGL, the same ASA ME works in Mixbus32C 4.3.19 on the very same Linux distro.

Also regarding the crash, it crashes in such a way as to corrupt ALL audio from the machine, needing a reboot to recover.

Let me try something...

I ran Bitwig from a console although unfortunately it seems that AVA ME is not outputting anything when that Bitwig woudl ahve reported

[2018-04-26 16:13:29 notifications error] Plugins Crashed:
(nothing)

[x42]

AV Linux is also from Ubuntu.

AVLinux is Debian based (and uses debian/stable as basis, while Ubuntu is using a snapshot of debian/unstable as basis).

It crashes in such a way as to corrupt ALL audio from the machine needing a reboot to recover.

That really makes me think it is rather something specific to your system. If a user-space application can take down a core system that is definitely not normal. Also the only thing that needs a reboot is a kernel update.

[carlv]

Freezes both Mixbus 4 and Ardour on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS.

Does the equivalent XT-ME (LV2 plugin, comes with Mixbus) work? That also uses openGL.

Yes. XT-ME works just fine in both Mixbus and Ardour.

Also in both cases the freeze happens before an instant of the plugin appears in the channel. If that helps.
In my case, it's nothing more than a session freeze as opposed to system wide. I can click out of it.

[jonetsu]

AVLinux is Debian based (and uses debian/stable as basis, while Ubuntu is using a snapshot of debian/unstable as basis).

Yes, but AV Linux uses deb packages. I have installed AV Linux plugins no problem. This is all I know of AV Linux. OTOH, Glen, who drives the AV Linux project, has recently suggested to modify the kick drum in my latest piece "Summer Theme". This was the first time I replaced a kick from a drum loop with a kick sample and after one try, ended up using the Pearl kicks # 1 to 4 from the AVL drumkit which is also part of AV Linux. So this is all I know revolving around AV Linux. I also was pleasantly surprised that Rui Nuno Capela heard a bit of Yes' Steve Howe in there.

It crashes in such a way as to corrupt ALL audio from the machine needing a reboot to recover.

That really makes me think it is rather something specific to your system. If a user-space application can take down a core system that is definitely not normal. Also the only thing that needs a reboot is a kernel update.

I think I already mentioned it. If not I will do it now. I said 'reboot' to make it brief and short. I do not want to troubleshoot the issue so much. I do music instead. I have worked 15 years with Linux development, I know a machine can stay up FOR YEARS (moreso in critical applications) if the kernel does not need to be rebooted.

This said, it is still, once more, a bit of a far-fetched thing to say that the system is involded ***when the same plugin runs all right in Mixbus32C 4.3.19 and CRASHES in Bitwig 2.3.2***

As a background regarding the running of plugins, here are the plugins I use. Each of these folders are FILLED with the ALL the products of the company. In 2.5 years I am now up to improvisation # 326 and approx. 50 Soundcloud pieces. Each of the improvs are using many plugins.

DiscoDSP/
Glitch2/
Harrison/
Loomer/
LSP/
MOK/
Monoplugs/
OvertoneDSP/
pianoteq/
Redux/
SonicCharge/
Tracktion/
u-he/
zyn/
Windows/SonicCharge
Windows/Voxengo


*** : because there are no options to put letters in bold or italics. Same with the use of uppercase.

My intent is not to sound harsh. That the new plugin crashes in Bitwig and NOT in Mixbus32C is something. That the whole system is at fault is not something I would agree with at all.

Cheers.