Lynx Hilo and Pro Tools

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   I have been using the Lynx Hilo for about three years.  For what it does, there is no equal IMHO.  It is a fantastic unit overall.  There has been an ongoing issue however that I have been hoping/waiting on a fix for.  I will randomly receive the following error message. 
"Pro Tools could not initialize the ASIO Lynx Hilo USB.  Please make sure that the device has been configured correctly."

The message will appear when I start up Pro Tools, or worse, in the middle of a session.  A work around is to restart Pro Tools.  I have also read that I can reset the sample rate in the sound settings.  I have been patiently waiting for a "real" fix.  I have never experienced this with any other interface.  I have read where this is no longer an issue if I use Thunderbolt.  This is an unacceptable fix for me given the cost.  I don't think it's fair for me as a user of a $2600 piece of gear to spend an additional $600 on what to me should be be a driver update.

Are there plans to fix this problem?  Why do other interfaces not have this issue? For the record, I have been having this problem with Windows 7/8.1/10, running Pro Tools 10/11/12.  I have all the latest Hilo updates.  Please advise.  This is a real nuisance, which is making me think about looking at other units.

Edited by Alrod - January/26/2016 at 8:12pm

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Alrod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Caracal Joined: January/22/2016 Location: USA Points: 8	Topic: Lynx Hilo and Pro Tools Posted: January/23/2016 at 8:34am
	I have been using the Lynx Hilo for about three years. For what it does, there is no equal IMHO. It is a fantastic unit overall. There has been an ongoing issue however that I have been hoping/waiting on a fix for. I will randomly receive the following error message. "Pro Tools could not initialize the ASIO Lynx Hilo USB. Please make sure that the device has been configured correctly." The message will appear when I start up Pro Tools, or worse, in the middle of a session. A work around is to restart Pro Tools. I have also read that I can reset the sample rate in the sound settings. I have been patiently waiting for a "real" fix. I have never experienced this with any other interface. I have read where this is no longer an issue if I use Thunderbolt. This is an unacceptable fix for me given the cost. I don't think it's fair for me as a user of a $2600 piece of gear to spend an additional $600 on what to me should be be a driver update. Are there plans to fix this problem? Why do other interfaces not have this issue? For the record, I have been having this problem with Windows 7/8.1/10, running Pro Tools 10/11/12. I have all the latest Hilo updates. Please advise. This is a real nuisance, which is making me think about looking at other units. Edited by Alrod - January/26/2016 at 8:12pm

Alrod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Caracal Joined: January/22/2016 Location: USA Points: 8	Posted: January/25/2016 at 11:10am
	Bump. It would be nice to get a response from Lynx on this.

PaulTech Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: August/13/2004 Location: United States Points: 5495	Posted: January/26/2016 at 4:45pm
	This is not a known problem and not something we've seen on our test systems with the latest drivers. ProTools is the only Windows DAW that does not support buffer sizes in Milliseconds, only in power of 2, but the latest drivers support that as well. Have you tried different USB cables, ports, etc? There are some power management settings that can cause trouble. In device manager go to Universal Serial Bus Controllers, and open each instance of USB Root Hub and Generic USB Hub. From Properties, click "Power Management". Make sure that "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is unchecked. Also, in the ASIO ControlPanel what is the stream buffer set to? Perhaps you can try something like "Standard" and see if that helps.
	Paul Erlandson Lynx Studio Technology Support 714-545-4700 x 206 Lynx Support and Updates on Facebook!

Alrod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Caracal Joined: January/22/2016 Location: USA Points: 8	Posted: January/26/2016 at 8:08pm
	Thanks for the response and the advice. I checked everything you listed and I keep getting the same error. "Pro Tools could not initialize the ASIO Lynx Hilo USB. Please make sure that the device has been configured correctly." So basically the following is my experience every time I load a session in Pro Tools: - Turn on Hilo > Boot System > Launch Pro Tools > Open session - Session launches > I press 'Play' > I get the above ASIO Initialize error message - I closed Pro Tools > The session hangs until I turn off the Hilo > Pro Tools shuts down - I turn the Hilo back on > Relaunch Pro Tools > Load session > Press Play > Session plays I only use this particular PC as a DAW. I have it optimized for Pro Tools (all the basic tweaks found online including the ones you suggested). I typically record at either 24/44kHz, or 24/48kHz. Before upgrading to Windows 10, I would only experience the above scenario when going from one sample rate to another, but now it happens all the time. I have re-imaged the workstation twice already trying to resolve this problem. Please help me fix this. What do you suggest I do next? Edited by Alrod - January/26/2016 at 8:11pm

David A Hoatson Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Forum Administrator Joined: October/01/2003 Location: Idaho Points: 4993	Posted: January/27/2016 at 8:10am
	What is the length of the USB cable between the computer and the Hilo? We have seen issues (not the one you posted about, but similar enough) with longer cable lengths with lower quality cables. Use the shortest possible cable of the highest quality you can find.
	Thank you, David A. Hoatson Lynx Studio Technology, Inc. Co-founder, Chief Software Engineer

Alrod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Caracal Joined: January/22/2016 Location: USA Points: 8	Posted: January/27/2016 at 10:08am
	Hi, Thanks again for your reply. The cable I have been using is the one that came with the unit which is 6'. I just swapped it out with a 4' cable. Rebooted the system and continue to have the same problem. I forgot to mention in my last post that the error message I receive occasionally during a session is as follows: "ASIO device properties have been changed by the device control panel. Pro Tools must be restarted for these changes to take effect. Please restart Pro Tools." The odd thing about this error is that a) I haven't changed the device properties, and b) the USB Control Panel settings as well as the settings on the Hilo unit does not indicate any change. As I start to get more local business from singer/songwriters, this is becoming a nuisance and an embarrassing one at that. Please help me resolve this issue. I love the sound quality of the Hilo and would feel that I would be taking a step backwards replacing it with anything else. But, I cannot continue working this way. I am sure you understand.

PaulTech Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: August/13/2004 Location: United States Points: 5495	Posted: January/27/2016 at 2:30pm
	As a point of reference, have you tested any other ASIO apps to see if they exhibit any similar symptoms? You could download a free trial of Reaper and see how that goes. Its helpful to know if these problems you are having are ProTools specific...
	Paul Erlandson Lynx Studio Technology Support 714-545-4700 x 206 Lynx Support and Updates on Facebook!

Alrod Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Caracal Joined: January/22/2016 Location: USA Points: 8	Posted: January/27/2016 at 2:47pm
	I use Wavelab which is ASIO, and it does not have these issues.

AUM Yogi Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Caracal Joined: June/18/2015 Location: Australia Points: 6	Posted: February/06/2016 at 1:48am
	Protools is not yet qualified for Windows 10. That could be a factor with your system. I use my Hilo with Protools 12 on my OSX drive with no issues. Cheers Hanuman

PaulTech Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: August/13/2004 Location: United States Points: 5495	Posted: February/11/2016 at 4:12pm
	Alrod, You might try setting some device other than the Hilo as your OS default audio device. You do this from the Sound section of control panel. I'm wondering if some process in your system is grabbing hold of the driver devices and blocking access from pro Tools.
	Paul Erlandson Lynx Studio Technology Support 714-545-4700 x 206 Lynx Support and Updates on Facebook!