We are using QLab3 to run music tracks during a musical theater production. We are only using it for audio (wav files).
During the last 3 weeks of rehearsal and our first weekend of performances, on 4 different occasions, the audio dropped out for about 1 to 1.5 seconds.
This happens at random audio cues at random times. Early in the cue list, and late. The only consistent thing is that the drop out only lasts about a second and when the music resumes, it picks up as if it were playing during the dropout (meaning if it dropped out on beat 1, then dropped out for 2 beats, the music came back on beat 4, so when the actors keep singing, they are singing the correct words when it resumes)
All 4 times that it happened, QLab was simply playing a single wav file.
Anyway, the MacBook is connected to a Behringer X32 sound board through USB.
After the first time it happened, we updated QLab3 to the latest update (as of a few weeks ago)
After the second time, we updated the firmware on the X32 board to the latest (as of a few weeks ago)
After the third time, we changed the USB cable to the best quality one I could find (and a shorter one)
And now it happened again - this time during a performance.
All wav files are 44.1k 16 bit
Some of our wav files have 4 channels being output to 4 different channels on the X32, but this problem has happened on both 2 and 4 channel files.
I'm ruling out the power of the MacBook. We just bought it in December, and I watch the HDD and Memory stats, and it barely breaks a sweat
In fact, we've used it for a few other productions that were playing audio and 720p video, and it never stuttered once.
MacBook Pro Retina 13"
OS X 10.9.4
Processor: 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5 (Quad core)
8 GB Memory
SSD Drive
No other software loaded except QLab3
We also reboot the computer before each rehearsal / show.
Here is all the console.log info from the moment that it last happened:
9/14/14 3:50:18.875 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:19.135 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:19.000 PM kernel[0]: IOAudioStream[0xffffff802afbd000]::clipIfNecessary() - Error: attempting to clip to a position more than one buffer ahead of last clip position (7dde,3790)->(7de1,10d4).
9/14/14 3:50:19.000 PM kernel[0]: IOAudioStream[0xffffff802afbd000]::clipIfNecessary() - adjusting clipped position to (7de0,3790)
9/14/14 3:50:19.470 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:19.726 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:19.984 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:20.242 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:20.501 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:20.753 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
9/14/14 3:50:21.007 PM QLab[283]: Warning: audioDeviceDidOverload: X_UF
There were no other messages surrounding it other than starting up QLab and shutting down.
It only happened once per night when it happened, but it puts everyone on edge for obvious reasons.
After doing a few google searches on those error messages, I found people reporting audio permanently dropping out, or getting static / distortion.
That kind of freaks me out, and I'm hoping our problem doesn't go beyond that, or you can give me a solution.
Thanks,
Marc