Vinyl Studio hangs recording from ADL GT40 USB

[joebee53]

Don't know if you are familiar with this device - ADL GT40, it's relatively new. It's a USB2 box that features phono in and line in/outs plus USB connectivity for recording and playback. I have it set as the default recording device at 24bit 96khz. My MacBook Pro recognizes it and VS also recognizes it and shows input on check level. So I hit record and immediately get the spinning beach ball which never goes away and I have to force quit VS. I have emailed Furutech (makes GT40) tech support but haven't received any reply yet.

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Hi,

Do you have any other audio recorder app that you can try it with?  You could try it with Audacity, which is a free download:

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/mac

The other thing you can do is to capture an Activity Monitor log.  This will give me some idea of where VinylStudio is getting stuck.  To do this:

1.  From the Finder menu, select Go -> Utilities.
 
2.  Launch the Activity Monitor application.
 
3.  Select VinylStudio in the list of programs in the window (these are all the programs running on your machine, including daemons and suchlike, in case that is of interest).
 
4.  Click Sample Process (in the toolbar).
 
5.  After a few seconds, a window entitled 'Sample of VinylStudio' should open.  In that window, click 'Save'.
 
6.  Save the file (it goes in your documents folder, I think, by default) and then email it to me at:

p DOT sanders @ alpinesoft DOT co DOT uk

Do this when VinylStudio is hung of course.  Thanks.

Other things to try are a different cable and / or USB port.  A problem here might be responsible.

[joebee53]

I did try it with Amadeus Pro and got no input level at all but it did not hang. Went back to VS, lowered the sampling rate to 48khz and left the bit rate at 24 and it worked! So it must be a USB issue because I have no problem with 96khz input from my firewire devices. As a control, I am also going to hook up the GT40 to my back up machine, a 2009 white MacBook, 2ghz w/ 4gb ram, and see if it will accept the 96khz sample rate.

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

OK, thanks.  Please keep me posted.  Does this device have its own drivers?  If so, there might be an update available (although I can find nothing at their site).

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Just a quick update on this.  Furutech kindly provided a loan unit and guess what, it works fine at 96/24.  I tried this on two different Macs, both running Snow Leopard 10.6.6.  The only problem I encountered was some audio distortion on the MacBook, solved by switching to a different USB port.

So what I suggest you do is:
  - try a different USB port and / or cable
  - try a different Mac, if you can
  - try recording in Audacity, and if this exhibits the same fault
  - approach your Furutech dealer for a replacement unit
 
I'd be interested to know how you get on.  We have one other user with a similar problem, and I have asked him to try the same things.  I'll post anything interesting back here.

[joebee53]

Sorry, I didn't get back to you sooner on this. I did get it to work at 24/96 - the trick is to select the GT40 as not only the input device but the output device as well. I have never had that problem with any of my firewire interfaces. A bit quirky, I'd say. But now all is well. Thanks again for your followup.

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

OK, thanks.  How odd.  I didn't need to do that.

[joebee53]

Paul,
Will you please detail your exact setup with the GT40, in case I am missing something else.  I ask because I switched the input from phono to line and now I have the same previous problems with 96/24 record and playback. This is getting very frustrating and I am outside of the 30 day return policy window of the retailer I bought the unit from. I have switched out usb cables, used both usb inputs on my MacBook Pro, tried the unit on my backup MacBook and the issues remain the same. I emailed Furutech support yesterday and have not yet gotten a reply. One more thing, does the unit show up in your About This Mac as a USB 2 device with 480mb throughput? Mine only shows up as a USB 1 device with 12mb throughput. Once again, I really appreciate all your help on this.

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Hi,

I just plugged it in and it worked.  I selected it as the input device in VinylStudio's Check Level dialog and left the output device as it was (built-in output).  I didn't check whether it showed up as a USB 2 device.

I think you should ask your retailer to exchange the unit.  If it is faulty (as I believe it is), their 30 day limit does not apply.

[amanka]

joebee53,

I too just purchased a GT-40 and am having the same problems as you describe.  When I try to record in AIFF with 96/24, specifically when I click 'Record', VS hangs.  I get the spinning rainbow disc and have to force quit VS.  This happens even when both input and output are set to the GT-40.  When I set the AIFF preference to 44/16, it seems to have worked (I have only recently downloaded the demo and started to use it) in that I appear to have files for each side (although I haven't yet figured out what to do with them).

I don't know what you mean about switching from phone to line because my GT-40 has one button (source selection) with phono/line (button in) and USB (button out).  Here is my specific configuration: turntable output to GT-40 input; GT-40 output to pre-amp line in.  USB output of GT-40 into Mac mini.  When I play/record an album, the source button is phone/line (in).  When I play a song from iTunes on the mini, the source button is USB (out).  I have selected the input and output from the 'sound' control panel to be the GT-40.  When I use About this Mac, the GT-40 shows as version 0.01 with 12 Mb/s speed.  The hub itself shows as version 1.0 with the same speed.  The back of the GT-40 is clearly labeled USB 2.0, so there seems to be some inconsistency here.  I am using the USB cable that came with the GT-40.  Did you ever hear back from ADL Furutech?  Since Paul did not post his stats, I'm as puzzled as you are why his seems to work fine, but ours hangs at this setting.  Paul, would you provide us the contact info of your Furutech source?

At any rate, it seems possible both our GT-40s are 'faulty' although it could be an GT-40 hardware/software issue or an incompatibility issue with this software.  My GT-40 has other problems as well, which is leading me to think Furutech ADL didn't give as much thought to the GT-40 working with Macs as it should have.  For example, when I try play songs through the mini, it often causes iTunes to not function properly as well, and I have to go through a host of reboots and settings changes to get it to work.  I will start emailing Furutech as well. 

Aaron

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Hi,

There does seem to be some systematic problem, yes, but as I say I could not replicate it with the loan unit Furutech sent me.  I tested at both 44/16 and 96/24 without incident.

Could I ask you to do some tests for me?  To whit:

  - try a different USB port and / or cable
  - try a different Mac, if you can
  - try recording in Audacity, and if this exhibits the same fault

I'm particularly interested in the last of these.

I contacted Furutech through their website:

http://www.furutech.com/a2008/contactus.asp?lang=Eng

[amanka]

Paul, I tried another USB port and had the same problem.  I don't have another USB2 cable, but this is supposed to Furutech's forte, so I doubt that's the problem.  I did try different software as you suggested.  I hadn't heard of Audacity, so I tried a demo of Sound Studio 4, and it worked fine.  I supposedly records using a 32-bit floating point and only assigns a bit length when saving the file, so that may be the reason it worked, although I'd be surprised if those last 8 bits were anything other than 0.  Aaron

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

OK, thanks for the update.  I'm stuck with this because I cannot reproduce the fault on my computers.  I will contact Furutech again to see if anything can be done.

[joebee53]

Paul and Aaron,

I talked to the folks at Music Direct about my problems with the GT40 and they agreed to a return for replacement. I have had the new unit for over two weeks now and have NO issues! Aaron, I would suggest you return the unit for a replacement if that is possible. Also, there is a little switch on the back of the unit that allows you to use either line in, mm or mc (depending on your cartridge). I noticed my second unit was set to line in by default. I also finally received a reply (before the earthquake/tsunami) from Furutech support in Tokyo from someone named Corey. He or she claimed the problem had to be with my PC (their reference) not being USB 2 compatible! Though the GT40 still shows up in About This Mac as only a USB 1.1 device. Definitely poor support for the Mac. Again, I think your best bet is return the unit for replacement. Kudos to you Paul for doing so much to help both Aaron and I troubleshoot this matter! Such support is sorely lacking these days and is much appreciated!

[Paul Sanders (AlpineSoft)]

Hi Joe,

Many thanks for the update.  I will pass the information on to Furutech.