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FIX: Pro Tools hardware is either not installed or used by another program.

Pro Tools hardware is either not installed or used by another program. If you thought that having Pro Tools 9 installed meant no more “Hey, Mr. Engineer Genius, where’s your fancy hardware?” errors, then this nagging error probably came as a surprise. It did for me. Since installing Pro Tools 9, my workflow has allowed […]

Pro Tools hardware is either not installed or used by another program.

If you thought that having Pro Tools 9 installed meant no more “Hey, Mr. Engineer Genius, where’s your fancy hardware?” errors, then this nagging error probably came as a surprise. It did for me. Since installing Pro Tools 9, my workflow has allowed me to jump around from my Mbox 2 Pro, Mbox 2 Micro, and MacBook Pro’s built-in sound card. This has been really handy while trying to finish up my album on the road. But, apparently, all that hardware hopping can cause the playback engine to get stuck in some funky states that don’t so work –if at all. See my previous post “FIX: Pro Tools could not set sample rate to specified value” for a similar issue.

Obviously, the problem has something to do with the playback engine. Since the error dialog only offers an ‘OK’ button, which closes Pro Tools, there doesn’t seem to be a way to work around the problem. There is not even a way to know what hardware Pro Tools is expecting.

Until now.

The Fix

I found a simple solution via this Sweetwater forum. The answer given there details how to get Pro Tools running on a PC, but I found that it worked for Macs too and without having to install any drivers. The fix is kind of like booting Pro Tools in safe mode. Simply hold the ‘N’ key while starting up Pro Tools. This will bypass the normal start up sequence and open up the Playback Engine window. Now you can select the correct playback engine and continue using Pro Tools.

In my situation, Pro Tools was looking for the last connected device (my Mbox 2 Pro), but since it wasn’t available it opted for the next available option: my MacBook Pro’s line input, which doesn’t make a very good playback engine.

Let me know if this fix worked for you.

Note

This problem may have been fixed in the Pro Tools 9.0.2 update that came out yesterday, though I’ve not been able look through the 9.0.2 Readme file in detail or to test this out on the updated software. I’ll update this page when I find out more. Since I still receive regular hits on this post, I’m assuming this problem is not solved yet. Maybe in a future update…

10 Comments >

10 Comments

  1. 1 Stevie Coyle 3:35 am Jul 26, 2011

    Since installing ProTools 9, my MacBook can’t find my Mbox 2 Pro at all. I tried the “N” fix you so kindly mention above, but the Mbox was not available as an engine. In System Prefs, the Mbox 2 Pro preference pane cannot find it, nor can Audio & Midi setup. System Profiler does see it, however, under the Firewire tab. Any further idears? Thanks a million.

  2. 2 Scott 4:35 pm Jul 28, 2011

    Stevie,
    Have you tried downloading the latest drivers for the Mbox 2 Pro? Try this link: http://secure.digidesign.com/services/avid/kb/downloads.cfm?digiArticleId=42495&localeCode=en

  3. 3 Kyle 5:40 am Aug 8, 2013

    Nailed it! I found I also had to change it from using 2 processors to 1 processor and that seemed to make the difference. Cheers!

  4. 4 Ruben 2:50 pm Mar 2, 2016

    Hi,

    I just installed Pro Tools First on Windows 10, I know nothing about this, this is my frist time trying Pro Tools and I’ve been having this issue, I tried the “N” and it doesn’t work, It just immediately tells me:”Before you get started, you will be directed to Playback Engine. Please make sure the proper audio playback device is selected”.

    Then:

    Playback Engine:

    – Input Device: Mi Microphone.
    – Output Device: My Speakers.
    – Default Output: No options available.
    – Sample Rate: Nothing available.

    Optimize Engine for: Playback.

    I hit okay and then:”Pro Tools First hardware is either not installed or used by another program”.

    PLEASE HELP ME!

  5. 5 Scott Troyer 9:40 pm Mar 2, 2016

    Ruben, I’m not familiar with the Pro Tools First version you’re using. It looks to be like a beginners version of the software, which may mean that some things are very different in that version compared to the regular versions of PT.

    From what you describe, it sounds like holding “N” on start up *is* working correctly. Holding “N” forces PT to prompt you for Playback Engine information. From what you have listed under Playback Engine, you don’t have an interface or it isn’t being recognized.

    But like I said, I’m not sure what your version of PT is like. Sorry.

  6. 6 Ruben 10:34 pm Mar 2, 2016

    A friend came to the rescue and solved the problem, so everything is fine now, thank you very much for your time anyways.

    Best Regards.

  7. 7 ali 12:29 pm Mar 10, 2016

    Ruben, I’m having the same issue! Could you let me know what your solution was please?

  8. 8 Ana 2:52 pm Jul 31, 2016

    This is why I just use Acid or Audition. I just wanted to edit some audio files that have ptx projects associated. But the stupid program won’t launch. It’s like it’s strictly designed for live recording and not audio mastering.

  9. 9 Juan Contreras 2:15 pm Jan 13, 2017

    This BS is still happening on PT 12.x. Windows 10. The program closes when anything is clicked on the error window, The “N” key is not recognized and the I/O dialogue does not come up. Arrrrghhhhj

  10. 10 Brion 5:15 am Feb 18, 2017

    Ruben, what was your solution to fixing your problem? I have the same problem you had!

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