Virus TI Control + Analog Outputs ... Audio Dropouts (Ableton, Mac)

[OPERATOR]

Hi,

I'm having an issue with audio dropouts from my Virus TI Desktop.

Up until recently, I've been using the Virus' USB audio interface to send its sounds into Live. It's given me nothing but headaches with sync dropouts and extremely loud buffer panic 'screeches' that force me to shut down the Live session and restart the hardware.

I figured this might have had something to do with the Virus 'disagreeing' with my other audio interface, a Scarlett 18i20. So I've connected the analog I/O on the Virus with the Scarlett. I'm still running the Virus Control plugin but all 16 patches are being sent to the analog I/O, and there are corresponding audio tracks in Live. I've got additional MIDI tracks 'pointed' at the Virus Control plugin track, set to MIDI channels 2-16, since the VC plugin track only sends its MIDI data to patch 1.

This works fine, at first. All of the patches on the Virus receive the correct MIDI data and output to the analog pair I've sent them. But very quickly if I start to move around, copy or duplicate MIDI regions across tracks, I lose all response from the Virus. MIDI is still arriving and showing up in the plugin's meters, but all audio has ceased. I can't seem to get it back even power-cycling the Virus.

In short, I'm having audio and sync dropouts again, seemingly at random - I'm not maxing out the Virus' DSP, this happens even if I play around with single sine-oscillator patches. It happens most often when duplicating MIDI data from one track to another - for example, duplicating a bassline to another track to add a midrange element. But, it's also happened while adding a plugin to one of the Virus' output channels, and completely out of the blue during playback.

At least it's not making the terrible buffer panic screeches anymore, but losing my Virus is really killing my inspiration. What's going on here?

[OPERATOR]

I should probably clarify what I'm trying to do (I am nothing if not verbose).

What I'm wondering is if it's possible to use the Virus Control plugin simply for the UI/Librarian functions, while having all parts controlled by MIDI channels in Live and all audio routed out the analog outputs. In this particular example, I've got parts 1-8 routed to analog outs 1/2, parts 9-12 routed to 3/4 and 13-16 routed to 5/6. Three 'submixes' within the VC plugin, basically.

This seems to work... at first. All the MIDI is going to the right places and sounds are coming out of the corresponding parts. But very quickly when moving around MIDI data in Live, certain parts seem to die - they still receive MIDI in the VC plugin, but will produce no audio. So far, it seems this only happens when copying/pasting MIDI regions; creating new regions and drawing in the same notes hasn't 'killed' any parts yet.

Is this a glitch within Live, or am I overloading the USB MIDI bus on the Virus, or... what?