Sync issues in Pro Tools (2024 and 2025) on ONE Superior Drummer 3 track only!

[Brian Boyd]

Hi All – this is the weirdest – I recorded 3 instrument tracks in Pro Tools – kick, snare, hihats. All good until I save and playback. The kick sound happens a second before the note on the timeline. It’s not delay compensation, sample rate, etc. The snare and hit are perfectly synced, but the kick is a second early (even though the visual notes are perfectly aligned). Any thoughts? Thanks!

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.4.0
Operating system: macOS Sequoia (15)

Topic

[drumjack52]

Why 3 instrument tracks? There’s no need to do that. I use multi-out in SD3 (which is on an instrument tracks) to separate aux tracks in PT 2021.6. This allows me to hear the kit pieces without having to record enable the tracks if they were audio tracks. When I’m satisfied with the sound I then send them to separate audio tracks. All this business is taken care of with a track preset in PT that sets up everything I need to do drums with SD3 so with one click I get the entire 20 some tracks in PT. What’s your routing in both SD3 and PT? Do you have any routings to unused sends or tracks? Do you have SD3 load everything into ram or are you streaming from your samples drive? Please tell me you don’t have the samples on your system drive.

Jack
aka musicman691 on other forums
Superior Drummer 3.4.0
Area 33 1.0.0
Death and Darkness 1.0.1
PT 2021.6
OSX 10.13.6
3.46 GHz hex core 2012 MacPro 48 gig ram

[Brian Boyd]

Thanks for replying.

Yes, 3 instrument tracks: 1 for kick, 1 for snare, 1 for hihats. That’s all I want/need in this session.

So, here’s what happens: In Pro Tools (tried in both 2025 and 2024) I record the kick (to a click track) on my midi keyboard. Then the snare, then the hihats. On playback, they are all in sync. I save the session. Then on playback after saving, the kick is out of sync, it plays a second before the visual midi note. This only happens with the kick. If I record any other SD3 drum, it stays in time. And it’s only in this particular session. Weird, yes?

And of course the samples aren’t on my system. They are on a 4TB SDD.

BB

 

 

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.4.0
Operating system: macOS Sequoia (15)

[drumjack52]

When you save the session are the tracks still MIDI or have you rendered them to audio? Do you record the snare and hats using the click track like you do the kick? What’s your audio buffer setting? I have never seen what you’re describing even on a relatively low-powered system like in my sig file. Try this: manually enter using PT’s MIDI editor a string of notes for the kick – something like 4 notes per measure at whatever tempo you like. Then do a second line for snare and a third line for the hats. Then hit play and see what happens. Do this first with everything MIDI and if that’s okay then render the MIDI to audio and try again. If this passes then the problem is not specifically with SD3. What I’m trying to do here is take the human (you) out of the loop and give SD3 the best possible input.

Are you using any effects in SD3? Multi-out or 2 channel stereo? What SDX? Do you have the problem with every kick drum in the library?

Jack
aka musicman691 on other forums
Superior Drummer 3.4.0
Area 33 1.0.0
Death and Darkness 1.0.1
PT 2021.6
OSX 10.13.6
3.46 GHz hex core 2012 MacPro 48 gig ram

[Brian Boyd]

When you save the session are the tracks still MIDI or have you rendered them to audio?

YES.

Do you record the snare and hats using the click track like you do the kick?

YES.

What’s your audio buffer setting? Usually 256, but been advised to reduce to 64 when tracking.

I have never seen what you’re describing even on a relatively low-powered system like in my sig file.

Me neither! I’m using a Mac Mini M4 Pro (64GB unified memory, 1TB SSD), and UAD Apollo 8 DAW. All sessions etc. are on external Samsung SSDs.

Try this: manually enter using PT’s MIDI editor a string of notes for the kick – something like 4 notes per measure at whatever tempo you like. Then do a second line for snare and a third line for the hats. Then hit play and see what happens. Do this first with everything MIDI and if that’s okay then render the MIDI to audio and try again. If this passes then the problem is not specifically with SD3. What I’m trying to do here is take the human (you) out of the loop and give SD3 the best possible input.

Will do, I’ll report back. Thanks.

Are you using any effects in SD3? Multi-out or 2 channel stereo? What SDX? Do you have the problem with every kick drum in the library?

No effects, 2 channel stereo. No SDX. And I’ll check the other kicks…

cheers,

BB.

Superior Drummer 3 version: 3.4.0
Operating system: macOS Sequoia (15)

[Brian Boyd]

Sorry, Question 1 – yes, the tracks are still midi, not rendered to audio.

[Author]

Replies