Petition: Fix the Balance Drivers

pushedbutton · 05 Nov 2016

Dear Propellerhead.
I realise 5 years is a long time in technology and Balance is no longer officially supported but seen as no other piece of hardware has come along to make use of 'clipsafe' and the built in authentication many users have decided to stick with it.
A growing number of people have invested in newer computer hardware since purchasing their Balance and they are finding out that the drivers aren't working well on modern motherboards and are experiencing regular BSOD's and other undesirable behaviour.
You have not provided drivers for Windows 10 and despite your assertion that Balance will work with it many users are finding that it doesn't. You also state that this is dependant on compatible hardware yet you have not stated which hardware it is compatible with, leaving the choice of hardware a complete stab in the dark when it comes to upgrading.
If something is preventing you from providing stable drivers for modern PC's we would like to know about it, if there is nothing preventing you from updating these drivers other than time and money, how much do we need to pay you to get the job done?

06 Nov 2016

Totally agree, this is one of the reasons why I aviod Win 10 as long as possible.
But shouldn't this thread be in "Propellerhead General" ?

sycon · 06 Nov 2016

Hm, tough choice. Can you change the poll so that I can vote for all three?

Seriously, I totally agree with your post.

Dabbler · 06 Nov 2016

Built in authentication is not a small thing and this alone should require the device be kept compatible with updates to Windows OS.

pushedbutton · 06 Nov 2016

OldGoat wrote:Totally agree, this is one of the reasons why I aviod Win 10 as long as possible.
But shouldn't this thread be in "Propellerhead General" ?

I dunno, it's kinda about hardware and software isn't it?

stratatonic · 06 Nov 2016

OldGoat wrote: But shouldn't this thread be in "Propellerhead General" ?

Should be in every Forum and then sent to Propellerhead!

Very. Lame.

Especially considering Propellerhead charged 499 US for the product which also contains a built in ignition key - which, like Dabbler says should require the device be kept compatible with updates to Windows OS.

I feel for you, PB. I have two interfaces that were released 11 and 12 years old ago that still work. (Bought them both used 4 and 5 years ago, so don't know exactly if they are that old, but likely are)

I'd be pretty pissed off dealing with that Balance driver baloney!.

pushedbutton · 09 Nov 2016

Needs bump.
Please vote.

pushedbutton · 01 Dec 2016

So, just wondering, are there only 18 people on the planet who still use a balance or are the vast majority of users not having any issues?

jonheal · 01 Dec 2016

I am on the verge of sending you my Scarlet 2i2 I'm not using to put you out of your misery.

01 Dec 2016

Weird.

https://www.propellerheads.se/support/n ... statement/

From July of 2016:

We’re happy to report that we have tested Reason 9, Reason Essentials 9, ReCycle 2.2.4 and the Balance audio interface under Windows 10 and found no problems.

Bigsby · 01 Dec 2016

I worked with Propellerhead last year on a Balance problem I was having with a Macbook Pro. Turns out it was a hardware problem on my computer that I got resolved. They were very helpful and persistent. I think the best approach is to contact support about problems with Win10. The more people that contact them instead of just giving up, the more they'll be aware of just how many people out there need a solution to a problem.

I've just started working with my Balance on an HP z420 with Windows 10. So far, so good (knock on wood).

Noplan · 01 Dec 2016

I voted "Yes".

pushedbutton · 06 Dec 2016

Bigsby wrote:I worked with Propellerhead last year on a Balance problem I was having with a Macbook Pro. Turns out it was a hardware problem on my computer that I got resolved. They were very helpful and persistent. I think the best approach is to contact support about problems with Win10. The more people that contact them instead of just giving up, the more they'll be aware of just how many people out there need a solution to a problem.

I've just started working with my Balance on an HP z420 with Windows 10. So far, so good (knock on wood).

Well I contacted support a while ago and didn't hear back from them. Perhaps because they've got nothing to say on the matter. I'd prefer it if they just said 'we don't know how to fix it, sorry' so I can just stop wasting more mental energy on getting it working reliably. My PC has been back to the shop, had the motherboard replaced (just to be sure) and has the latest BIOS installed on it.
I bought a new USB 2B Cable just to rule that out and I've tried various USB2 ports and also a powered external port just rule out those factors. It doesn't always bluescreen but when it does it's usually on closing Reason, sometimes the next time I open Reason I have to go through the setup wizard again. My system is as up to date as it possibly can be. Sometimes when I open reason the audio will be very bit-crushed, powercycling balance seems to fix it and more often than not if I want to record from a mic I have to repeatedly hit the 48v buttons to get the signal path to work.
I dunno if anyone has any ideas I've not tried but I'd be glad to hear them.

Bonkhead · 16 Dec 2016

pushedbutton wrote:I dunno if anyone has any ideas I've not tried but I'd be glad to hear them.

- Does your usb port have enough power ?
- Did you test using a different (onboard) soundcard for windows when you close reason so windows doesn't have to grab Balance when it is freed from Reasons grasp ? I use 2 soundcards allways this way, Balance purely for Reason and another simpler one for everything windows.
Also easy to sample realtime from youtube etc.

pushedbutton · 19 Dec 2016

Bonkhead wrote:
pushedbutton wrote:I dunno if anyone has any ideas I've not tried but I'd be glad to hear them.
- Does your usb port have enough power ?
- Did you test using a different (onboard) soundcard for windows when you close reason so windows doesn't have to grab Balance when it is freed from Reasons grasp ? I use 2 soundcards allways this way, Balance purely for Reason and another simpler one for everything windows.
Also easy to sample realtime from youtube etc.

- I should hope so, I have a 750W PSU and a ga-z170x-ultra gaming motherboard, latest bios update, liquid cooled, all the good stuff.
- I've always only used Balance for Reason, the onboard sound handles everything else, how else can I make a tune while I watch crap on YouTube?

Gorgon · 20 Dec 2016

pushedbutton wrote:
Bonkhead wrote:
pushedbutton wrote:I dunno if anyone has any ideas I've not tried but I'd be glad to hear them.
- Does your usb port have enough power ?
- Did you test using a different (onboard) soundcard for windows when you close reason so windows doesn't have to grab Balance when it is freed from Reasons grasp ? I use 2 soundcards allways this way, Balance purely for Reason and another simpler one for everything windows.
Also easy to sample realtime from youtube etc.
- I should hope so, I have a 750W PSU and a ga-z170x-ultra gaming motherboard, latest bios update, liquid cooled, all the good stuff.
- I've always only used Balance for Reason, the onboard sound handles everything else, how else can I make a tune while I watch crap on YouTube?

Why don't you try a seperate USB 2.0 PCI card?

jonheal · 20 Dec 2016

Gorgon wrote:
pushedbutton wrote:
Bonkhead wrote:
pushedbutton wrote:I dunno if anyone has any ideas I've not tried but I'd be glad to hear them.
- Does your usb port have enough power ?
- Did you test using a different (onboard) soundcard for windows when you close reason so windows doesn't have to grab Balance when it is freed from Reasons grasp ? I use 2 soundcards allways this way, Balance purely for Reason and another simpler one for everything windows.
Also easy to sample realtime from youtube etc.
- I should hope so, I have a 750W PSU and a ga-z170x-ultra gaming motherboard, latest bios update, liquid cooled, all the good stuff.
- I've always only used Balance for Reason, the onboard sound handles everything else, how else can I make a tune while I watch crap on YouTube?
Why don't you try a seperate USB 2.0 PCI card?

That's a good idea. Pick something with a different chip set than your current USB. Then you'll be dealing with different (and maybe happier?) drivers.

Gorgon · 21 Dec 2016

jonheal wrote:That's a good idea. Pick something with a different chip set than your current USB. Then you'll be dealing with different (and maybe happier?) drivers.

I gots all the good ideas!!!

pushedbutton · 27 Dec 2016

I'll give it a go. Anyone know a good card to try? I'm guessing a TI based one would be the best bet but I'd be glad to have some confirmation before I waste my money.

28 Dec 2016

I have no problems with running balance on windows 10.
It works on my motherboard (Asus X99) via USB2 or 3.
I also connect it without problems to an Anker 7 port USB 3 HUB which has a VIA VL812 Chipset. Great HUB that Anker.

Gorgon · 29 Dec 2016

pushedbutton wrote:I'll give it a go. Anyone know a good card to try? I'm guessing a TI based one would be the best bet but I'd be glad to have some confirmation before I waste my money.

TI is always the go-to brand for firewire chips, so I don't think you can go wrong with them. I ordered a cheapo FW card from China with TI chips and it works like a mofo.

But that's firewire. Maybe USB is more compatible, even with a picky Balance. But ehm, don't you have that 14 day guarantee thing in the UK, so you can try something out for 14 days and send it back if you decide that it's not what you want?

moneykube · 29 Dec 2016

I am surprised they don't fix their own products.... but then again... their site said for years they were fixing the multicore issue with reason 4 .... which never happened... and they blamed Motorola and apple.... then took down the statement that actually convinced me to buy version 4 when it came out... sort of felt like a slap in the face... lololol.... only yes as an option in poll

pushedbutton · 23 Jan 2017

https://www.propellerheads.se/support/n ... statement/

Windows 10 compatibility statement
2016-07-01

Propellerhead products and Windows 10

We’re happy to report that we have tested Reason 9, Reason Essentials 9, ReCycle 2.2.4 and the Balance audio interface under Windows 10 and found no problems.

Please note: Your music making system does not consist of Propellerhead products alone. Please make sure that all your hardware (audio interfaces, controllers etc) is compatible. Check the manufacturer’s websites for details.

Gorgon · 25 Jan 2017

pushedbutton wrote:https://www.propellerheads.se/support/n ... statement/

Windows 10 compatibility statement
2016-07-01

Propellerhead products and Windows 10

We’re happy to report that we have tested Reason 9, Reason Essentials 9, ReCycle 2.2.4 and the Balance audio interface under Windows 10 and found no problems.

Please note: Your music making system does not consist of Propellerhead products alone. Please make sure that all your hardware (audio interfaces, controllers etc) is compatible. Check the manufacturer’s websites for details.

Yeah great.

So did you get a PCI card yet?

pushedbutton · 26 Jan 2017

Na, shopping for them is boring. I lose interest before I make a decision. Tell me which one to get.

Petition: Fix the Balance Drivers

Should Balance have Windows 10 drivers?

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