DirectOut EXBOX.MD BLDS issue

Support
1

Hi All : )

I’ve got a constant issue with BLDS Generated File in EXBOX.MD. This is especially problematic when a specific section is in a loop - it ends with an uncontrolled number of mini audio dropouts, sometimes session goes completely out of sync.

Of course I am not 100% sure that BLDS is the cause of these dropouts, but everything points to it after many tests. Leo’s recommendations regarding buffer size and audio file sampling have been checked many times and nothing works.

The main problem is unpredictability, there are moments, especially at the beginning of the song, with relatively short loops, that the problem is sometimes there, sometimes not. There are moments in the set where the problem never occurs. These moments happen to be quite richly arranged, so maybe I am not able to hear it both on regular headphones at home and on the in-ear system on stage.

I searched most of the topics for a solution and checked again Leo’s video where he explains how EXBOX works with Ableset.

And I found out that it is possible to use Lifesine VST form iConnectivity as pilot instead of BLDS Generated File. And it works much better with looped sections (no audio dropouts, full sync).

It seems that EXBOX detects both Lifesine VSTs (yellow light in Ableset), but after clicking play they do not change to green (like in the video above). And that would also make sense, because after a test manual “pause” of the main computer - there is silence and no auto-switch to the backup computer.

Obraz 21.05.2025, godz. 15.12
Obraz 21.05.2025, godz. 15.123000×1872 203 KB

For any help with configuring EXBOX or changing anything in the session - I will be very grateful

Main Computer: Macbook Pro 13’ M3 Pro
Backup Computer: Macbook Pro 13’ m1 Pro
Both:

  • OS and Version: Sequoia 15.5
  • Version of AbleSet: 2.7.5
  • Version of Ableton Live: 12.1.11

Thank you in advance and have a good day : )

2

Hey @uki_navigator, welcome to the forum!

The yellow state doesn’t mean that you’re not getting a proper pilot tone, it just means that the EXBOX.MD is receiving a pilot tone instead of a BLDS signal. I’ve used the same colors that you also see in the Globecon software for consistency.

When the pilot tone drops out, the EXBOX.MD will automatically switch over to your backup computer, and with the priority on NET1, like in your screenshot, it will automatically switch back to the primary computer as soon as the pilot tone is detected again. If you don’t want that, you can set the priority to AUTO.

LifeSine always outputs a pilot tone, so if you’d like the pilot tone to drop out when playback stops, you’d have to record a few seconds of LifeSine’s audio output and add it as a looping clip to the timeline.

Let me know if you have any further questions :slight_smile: