I have had a problem with instruments 'dropping out' during performance. I have Ableton 9, a core i5 laptop, a SLMKI MIDI controller, a Novation Ultranova hardware synth which also plays MIDI instruments, a Launchpad and an AKAI Mini. Frequently when I am playing a set, I get no sound from the Launchpad User 2 (which is mapped to Reaktor or some kind of noise patch) or from the AKAI Mini, which is usually mapped to Absynth. In fact, several times while playing I could get no audio from my Ultranova hardware synth.
I have a USB hub with 6 slots, and I am using 5 of them. The USB hub is run thru a Tascam audio interface.
So the question is WTF?? I am wondering if one of these devices is malfunctioning and the USB signals are intermittently not getting thru. The candidates are 1) the audio interface 2) the USB hub, or 3) the SLMKI midi controler. Oh yeah, maybe Ableton is the problem.
Does anyone have a suggestion? Because otherwise I will either have to 1) get rid of an instrument and just record clips for that part, or 2) add my hardware mixer to the set and run my hardware synth thru that, thus removing it from Ableton and reducing the USB load.