ring buffer too small for writing block

[mrbelowski]

Recording long (a 40+ seconds) item in Playtime triggers this error:

Module version: v2.16.10/x86_64 rev 910f67 (2024-09-28 09:53:27 UTC)
Module path: N:\REAPER (x64)\UserPlugins\FX\helgobox-x64.dll
Module base address: 0x7ffbd6fb0000
Module size: 0x27f8000

Message: called Result::unwrap() on an Err value: "ring buffer too small for writing block"

0: 0x7ffbd8673a8b - VSTPluginMain
1: 0x7ffbd8672972 - VSTPluginMain
2: 0x7ffbd85e561b - VSTPluginMain
3: 0x7ffbd888f1db - cpp_to_rust_PCM_source_Extended
4: 0x7ffbd888efe6 - cpp_to_rust_PCM_source_Extended
5: 0x7ffbd888d0df - cpp_to_rust_PCM_source_Extended
6: 0x7ffbd888ebc6 - cpp_to_rust_PCM_source_Extended
7: 0x7ffbd8b85984 - cpp_to_rust_PCM_source_Extended
8: 0x7ffbd8b85e00 - cpp_to_rust_PCM_source_Extended
9: 0x7ffbd84a2ee7 - VSTPluginMain
10: 0x7ffbd84a2974 - VSTPluginMain
11: 0x7ffbd84f4c32 - VSTPluginMain
12: 0x7ffbd84ecc26 - VSTPluginMain
13: 0x7ffbd84a1550 - VSTPluginMain
14: 0x7ffbd7bffbf6 - VSTPluginMain
15: 0x7ffbd7c018a5 - VSTPluginMain
16: 0x7ffbd79636c3 - VSTPluginMain
17: 0x7ffbd7b7d6ba - VSTPluginMain
18: 0x14062bb35 -
19: 0x1400522fa -
20: 0x7ffc2b512bf7 -
21: 0x7ffc2b5134ee -
22: 0x7ffc2b51315b -
23: 0x7ffc2b52a352 - DllGetClassObject
24: 0x7ffc4d957374 - BaseThreadInitThunk
25: 0x7ffc4f0fcc91 - RtlUserThreadStart

I'm using Reaper version 7.22 (portable install, Windows 10) with a USB audio interface (Spark 2 with its ASIO driver set to 'safe mode'). I have 1 VST running (Midi drums) + 2 looped recordings (bass +rhythm). I'm adding a self-indulgent and not very good guitar solo, I get to the bit where I'm on my knees and nothing else exists in the world when this error happens.

I recently updated to Playtime 2.16.10 (yesterday). I've not seen this error before (I was using version 2.16.4 prior to this)

I see there's an existing closed issue referring to a similar error but the info on that suggests it's triggered by high sample rates - I'm recording 44kHz mono, 24bit

[helgoboss]

Hi. To which directory do you record the files? I suppose you have saved a project before recording, so it will probably record directly to the project directory. Is that directory on a somewhat slow disk maybe? Just asking to get more context. It's definitely a bug.

[mrbelowski]

the files go to a 1TB NVME SSD, which is about half full - I don't think the disk is likely to be the issue (but with Windows you can never be sure). My box is generally in pretty good health.

I doubled the ASIO driver buffer size and had another crack at it yesterday and it didn't crash. I guess it's possible that this is just an ASIO buffer under-run (or whatever it's called) but the error report makes it look like something breaking in the Playtime stack? I dunno :)

[helgoboss]

Thanks for the info. What were the different buffer sizes?

[mrbelowski]

it was 64 samples, it's now 128. TBH I don't recall what the default was, I shouldn't have fiddled with it

[helgoboss]

This error will be fixed in 2.18.0. Long recordings with low buffer sizes shouldn't be an issue anymore, unless the unhappy combination slow file writing + super long recording occurs, which would eventually lead to exhaustion of memory.