Continual Pairing Problems with Mac OS X

[MFenkner]

I’ve owned an H9 Max since November, using it with a Mac (currently running OS X 10.10.4) and almost every time I go to pair my Mac and H9 there’s a problem.  The documented process never seems to work, and I usually end up having to go through various random processes, including deleting the H9 from the bluetooth settings one or more times on my Mac, having to reboot the H9 once or more, sometimes resetting it to factory defaults – and if I’m persistent, after 15-30 minutes of messing with the thing I usually get it to work.  But then when I go to use my H9 again in a few days, the same problem often occurs and the devices won’t pair.  And by the time I finally get it working, I’m usually so frustrated that it kills any creativity.  BTW, the computer and H9 are both stationary, and sit about three feet away from each other.

I’ve about had it with this thing.  I own many bluetooth devices, none of which give me any problems, and I’m a highly technical person, working in various IT positions for the past 20 years.

Is there a consistent process by which I can get the H9 to pair with a Mac running OS X 10.10.4?  And even better, is there a way that I can get it to stay paired?

Thanks,

Mark

[PBGas]

I am also having the same problems with my mac mini as well. Can never connect it via bluetooth. I also tried my wife’s macbook pro and it’s a no go as well.

[gkellum]

MFenkner wrote:

I've owned an H9 Max since November, using it with a Mac (currently running OS X 10.10.4) and almost every time I go to pair my Mac and H9 there's a problem.  The documented process never seems to work, and I usually end up having to go through various random processes, including deleting the H9 from the bluetooth settings one or more times on my Mac, having to reboot the H9 once or more, sometimes resetting it to factory defaults – and if I'm persistent, after 15-30 minutes of messing with the thing I usually get it to work.  But then when I go to use my H9 again in a few days, the same problem often occurs and the devices won't pair.  

Well, since you mentioned the "documented process", I suppose you must have already looked through the H9 Control manual and the tips there:

http://ftp.eventide.com/ljdl/www/H9ControlUG/H9ControlManual_ConnectingOnMacOSX.html#MacOSX_via_Bluetooth

The behavior you're describing isn't normal, and four possibilities come to mind. (1) Your H9s software configuration is causing the problem. (2) Your H9 has a hardware problem. (3) The environment you're in has a lot of RF interference which is causing your connectivity issues. (4) Your Mac has some sort of software or hardware issue that's causing the connectivity issues.

To rule out (1), you'd want to restore your H9 to its factory settings by restarting it with the right footswitch and the big, black wheel pressed. You said you'd already done this.  I saw this fix a connectivity problem with a colleagues computer just a few days ago…  To rule out (2) and / or (3) you could see if the same issue happens or not with another computer or iOS device in another environment.  With regards to (4), we don't have a lot of experience with OS X 10.10.4 but it sounds like this problem pre-dates you upgrading to OS X 10.10.4.  We have heard of users being unable to from some MacMini's, but we haven't heard of any wide spread problems with other kinds of Macs.

You probably don't want to hear this, but if your H9 is normally stationary 3 feet from your Mac, you may just want to connect with a USB cable.  

After doing a bit of experimentation if you think there's a hardware problem affecting your H9s Bluetooth connectivity and you want to send it in for us to look at it, please send an email to support@eventide.com.

[metro6audio]

10.10.4 and H9 Control have a code-level BT issue, watching the console log I can see the complaint from OS X when H9 Control attempts to connect. Eventide people, would you like me to post the logs here, or email them to support? I emailed with Jerome last September, but every subsequent release of H9 control has yet to solve this issue.

[gkellum]

metro6audio wrote:

10.10.4 and H9 Control have a code-level BT issue, watching the console log I can see the complaint from OS X when H9 Control attempts to connect. Eventide people, would you like me to post the logs here, or email them to support? I emailed with Jerome last September, but every subsequent release of H9 control has yet to solve this issue.

You mean this error, "H9 Control[3366]: Failed to connect (mPasskeyDisplay) outlet from (IOBluetoothDevicePairViewController) to (IOBluetoothPasskeyDisplay): missing setter or instance variable?"  

Unfortunately, that error has been happening inside the compiled code of the Cocoa class IOBluetoothDeviceSelectorController since Yosemite.  There's nothing we can do about that.  I made a post about this on Apple's developer forums, but I never heard anything back about it.  But I also don't think that it's the cause of any connectivity issues as many people have been able to connect to their H9s via Bluetooth on Yosemite without any problems.

 

[metro6audio]

gkellum wrote:

You mean this error, “H9 Control[3366]: Failed to connect (mPasskeyDisplay) outlet from (IOBluetoothDevicePairViewController) to (IOBluetoothPasskeyDisplay): missing setter or instance variable?”  

Unfortunately, that error has been happening inside the compiled code of the Cocoa class IOBluetoothDeviceSelectorController since Yosemite.  There’s nothing we can do about that.  I made a post about this on Apple’s developer forums, but I never heard anything back about it.  But I also don’t think that it’s the cause of any connectivity issues as many people have been able to connect to their H9s via Bluetooth on Yosemite without any problems.

Yeah, that looks about right. Is there anything in your code that’s expecting BTLE? I’m running a Late-2011 MBP, so I don’t have a BT 4.0 chip yet. I know I have several other apps that I simply can’t use because of that limitation. FWIW, I never have trouble connecting to the H9’s via BT from my iPhone 6. Only the MBP.

[gkellum]

metro6audio wrote:

[Yeah, that looks about right. Is there anything in your code that's expecting BTLE? I'm running a Late-2011 MBP, so I don't have a BT 4.0 chip yet. I know I have several other apps that I simply can't use because of that limitation. FWIW, I never have trouble connecting to the H9's via BT from my iPhone 6. Only the MBP.

No, there's nothing about Bluetooth LE.  I'm running an Early-2011 MBP myself, and I've never had any connectivity issues using it.  I've had a couple of sporadic problems after updating that could be resolved by reinitializing the H9, and of course sometimes I forgot that I'm connected with an iOS device to my H9, but that's easy to clear up by pressing the X, Y, and Z switches simultaneously to toggle Bluetooth off and then on again.

The code for connecting to the H9 on Mac is based on Apple's sample code for connecting to a Bluetooth device using the serial port profile that they used to bundle in with Xcode.  What we're doing is really simple.  Most of the magic is happening inside of Apple's Cocoa classes.

[MFenkner]

Thanks for the feedback.  The next time the problem happens, I will try all your recommendations.  Yes, the documentation you referenced is process I’ve been following.  I have done your first recommendation, restoring to factory settings many time, which often does temporarily clear the problem, though later the problem returns.  I’ve started to wonder if changing the factory Bluetooth Name and PIN (which I generally have done) causes the pairing to be more unstable, because right after doing a factory reset, it seems easier to pair.  Regarding OS X 10.10.4, I’ve been through various OS versions, all with the same problem.

I’ve noticed a lot general weirdness with the device – for example, sometimes it just doesn’t appear in the bluetooth control panel, and I’ll need to reboot the H9 (often more than once) to get it to appear.  Or when it does appear and I select “Option” to enter the PIN, it fails to pair despite using the right PIN.  And one odd thing is it will sometimes appear in the control panel with it’s factory name, then later revert to the configured name (and this is after using the configured name for several days across several reboots).  I don’t know if any of this is an indication of a hardware problem.

Last night it was more challenging that usual to get it paired, and required me rebooting my computer and rebooting the H9 several times; I finally got it to pair, and today the connection still is working.  The next time it happens again, I’ll be more systematic with my troubleshooting and will record all the steps taken and the results.

[matt holden]

I’m having the same issue with 10.10.5 just took 45 mins to connect to put sculpt on. Frustrating to say the least.

[MFenkner]

I had to pair it with my computer to install the latest firmware, and have encountered all the usual problems.  What a piece of junk.  I wish Eventide would write a definitive guide for connecting the H9 to a Mac since their instructions rarely work, and I instead have to resort to reseting the device, toggling bluetooth off/on, reinstalling the software, or whatever else I can thinking of until it magically starts working.

I’ve been working in IT for 20 years and know how to implement & troubleshoot some of most complex systems.  It drives me nuts that Eventide is unable properply implement a feature as simple as bluetooth pairing so that even I’m baffled by trying to get it to work.

[gkellum]

I know that Bluetooth connectivity issues can be frustrating.  Keep in mind though that the H9 is using a Bluetooth chip that was specifically designed for use with Apple devices, and the code that is being used by H9 Control to connect to the H9 is based on sample code provided by Apple for this purpose with little to no modifications.  We also relatively rarely hear from people having trouble connecting their Macs to their H9s.  So, I don't believe these sort of connectivity issues are a general problem that stem from Eventide's implemention of Bluetooth connectivity.

 

There a couple of sources of problems specific to the H9 which we've heard about in the past.

 

(1) If a non-Eventide power source is being used, it may provide enough power for the H9 to work but not enough power for Bluetooth to work.

 

(2) Some H9s have had harware problems which can cause intermittent communication failures.  These have become more rare lately as we improved our Bluetooth testing procedures, but this is still a possibility.

 

And then, there are sources of problems that aren't specific to the H9 such as:

 

(1) The H9 is too far away from the computer.  

 

(2) There is too much RF noise in the environment which is causing interference with the Bluetooth connection between the H9 and the computer.

 

(3) A lot of webpages can be found on Google pertaining to general Mac Bluetooth connectivity problems.  Here is fairly thorough page with a lot of trouble shooting tips: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2016/02/01/experiencing-bluetooth-problems-on-your-mac-try-this/

 

 

[MFenkner]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply but the only likely explanation is faulty hardware.  I’m using the factory power supply (which has always made a mechanical humming sound when plugged in – but maybe that’s normal).  The H9 is about three feet from the iMac, though I’ve also placed it immediately next to the computer.  I’ve tried accessing it from my MacBook Pro, without any better success.  I have a few other bluetooth devices I continually use without a problem: keyboard, mouse, and trackpack.

Is there a way to tell from the serial number if this is a defective unit?  Sadly, I’ve had it for almost two years, so it would likely be out of warranty, though it’s in near mint condition and has never left my home office.  I don’t even put it on the floor, but rather change settings with my hands.  I’ve ended up rarely using it since it’s so difficult to get it working it with my computer to adjust parameters, and it’s not easy to change them from the device itself.

I previously owned all the Factor pedals – TimeFactor, ModFactor, PitchFactor, and Space – and now just have the H9, which hasn’t worked out too well.

[gkellum]

MFenkner wrote:

Is there a way to tell from the serial number if this is a defective unit?

No, unfortunately.  If you'd like to send it in for us to take a look at, please send an email to support@eventide.com.

MFenkner wrote:

 I don't even put it on the floor, but rather change settings with my hands.  I've ended up rarely using it since it's so difficult to get it working it with my computer to adjust parameters, and it's not easy to change them from the device itself.

Well, there is also the option of connecting to the H9 with USB or MIDI, but I'm sure you have reasons for wanting to use Bluetooth.

[gboland]

I have three macs and 2 H9 and none pair.

[Studioman]

I just purchased the H9 and only had it a couple of days. Pairing was great the first 3 or 4 times i used it then tonightt it would not pair no matter what i did. I too have several Bluetooth devices that i use and i am also very capable of working with electronics and computers. THis is very frustrating as i need to set the pedal up so I can use it. If I would have know about this problem, I wouls not have purchased this unit.

[gkellum]

Studioman wrote:

I just purchased the H9 and only had it a couple of days. Pairing was great the first 3 or 4 times i used it then tonightt it would not pair no matter what i did. 

When I run into any problems pairing my H9, the first thing I do is turn Bluetooth off and then on again on the H9 by pressing the X, Y, and Z switches simulataneously (twice).  Oftentimes, I'm having trouble b/c I was using my H9 with another computer or iOS device, and doing this will break that connection.

If this doesn't work, I'll reset the H9's system settings by turning the H9 off and then turning it on again with the HotKnob switch (the button in the upper left hand corner of the H9).  This almost always clears up whatever problem I'm having.

[solotasq]

gkellum wrote:

When I run into any problems pairing my H9, the first thing I do is turn Bluetooth off and then on again on the H9 by pressing the X, Y, and Z switches simulataneously (twice).  Oftentimes, I’m having trouble b/c I was using my H9 with another computer or iOS device, and doing this will break that connection.

If this doesn’t work, I’ll reset the H9’s system settings by turning the H9 off and then turning it on again with the HotKnob switch (the button in the upper left hand corner of the H9).  This almost always clears up whatever problem I’m having.

Will this same process work with the Pitchfactor? I was wondering if Bluetooth needed to be activated in the device in order to be found, which I’ve tried doing with my iPad, iPhone, and my iMac without any luck. Being able to use it with just the iPad (which I’ve installed the H9 app on) would be sufficient.

[bohan]

solotasq wrote:

Will this same process work with the Pitchfactor? I was wondering if Bluetooth needed to be activated in the device in order to be found, which I've tried doing with my iPad, iPhone, and my iMac without any luck. Being able to use it with just the iPad (which I've installed the H9 app on) would be sufficient.

No. PitchFactor doesn't support Bluetooth connection. You would need to use an USB cable to connect to your PC/Mac/iOS devices to pair with the H9 Control.

[Author]

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