When you load Pro Tools on your computer, do you see an AAE error 6117 on your screen? Does the error also pop up while opening the Playback Engine and setting up your audio playback device? This article will show you what causes the software to malfunction and how to fix it.
Avid Pro Tools is a music software for Windows and Mac computers that helps you with music recording, composition scoring, audio editing, audio for video, sound design, and more. With Pro Tools, you can create 128 audio tracks, get 60 virtual instruments, and shift seamlessly between tracks.
However, many users are frustrated as they cannot launch or use the Pro Tools due to the 6117 error code. If you are one of those users, the good news is that there are several troubleshooting steps that you can try to fix the issue.
What is AAE error 6117 Pro Tools?
When you open the Avid Pro Tools software on your PC, a pop-up redirects you to the Playback Engine so you can set up your audio playback device.
Sometimes, when you click ok to the Playback Engine pop-up, you get the 6117 error that displays the “Audio device can not be initialized, please choose another audio device” message. Afterwards, the error takes you right back to the main Playback Engine screen.
Pro Tools AAE error 6117 means that the device is not present or the software could not detect or work with the audio driver installed on your PC. Avid claims that they have solved the error with the later updates. Therefore, you should first download and install the latest updates and see if this fixes the issue.
If the latest update did not eliminate the error, try this guide’s quick and easy troubleshooting methods.
Why isn’t Pro Tools picking up my interface?
If Pro Tool music software is not detecting your audio interface and giving a 6117 error code, it could be due to any of the following reasons.
- The audio interface driver is missing on your PC.
- Your PC audio drivers are outdated.
- You have yet to install the latest updates for the Pro Tools software.
- Recording devices are enabled on your computer.
- There is a glitch in the Pro Tools resulting in Playback Engine software not loading up.
- Your built-in audio hardware is not compatible with the music software.
How do I fix error Pro Tools 6117?
Force Pro Tools with admin privileges
Quite often, forcing the Pro Tools Playback Engine to show at the initial screen can fix the 6117 error. To do this:
- Right-click on the Pro Tools icon on the PC desktop and click on the “Run as administrator” option.
- Next, press the N key right after launching the music software.
- Now you should see the Playback Engine window.
- Finally, select your AVID device, click OK, and verify that you can use Pro Tools normally.
Install the latest audio drivers
If you still see the error 6117, try installing the latest audio drivers.
- Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box on a Windows PC.
- Next, type in the devmgmt.msc command and click Ok.
- Now you’ll see your computer’s Device Manager window. Expand the “Sound, Video, and Game Controllers” option from the list of options.
- Under the list of devices, search your audio interface and right-click on it to access the device’s Properties.
- Select the Driver tab and click on the Update Driver option to let Windows install the latest driver or select and install the driver from another location (PC or CD).
If Windows can not find a new audio interface driver or you don’t have the latest driver files on a CD, download the correct Avid interface driver that matches your audio device.
Afterwards, extract the contents of the download and click on the executable file to install the driver on your system. Now, reboot your PC and launch Pro Tools to verify that you no longer see the error 6117.
Install ASIO4All Unviersal driver
Quite a few Avid Pro Tools software users have downloaded the ASIO4ALL universal audio driver and got the error 6117 fixed. The ASIO4ALL driver is available as a free download, and you can use it with Pro Tools in the following way.
- Go to the ASIO4ALL web page to download the audio driver (According to your language of choice).
- Now click on the downloaded file to install the universal driver on your PC.
- Next, restart your computer, click “ASIO4ALL Offline Settings” from the Start menu to select your audio interface, and close the program.
- Launch Pro Tools and immediately press the “N” key on your PC keyboard to forcefully open the Playback Engine window.
- Finally, select the ASIO4ALL universal audio interface and get rid of the error.
Disable recording devices on PC
Installing the ASIO4ALL universal audio interface solved the Avid Pro Tools Error 6117 issue for most users. However, if you are still facing the issue, you may need to disable recording and playback devices after installing the ASIO4ALL driver. To do this:
- On the bottom right corner of your PC screen, right-click on the volume button to access the Sound Properties.
- Alternatively, type “control mmsys.cpl sounds” in the Windows Run command to open the Sound screen.
- Next, disable all devices listed under the Playback and Recording tabs.
- Launch the Pro Tools software and press the “N” key to open the Playback Engine window.
- Finally, select the ASIO4ALL universal audio interface and verify the fix.
If the error 6117 is resolved, head back to the Sound Properties and re-enable your playback and recording devices. Also, if you are having trouble seeing the disabled devices, right-click anywhere on the Sound Properties dialog box and check the “Show disconnected and disabled devices” option.
Conclusion
The Avid Pro Tools error 6117 is annoying and mainly occurs to some people after a software update. Hopefully, this guide provided enough troubleshooting steps to resolve the error code. Most of the time, disabling playback/recording devices and installing the ASIO4ALL driver work like a charm.
However, if the error persists, stick with the default 44.1 kHz/16-bit settings on the Pro Tools music software until you find a way to resolve the problem. Good Luck!
