Troubleshooting Pro Tools 12 AAE Error -6117 with Playback Engine Window

The AAE-Error -6115 and its variations have been a thorn in the side of many music producers, particularly those working with Pro Tools software. If you're experiencing this error message while using Pro Tools 11 or later versions, don't despair – there are some steps you can take to resolve the issue.

Step 1: Check your Playback Engine Settings

One common cause of AAE errors in Pro Tools is a conflict between different playback engines being used at the same time. To troubleshoot this, follow these steps:

Launch the Playback Engine Window:

- On Macs: Go to Edit > Preferences > Hardware > I/O (or go directly to 'Mac HD'/Library/Preferences/Avid/MIDI/Audio/Pro Tools 11/Plug-ins) and double-click on 'AAX Plug-in Manager.'

- On Windows XP/Vista/7/8: Press 'Alt' + Option keys, then select 'Plug-In manager' from the menu that appears. Alternatively, you can go to C:\Program Files\Digidesign\Pro Tools 11/PSE/MIDI/64-bit (or where your Pro Tools installation is located) and double-click on 'AAX Plug-in Manager.exe.'

Once inside the AAX Plugin Manager:

- In the left-hand window, click on 'About' at the bottom of the list.

- Then select 'Reset All,' then restart your computer.

Step 2: Check for Updates

Make sure you're running the latest version of Pro Tools. To do this:

Launch Pro Tools and go to Help > About Avid Media Engine (or Pro Tools, depending on which one is open).

Click 'Check for updates' if prompted.

Follow any instructions provided by the update dialog box.

Step 3: Reset your Digi-Base Folder

Sometimes, problems can arise from corrupted files within the Digi-Base folder. To reset this:

Quit all instances of Pro Tools and other Avid applications.

Go to 'User Library'/AVID/Pro Tools 11 (or C:\Users'YourUsername'\AppData\Local\avid media engine on Windows).

Delete everything inside these folders except for 'Plug-ins' if it exists.

Step 4: Re-Authenticate your Plug-in

If the above steps don't resolve the issue, try re-authenticating your plug-in:

Quit Pro Tools and any other applications that may be running in the background.

Launch Pro Tools again. You should see a dialog box asking you to 'Re-Authorize' or 'Activate.'

Step 5: Uninstall & Re-Install

If none of these steps have resolved the problem, it's time for some more drastic measures:

Uninstall all versions of Pro Tools and any related applications (including iLok drivers if applicable).

Restart your computer.

Download the latest version from Avid's website 'www.avid.com/download/'.

Follow the installation instructions carefully.

Step 6: Clear Cache & Preferences

Sometimes, problems can persist even after a clean uninstallation due to lingering files in various locations on your system:

Quit Pro Tools and any other applications running in the background.

On Macs:

- Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Cleanup (or type 'Disk Utility' into Spotlight).

- Select both startup disks (usually 'Macintosh HD' or whatever you've named it) and click 'Repair.'

- Then, go to ~/Library/Preferences/Avid/MIDI/Audio/Pro Tools 11 (or where ever your preferences are stored).

On Windows:

- Press 'Windows' + R keys simultaneously.

- Type 'Run' in the dialog box that appears and press Enter.

In both cases:

- Delete everything inside these folders except for 'Plug-ins' if it exists.

Step 7: Re-authorize Your Plug-in(s)

Once you've completed all of these steps, restart your computer again. Launch Pro Tools once more – this time, you should see a dialog box asking to re-authorize or activate any plug-ins that were previously installed but are now missing their authorization files.

The AAE-Error -6117 can be frustrating and often seems impossible to resolve on its own. However, by following these steps in the correct order (and not skipping over anything!), you should be able to get rid of this pesky error once and for all!

Pro tools 12 aae error 6117