Hi all,
I wanted to share the results of extensive troubleshooting of a serious and reproducible freezing issue in Cubase 15.0.20 on Windows 11. After significant diagnostic work including WinDbg freeze dump analysis, I’ve identified the trigger and a working workaround. Hopefully this helps others experiencing similar issues.
TLDR Fix: For my external devices synced to MIDI clock, use 5-pin DIN, not USB
Symptoms:
Cubase freezes completely during playback, typically within 4-5 minutes. Audio continues playing but the UI is completely unresponsive, requiring a force close via Task Manager. No traditional crash dump is generated — only freeze dumps captured manually.
Steps to reproduce:
Load a project
Enable MIDI clock sync for external devices connected via USB in Studio > Project Sync Setup
Start playback
Freeze occurs within 4-5 minutes consistently
Note: The freeze occurs with or without third party plugins loaded, including in Cubase Safe Mode with third party plugins disabled. iLok-protected plugins were present in the affected sessions but are not confirmed as a necessary condition.
Dump Analysis:
Running !analyze -v in WinDbg on multiple freeze dumps reveals the same failure hash every time:
FAILURE_ID_HASH: {40c32f5f-214b-75b5-d23c-0eaa999405bf}
Faulting component: WrapPersist64.dll (PACE Anti-Piracy), deadlocking on critical section 0x7cf.
Stack trace:
ntdll!NtWaitForAlertByThreadId
ntdll!RtlpWaitOnCriticalSection
ntdll!RtlpEnterCriticalSectionContended
ntdll!RtlEnterCriticalSection
Cubase15.exe
The USB MIDI Clock Connection:
Through extensive testing I was able to isolate USB MIDI clock as the trigger:
With USB MIDI clock enabled → freeze within 4-5 minutes, every time.
With USB MIDI clock disabled → stable for over an hour with identical plugins loaded.
After moving all devices to 5-pin DIN MIDI clock → no freezes across multiple extended sessions for over two weeks.
Additional findings:
The deadlock occurs even in Safe Mode with third party plugins disabled.
Disabling the PACE License Service did not prevent the deadlock.
Moving iLok licenses from dongle to machine activation made no difference.
The deadlock occurs even when PACE-protected plugins are deactivated on active tracks.
Audio continues playing during the freeze — only the UI/main thread deadlocks.
Workaround:
Move external MIDI devices from USB MIDI clock to 5-pin DIN MIDI clock. This has completely resolved the freezing for me across multiple extended sessions.
System:
Cubase 15.0.20 (64-bit)
Windows 11 (Build 26100)
ASUS TUF Gaming Z790-PLUS WIFI
RME Digiface USB (ASIO) via ADAT to Babyface Pro
iLok License Manager 5.10.4
Plugins present during freeze:
Softube (iLok)
UAD native plugins (iLok)
Arturia Chorus JUN-6 and DIMENSION-D (PACE-wrapped, deactivated on active tracks)
EZDrummer (Toontrack)
Bug reports filed with both Steinberg support and PACE/iLok.