Multiple nested timelines: why audio bugs and crashes?

TL/DR: nesting multiple timelines with multitrack audio crashes Resolve 17, prevents it from opening affected project, or results in loss of audio FX, introduction of audio artifacts not present in parent timelines, or both. Just me or are other users experiencing similar/same?

I upgraded from Studio 16 to Studio 17 only when it emerged from beta, so I only recently ran into very buggy behavior when nesting multiple timelines, and the behavior seems to arise entirely from how audio is managed. Typical pattern:

1. Create multicam clip in MC timeline with cam scratch audio
2. Create timeline with (1). Sync multitrack external audio to MC clip. Audio tracks thus include cam scratch audio and multitrack audio.

a. Edit, duplicate audio tracks as needed, add pans, FX (EQ, reverb, etc.)
b. Output bus is stereo only
3. Nest (2) into new timeline, stereo output bus. Chaos breaks loose:

a. Resolve instantly crashes.
1. Re-start Resolve. Sometimes won't open project. Sometimes it will.
2. If project will open, doing anything in (3), such as trying to position playhead, crashes Resolve.
b. If not (a), then audio in (3) has lost all audio FX, and it moreover won't respect stereo output bus of parent timeline (2), e.g., muted tracks are not muted, fader levels zeroed. In some cases, the nested audio contains pops and crackles, whereas audio in parent (2) does not. (Rendered audio from (3), if I can manage it, also contains pops and crackles, and no FX.

If I render audio in (2) to a stereo clip, and replace ALL audio in (2) with that clip, so that just one stereo track remains in (2), then nesting into (3) behaves normally and as expected. But...sheesh. This didn't happen in 16, where nesting didn't crash Resolve, multitrack audio and FX were preserved. I want to nest multiple timelines (2) into (3) for assembling a master video from its shorter constituents.

[Shrinivas Ramani]

Hi Steven

Can you specify the precise Resolve version in use and add some info on your OS (e.g automatic graphics driver updates)? While your signature has hardware info, OS and drivers, the Resolve version would be useful to add.

When you face a crash, you can open Resolve into a new project, go to the Help menu, choose create diagnostic log on desktop, and post a URL here - say to DropBox or another file sharing site - where the logs can be downloaded and examined.

Thanks
Shrinivas

As a way to get you working, instead of Step 3, do a Copy/Paste.

Hi Steven

Can you specify the precise Resolve version in use and add some info on your OS (e.g automatic graphics driver updates)? While your signature has hardware info, OS and drivers, the Resolve version would be useful to add.

When you face a crash, you can open Resolve into a new project, go to the Help menu, choose create diagnostic log on desktop, and post a URL here - say to DropBox or another file sharing site - where the logs can be downloaded and examined.

Thanks
Shrinivas

Yes, of course. I updated my system specs before I first posted, but the changes didn't take. Now they're complete.

Diagnostic log as a Zip file is here based upon, I think, my recent work history above and what I describe below.

I duplicated my trouble project and performed the tasks I summarized above to make Resolve suddenly quit or otherwise crash/hang (milky white screen, used Task Manager to force quit process). Seemingly at random, I successfully opened the project and got to my multi-nested timeline (3) above. In that instance, audio FX were stripped from the parent timeline. Also, many audio artifacts (cutting in/out, pops and crackles) were present.

I hope this helps diagnosis. Can you let me know if I can help more?

As a way to get you working, instead of Step 3, do a Copy/Paste.

Agreed. Thank you.

I also get an instant crash when adding anything to a nested timelines on my project. Although the timelines that are crashing are not multicam, there are many other multicam timelines in the project.