Ultralite crackle & pops (with video of what happens)

[frambooz]

Hey guys,

I just got my MOTU UltraLite, and I'm having the same problem a lot of people seem to be having. At random points, the Ultralite decides to mess up and transform any output into noise. When no audio is playing, you can hear loud clicks & pops, while the meters of all the outputs are going nuts.

I've recorded a short video of the problem. Please note that I'm not sending any audio through the Ultralite at this time, and yet the outputs are going crazy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrRYLpeKhWQ

The clicks you hear is what's coming through the speakers. The only app running at the time was iTunes, but the same thing happens with Sonar 7 (Producer Edition).

For this video, the Ultralite is plugged into my laptop using the built-in firewire port. However, I also have a Belkin Firewire Expresscard. This uses a Texas Instrument chip (like MOTU recommends), and the problem still occurs (though a little less frequently).

Finally, the boring specs:

Dell Precision M90 Laptop
Windows XP SP2
Intel Core Duo 2Ghz
2GB Ram
Belkin FireWire ExpressCard

I'm powering the Ultralite using an external 9v adapter.

In any case, I'm extremely disappointed. I haven't been able to find a solution for this. What to do?

[andycsh]

i'm having the same problem!!

pls!! anyone can help out?!

if not, my monitor will blow out!!!!!!!!

[strungdown]

Hey dude

Try this!

Download this program http://www.thesycon.de/deu/latency_check.shtml
And run it. See if you get spikes in your DPC latency when the dropouts occur. Do post back!

[oliviaarthur]

this is the exact same problem i am having. anyone else having this problem? i am about to throw my ultralite out of the window.

[Quontor]

There is a possibility this is related to known issues with updated versions of windows xp and decreased firewire performance. Check out this link-
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/885222
entitled: Performance of 1394 devices may decrease after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2

Also, MOTU has an issue with non Texas Instruments chipsets such as VIA, which might be your onboard chipset for your firewire device.

I came across this issue with my 828 but only after a windows upgrade. Reference my post: motu and TI chipset- whats the deal.

[jrdmcdnld]

What's your buffer set to?

[Interpulse]

I have the same problem.

Is there any help on this yet?

[TheRealRoach]

I have the same problem.

Is there any help on this yet?

If you are running SP2 or SP3 then you should probably try this:

http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... 14&t=31518

Considering that this thread started almost a year ago I doubt its related to a glitchy new driver.

[SusanG]

Hi All-

This has gotten critical for me, since I can only sporadically get any audio at all from my MOTU Ultralite. Most of the time now it does the whole spitting/random signals on all outputs thing, which you can see on the video the OP posted. [Thanks for that!]

And if I shut it down & restart it I sometimes get nothing at all (meaning even the MOTU Audio Console can't find it).

I've been in touch with Jim Roseberry (my DAW builder) about this, and he's been very helpful, as always!<g>

Here's what I've tried so far:
- Re-installed the MOTU drivers (3.6.7.4, which have always provided the best performance for me, and which Jim recommends)
- Installed the AVT firewire drivers (also recommended by Jim)
- Re-seated the firewire card (Texas Instruments chipset) and cables
- Ran a complete virus scan just in case

Next steps:
- Try a different firewire cable. None in stock anywhere locally, but that's obviously the cheapest first step.
- Try a different firewire card. Are there diagnostics for this anywhere? XP says it's working normally.
- Ditch the Ultralite .

I'm running XP Pro, SP3,

Thanks-

-Susan

[SusanG]

Hi All-

Shameless bump...!

I've been reading threads about this problem on other forums over the past several days, and I've found only hit-or-miss solutions or none at all. I'm reluctant to buy a new FW card/cable if neither is the problem unless I can return them, since I'm on a very tight budget right now. I'm not having any luck finding these in a local B & M store.

If it's the Ultralite, does anyone have any experiences to share having theirs repaired/replaced? Does MOTU do this in a timely manner, and are the service fees reasonable?

Thanks-

-Susan

[ekss]

I got this answere from MOTU support and it worked for me. I hope this will solve your problems:

"If you experience further issues, please power down the Ultralite and go to IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers in Device Manager.

Right-click on the 1394 device entry and and choose Update Driver Software. Select the option to browse the computer for driver software.

Next, choose the option to pick from a list of device drivers on the computer.

Select 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy) and click Next to install. Finally, boot up the Ultralite and test playback."

Cheers!