Smooth crackle / noise invading audio files when editing!!

Zola · Post by **Zola** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:47 pm

Ironicaly enough, it started happening to me this morning. I've been workin on a tv series for the last 2 weeks on my new Mac Pro and never had that problem before.

dave898 · Post by **dave898** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 5:53 pm

Zola wrote:Ironicaly enough, it started happening to me this morning. I've been workin on a tv series for the last 2 weeks on my new Mac Pro and never had that problem before.

We jinxed you.. sorry..

But welcome to the club!

mpdan · Post by **mpdan** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 9:45 am

Finally! I was afraid I was doing something wrong.

The crackle is random and appears on my printed tracks from a VI.

Sometimes it does it, sometimes it doesn't. I don't get it. Not consistent at all.

Macbook pro 2.16 1gig 8pre external fw800 HD.

quezbor · Post by **quezbor** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 10:28 am

yes it's totally random, I get it with no plug ins, 3 channels of dialogue editing. Usually happens in the same spot where three tracks play simultaneously, or when I play things back in a loop. it's happening less now that I'm using my audio interface rather than the optical output from my macpro. I was suspecting it was a macpro Intel problem but I see some posts here from people using older computer. My MOTU techlink is still unread. Can more people write MOTU tech support so they can realize this is a real show stopper! The playback scrathyness is something I can deal with, the bounce scratchy stuff is unacceptable. I'll have to bounce everything on my laptop... if it can handle it.

mpdan wrote:Finally! I was afraid I was doing something wrong.

The crackle is random and appears on my printed tracks from a VI.

Sometimes it does it, sometimes it doesn't. I don't get it. Not consistent at all.

Macbook pro 2.16 1gig 8pre external fw800 HD.

mpdan · Post by **mpdan** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 4:44 pm

This kinda sucks. Why can't it work properly? I'd be embarassed if a client heard this crap.

auptown · Post by **auptown** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:17 pm

I don't know if this is the same crackle, but just today on my MacPro I started hearing crackle when a soundbite was playing (a little like bacon sizzling, but it went along with the soundbite). Then I started trying some things, and I noticed that even if I played a soundbite using the little preview thingy in the Finder I was hearing it! I re-booted and it cleared up.

So, at least for me, there was *something* wrong with core audio or the PCI card or maybe the HD192.

I had been edge-editing, working with overlapping soundbites, and fades -- all of the usual suspects. But somehow this went beyond a simple DP bug, it ended up kind of trashing my audio system.

I wonder if someone could try previewing a soundbite from the Finder when they are getting crackle, to see if this is a clue.

quezbor · Post by **quezbor** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 5:55 pm

auptown wrote:I don't know if this is the same crackle, but just today on my MacPro I started hearing crackle when a soundbite was playing (a little like bacon sizzling, but it went along with the soundbite).

yup, that's the culprit

>Then I started trying some things, and I noticed that even if I played a soundbite using the little preview thingy in the Finder I was hearing it! I re-booted and it cleared up.

sometimes when I press stop and play again the noise stops temporarily. It happens more often when i have many sounds layered. It's driving me nuts and I don't have much time to troubleshoot!!
I've never heard it outside of DP, I use Live and Peak and it never created that sound. I also don't have the problem on my laptop when i transfer my projects from my mac pro.

>But somehow this went beyond a simple DP bug, it ended up kind of trashing my audio system.

yikes!!

write MOTU tech support, they got get this fixed!!

I wonder if someone could try previewing a soundbite from the Finder when they are getting crackle, to see if this is a clue.

auptown · Post by **auptown** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 9:20 am

I'm getting the friendly crackle more often now, and I am also noticing the "Log Out %^&" at the same time, although I don't know if it's more than a coincidence.

I notice that it seems like we are all running 10.4.9, has anyone tried going back to 10.4.8? I am thinking of trying that.

dave898 · Post by **dave898** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 9:48 am

auptown wrote: I notice that it seems like we are all running 10.4.9, has anyone tried going back to 10.4.8? I am thinking of trying that.

I've been experiencing the phantom crackle since, gosh, much earlier than 10.4.8.... I can't even remember anymore.

For me, it all started back in early versions of OS 10.4 and DP5.

quezbor · Post by **quezbor** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:01 am

I've been experiencing the phantom crackle since, gosh, much earlier than 10.4.8.... I can't even remember anymore.

have you always had the problem with a mac pro intel? I have 10.4.9 on my laptop and no crackle there.

btw i heard back from MOTU tech support. here's their reply:

"What kind of audio interface are you using? What sample rate are you recording at?
Are you clocking your Audio interface off any other external device?"

oh boy... we got a long way to go... it's as if they didn't read my email to them. feh! I also included a link to this thread, but something tells me they didn't check it. I'll continue trying to call on Monday and find out what's happening.

dave898 · Post by **dave898** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:23 am

have you always had the problem with a mac pro intel? I have 10.4.9 on my laptop and no crackle there.

I'm using a G5 2.7 Dual (PPC), so this is a problem in both PPC and Intel macs.

"What kind of audio interface are you using? What sample rate are you recording at?
Are you clocking your Audio interface off any other external device?"

MOTU has valid questions.. For me, I'm using a 828 mkII, never clocking off of any external device (always Internal), and I get the crackle in projects at both 44.1k and 48k.

quezbor · Post by **quezbor** » Sat Jun 09, 2007 10:48 am

"What kind of audio interface are you using? What sample rate are you recording at?
Are you clocking your Audio interface off any other external device?"
MOTU has valid questions.. For me, I'm using a 828 mkII, never clocking off of any external device (always Internal), and I get the crackle in projects at both 44.1k and 48k.

not so valid at this point because I gave them all these valid answers in my initial bug report.

ilfiume · Post by **ilfiume** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 7:44 am

I have this problem as well -- initially using a Mackie Onyx 400f and DP5. The Mackie was notorious for horrible crackle and they claimed the issue was with OSX and their Core Audio / FireWire drivers.

I switched to the MOTU Traveler and still have the problem, noticeably less that with the Mackie, but still there, to the point that I have to comb through all my bounces before I send them to a client - kind of a drag.

Quad Core G5 / OSX 10.4.9

The only thing that seems to work (temporarily) is a DP or full system restart.

zaster · Post by **zaster** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:10 pm

I get this too, using a digi002. I have to restart everything to get rid of it. The next time it happens, I'm going to go launch something else in standalone, like Kontakt, before restarting, to see if the crackle is a global thing or just DP.

bjornln · Post by **bjornln** » Wed Jun 13, 2007 3:26 pm

I've got this nagging feeling I've seen this before...
I think it's a firewire problem. For the heck of it.. Try to run DP without anything hooked up to the firewire ports (not even hard-drives).

I have a PCI system, and as far as I remember I haven't run into this problem on my audio rig...

I DO know I've ran into the problem on another machine with just a hd and some speakers hooked up.....

On the other hand.. I might just be imagine it..

Best
/B