Check out this weird audio problem

[Killahurts]

Still on my old 12 core, with Sierra installed. My main Core Audio output pair is assigned to a digital out on my interface, and goes to the digital input of my console for monitoring whatever comes off the computer, from iTunes to the internet, Quicktime, etc. I've had it this way for years.

Suddenly a few days ago, for no reason I can put my finger on, all of the audio I play from the internet is insanely loud, no matter what browser I use, or what website. For example on Youtube, I have to turn the little volume slider on the movie down to about a third to avoid severe digital clipping. This ONLY happens with online audio. If I play iTunes music or Quicktime or even just quick play (with the spacebar), everything is as it should be. I looked to make sure there were no weird settings in my RME/SSL Alpha Link interface system, but it doesn't really matter, because the local items use the same digital output as online items, and the local items play correctly. I have this problem with Safari and Firefox.. I do not have Google Chrome installed, and would prefer not to. I installed the newest Safari update yesterday in hopes that it might correct itself, but to no avail.. so, any ideas?
Thanks!

[MIDI Life Crisis]

Weird, indeed. Just a shot in the dark, but I'd try moving the System Preferences for audio out of their folders and restarting - to create a new one. And here's the "dark" part.

I searched around my system a little and found this com.apple.systemsound.plist in the user PREFERENCES folder. However, there is another (to quote Yoda) in the main system Library>Preferences. It's called com.apple.soundpref.plist.

Alternately, you might log into a guest account, which would essentially bypass the user plist.

I would also strongly suggest you not DELETE the original plists. Just move them to some other location outside the the library. If that doesn't solve the problem, you can move the files back to their location and not have to reset anything that was a preference.

As an afterthought, I'd also try deleting the Safari and Firefox plists, but I doubt they are to blame. Since it's both, I'd suspect something more systemic.

[mikehalloran]

When this has happened to me, it's always been after an install of something completely unrelated — or so I thought.

With High Sierra, I can reset my entire system to before I installed (whatever). Takes a few minutes using the Restore from Snapshot feature (must be running OS 10.13.x and the boot SSD must be formatted APFS). An older OS would have required around 18 hours for a system restore.

I spent a few hours with a similar issue last weekend — don't recall how many times I reset my system back an hour. In my case, it turned out that my 2010 iMac hardware was a year too old — what I was attempting just couldn't be done.

[bayswater]

I didn't think this was an error or bug, just something Apple decided to do. It's happened at the time of a OS, iTunes or Safari update, and I've had the same thing happen with iOS updates. Before, sound levels for external content had to be up near full, and after, much more than 50% of the slider was too loud. I just assumed Apple was making software adjustments to accommodate their hardware, in these cases ear buds and headphones.

[Killahurts]

Hey guys thanks so much for the replies!

Unfortunately, I have discovered this is a hardware problem, specifically, the digital input on my console. It must have been an intermittent problem when I tried playing things from the hard drive without issue. It finally is completely broken. I just replaced the digital board on the console a month ago, but because of an output problem, as opposed to input which is what I have now. SSL had to manufacture it and send it from England which took some time. I'm sure it is still under warranty, but I'm trying to finish an album and I don't have time to wait for them to build another one.

Fortunately, the Matrix has an optical digital input as well as the AES input, and the optical works, so I got a little Hosa AES to optical converter. That's my workaround until I can replace the digital board in the desk again.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

I love a happy ending Wait, is this a happy ending?

[mikehalloran]

I love a happy ending Wait, is this a happy ending?

Any workaround that allows completion of a project by deadline is a "Happy Enough Ending" in my book.

[Killahurts]

I love a happy ending Wait, is this a happy ending?

Any workaround that allows completion of a project by deadline is a "Happy Enough Ending" in my book.

That's exactly the way I feel about it. The converter is not elegant, but it works for now, and I'm not shut down!

[HCMarkus]

I'm sure it is still under warranty...

Nice!