2408Mk3 Clicks-Its getting into my nerves

PedroCruz · Post by **PedroCruz** » Wed Aug 09, 2006 9:25 pm

Just forget what i said before, as soon as i closed nuendo and i listened to some mp3 again in windows media player, the clicks started again...
what a frustration...

i cant tell what it is...

resolectric · Post by **resolectric** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 3:40 am

Seems to be a defective equipment. If it's still under warranty contact the dealer, they might change it for you, otherwise a repair seems to be under way.

PedroCruz · Post by **PedroCruz** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 4:37 am

Ive been making some diferent experiments, and i found that the click is always higher in the channel after...
ive put a sine wave in random outputs, so when i had 50Hz in out 4, the clicking out was 5. sine wave at out 6, i had clicks at out 7...
i have no conclusion because of this... but for a technical this might be good information....

arth · Post by **arth** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 6:14 am

PedroCruz wrote:arth, isnt your speech all related to FireWire cards like 828, 896, Traveler???
thats what i suppose...
This is a PCI424 products Post...
Thanks for your help anyway!

No, my post is generic Windows, regardless of what you use it with. Data Execute Protection (DEP, NX) and Physical Address Extension (PAE) are CPU features that Windows have supported for some time now.
If {BRANDNAME} drivers and apps don't work correctly with them, it's the {BRANDNAME} drivers and apps that need fixing. No matter what kind of software it is.
In my humble opinion, a tech support recommendation of turning off either is like running an app in Win95 compatibility mode -- it's as good as an admittance that their software was badly written and with no rewrite on the horizon.

resolectric · Post by **resolectric** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 7:10 am

Regarding this:

PedroCruz wrote:Ive been making some diferent experiments, and i found that the click is always higher in the channel after...
ive put a sine wave in random outputs, so when i had 50Hz in out 4, the clicking out was 5. sine wave at out 6, i had clicks at out 7...
i have no conclusion because of this... but for a technical this might be good information....

i believe the following might be helpful though i believe it won't contribute to your happiness:

(transcribed from another post in this Forum)

imr1001 wrote: Â«...MOTU confirmed the PCI card went bad.

Here is the indicator in case anybody else is suffering: when the "pop" appears on the output adjacent to the last active output, you've got a good indication that your card is bad. For example, playing a stero file out outputs 1 and 2, the pop will indicate on channel 3's LED indicators, but the signal will be audible out 1 and 2. Playing six tracks out 1-6, the pop will indicate on 7's LED indicators, but will be audible on 1-6.

Once I got a hold of MOTU support through the "back channels" they were helpful and are shipping me a new card.
...Â»

The thread is here: http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13677

PedroCruz · Post by **PedroCruz** » Thu Aug 10, 2006 2:55 pm

Hi resoletric,
So the conclusion is simple, ill need to buy a new PCI card right? and a newer version right?
I think mine is V1.0...
I dont imagine MOTU sending a pci card to portugal for free

but its their fault anyway...
Thks very much for all the help!
Best Regards
Pedro Cruz

resolectric · Post by **resolectric** » Fri Aug 11, 2006 1:27 am

MOTU will certainly replace or fix the card if it's still under warranty. The replacement will be done by the retailer you bought the card from.
In Europe you have two years warranty.

Sorry to write in english but i think it's polite to the other forum users, this being an international forum

PedroCruz · Post by **PedroCruz** » Sat Aug 12, 2006 6:15 am

No prob Resoletric, i do understand what is being write here, maybe i dont write so well...

I had live recording again this Saturday, and before i leave here i made the changes in c:\boot.ini from /noexecute to /execute and it got better...
I didnt had much time to test it, so i just recorded a 2" 24 track tape into both motu using motu1 8analog + motu1 ADAT B + motu2 8analog...
during this recording i didnt had any click.
In the concert, during the soundcheck i didnt had any click until 1H30 after opening nuendo...
After soundcheck i shut down the computer and during the show i didnt had any click at all...
So, the changes were positive, but i dont want surprises once in a while...
I just knew that Motu its not being distributed to portugal at the time, so ill try to reach motu info staff to see what can we do...
Thank everyone for the help!
Pedro Cruz

MPEDrummer · Post by **MPEDrummer** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 8:47 am

Pedro -

I'm sorry you're having problems, but I'm glad it's not just ME!!

When your clicks on the inputs happen, are they at exactly -42.1dB?

I have both input clicks and the phantom "next output" pop as well.

My testing on this was pretty extensive - the problem follows the MOTU, even to another PC! I even ran the entire system off two giant UPS's, eliminating mains power glitches as a potential problem. Different PCI slots, forcing IRQs, removing other devices, new install of Windows, different service pack levels of XP, flashing the BIOS, new Audiowire cable, cleaning the Audiowire inputs, etc...all the same.

Here's my theory:

In any digital clock, there's the bit that generates the clock signal, and the bit that resolves to it. With the MOTU, the bit that resolves can be internal to the HD192, from the PCI424, or fully external. Since none of these changed anything with my problems, I've come to the conclusion that the bit of the clock that actually follows the signal is on the fritz.

Monday, I'll be sending the whole stupid thing back to MOTU. In the states, the warranty is only 90 days (stingy jerks) but they'll do a flat-fee RMA for $75. By my understanding, they're just going to swap the unit for a new one once they receive the shipment.

It's a shame that the studio is going to be down for a week or two - this is really, really bad timing for that. But hopefully this will fix it.

MPEDrummer

PedroCruz · Post by **PedroCruz** » Sun Aug 20, 2006 6:50 pm

Hello MPEDrummer and thanks for your cooperation, i hope you've read all post replies...

After i made the switch in c:\boot.ini i got pretty better, but after a 1hour and a half of work, i start to have clicks again, so i restart and its ok for the next hour and a half +/-.

Ive also been contacted by motu technical support, but only because i contacted the selling department, and they confirmed me that my #1 email was not received by MOTU TECH SUPPORT...

Ill send my PCI 424 to MOTU and they will charge me also $75 for a tested PCI card and also i think they wanna see my card for evaluation of the damage...

I hope this has a happy ending for everyone

Best Regards to everyone!
Pedro Cruz

PS: Tuubert are you there? how's things going with you???

MPEDrummer · Post by **MPEDrummer** » Mon Aug 21, 2006 1:30 pm

Yeah, I got my RA this morning, after nearly an hour of trying to dial MOTU...they need a better phone system.

Now I just hope that they can reproduce the problem, and don't just send it right back to me.

MPEDrummer

PedroCruz · Post by **PedroCruz** » Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:40 am

After some days of living peacefully during 1h30 without clicks, now i get clicks all the time... even with c:\boot.ini modifications...
i have live recording tomorrow, i hope it will run ok...
Cheers to everyone

tuubert · Post by **tuubert** » Wed Aug 23, 2006 4:22 am

hello pedro.

I was away for two weeks.

Here we'll try to change the 424card with the retailer (thomann, 3 years warranty, I suppose, wow!).

My experience is that usually the clicks start happening after a couple of hours of working, which to me indicates some sort of a overheating/similar heat induced problem with the hardware.
BUT.
After we started using the audiowire port 4, there has not been clicks at all. I'm still suspecting the connector soldering. Or the tranceiver ICs on the ports. Or whatever. Who knows.

Anyway we try to get a properly working card, in case we expand..

cheers.

MPEDrummer · Post by **MPEDrummer** » Tue Aug 29, 2006 1:30 pm

So, MOTU called me last night - they can't reproduce the problem.

I told the guy that the problem often doesn't show up for an hour or two. He reiterated that they couldn't reproduce it, but when pressed on the matter, admitted that they only tested for 20 minutes...sigh.

Anyway, he agreed to swap it and send me a different one anyway. Hopefully, it's not one of the ones you guys have sent in!

MPEDrummer

PedroCruz · Post by **PedroCruz** » Fri Sep 01, 2006 7:05 am

Does anyone already received a PCI424 from motu after sendind the defective??
Ill send mine next monday, but im curious if they really fixed the problem...
Cheers
PedroCruz