MOTUnation.com

Folks,
Here's an easy one, I hope. I've got a 1.3 ghz G4 powerbook with Audiodesk software, and an 896HD and external Glyph drive via firewire. For a backup I run an Alesis HD24 via optical cable fromthe 896HD. All AC power runs through a Furman box.

In the last week I've recorded a couple of small (12-15 people) acapella groups standing in a half-circle around a Rode NT4 stereo mic. Sounds great but there is an occasional (every ten or fifteen minutes) half-second hiccup in the recording, but only on the Audiodesk recording. The Alesis backup is fine. The singers are standing on a carpeted floor and the room is very dry so maybe there's alot of static electricity being built up or something.

This all leads to the question of whether a powerbook is actually grounded. All other components in the rack have a standard 3-pin computer-type power cable except the powerbook. Is this a grounded connection in the powerbook? If not, wouldn't the firewire connection ground it?

Forgive my ignorance on this one. Hopefully it's an easy one to fix.

Thanks,

Joel in New York

It could be that something is not grounded, but honestly-- if the files are playing fine elsewhere other than Audidesk, then perhaps there is an issue with Audiodesk cycling the playback data. Not sure.

However, if you think there may be a powersupply issue, it could be that some PB power supplies could be the culprit. Perhaps a new power supply might be the answer. But before you spend money needlessly, try an experiment (a short one) by recording with just the battery to see if the problem occurs or goes away.

Also, you may want to check this link for clues:
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=86523

It may not address your specifc model, but it does speak to your issue, to a large extent.

Other things to consider:

1. Buffer settings (raise them for smoother performance?)
2. PB backup battery age / condition
3. Power conditioner-- not plugging the power supply directly into the wall without a secondary power conditioner
4. Trash iSight-- that has strange effects on some systems.

Just guessing here...