Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

@MC: Is the current situation between Mac mini and USB-2 audio interfaces (in my case Digiface USB) something that can be fixed by Apple via software or is it a hardware issue? Suggestion a thunderbolt 3 dock as workaround makes me think of hardware issues inside the Mac mini.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Merry christmas everyone.

Unfortunately, I also experience audio dropouts with my trusty Fireface UC and the Mac mini 2018.

Do you know if all this is an issue because of Mojave? Or is it related to macs with the T2 chip?

I’m thinking about replacing the Mac mini with a iMac (doesn’t contain the T2).

53 (edited by teerio 2018-12-25 21:03:37)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

mjfe87 wrote:
florian_heinen wrote:
ubeyaudio wrote:

Hi, could it be a solution to connect the 802 by firewire to thunderbolt adaptor? Better than usb2 to thunderbolt 3? Thanks in advance.

Yes, that's the setup I am working with (except that I have a MBP 15", 2018). I still have audio dropouts due to CPU spikes. But at least it is functional. When I connected my FF 802 via USB it was impossible to work or stream any audio with it.

Do the spikes show in Activity Monitor? I was under the impression the commonly reported USB dropouts do not accompany visible CPU spikes and are due instead to OSX background checks taking priority on the same thread?

Hi,

I'm runnng Ableton Live 10.0.5 in MacOS High Sierra 10.13.6 with RME UFX connected via USB.

In my new Apple MBP 2018 I cannot see the spikes happening in the core monitor or in the Amonitor. Only when I hear it happen it is visible right away in the console with a long list of Coreaaudio related messages.

I've had my RME UFX unusable now for quite some time already and it began with my older 2015 MBP although I could reproduce the same stutters in it without the FW UFX too which made me to do the decision to go and buy a new MBP which did not fix the issue at all. I could see a lot of improvement in performance but the drop outs came back right away after installation of everyhting.

I haven't been able to reproduce same stutters though with my new laptop that where occuring with the older one, only audio drops. In Live I was able to get the whole audio to stutter to the point the machine could barely play sound at all anymore. That has not happen with the new machine with the same projects. This was making me going nuts since it seemed that there was not any rational pattern for that to happen. Sometimes everything worked fine with the load and sometimes even just opened computer started stuttering right from the opening of the project.

All the problems started maybe a year or so ago and I've been experiencing these performance and drop out/stutter issues in our studio too where we have UC and FF800 connected to our laptops via TB hub. I have been suspecting that by that time some firmware update came and did something to the 2015 MBP's which made them unreliable with the audio softwares, sound cards and devices like that, maybe or maybe not, cant tell for sure.

With the new MBP 2018 I'm able to work much better but every now and then the drop out will happen and sample rate will flip and get back to normal couple of seconds later. This always shows in the Console after the time sync process has started which then will follow the audio device to stop.

default    22:42:14.095352 +0200    UserEventAgent    SUBMITTING: <private>
default    22:42:14.095441 +0200    UserEventAgent    Registered XPC Activity: com.apple.timed.ntp.wanted
default    22:42:14.095559 +0200    dasd    Submitted Activity: 0:com.apple.timed.ntp.wanted:976FFB <private>
default    22:42:14.095692 +0200    dasd    Activity <private>: Optimal Score 0.5002 at <private> (Valid Until: <private>)
default    22:42:14.167300 +0200    kernel    + IOAudioEngine[<private>]::stopAudioEngine()

default    19:31:54.931180 +0200    dasd    Activity <private> start beyond the 21 hour interval
default    19:31:54.931319 +0200    UserEventAgent    SUBMITTING: <private>
default    19:31:54.931413 +0200    UserEventAgent    Registered XPC Activity: com.apple.timed.ntp.wanted
default    19:31:54.931524 +0200    dasd    Submitted Activity: 0:com.apple.timed.ntp.wanted:7F2909 <private>
default    19:31:54.931657 +0200    dasd    Activity <private>: Optimal Score 0.5002 at <private> (Valid Until: <private>)
default    19:31:55.067233 +0200    kernel    + IOAudioEngine[<private>]::stopAudioEngine()

Maybe this process has nothing to do with the drops but it is happening every time with the same pattern though.

This has been in the log in between the lines too:

default    22:42:14.368960 +0200    powerd    Process coreaudiod.149 TurnedOff PreventUserIdleSystemSleep "com.apple.audio.de_RME_driver_USBAudioEngine:1637E5B.context.preventuseridlesleep" age:00:26:00  id:4295000775 [System: PrevIdle DeclUser kDisp]

I've been running my UFX now via USB connected with Anker USB 3.0 hub which still will show my UFX conneceted in the USB 2.0 HUB inside the laptop. I will try to swicth up to TB with 2 Apple dongles and see if it will make this problem to go away. If not then I'm only left with one option which will be to buy a new device made for TB from another brand unfortunately.


Cheers,

T

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

hi matthias, i am using an 802 on a mac mini 2018 and i haven't had any problems with garbled audio so far. neither on the built-in usb3 ports nor via thunderbolt (using €8 adapter cables). is this possible at all or am i sitting on my ears? i mean: how obvious is the problem when it occurs?

55

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

There is no garbled audio anymore with our latest driver, but still clicks and mini drop outs. Check more thoroughly. And you don't use Thunderbolt but USB-C. You posted here without reading this thread?

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopi … 66#p136666

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

MC wrote:

There is no garbled audio anymore with our latest driver, but still clicks and mini drop outs. Check more thoroughly. And you don't use Thunderbolt but USB-C. You posted here without reading this thread?

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopi … 66#p136666

Hey Carsten,
don't know if anybody has asked this before, but does Apple know about this issue? Are they working on it? Right now my MacBook Pro is not useable for the task I bought it for: mobile recording. I'm really thinking about getting rid of it again as my Late 2012 Mac mini handles my old projects much better than my new MBP 2018. But if I knew that Apple will someday come up with a solution I might wait a little longer.
Thanks in advance!

57

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Apple is fully aware of these problems from the feedback since 6 months on various forums plus bug reports submitted by developers. Of course their hotline support is (or pretends to be) clueless. And as usual there is no info if or when Apple is working on what...

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

MC wrote:

Apple is fully aware of these problems from the feedback since 6 months on various forums plus bug reports submitted by developers. Of course their hotline support is (or pretends to be) clueless. And as usual there is no info if or when Apple is working on what...

Do you know if this is a problem related to the new T2 security chip?

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

I picked up my Mac Mini 2018 last week around the time the new driver came out. I only have 8GB RAM, my 32GB upgrade is still in shipping. I have it connected to my RME UFX.

The issues I've been facing are,
- Audio dropouts when connecting audio/MIDI devices.
- Random audio dropouts for a split second every now and then.
- Ableton can't operate at buffer sizes lower than 256. If I'm lucky, it works at 128 for a bit. Below that it's just distorted/bit crushed. Logic/Maschine seem to be fine at buffer sizes of 64. I haven't extensively tested them yet.

I had 0 issues with the UFX and the 2016 MBP.

As Matthias mentioned, if Apple is aware of the issue and haven't bothered with a fix in 6 months, I'm wondering if I should just return the mini. Buying a TB3 dock seems like the only other solution at this point.

I hope Macrumors or some other popular blog/Youtuber posts about the problem and escalates the issue. Apple isn't going to respond unless there is a backlash. sad

60

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Bufford wrote:
MC wrote:

Apple is fully aware of these problems from the feedback since 6 months on various forums plus bug reports submitted by developers. Of course their hotline support is (or pretends to be) clueless. And as usual there is no info if or when Apple is working on what...

Do you know if this is a problem related to the new T2 security chip?

No, we don't. All we can do is speculate like anyone else. The internal USB 'iBridge' seems part of all problematic computers, as is the T2 chip, but that doesn't mean it is a verified symptom or the clear cause.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

MC wrote:
Bufford wrote:

Do you know if this is a problem related to the new T2 security chip?

No, we don't. All we can do is speculate like anyone else. The internal USB 'iBridge' seems part of all problematic computers, as is the T2 chip, but that doesn't mean it is a verified symptom or the clear cause.

Ok, thanks, I understand that.
Do you know if the current iMac (not iMac pro) is also part of these „problematic computers“?

62 (edited by GPnicolett 2018-12-31 21:13:43)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

According to RME's post about genuine TB3 devices fixing the issue, I believe the OWC Thunderbolt 3 dock fits the bill. Has anyone tested the problem with this dock yet?

https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Thunderbolt- … &psc=1

63 (edited by mjfe87 2019-01-02 23:35:48)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

MC wrote:

Apple is fully aware of these problems from the feedback since 6 months on various forums plus bug reports submitted by developers. Of course their hotline support is (or pretends to be) clueless. And as usual there is no info if or when Apple is working on what...

Thanks again MC, particularly for your honesty with the recent statement.  FWIW, I phoned Apple today and made little headway despite staying on the phone for two hours. The technical advisor went through all the usual steps (resetting NVRAM, setting up a new user etc), but conceded he and his colleagues weren't trained to analyse the Console logs I had saved so these weren't helpful. He was also unable to 'escalate' the case to more senior technical staff.

His basic position was, if the USB-C ports are working as expected and it's not a hardware issue that would be fixed by replacing the machine, then it's a software issue. If it's still doing it on 10.14.2 after reformatting the SSD then it's the third party manufacturer's responsibility to fix.  He said Apple products should work in and of themselves (and audio does play back fine through speakers and headphones) but it's not their responsibility to test every external device out there.

I made it very clear that the glitches weren't just happening with third party drivers, it affects class compliant performance too.  MC, are you able to be more specific from a developer's perspective? Particularly with regards to class compliancy, which I assume would be regulated by a standards agency or similar to ensure data transfer meets a certain threshold -- is this the case? And have Apple violated this with their latest OSX/hardware configurations? Apple asked why RME and other companies couldn't fix the issue at their end but I didn't have the technical understanding to answer...

Also, when you submit developer's reports, do Apple provide any sort of acknowledgement? It would really help RME customers dealing with the Apple after-sales team if we had something we could quote, particularly when attempting to return/replace the Mac outside of its 14 days return period.

Has anyone reproduced the problem on the 2018 Macbook Airs?

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Hi all,

Just a quick update from me. nothing much new except that my case/enquiry was escalated just before Christmas and they came back to me with calls and email on Boxing Day would you believe to ask for logs, audio file examples etc. to help them which I guess is encouraging but not doubt others have done the same. I'll keep you posted.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

colin wrote:

Hi all,

Just a quick update from me. nothing much new except that my case/enquiry was escalated just before Christmas and they came back to me with calls and email on Boxing Day would you believe to ask for logs, audio file examples etc. to help them which I guess is encouraging but not doubt others have done the same. I'll keep you posted.

Good work. Was that through the U.K. tech support number?

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

MC wrote:

There is no garbled audio anymore with our latest driver, but still clicks and mini drop outs. Check more thoroughly. And you don't use Thunderbolt but USB-C. You posted here without reading this thread?

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopi … 66#p136666

no. and i noticed about 1-2 second dropouts on several occasions so far. nothing is garbled, it's just the audio muting for a split second. i guess i could even live with that, but a solution would be nice, of course. i'll talk to apple and see what they say.

do i understand you correctly that the thunderbolt connectors also work as usb-c/3 connectors alternatively (if not using a proper thunderbolt cable/hub)?

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Well that's encouraging at least.

colin wrote:

Hi all,

Just a quick update from me. nothing much new except that my case/enquiry was escalated just before Christmas and they came back to me with calls and email on Boxing Day would you believe to ask for logs, audio file examples etc. to help them which I guess is encouraging but not doubt others have done the same. I'll keep you posted.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

i just had an idea for a cheap workaround for those (macmini) owners who have thunderbolt ports available: maybe the apple thunderbolt to firewire adapter would work (suitable for ff 800 and 802 etc), since it has the flash symbol on it and is an original apple accessory? and it's only 35€, so it would be the cheapest workaround so far. i'll try and let you know.

69

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Others here already confirmed that this works.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

johnthemiracle wrote:

no. and i noticed about 1-2 second dropouts on several occasions so far. nothing is garbled, it's just the audio muting for a split second. i guess i could even live with that, but a solution would be nice, of course. i'll talk to apple and see what they say.

do i understand you correctly that the thunderbolt connectors also work as usb-c/3 connectors alternatively (if not using a proper thunderbolt cable/hub)?

The dropouts are untenable for most users. Please do report to Apple.

Which adapters are you talking about? Apple doesn’t produce any that go from Thunderbolt to USB...

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

71 (edited by Splaaat 2019-01-05 06:47:12)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Hi Matthias,

I'm using an RME UFX with my Mac Mini 2018 and my biggest issue is low buffer performance. Is this related to the issues being mentioned here?

I have a few audio dropouts here and there, but those I can live with.

My problem is, performance at buffer sizes of 32, 64 and 128. Logic seems alright at 64, but still have a few crackles here and there. I see the last core spiking in Logic when the crackles happen. Live performs worse, almost unplayable at 64.

Since I don't have a TB3 dock, I tried going FW400 from UFX to the UAD Satellite and FW800 from Satellite to Apple dongles to the Mac Mini. But, I'm getting the exact same performance as USB with this routing. System Profiler shows the FW buss being used.

Loading up a few synths at low buffers, I get crackles all over the place. I don't mind investing in a TB3 dock if this is the problem it fixes. I'm also going to try hooking it up my TV via HDMI and check if HDMI audio shows any improvement. Would appreciate some input from you. Thank you!

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

MC wrote:

The one we tested also seems to be the currently cheapest one:

https://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-3/ … splayPort/

This device uses the PCIe bus of Thunderbolt and derives USB with its own USB chip, so is totally decoupled from the broken USB 2 in the Mac Mini 2018. Which is why it also doesn't show the infamous USB disconnect problem (USB hangs until reboot).

Thanks MC. We just bought the Caldigit hub for a 2018 MBP. Any difference between the USB 2 and 3 ports when using USB 2?

And what’s the USB disconnect problem?

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

73

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

You don't have that when you use a hub or dock. On a TB3 dock both USB2 and 3 should work perfectly.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

MC wrote:

You don't have that when you use a hub or dock. On a TB3 dock both USB2 and 3 should work perfectly.

Thanks — I just wondered if the disconnect problem was described in more detail anywhere? Just out of curiosity...

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

75

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

There are one or two threads here about it.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

76 (edited by JL 2019-01-06 20:10:02)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

mjfe87 wrote:

Thanks MC. We just bought the Caldigit hub for a 2018 MBP. Any difference between the USB 2 and 3 ports when using USB 2?

Athough it's been reported to work by rme please share how it works for you. I didn't order just yet as i could not figure out if i need two of those or only one and something else.

77

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

He did here:

https://www.forum.rme-audio.de/viewtopi … 39#p137239

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

First of all, thank goodness for the Internet. Second, thank goodness for this AMAZING post from MC and for RME. I was an RME customer many years ago and have always held the company in the highest of regards. It was nice to see I still had my account on this forum from years back.

In any case, I was deep in the rabbit hole of trying to figure out why my USB 2.0 audio card was having audio dropouts with my 2018 Macbook Pro, even though it worked flawlessly with my 2014 Macbook Pro. After a few hours of web research, I found this post. I also tested out the issue and was able to replicate it by going to the Date and Time Control Panel and clicking the "Set date and time automatically" option over and over. Audio dropped for 1 second every time. I then looked into the system report and saw the issue MC described...that USB 2.0 is going through the USB2.0 bus, which created the overload that users have mentioned.

I then ordered the CalDigit dongle on Amazon. Lo and behold, NO DROPOUTS. I can now click the "Set date and time automatically" option over and over, and not a single audio problem. I will do more testing and report if there are other issues. But for now, this is a $120 solution that bypasses Apple's ignorance or reluctance, and gets me back to making music. Totally worth it.

Thank you RME and MC, very very much!

MC wrote:

Here is some info on the current situation with Apple's Mac Mini 2018 and 10.14.2.

- USB 2 is not usable for audio on any port.*

- USB 3 is not usable for audio on the two USB-A sockets.*

- USB 3 works as expected on all USB-C ports using a USB-C to USB-A adapter**

If you use an USB-C to USB-A adapter and connect a USB 2 device it is internally connected to the same bus/hub where all the other USB 2 sockets are connected to - and thus won't work. You can gain basic knowledge about the internal structure and connections by using the Mac's System Report/System Information, USB. Connect your USB device and look where it is shown in the nested structure.

In clear words: there is currently no way to have a Mac Mini 2018 working without audio errors when using USB 2, neither directly nor with the standard USB-C to USB-A adapters.

But there is a workaround. Devices connected to Thunderbolt do not show audio errors as with the internal USB 2. So all you have to do is use 'external' USB. Two examples:

- A Thunderbolt 3  to PCIe enclosure (Sonnet, NetStore) with a simple USB PCIe card added. Of course that is kinda overkill unless you own such a system already and just have to add the USB card.

- A more simple Thunderbolt 3 'dongle' with a USB port. The one we tested also seems to be the currently cheapest one:

https://www.caldigit.com/thunderbolt-3/ … splayPort/

This device uses the PCIe bus of Thunderbolt and derives USB with its own USB chip, so is totally decoupled from the broken USB 2 in the Mac Mini 2018. Which is why it also doesn't show the infamous USB disconnect problem (USB hangs until reboot).

A word of advice: there are a zilllion cheap docks with USB, HDMI etc available, that often have 'Thunderbolt 3' in their name or description. These are NOT Thunderbolt 3 devices! To recognize real TB3 is quite easy:

- Thunderbolt 3 is mentioned on the package
- the USB-C connector has the Thunderbolt flash symbol on it
- the product description clearly mentions TB3 and 40 GB/s
- the display ports support 60 Hz, not only 30 Hz
- the price is above 100$

* All USB 2, and USB3 in the two USB-A sockets, is derived from the Intel chipset,  Device ID 0xA36D, Cannon Lake PCH USB 3.1 xHCI Host Controller.

** USB 3 within USB-C is derived from the TB3 chip, Device ID 0x15EC, a Titan-Ridge Thunderbolt 3 Controller.

Abid Hussain, AKA Nebulae
Ableton Certified Trainer

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

nebulae wrote:

But for now, this is a $120 solution that bypasses Apple's ignorance or reluctance, and gets me back to making music. Totally worth it.

Great to see this thread is being discovered by more and more users.

But at the risk of sounding like a broken record(ing setup) please report the problem to Apple too!

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

80 (edited by echoplex 2019-01-14 12:42:04)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

I have the exact same issue with my MacBook Pro 2018 and my RME UFX!
Wonder if there will be a solution soon other than buying a 120€ hub form a third party

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Sorry chaps, I appear to have stopped getting updates from this thread.

To answer the much earlier question, I originally contacted Apple via the online help but had to do it twice before I got the proper help. The first time I was fobbed off but didn't have much evidence from RME to argue with.

In a further update which certainly won't be for everybody, I decided to take the punt and replace my ageing Mackie D8B Digital Desk with the Presonus StudioLive 24, meaning my Fireface 800 is now also redundant. Ironically, as I was removing that gear from the studio the Fireface died. Wouldn't startup after being switched off for the first time in months. This has happened 4 times in the last few years - a weak capacitor. We even upgraded the capacitor last time about a year ago but it's gone again! So just had that fixed again before I pass it on.

This isn't meant as an advert but FYI the Presonus can transmit 56 channels of audio over Ethernet (AVB) which would no doubt have avoided the USB/Firewire issue with the new Mac Mini which is partly why I went for it. But as it happens the USB connection is just fine too! No issues at all.

Sorry RME (and it's been a long and fruitful relationship with my Fireface) but have to keep working. The Apple enquiry is still ongoing as far as I know but nothing new to report yet. Will continue to keep you posted.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

colin wrote:

This isn't meant as an advert but FYI the Presonus can transmit 56 channels of audio over Ethernet (AVB) which would no doubt have avoided the USB/Firewire issue with the new Mac Mini which is partly why I went for it. But as it happens the USB connection is just fine too! No issues at all.

Thanks Colin. Is there an objective way to measure USB 2 performance on the Presonus?  Just so we know it's not luck, or inaudible glitches on this occasion!

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

I have no idea MJ but all is clear as a bell audibly which is the main thing I guess, since there was never an issue with Outputting files, it was just dropouts on the monitor speakers which made it impossible to work. :-/

If you have any thoughts I'm happy to experiment this end.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Mac mini 2018 with 802 here. I purchased caldigit hub and connected by USB to th3. All seems to be ok at 44.1 but don´t work at 88.2khz (no problem with the same project with core audio and mac mini speaker...). If i connect the 802 direct to mac usb inputs works ok...maybe i´ve to return the caldigit and test firewire to th3 dongle.

85 (edited by Ray Black 2019-01-17 11:30:57)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

Having the same issue with a late 2012 Mac Mini, 10.14.2 and Fireface 802 with latest driver here.
Working on 88.2 kHz most of the time and with Cubase 10.0.10

Loud Clicks and Dropouts during playback, also silence sometimes, when playing back and
a very slow performance.

Anyone tried the Firewire port instead of USB?

Thanks
Ray

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

ubeyaudio wrote:

Mac mini 2018 with 802 here. I purchased caldigit hub and connected by USB to th3. All seems to be ok at 44.1 but don´t work at 88.2khz (no problem with the same project with core audio and mac mini speaker...). If i connect the 802 direct to mac usb inputs works ok...maybe i´ve to return the caldigit and test firewire to th3 dongle.

Are you able to be more specific about what you're hearing through the CalDigit hub at 88.2k?

We've been working at 96k for hours with no problem on ours...

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

mjfe87 wrote:
ubeyaudio wrote:

Mac mini 2018 with 802 here. I purchased caldigit hub and connected by USB to th3. All seems to be ok at 44.1 but don´t work at 88.2khz (no problem with the same project with core audio and mac mini speaker...). If i connect the 802 direct to mac usb inputs works ok...maybe i´ve to return the caldigit and test firewire to th3 dongle.

Are you able to be more specific about what you're hearing through the CalDigit hub at 88.2k?

We've been working at 96k for hours with no problem on ours...

protools crash loading "initializing controllers" on a project with 3 (88.2) tracks. If i can load the project, can´t play it. There is no problem if i connect the 802 direct to mac usb, only thru caldigit...

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

ubeyaudio wrote:
mjfe87 wrote:
ubeyaudio wrote:

Mac mini 2018 with 802 here. I purchased caldigit hub and connected by USB to th3. All seems to be ok at 44.1 but don´t work at 88.2khz (no problem with the same project with core audio and mac mini speaker...). If i connect the 802 direct to mac usb inputs works ok...maybe i´ve to return the caldigit and test firewire to th3 dongle.

Are you able to be more specific about what you're hearing through the CalDigit hub at 88.2k?

We've been working at 96k for hours with no problem on ours...

protools crash loading "initializing controllers" on a project with 3 (88.2) tracks. If i can load the project, can´t play it. There is no problem if i connect the 802 direct to mac usb, only thru caldigit...

This is why I avoid PT like the plague tongue

Are you still on High Sierra?  You probably know that Avid don't support Mojave yet.

The problem sounds like a compatibility issue with this particular DAW rather than the CalDigit USB chip not coping with higher sample rates...

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

mjfe87 wrote:
ubeyaudio wrote:
mjfe87 wrote:

Are you able to be more specific about what you're hearing through the CalDigit hub at 88.2k?

We've been working at 96k for hours with no problem on ours...

protools crash loading "initializing controllers" on a project with 3 (88.2) tracks. If i can load the project, can´t play it. There is no problem if i connect the 802 direct to mac usb, only thru caldigit...

This is why I avoid PT like the plague tongue

Are you still on High Sierra?  You probably know that Avid don't support Mojave yet.

The problem sounds like a compatibility issue with this particular DAW rather than the CalDigit USB chip not coping with higher sample rates...

I´m on Mojave 10.14.2.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

i bought mac mini 2018 .. and i have problems too with ff ufx , drop audio playback,recording , very unstable .. i did all security allows

Ufx is connected directly to mac mini 2018 via USB

I cant work

www.studioton.net

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

studioton wrote:

i bought mac mini 2018 .. and i have problems too with ff ufx , drop audio playback,recording , very unstable .. i did all security allows

Ufx is connected directly to mac mini 2018 via USB

If you switch to Firewire do the problems go away?  If so, make sure you report to Apple.  Unfortunately, you'll have to make do with Thunderbolt 2/3 adapters until they fix it...

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

92 (edited by primelinus 2019-01-20 18:20:03)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

I'd like to confirm that there are no more dropouts when using the CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock HDMI. It's a shame that we have to use such crutches... And thanks for the excellent work @RME!

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

primelinus wrote:

I'd like to confirm that there are no more dropouts when using the CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock HDMI. It's a shame that we have to use such crutches... And thanks for the excellent work @RME!

Can you test if it works at 88.2khz? here is impossible. Thanks!

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

I also bemoanedly bought the caldigit, don’t seem to have any more problems now thank god. Although it’s expensive just to add a working USB port to a £1500 computer. Tried the DisplayPort out with my monitor and it looks like crap, so it’s pretty useless otherwise.

One small problem maybe unrelated. I don’t seem to be able to get a render out of ableton without at least 1cpu dropout, but this could be another issue, this is when doing a real-time render using external gear, in different sessions.

www.yila.co.uk

95 (edited by primelinus 2019-01-22 05:12:14)

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

ubeyaudio wrote:
primelinus wrote:

I'd like to confirm that there are no more dropouts when using the CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock HDMI. It's a shame that we have to use such crutches... And thanks for the excellent work @RME!

Can you test if it works at 88.2khz? here is impossible. Thanks!

Works like a charm at 88.2kHz and 96kHz. No sound above 96kHz. But that's fine with me.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

I'm finally getting stable audio from my Digiface Dante, with MacBook Pro 2017.
The solution for me was the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock. No other adapter has worked for me, including orig. Apple USB-A to USB-C.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

I did a clean install a few weeks back and since then my UFX has been working flawlessly with the Mac Mini 2018. I'm even using the USB 3.0 ports not thunderbolt. 32/64 samples working great on Logic & Live.

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

primelinus wrote:
ubeyaudio wrote:
primelinus wrote:

I'd like to confirm that there are no more dropouts when using the CalDigit Thunderbolt 3 Mini Dock HDMI. It's a shame that we have to use such crutches... And thanks for the excellent work @RME!

Can you test if it works at 88.2khz? here is impossible. Thanks!

Works like a charm at 88.2kHz and 96kHz. No sound above 96kHz. But that's fine with me.

Thanks, not working here with usb thru caldigit, the 802 freezing when i try to open any 88.2 session. Maybe my caldigit is defective  couse it desconects usb/hdmi if i touch de rear th3 cable...

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

ubeyaudio wrote:
primelinus wrote:
ubeyaudio wrote:

Can you test if it works at 88.2khz? here is impossible. Thanks!

Works like a charm at 88.2kHz and 96kHz. No sound above 96kHz. But that's fine with me.

Thanks, not working here with usb thru caldigit, the 802 freezing when i try to open any 88.2 session. Maybe my caldigit is defective  couse it desconects usb/hdmi if i touch de rear th3 cable...

Caldigit + ADI-2 Pro working fine up to 192 here.

Does your setup work if you start a new session at 88.2?

Eastwood Records
www.eastwoodrecords.co.uk

Re: Distorted audio, bit crushed sound > Mojave / Mac mini 2018

freeze the same way...there is no problem connecting the card to one USB of the mac mini. Testing/working thru mac USB with 10.14.3 now...