• Registered: 2021-02-24
  • Posts: 2

Topic: RME Fireface UFX USB to M1 Mac mini crackles

Hello dear community,

I use Logic Pro x and have the following problem after changed to the new m1 Mac mini:

randomly appearing electronically crackle sounds during playback AND after the song is bounced. The cpu usage is really low.

what I tried so far:

Changed USB cable 3 times. I have to confess, im not sure if one of them is the original cable (should be). Non of them has some tag on them but I don't know if rme has some name tags on their usb cables. One of them was from NI Machine.

reinstalled latest rme drivers.
I changed buffer size.
I bypassed all the plugins inside the project.
I ran logic in rosetta and in normal mode.
I tried the same project on old Mac with firewire connection to the same interface and it was fine.

It is weird, the crackle sounds appear randomly but have their favorite spots. sometimes they are there sometimes not.

right now im running out of ideas.

Appreciate any help or even a small idea what I can do to find the problem.

Thank you in advance

Filip Miszkowicz

  • waedi
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Online
  • From: Swiss Zürich
  • Registered: 2020-12-08
  • Posts: 4,506

Re: RME Fireface UFX USB to M1 Mac mini crackles

To me this sound like you have a wiggling headphone plug adapter, a non screw one.

The cracle is not part of the music file ?
Listen the track on the iphone, other headphones, monitor speakers etc.
Try another output of the interface, second headphone socket
Increase buffersize
Listen a commercial music file, is the crackle still there ?
Can you plug the headphone direct into the Mac without interface connected and listen the project from Logic ?
crackle also there ?

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2021-02-24
  • Posts: 2

Re: RME Fireface UFX USB to M1 Mac mini crackles

waedi wrote:

To me this sound like you have a wiggling headphone plug adapter, a non screw one.

The cracle is not part of the music file ?
Listen the track on the iphone, other headphones, monitor speakers etc.
Try another output of the interface, second headphone socket
Increase buffersize
Listen a commercial music file, is the crackle still there ?
Can you plug the headphone direct into the Mac without interface connected and listen the project from Logic ?
crackle also there ?


First of all thank you for the answer!

The cracks go into the printed eyported sound files... But are not in the mic recordings, they are clean. So the process in logic somhow adds them...

So its not headphone or speaker related....

Buffersize increase did not help.

Listening to music outside of logic is clean too.

Good idea with headphone directly to mac mini. I will do that with core audio... Also bounce the song to wave with core audio and not the fireface.
On monday i will know the result.

4 Reply by tdc (edited by tdc 2021-02-25 06:15:00)

  • tdc
  • AD/DA expert
  • Offline
  • Registered: 2017-11-04
  • Posts: 79

Re: RME Fireface UFX USB to M1 Mac mini crackles

Just to add another voice into this issue. We have been using a number of MacBook 13" M1 systems running MaxMSP and various RME interfaces (UC, UFX II and BF Pro) for live broadcast and have not had a single issue.

I have found that you do need to be careful with what USB-C to USB-A dongles you use, as well as USB cables. Also, the order in which they are connected seems to have a baring on whether the OS see's the devices, though this behaviour is rare.