I've found the only reliable solution to this is to restart audio in macos by running sudo killall coreaudiod in the terminal. Speaking to myself here but someone may find this beneficial in the future.

I’m struggling with this on a 2020 Macook Pro M1 with Roon. Seems to occur more frequently when several apps (e.g. iterm, safari etc, nothing hugely resource consuming) are open but minimally using CPU or RAM. Been trying to identify if it’s one specific app but haven’t been able to so far.

Which has a simple reason - there is no RME driver involved. And the hardware itself works flawlessly, as can be proven on other hardware like notebooks, desktop, iPad, Linux, Windows (Class Compliant mode)...

It might be that a complete reinstallation of the OS fixes it, a clean start and checking performance before installing the usual tons of software, apps and tools. Or the hardware is faulty - nobody knows...

Do you have this issue on your M1 Mac? -> https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/132423

Or search on youtube for: Fixed: NO SOUND on MacBook Pro M1 [Crackling/Buzzing]

It is a well known Apple (M1) problem. I have it on my M1 Macbook since I bought it last year. It doesnt matter which USB interface is connected, I even have it using the headphones out (no USB involved) and sometimes also the internal speakers.
It gets worse if I have applications open that consume lots of memory (MS teams, browser, spotify). Some people have it since years.

It seems to be an Apple driver/hardware issue and afaik there is NO permanently working solution. Killing coreaudio process mitigates it for a certain amount of time.

For music I still have an Intel based Macbook which doesnt have any issues.

See also this reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/macbookpro/com … d_popping/

I currently have a ticket with AppleCare+ about this issue for which I am supposed to receive a call these days. I'll update if there's any valuable output.

But let's face it: As a single consumer it is very difficult to move Apple to do anything. In total, I've spent multiple days debugging, reproducing, and contacting Apple and RME about this issue.

For Apple it took me a lot of frustration, many days, and many tickets to convince them that there is a problem. Finally, one of their employees could match the issue to an internally known one for which there currently is no fix. Now, my support agent is in touch with the engineers working on the issue and is scheduled to provide me with an update during the next days.

From RME's side, the last email that I got, unfortunately, is still in denial even though I pointed them towards the relevant threads in this forum:

While I like RME's products a lot and agree with @MC to the extent that I do not suspect a defect/bug on RME's side, I am fed up with the issue being ignored and belittled as a singular issue that one user with some quirky combination of software and hardware has. This is not the case.

To substantiate that: I performed extensive testing, including having my laptop wiped after being checked for any hardware issues by the Apple Store. I was able to reproduce the issue again immediately after the first clean start of the wiped device. Moreover, I can reproduce the issue on my colleague's computer, too.

Just as @kili mentions, using a memory-hungry application is a good way to reproduce the issue. It increases the rate/intensity of the issue, but the issue also is present when memory consumption is low. For instance, I also would observe the issue when I change between two tabs in my browser. Moreover, I noticed that the issue intensifies with higher sample rates (see Audio MIDI Setup app).

RME sells the interface as compatible with macOS. Thus, I expect that I can use my ADI-2 DAC with macOS. RME's responsibility includes the device's compatibility.

At a minimum, I expect RME to:
(1) Help their customers instead of marginalizing and downplaying the issue,
(2) reproduce the issue on their own hardware (get in touch with me if you are not able to),
(3) directly liaise with Apple to pressure them into fixing their issue, and
(4) keep users informed about potential issues and solutions.

@KaiS: Thanks for your reflections. To some extent I, of course, can understand your perspective. I've asked myself the same question, but came to a different conclusion.

I would ask you to put yourself into the shoes of users that bought a 1k+ EUR device that was advertised as compatible with their computer. But then it turns out the device is not compatible with all devices running macOS – only some. You get in touch with RME about that problem, provide audio recordings of the issue, and point to other resources documenting the issue (see below, the first three links). RME takes a brief look but doesn't investigate. Their response:

No effort to reproduce the issue, look into it further, or assist in any way.

Almost one year passes. Still no solution in sight. You sit on a device that is supposed to do one job really well, but it does the opposite of it – at least in your setup. You contact RME again, this time finally having evidence that multiple other users have the same problem, even in their own forum. RME brushes it off again:

It is hard not to interpret this as mockery or ignorance, even if it is not meant that way. If RME closes it's eyes and ears, yes, then the issue is not known or not reproducible. I can reproduce the issue, others as well. And RME, by means of their own forum and the resources I pointed them to, knows about the problem. Still: denial.

RME's approach to communication plays an important role here.

As a manufacturer of audio interfaces, I expect RME to either (1) know about common problems or (2) investigate them in good faith as they arise. As of now (or at least 8 March 2022), RME seems to be in denial. The first step towards a solution is acknowledging that there is a problem.

As I have mentioned, the audio glitches/dropouts are documented in other places as well (see below for a small selection). And yes, it might be that RME does not have any standing with Apple, but they could at least try to confirm the issue on their own an get in touch with Apple and/or coordinate with other audio interface manufacturers on the issue. It's not like it's not possible to call or message Apple. Nothing like this has happened, at least it was not acknowledged publicly.

• https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253476970 (pointed RME to this on 10 June 2022 already)

• https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253604816 (pointed RME to this on 10 June 2022 already)

• https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/m1 … s.2324227/ (pointed RME to this on 10 June 2022 already)

• https://www.reddit.com/r/Schiit/comment … cbook_pro/

• https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254047956

• https://discussions.apple.com/thread/252727766

• https://www.audiosciencereview.com/foru … pro.42001/

To a certain extent, I agree that if indeed the problem originated from the internal audio engine of Apple Silicon Macs, the burden should fall onto Apple for fixing the faultiness, since it seems to affect all devices and even their internal audio!

However, I think RME (as well as ALL other manufacturers) should start declaring that their products are incompatible with Apple Silicon Macs! This is the obvious way to (1) protect their brands, (2) save customers the hassle of discovering the problem with a lot of precious time wasted and productivity lost, and (3) put pressure on Apple to fix the issue.

Please do not get me wrong – I believe the issue will be solved sooner or later, but it just needs a little push. If indeed it's 120% Apple's fault, I guess manufacturers can still help make a better world by voicing out, no? And if this fault is caused by Apple themselves, there is really no need to deny it. For those who are still using Intel-based Macs and don't experience problems now (and hence showing no empathy) - what if your Macs break down and you need to switch to new ones?

I don't know how you imagine it. As long as there is IT, there will always be cases of incompatibility. It will also be difficult to give a valid recommendation, since it doesn't seem to be known whether only some devices are affected or what the root cause on Apple's side is exactly.

Recording is an area with special requirements.

In the Windows/PC area, too, things aren't always without problems. Occasionally, you have to iron out incompatibilities in drivers and hardware by purchasing hardware that is known to be suitable for recording. But even then, it sometimes doesn't work if there is a design issue on the mainboard or something wrong in the BIOS and what not.

That's why it is still a business model for companies to offer tested turnkey systems for audio.

I would focus now on finding a workaround.

Perhaps the USB port of a Thunderbolt docking station from Apple or Sonnet would be a solution for you.
Or you get a Sonnet Thunderbolt Dock with a PCIe slot and then have the opportunity to try out different USB cards.
Sonnet also offers different PCIe expansion cards for USB.

Too bad, but then the issue is clear seems to be something on the software side and needs a fix.

Based on the experience some time ago with Apple driver issues, Apple ignored the problem for around 6 months.
After around 9 months, it was fixed after big waves through the press.

Such things require a broader visibility by the press; otherwise they do not seem to move, and this is not the first time.

What did they say last time? They support USB, but what you connect is in the end your problem.
But … USB is a universal type of I/O port, not only for devices with the Label "Apple" on it.
It's a shame to ignore the issue this way.

I did not have the issues from the very beginning. It started at some point.

And after I had the issues I did a complete format and re-installation of MacOS. That helped for sometime until it started again.

Maybe it is only a specific configuration. And it definitely helps to have lots of free memory.

I have a M1 Pro Macbook 2021 with 16G memory.