• Registered: 2024-08-05
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

Hi gentle folks,

I'm facing some issues with my operating system and I am totally lost regarding what's causing them, so coming here for a bit of help.

Here is my system : MacBook Pro 2,6 Ghz 6 core and 16 Go DDR4 - on Sonoma OS /// Ableton Live 10 /// RME Fireface UC /// all my synths, mic and gear.

Until very recently I never had a problem but those started to happen :

Sometimes (quite rarely), out of the blue, a high pitch noise will happen - I never had a chance to see if it happens to a specific track or only to the master), quite short.
Problem is, when a lot of audio is playing, audio will TOTALLY drop out and crackle and then only the high pitch noise comes.

It's quite short, but in the middle of a live performance, it's a catastrophy, cause for a second, all audio stops. And then the system seems to recover, it emits this high pitch noise, and the audio comes again.

It seems to me that it started to happen when I made the mistake to upgrade to Sonoma.

I've tried a lot of things : upgrading all my interface drivers, my Live 10 version.

I've thought it may be a sign of a processor overcharge so I tried to lower the buffer size in Ableton from : 128 to 256 - still happening. Maybe I should try to go even lower ?

My frequency rate is set at 44100 Hz.

Could it be linked to anything else ? The Macbook Wifi, or any interference ? I'm really lost !

The worst is that it is quite rare and unexpected - so, very hard to narrow where it comes from.

Saturday I have my first big stage and I'm getting despaired by this issue !

So, any help is welcome.

Thanks smile

Louis

2 Reply by waedi (edited by waedi 2024-08-05 23:15:47)

  • waedi
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • From: Swiss Zürich
  • Registered: 2020-12-08
  • Posts: 4,541

Re: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

No magic trick available.
What I would do :
change the DAW for the gig.
Use Reaper and create a project similar to the Ableton setup.
Sonoma is very stable and the RME interfaces also working fine with Sonoma (using 412 driver)
Reaper is rock-solid I would prefer it over every other DAW especially Ableton.
Of course also check firmware and driver of the UC to be up-to-date.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue
  • Registered: 2024-08-05
  • Posts: 4

Re: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

Thanks for the insight !
Drivers and uc firmware are up to date.

Unfortunately the Ableton project is quite complex and learning a new DAW seems impossible in just a few days.

Might be a plug-in, then, I will have to check those one by one.

  • waedi
  • DAW Mastermind
  • Offline
  • From: Swiss Zürich
  • Registered: 2020-12-08
  • Posts: 4,541

Re: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

I agree, it is fearful to switch a DAW in time.
Reaper needs a little time but then its great. It is much much easier than Ableton.
Checking the plugins is a very good plan, I hope you find the problem-child and let us know wich one it is.

M1-Sequoia, Madiface Pro, Digiface USB, Babyface silver and blue

5 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 25,599

Re: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

Your current driver version? 'up to date' is not a version number.

What you describe are internal OS hangs that interrupts audio processing and lets the hardware repeatedly spill out the last buffer with audio data. This might be an USB issue. From your post you did not try to use a different USB cable or plug the USB cable in a different port.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Registered: 2024-08-05
  • Posts: 4

Re: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

Hi Matthias,

My current driver version is v4.12
Firmware v138

Indeed, I did not try that yet. I just purchased a new USB cable that plugs directly in USB - C (to avoid the Apple adapter), and will also try to use a different port.

I’ve always found that the USB type B plug on my Fireface UC was a bit loose, since I got it, is that normal ? I thought it was.

I’ve also updated a few plug ins that were not, let’s hope it was one of them.

  • Registered: 2016-06-14
  • Posts: 1,142

Re: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

louis.servet wrote:

I’ve also updated a few plug ins that were not, let’s hope it was one of them.

Almost every time when I have issues comparable to yours, it’s due to a (3rd party) plugin (I’m using Logic pro on different Macs). Just a few days ago I had a really strange behaviour when I was listening to an older project, can’t describe exactly what happened, but it felt / sounded like a serious failure on my Babyface pro. Luckily it only was a problem with a plugin…

UCX - FF 400 - Babyface pro - Digiface USB - ADI-2 (original)
Mac mini M1 - Macbook pro - iPad Air2
  • Registered: 2024-08-05
  • Posts: 4

Re: Audio drop outs and high pitch noise with Ableton Live 10 and Fireface

For now, I did not encounter the problem since I updated the plug ins. Can’t take it for granted yet, but it already a good point.

But it makes sense, I updated to Sonoma without updating the plug ins, one may have caused the issues.