• Registered: 2013-01-21
  • Posts: 41

Topic: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

all,
I have crackles and pops in my DAW using an old DualCore and a Motu Audio Express with Studio One V2.5 as DAW. No I am certain I have to do some changes to get rid of the annoying situation >> off I go to RME and put it on the shopping list. But read now the same here on the RME forum..crackls and pops!!

Can someone please share - what I think can cause the unwanted noise: I am trying to get rid of the unknown cause (a dualcore is certainly not the top of the line...will upgrade the PC):

1. it is better to have a seperate PC for Youtube, DVD playback, MP3 backing tracks etc.
True or does not matter?

2. if I connect the UFX via USB I definitely have to decrease the number of devices connected via USB (harddisks, printer, wireless keyboard receiver etc.) - best connect the UFX via Fireware?
True or does not matter?

3. if I connect the UFX via Firewire I can then connect the Guitar FX processor (axe FX II) also via USB for editing patches via SW and so now and then for upgrading the firmware?

4. or none of above will help ? (then....uuuhhh..dont know what to do)

lengthy mail, but I want to stop digging into technical issues and play music. or learn to.

thanks so much.

  • Zapp
  • Zapp
  • S/Mux specialist
  • Offline
  • From: Vienna
  • Registered: 2007-06-11
  • Posts: 321

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

Hello!
First you should tell a little bit more about your "old dual core" PC.
Operating system, motherboard, CPU and so on...

Regards
Zapp
  • Registered: 2013-01-21
  • Posts: 41

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

Wow! superfast response...here we go:
Intel E2200 DualCore, 2 GB RAM, 400 GB IDE HDD, MSI motherboard, USB hub

Gruesse nach Wien von einem Wiener.
Klaus

4 Reply by Zapp (edited by Zapp 2013-01-23 16:47:45)

  • Zapp
  • Zapp
  • S/Mux specialist
  • Offline
  • From: Vienna
  • Registered: 2007-06-11
  • Posts: 321

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

What operating system?

edit: OK, I have seen in another thread it is Win7, for your hardware maybe overkill.

USB 1.1 or 2.0?
Why a USB hub?
MSI what? Type?

Regards
Zapp
  • Registered: 2008-12-03
  • Posts: 182

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

2 GB of RAM using Win7 is not "too much" ; )

-----------------------

Various ADK computers :-)

6 Reply by OttoKerner (edited by OttoKerner 2013-01-24 01:25:56)

  • Registered: 2011-11-17
  • Posts: 16

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

I'd recommend a systematical approach:

1. Unplug all USB devices from your computer, if you have a USB keyboard, get a PS/2 one (lend yourself one, just for testing, OK?).
2. Get rid of the USB hub. They tend to give you problems, one or the other way
3. plug in your sound device and check if your crackle issue is improved or gone
4. if it is, add the other USB devices one-by-one and see which one makes the issue re-appear

additional tip #1: USB-sockets in desktop computers usually come in pairs. If you've got several of these pairs, distribute your USB-plugs in a way that the sound device has a USB socket pair for itself.

additional tip #2: try to plug the sound device into a different USB socket pair. It may very well be that some of your mainboard's USB sockets (if it has more than 2 pairs of them) are driven by third party driver chips. These sometimes give trouble.

additional tip #3: If you've got a free PCI slot on your motherboard you may also try an expansion card for additional USB sockets. This may give you less hassle than a USB hub.

alexoosthoek wrote:

2 GB of RAM using Win7 is not "too much" ; )

I definitely agree; for Win 7 I'd recommend min. 4 GB, at least if you've got the 64-bit version.
On the other hand, if you have only the 32-bit version of Windows 7, then an upgrade to more than 3 or 4 GB RAM is pointless.

  • Registered: 2013-01-21
  • Posts: 41

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

Thank you so much for the advice!! Awsome. love the forum.

definitely Win 7 64bit is an overkill; I will change the PC and upgrade.

it helped to change the audio interface to another USB socket and get rid of some USB devices. So this almost shows me that the Fireface runs better on Firewire I'd assume because there it will be the only device.
Also arming Seagate Backup software gives disturbances.

What I still have is that if I open a PDF file I get a high-frequent hisssssssss and the audio is dead; I then have to close the PDF, wait a little and restart the sequencer to get audio again. I will upgrade rather than research this one and see how its going.

thank you so much.

8 Reply by OttoKerner (edited by OttoKerner 2013-01-24 17:16:39)

  • Registered: 2011-11-17
  • Posts: 16

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

kberghoffer wrote:

What I still have is that if I open a PDF file I get a high-frequent hisssssssss and the audio is dead; I then have to close the PDF, wait a little and restart the sequencer to get audio again.

This is very weird. There seems to be something deeply wrong with your gear. Make sure you adhere to these best practices even with a new computer:
- feed all devices that are somehow electrically connected to your compouter from the same wall power socket
- make sure that your computer casing is closed, all shielding contacts internally are closed - especially those from the I/O shield to the mainboard ( http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/I/O-Shield ), make sure that there IS an I/O-shield present at all
- use ferrit core filters on your power cables http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferritkern

kberghoffer wrote:

I will change the PC and upgrade.

When acquiring a new system go to a small business and let them build you one especially for audio use. Avoid gaming pc's or cheap office pc's. Tell your dealer that it is going to be used for audio. Make sure it is being built to be quiet. The key to a quiet yet powerful pc is a BIG case, allowing the use of BIG fans with temperature controlled, slow speed. Use a BIG processor cooler for overclocker use, but without overclocking your CPU (again, this needs to have a BIG fan which rotates slowly). Avoid water cooling, it is not worth the expense and the low humming from the pump is usually more annoying than the sound of a fan. Make sure that also the other electrical components on the mother board get cooled (especially the power converters near the cpu socket:
[img align=cpu power converters]http://666kb.com/i/bnvltt5kq8a86lylq.jpg[/img] )
Get a high quality power supply unit, the importance of this is very often underestimated.

  • From: London
  • Registered: 2007-05-04
  • Posts: 22

Re: Crackles and Pops with USB only?

I noticed that older mobos/cpus (even 2-3 year old) don't handle usb as well as firewire.
I had an i7 920 rig with 24GB RAM and SSD and could not go below 128 buffer on usb. Had to get a FW card with a Texas chip and could go down to 96 buffer. But that only with W7. W8 had even clicks with FW.

Now I upgraded to i7 3930K / Asus P9X79 / W8 and it's a different story. I can go down to 48 buffer over usb. FW worked fine too but I had a lot of blue screens (bsod) with W8 so tried usb and noticed that for the first time it works as well as fw at low latencies.