Popping and Crackling - the next thread ...

[dgdsu]

Thanks for your thoughts on this!

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Make sure audio device used for PT is not system audio also. I believe RME is multi-client so that is possible.

How do you do that? Or let me reprhase, what do you mean by that since AUDIO devices are always system aware in the moment a driver is installed? And what do you mean by Multiclient?

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Set a process exclusion in Windows Defender antivirus for Pro Tools.exe (I also set ProTools.exe - not sure which AV is looking at). That exempts everything (plugs, samples, et al) PT loads.

Yeah, that's what I usually do so this is set up already.

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Turn off Wifi.

There is no WiFi here. It's an engineering room desktop machine on cable network.

[ChuckS]

Originally Posted by dgdsu

How do you do that? Or let me reprhase, what do you mean by that since AUDIO devices are always system aware in the moment a driver is installed? And what do you mean by Multiclient?

In the Windows Sound control panel or Sound Settings, make sure the RME is not selected as the system audio device. Pick on board or something/anything else. A good portion of USB drivers are single client meaning an app takes total control of the audio. Multi-client drivers allow more than one app to use the audio device simultaneously.

[dgdsu]

Thanks for coming back on my questions!

Ok, but isn't it a contradiction? If RME is multiclient able why should it matter? And how do you handle reference monitoring from other sources then, if they use system out but cannot be routed into the same audio out?

[ChuckS]

If you want to use for both, make sure bit depth and sample rate are set to the same in the Windows Sound control panel (Advanced tab) as set in your ASIO config.

[ejinbc]

OP

I run Native in Win 10 with lots of Kontakt and other VIs running at 24/96 with a 64 or 128 buffer all the time - with no crackles. The ONLY way I can do this is by setting the processor affinity BEFORE Protools starts up.

Here's a thread detailing: http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=383052

It is also very important to set c-state switching off and disable any turbo mode switching. I run a 8700K at 4.9 GHz 24/7.

My need to set processor affinity may be due to the drivers for the MOTU 1248 interface I use, but I have done many tests over the years, for me, the processor affinity switch is the ONLY way I can do low latency at 24/96 with no CPU spiking. Without the switch I get CPU spiking like crazy at low latency. Hope that helps.

ejinbc

[dgdsu]

Originally Posted by ejinbc

OP
I run Native in Win 10 with lots of Kontakt and other VIs running at 24/96 with a 64 or 128 buffer all the time - with no crackles.

From what I know PT only supports lowest of 128 so how do you use 64?

@all: Now I have less crackling up to almost zero on 128 buffer size, BUT ONLY as long as I do not enable/activate Record on one of the MIDI tracks. Then crackling goes back to hell like before.

What I did until now:

• Resetting RME hardware and checking firmware and drivers (all up-to-date)
• disabling Hyper Threading for Cores in Bios (at this time playback crackling stopped)
• Switching NVidia back to Studio Driver (had silently changed) and removing all NVidia additional crap.
• Settings Windows sound to internal onboard device out (optical), disalbing all others and put a toslink from the mainboard optical output to the RME ADAT input to get system sound via RME without System using RME WDM devices.
• Setting WDM devices to zero in RME Asio
• Setting clock to internal in RME Asio
• Resetting TotalMix
• Setting Windows to background service prio and "best for performance" display and disabling "page files"

But there is still massive crackling when Midi track record is enabled and there is still an absolutely unusual amount of MIDI latency going on which is NOT in par with the buffer size from my experience.

[Sardi]

Originally Posted by dgdsu

From what I know PT only supports lowest of 128 so how do you use 64?

PT can run at 32 buffer if your computer is powerful enough and the drivers for your interface are good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ejinbc]

OP

Minimum buffer is a function of the driver. I really do suggest you try setting processor affinity.

But, one last bit of possible help, your CPU is not really designed for this kind of work. I looked up your CPU on the PassMark site. Your SERVER class CPU has a single thread rating of a CPU 10 years old - only 1800. Probably not the best for low latency VIs.


I have found that single thread rating is very important for low latency; the rating on your CPU is the same as a 2600K from 10 years ago. This may be part of the problem.

Stay Safe.

ejinbc

[The Weed]

Thanks for the Processor Affinity reminder. I've had to use it - only 3 of four cores for Pro Tools - since the last couple of Windows updates have caused random crackling and pops.

[The Weed]

There is a way to have Pro Tools start with the Processor affinity you want, you just can't run Pro Tools as Administrator or Pro Tools will start, but the "fix" won't work.