Pro Tools LE 8.0.5, M Box 2, Win 7 Ultimate, Cracks/pops/audio issues

[AliGlenUig]

Dear DUC,

I'm running very old software these days I realise, but I'm hoping somebody out there is up for trying to help me out here.

THE SYSTEM (I'll paste the Sandra report at the end but this is just a general idea):
PC I built myself a few years back which has always run very nicely for every other application.
Win 7 Ultimate 64 Bit SP1
Pro Tools: Le 8.0.5 (updated in proper consecutive order)
MBox 2
OS boots from an SSD, where Pro Tools is also installed.
Audio is recorded to an external drive in separate enclosure (the WDC seen in Sandra report below)
Both headphones (Sennheiser HD598's if anybody's interested) and speakers (Samson Resolv A6) are used for monitoring (issues occur equally with both outputs).


THE PROBLEM:
I'm trying not to make this sound vague, but basically I'm getting cracks and pops during both record and playback. This varies from a constant loud crackling on worst occasions to a few quiet cracks here and there that are mostly just annoying in playback (think mildly dusty vinyl record).

This is obviously pretty irritating when trying to mix, but the real issue is that I'm getting some cracks and pops when recording, and these fragments are permanently embedded in the audio track. It's not as extreme as years ago when I tried to record to a 5,400rpm laptop drive, and there might only be five or six of these pops and cracks occurring in each track over a 5min piece of music on a good day.

However, as I'm sure you can understand, this has ground all home recording project aspirations to a halt. I have a lot of material I'd like to record but really can't get going due to this. The external drive I record to should be fast enough to handle the job, and the System Usage window in PT shows 0-1% on all values which suggests plug-in interference isn't the problem either.

What's perhaps most confusing is that I'm still getting cracks and pops during playback outside of ProTools. The Mbox 2 is the only audio card I use for anything and as far as I'm aware the inbuilt audio card is disabled. Thus if I'm playing a track using e.g. VLC media player and Pro Tools is closed I still hear a crack/pop thing going on.

This leads me to believe that the problem is with the MBox rather than the settings within Pro Tools. I'm thinking driver issues (although these are apparently up to date), some kind of hardware issue with the unit itself, or (most likely) that the Mbox/its drivers are interacting poorly with some other process/device that is running on my computer.

The wireless card (the usual suspect) is always disabled whenever I'm planning to do any audio work, and I've followed various threads about disabling processor throttling etc to try and eliminate the possibility that power-saving processes are causing the problem.

I've also downloaded Reaper and trialed audio recordings in that DAW in an attempt to double-check that the issue is occurring outside of PT's settings/setup options. Sure enough, audio recorded in Reaper via the Mbox 2 is just as glitchy as audio recorded through PT.

IN CONCLUSION:
What I'm really hoping for here is that someone will spot something in the below Sandra report/suggest some configuration/adjustment I haven't yet tried that will make the Mbox 2 play nice with my system.

I feel like I'm kinda at my wit's end here and worry that my only alternative is to pay a lot of cash that I don't have for PT12 (which I'd have to buy fresh as no upgrade options from software this old) and a new interface (probably from a third party) in the hopes that my problems will just magically vanish.

Please don't let it come to that, if you help me fix this I'll send you a really emotional Christmas card.

Cheers,
Ali

SANDRA REPORT:
SiSoftware Sandra

Computer
Model : OEM System Product Name
Serial Number : System Ser**********
Chassis : Desktop
Mainboard : ASUS P8Z77-M
Serial Number : 1301067********
BIOS : AMI (OEM) 1708 11/09/2012
Total Memory : 8GB DIMM DDR3

Processors
Processor : Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz (4C 4.18GHz, 4.18GHz IMC, 4x 256kB L2, 6MB L3)
Socket/Slot : FC LGA1155

Chipset
Memory Controller : ASUS Core (Ivy Bridge) DRAM Controller 102MHz, 2x 4GB DIMM DDR3 1.63GHz 128-bit

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : Kingston KHX1600C9D34G 4GB DIMM DDR3 PC3-12800U DDR3-1600 (9-9-9-27 5-39-12-6)
Memory Module : Kingston KHX1600C9D34G 4GB DIMM DDR3 PC3-12800U DDR3-1600 (9-9-9-27 5-39-12-6)

Video System
Monitor/Panel : LCD-MONITOR
(1600x1200, 18.6")
Video Adapter : AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series (24CU 1536SP SM5.0 975MHz, 16kB L2, 2GB DDR5 6GHz 384-bit, PCIe 3.00 x16)

Graphics Processor
OpenCL GP Processor : AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series (1536SP 24C 975MHz, 16kB L2, 2GB DDR5 6GHz 256-bit)
Compute Shader Processor : AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series (1536SP 24C 975MHz, 16kB L2, 2GB DDR5 6GHz 384-bit)
OpenGL Processor : AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series (1536SP 24C 975MHz, 16kB L2, 2GB DDR5 6GHz 384-bit)

Storage Devices
Samsung SSD 840 Series (120GB, SATA600, SSD, SED) : 112GB (C:)
WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 (1TB, SATA600, 3.5", 7200rpm) : 932GB (D:)

Logical Storage Devices
System Reserved : 100MB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Samsung SSD 840 Series (120GB, SATA600, SSD, SED)
Darwin (D:) : 932GB (NTFS, 64kB) @ WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 (1TB, SATA600, 3.5", 7200rpm)
Coleridge (C:) : 112GB (NTFS, 4kB) @ Samsung SSD 840 Series (120GB, SATA600, SSD, SED)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : ASUS Panther Point LPC Controller
Audio Device : HIS (Hightech Information Systems) Tahiti XT HDMI Audio [Radeon HD 7970 Series]
Audio Codec : ATI (AMD) HDMI Audio
Serial Port(s) : 1
Disk Controller : ASUS Panther Point 6 port SATA AHCI Controller
USB Controller 1 : ASUS Panther Point USB xHCI Host Controller
USB Controller 2 : ASUS Panther Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #2
USB Controller 3 : ASUS Panther Point USB Enhanced Host Controller #1
SMBus/i2c Controller 1 : Intel ICH SMBus

Printers and Faxes
Printer : Microsoft XPS Document Writer (600x600, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)

Network Services
Wireless Adapter : Ralink RT61 Turbo Wireless LAN Card (802.11g (ERP), AES-CCMP, 54Mbps)

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Media Center 6.01.7601 Service Pack 1
Platform Compliance : x64

EDIT: clarification

[mjslakeridge]

How is the external HDD connected-USB or Firewire? For older versions of PT, it needs to be firewire, something about the drivers. For current versions, I understand USB is preferred. Also a firewire card with a TexasInstruments chipset is needed.

Have you done all of the optimizations in the "additional resources" tab at the top of this page for your specific version of PT and Windows. I know it is very tedious, but necessary for a solid setup.

Others here are more technically adept than I am, so hopefully they can chime in also.

[AliGlenUig]

Originally Posted by mjslakeridge

How is the external HDD connected-USB or Firewire? For older versions of PT, it needs to be firewire, something about the drivers. For current versions, I understand USB is preferred. Also a firewire card with a TexasInstruments chipset is needed.

Have you done all of the optimizations in the "additional resources" tab at the top of this page for your specific version of PT and Windows. I know it is very tedious, but necessary for a solid setup.

Others here are more technically adept than I am, so hopefully they can chime in also.

External HDD is connected via an eSATA connection - this is supposed to provide the same performance as having the HDD installed internally with the bonus of the extra cooling provided by an external powered enclosure.

I have considered before that the eSATA connection might be posing a problem for some reason, and that Firewire might be preferable, and might consider re-housing the HDD in a firewire enabled enclosure. However as stated above I'm still getting audio fragments on all outputs when not running pro tools. In fact, to clarify, I'm getting pops and cracks coming through when NO playback/recording is occurring - i.e. when the system is simply displaying the desktop with no programs open, the speakers/headphones are still outputting audible crackles. In instances such as this there shouldn't be any interaction with the HDD occurring, so I'm not sure the HDD would be having any influence on the problem in such cases.

I have performed all the recommended optimisations in the past, I'll revisit them just now to confirm.

[mjslakeridge]

Disable the wireless adapter (I think that is one of the optimizations anyhow). Try putting the HDD back in the case. Heat shouldn't be that much of an issue with HDD's, unless your case is full of dust, has poor cable management or isn't properly ventilated (fans).

If you are getting crackles with only the desktop open, there could be some electrical interference in your room or on the same electrical circuit (motors, refrigeration compressors, etc.) Try turning everything else off on that same electrical circuit to see if the noise goes away. If it does, turn them back on one by one to see when the noise re-appears.

Have you tried cleaning off the headphone jack and plug. Corrosion can occur over time. Sometimes just plugging it in and out a few times helps. Are you also using an external amplifier/speakers? If so check all of the wires/connections for corrosion.

[AliGlenUig]

Originally Posted by mjslakeridge

Disable the wireless adapter (I think that is one of the optimizations anyhow). Try putting the HDD back in the case. Heat shouldn't be that much of an issue with HDD's, unless your case is full of dust, has poor cable management or isn't properly ventilated (fans).

If you are getting crackles with only the desktop open, there could be some electrical interference in your room or on the same electrical circuit (motors, refrigeration compressors, etc.) Try turning everything else off on that same electrical circuit to see if the noise goes away. If it does, turn them back on one by one to see when the noise re-appears.

Have you tried cleaning off the headphone jack and plug. Corrosion can occur over time. Sometimes just plugging it in and out a few times helps. Are you also using an external amplifier/speakers? If so check all of the wires/connections for corrosion.

Wireless adapter is the first thing I tried, definitely keep that disabled whenever I'm using audio software. I've been through all the recommended optimisations again just now and pretty much confirmed that I had already made them all. Made one or two minor changes in line with the list available here but made no difference to the issues I'm having.

HDD back inside the tower is something to try I guess, will report back once I've gotten around to trying that (still not convinced it's the issue but we'll see).

Issues with the building's wiring/circuits is something I hadn't considered. I will certainly play with that. (gods help me if that does turn out to be the problem, don't fancy living without a fridge!).

I should perhaps clarify (will edit OP) that my setup includes both headphone and speaker monitoring. No signs of corrosion anywhere and the pops/cracks seem to be occurring simultaneously on all outputs which would suggest the issue is not corrosion I think?

You've been great for bouncing ideas about so far mjslakeridge, thanks for taking the time. I'll let you know once I've played with the house circuits/rehousing the HDD.

[AliGlenUig]

Oh, another issue I previously forgot to mention which is really baffling. If the system is up and running and the mbox is already powered etc... Switching the speakers on usually causes the mbox to lose power temporarily, which causes a big loud pop and hiss in the speakers (as you'd expect) until the mbox re-powers.

I guess this might be more of an indication that there is an issue with the wall socket/power supply? At the moment the computer, HDD and speakers are all plugged into a single multi-socket going into one wall socket - is this a bad idea?

[mjslakeridge]

Not necessarily a bad idea, but it depends on how much total wattage is being consumed by not just that wall socket, but all other devices on that same circuit. Do you have a way to figure out the wiring in your place? I mapped my house's electrical wiring by plugging a loud radio into each and every wall socket (one at a time) and then running down to the circuit breaker panel and switching off breakers until the radio stopped playing. Then on to the next wall socket, repeat process. Did the same with all lights in the house. This may not be necessary in your case, unless you have a lot of time to do it.

Switching on the speakers should not cause the mbox to re-boot, something is wrong there. You may try turning each component in your system off, one by one, to see if the noise goes away (monitors, computer, mbox, etc). Does this crackling occur all of the time, or does it come and go? Based on what you have described so far, I don't think it is related to your ProTools configuration, but some other interference. The only way to troubleshoot something like this is by process of elimination, removing and adding things one at a time until the culprit is found.

[Southsidemusic]

+1

Good advice

[AliGlenUig]

Started playing with the power supplies of the computer and various peripherals. Realised all were plugged into surge protected multi-socket so switched to regular multi-socket. No difference.
However,
Unplugging ( or sometimes unplugging then replugging) the peripherals (monitor, speakers when switched off) at the wall caused the mbox to drop out again... Definitely some kind of dodgy power issue happening it seems.

[AliGlenUig]

Okay,
reckon I've tried all the different separations I can of power supplies and switched off everything else on the circuit (everything else in the house!) to see if it made a difference.

Nada.

Short of carting the whole system to a friend's house and trying it there I don't think I can do much else on that front.

The other thing I've arranged is to borrow a friend's Mbox2 to try, in the unlikely case that the hardware itself is damaged in some way I can rule that out.

The other other thing I'm going to try is a non-avid interface borrowed from a friend with non-avid software (reaper), I'd obviously try a different interface with PT if I were running one of the latter versions that allows this. I'm hoping that doing this will shed light on whether I'm having driver issues.

I feel I should note at this point that a PT upgrade is not out of the question - if it were a guaranteed fix I'd have done it already. If I'm honest I really dislike the Mbox2 and would love to be able to use a 3rd party interface. However I'm very comfortable with PT's UI and don't want to switch DAWs.

My fear is that I'll spend the money on PT12 and still be stuck with the same audio problems.