Reinstalled PT 7.3.1 cs2 Still Having Crackling Issues

[Brushfire]

After receiving no response to a post on this issue last week, I reinstalled PT 7.3 and the cs2 update for my 002 Rack on my G5 Dual Core Mac (Mac only processors 2 GHz each) with 2GB Ram running OS 10.4.8 with a separate internal audio HD and an external firewire backup drive. The monitor is a 23" Mac monitor. I also utilize a Baby HUI connected to my G5 by a USB Uno MIDI. I've been running this system for awhile with no problems. Last week, it started crackling/distorting during playback. At first it only seemed to be audible in headphones but you can also hear it through my Mackie HR824 monitors. I did the reinstall this afternoon but the problem is still there. It doesn't seem to be in a couple of songs I bounced down to my HD, one as an AIFF and the other as an MP3. But it is really annoying while trying to record with headphones.

Is Digidesign aware of this? I sent an email to tech support at Sweetwater (where I got the system)last week and haven't heard back. I placed a call into Sweetwater tech support this afternoon and haven't received a call back regarding the issue. The woman who answered the phone said all the techs were busy handling calls...

Is there ANY HELP out there at all? Anyone at Digi willing to at least acknowledge that there's a problem?

[Craig F]

if you make a audio CD of the tracks and play it on another system is the noise in the mix?

[Brushfire]

if you make a audio CD of the tracks and play it on another system is the noise in the mix?

We pay thousands of dollars for our systems and I shouldn't even have to try what you suggest. I have now uninstalled and reinstalled Pro Tools three times. The last time I did a complete manual uninstall according to instructions sent from Tech support. Deleting all the file folders they said to delete, trashing prefs and databases, emptying the trash, creating a new user account with admin privileges, booting into that account, reinstalling PT 7.3 then the cs2 update, repairing disk permissions, etc. I did all that, it cleared up for a little while and now it is back again. Just like before, the distortion starts faintly then gets worse and worse as time goes on.

It has to be bug somewhere in the PT software, or else something conflicting that tech support hasn't discovered. I haven't allowed any Apple updates recently unless they were security related. I'm still running OS 10.4.8 The only time I utilize Safari is to download updates from Digidesign. I check for the updates on my PC. I use Toast 7 to burn CDs and last night I copied files from my PC to a Data DVD utilizing my home network. Would that cause a problem? The mac caches the files and then burns them using Toast. But I've done that in the past with no problems. I have also had a fairly recent problem with the screen saver coming on even though the Energy Saver commands are set to Never.

This whole thing has me really baffled...

[cheekypaul]

After receiving no response to a post on this issue last week, I reinstalled PT 7.3 and the cs2 update for my 002 Rack on my G5 Dual Core Mac (Mac only processors 2 GHz each) with 2GB Ram running OS 10.4.8 with a separate internal audio HD and an external firewire backup drive. The monitor is a 23" Mac monitor. I also utilize a Baby HUI connected to my G5 by a USB Uno MIDI. I've been running this system for awhile with no problems. Last week, it started crackling/distorting during playback. At first it only seemed to be audible in headphones but you can also hear it through my Mackie HR824 monitors. I did the reinstall this afternoon but the problem is still there. It doesn't seem to be in a couple of songs I bounced down to my HD, one as an AIFF and the other as an MP3. But it is really annoying while trying to record with headphones.

Is Digidesign aware of this? I sent an email to tech support at Sweetwater (where I got the system)last week and haven't heard back. I placed a call into Sweetwater tech support this afternoon and haven't received a call back regarding the issue. The woman who answered the phone said all the techs were busy handling calls...

Is there ANY HELP out there at all? Anyone at Digi willing to at least acknowledge that there's a problem?

You could be getting crackles in a number of places. You could be sending too high a signal to your interface. You may have a dodgy pot. Your speakers may be faulty.
this list is endless.
But...
it's quite simple to find out where it's coming from by being patient and methodical.

The first thing to do is to import a cd track into a new session. just drag and drop.
playback.
if it's not crackling its something to do with the input chain, including operator error.
If it is crackling its something to do with the output chain, including operator error.


(ps. the cd should be a non crackling piece of music or speech or whatever. also, "inlcuding operator error" does not mean "operator error")

[stoneinapond]

I experience the same problem after moving to 10.4.8 using a similar system to you. I do have an Apogee converter as a front-end.

I hoped that 10.4.9 would fix the problem, but it still reapears intermittently. And no, my monitoring system is not broken or being overloaded. Also I am quite familiar with clocking issues.

[Brushfire]

You could be getting crackles in a number of places. You could be sending too high a signal to your interface. You may have a dodgy pot. Your speakers may be faulty.
this list is endless.
But...
it's quite simple to find out where it's coming from by being patient and methodical.

The first thing to do is to import a cd track into a new session. just drag and drop.
playback.
if it's not crackling its something to do with the input chain, including operator error.
If it is crackling its something to do with the output chain, including operator error.


(ps. the cd should be a non crackling piece of music or speech or whatever. also, "inlcuding operator error" does not mean "operator error")

Thanks, I had already tried that with a track that I knew was clean. It also had crackling spots. I also opened sessions that were fine before and now they would have this crackling at certain points too. I didn't touch any of the settings just hit play and the crackling would be there. It's like there's half the headroom there used to be.

[GORILLA]

Maybe change the F.W. cable?



GORILLA

[stoneinapond]

Maybe change the F.W. cable?

GORILLA

Haven't tried that. (Sounds of rummaging for a cable.)

[Brushfire]

I inserted the Bomb Factory BF Essential Noise Meter on a track and set it for peak. Made sure all other inserts were bypassed. Then I played a segment of the track where it distorts and it peaked around -8dB I bounced the segment as a WAV and played it through consumer speakers and no distortion. Weird, weird, weird...

[Craig F]

We pay thousands of dollars for our systems and I shouldn't even have to try what you suggest. I have now uninstalled and reinstalled Pro Tools three times. The last time I did a complete manual uninstall according to instructions sent from Tech support. Deleting all the file folders they said to delete, trashing prefs and databases, emptying the trash, creating a new user account with admin privileges, booting into that account, reinstalling PT 7.3 then the cs2 update, repairing disk permissions, etc. I did all that, it cleared up for a little while and now it is back again. Just like before, the distortion starts faintly then gets worse and worse as time goes on.

It has to be bug somewhere in the PT software, or else something conflicting that tech support hasn't discovered. I haven't allowed any Apple updates recently unless they were security related. I'm still running OS 10.4.8 The only time I utilize Safari is to download updates from Digidesign. I check for the updates on my PC. I use Toast 7 to burn CDs and last night I copied files from my PC to a Data DVD utilizing my home network. Would that cause a problem? The mac caches the files and then burns them using Toast. But I've done that in the past with no problems. I have also had a fairly recent problem with the screen saver coming on even though the Energy Saver commands are set to Never.

This whole thing has me really baffled...

First: I don't care for your tone with me I am trying to help
Second: my day gig is taking care of 38 Pro Tools rigs plus field production equipment in a Production/Post Production facility so I do know how to trouble shoot equipment

OK, back to topic:
I recommended the making of a audio test CD to be able to check if the problem is in the computer or in the Digi hardware/monitor chain.

It would help to know what interface you have and what you are using for monitoring.

In the Computer:
could be a software bug but I would expect to hear more people complain about the problem
if in most likely bad RAM, has been documented here before

USB or FireWire cable between the computer and the interface, has been documented here before

The Interface box:
could be a bad D/A chip or OpAmp in the output section
could be a bad pot in the monitor section of the box if you are using it (do you get the noise if you listen on headphones?)

could be a FET going bad in your Power Amp

as said by others, there are many places this problem could be introduced