Clicks and Pops in Audio even with High Buffer Values

[MrBig1964]

Dear Community,

I'm running into a problem with my Mac Pro 2008 for which I need urgent help.
I have a Mac Pro 2008 which I use to do some audio production and mixing.
I use 10.8 Mountain Lion for some time now, mainly with Avid Pro Tools 10 and Logic Pro 9.
My audio interfaces of choice are the Echo Audio Audiofire 8 and an Eleven Rack (USB) which I never use simultaneously. For tracking guitars and bass I use the Eleven Rack but for mixing and adding other instruments I use the Echo Audio because of its multichannel capabilities.

I had this configuration for many months / years without any kind of problem and being able to use very low buffer values (128, 64 and even 32 bits) with very low latency values (ideal for tracking guitar with software monitoring).

Now I'm running with problems with audio clicks and pops in all audio streams independently of the audio interface I use.
I've tried every tip I found on the web for optimizing my mac for audio with no success.
Independently of the buffer I establish in Pro Tools or Logic (or any other audio software, for that matters) I always get the same harsh, distorted audio, with permanent clicks and pops. It's the same with pre-recorded audio or when using just an armed track with software monitoring. Even when using just Amplitube 3 in standalone mode, I can't get audio working correctly. Raising the audio buffer to 4096 (!!!) or lowering to 64 is the same. The output get garbled, distorted, harsh, with permanent clicks and pops (on the Audiofire or the Eleven Rack).

I've already tried reinstalling drivers, mangled with all audio preferences possible with no success.

I'm considering, as a final option, to reinstall the OS and all audio software from scratch but this is the very final possibility because of the long long hours needed to do so.

Does anyone have some idea about this?
Could anyone help me?

Best Regards,

Luis Mota

[danander11]

is everything clocked the same? 41.4k, 48k or whatever you are using?

Anytime I've seen someone getting clicks and pops when using extrnal it was because they have set the clocks wrong, either intentionally or not.

[MrBig1964]

Originally Posted by danander11

is everything clocked the same? 41.4k, 48k or whatever you are using?

Anytime I've seen someone getting clicks and pops when using extrnal it was because they have set the clocks wrong, either intentionally or not.

Yes, everything is using the same clock...

[dave911]

Do you have plenty of room left on the audio disk and is it optimized?

[MrBig1964]

Originally Posted by dave911

Do you have plenty of room left on the audio disk and is it optimized?

Yes, plenty of room in all available disks.
I think there's something interfering with coreaudio.
Even without using any disk for recording (both for reading or for writing) this situation occurs.

For instance, if I directly use the standalone version of Amplitube 3 with direct coreadio access (without using Pro Tools), the clicks and pops on the streaming audio keep on independently of the buffer size I configure in the software.

It's the same choosing 64 or 4096 for buffer level...

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by MrBig1964

I'm considering, as a final option, to reinstall the OS

Does anyone have some idea about this?

Ok so I had one - so I know that it's qualified for 10.8 but PT10 isn't qualified for your 2008 (could be having a moment but I don't think so)
That's why I sold my 2008 because of PT10 not being supported on that system - I didn't say it wouldn't work but not supported

So I would personally roll back to 10.7.5 and rock out right there - b/c a stable functioning system is more important to me than the newest o/s apple dreams up and you are cool with PT10 at 10.7.5

It's an option - get another drive and install SL then up it to 10.7.5 and see what you get shouldn't take too long - Plain PT with no extra plugs and should be able to tell right away

Peach Mauve and Happy Meals

[MrBig1964]

Originally Posted by YYR123

Ok so I had one - so I know that it's qualified for 10.8 but PT10 isn't qualified for your 2008 (could be having a moment but I don't think so)

I will probably follow your recommendation, just to try, using a different boot disk.

Anyway, the problem I currently have cross-cut all my different interfaces (both occurring with Eleven Rack and Audiofire 8), different DAW's (Pro Tools 10 and Logic Audio) and even using the standalone version of Amplitube 3...

I have this configuration for some time now and it worked good before without running into any problems, even considering that Pro Tools 10 isn't supported in this Mac.

Don't really know how this could happen, but in one day was everything ok and the other nothing really works...

I think it can be a driver problem or some kind of misconfiguration of the OS.

It seams that coreaudio is being permanently interrupted...

[dave911]

The sudden failure was why I was thinking maybe hardware, memory or disks.
But I don't know much about them apples.

[YYR123]

Yeah also remember people had issues (ie me) with PT9 after the fact on 10.8.2 so it ran for a few weeks fine but then went downhill quick

So I upgraded and no more issues - also remember that the focus bug on 10.8.2 shows up with some people and other systems it doesn't - then Once it comes it doesn't go from what I understand

[MrBig1964]

Originally Posted by YYR123

Yeah also remember people had issues (ie me) with PT9 after the fact on 10.8.2 so it ran for a few weeks fine but then went downhill quick

So I upgraded and no more issues - also remember that the focus bug on 10.8.2 shows up with some people and other systems it doesn't - then Once it comes it doesn't go from what I understand

The problem manifests in Pro Tools but also in Logic and even using a standalone version of the Amplitube 3 plugin...

I thinks it's in fact a system wide problem.