Crackling and Static on Pro Tools 11

[jzaid22]

Hey guys,

I've been running Pro Tools 11 for a while now in order to record drum tracks in my home studio. I've been relatively problem free until recently. Now, when I play back tracks, I get static and crackling which often delays my file mid-playback. It seems to be in random spots, and the amount of tracks doesn't seem to have an effect on the static- it happens with big files or very small files. My interface is a Tascam 1800, set to the highest latency. Sandra report below. I really appreciate any help!

-Josh

SANDRA REPORT

ID
Host Name : Josh
Workgroup : WORKGROUP

Computer
Model : ASUS S500CA
Serial Number : D1N0AS2********
Chassis : ASUS Notebook
Mainboard : ASUS S500CA
Serial Number : BSN1234567**********
BIOS : AMI (OEM) S500CA.204 02/05/2013
Intel vPro : 8.01.02.1318
Total Memory : 3.89GB DDR3 SO-DIMM

Processors
Processor : Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3517U CPU @ 1.90GHz (2C 4T 2.8GHz/3GHz, 2.8GHz IMC, 2x 256kB L2, 4MB L3)
Socket/Slot : FC PGA988

Chipset
Memory Controller : ASUS Core (Ivy Bridge) Mobile DRAM Controller 100MHz, 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM 1.6GHz 64-bit, Integrated Graphics

Memory Module(s)
Memory Module : LG [Empty] 4GB DDR3 SO-DIMM PC3-12800U DDR3-1600

Video System
Monitor/Panel : AU Optronics Generic PnP Monitor (1600x1200, B156XW04 V5
, 15.3")
Monitor/Panel : FNI LCD TV
(1600x1200)
Video Adapter : Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 (16CU 128SP SM5.0 350MHz/1.15GHz, 32MB DDR3 1.6GHz 64-bit, Integrated Graphics)
Video Adapter : Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 (16CU 128SP SM5.0 350MHz/1.15GHz, 32MB DDR3 1.6GHz 64-bit, Integrated Graphics)

Graphics Processor
OpenCL GP Processor : Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 (128SP 16C 350MHz/1.15GHz, 1.8GB DDR3 1.6GHz 64-bit, Integrated Graphics)
Compute Shader Processor : Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000 (128SP 16C 350MHz/1.15GHz, 64MB DDR3 1.6GHz 64-bit, Integrated Graphics)

Storage Devices
Hitachi HTS545050A7E380 (500.1GB, SATA300, 2.5", 5400rpm, 8MB Cache) : 466GB (C:)
SanDisk SSD U100 24GB (24GB, SATA600, 1.8", SSD) : 22GB
WDC WD10JMVW-11AJGS3 (1TB, USB2/SATA300, 5400rpm, 8MB Cache) : 931GB (D:)

Logical Storage Devices
Windows (C:) : 444GB (NTFS) @ Hitachi HTS545050A7E380 (500.1GB, SATA300, 2.5", 5400rpm, 8MB Cache)
My Passport (D:) : 931GB (NTFS) @ WDC WD10JMVW-11AJGS3 (1TB, USB2/SATA300, 5400rpm, 8MB Cache)
Recovery : 900MB (NTFS)
Hard Disk : 350MB (NTFS)
Restore : 20GB (NTFS)

Peripherals
LPC Hub Controller 1 : ASUS Panther Point LPC Controller
Audio Device : ASUS Panther Point High Definition Audio Controller
Audio Codec : VIA 8446
Disk Controller : ASUS Panther Point Mobile 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 : Send to Microsoft OneNote 15 Driver (1200x1200, Colour)
Printer : Microsoft XPS Document Writer v4 (600x600, Colour)
Printer : HP Officejet Pro 8610 (600x600, Colour)
Printer : HP Photosmart C309a series Class Driver (600x600, Colour)
Printer : HP Photosmart C309a series Class Driver (1200x1200, Colour)
Printer : HP Photosmart 5510d series Class Driver (600x600, Colour)
Fax : Microsoft Shared Fax Driver (200x200)
Printer : Adobe PDF Converter (4000x4000, Colour)

Peripherals
Media Player : WD My Passport 0830 (931.48GB)

Network Services
Network Adapter : Qualcomm Atheros AR8161 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Controller (NDIS 6.30) (Ethernet)
Network Adapter : Bluetooth Device (Personal Area Network) (Ethernet)
Wireless Adapter : Qualcomm Atheros AR9485WB-EG Wireless Network Adapter (802.11n (HT), 72.2Mbps)

Power Management
Battery No 1 : ASUSTek X502--40 45.34Wh/4.03Ah

Operating System
Windows System : Microsoft Windows 8.1 Home 6.03.9600
Platform Compliance : x64

Windows Experience Index
Current System : 4.7

[junkgear]

There are three things I see that may be contributing to your issue.

1.) Only 4GB of memory. Adding memory would give your system more breathing room.

2.) Intel integrated graphics. Although not a bad thing by itself, it does share system resources, which are a little limited on your system. Again, adding memory may help.

3.) 5400 RPM drives. You should be recording to a 7200 RPM drive, and make sure it is not the same as your system drive.

[mesaone]

Dual core 1.9 GHz is probably not helping much, either. I'd be inclined to borrow someone's interface and test it against the tascam, given the nature of your issue.

[jzaid22]

Thanks for your responses, guys! I really appreciate any advice. I just think it's strange that I've been running Pro Tools without an issue for about two years now and only now is it giving me problems

[mjslakeridge]

I think the default setting for Windows 8 is to defragment the disk drives in the background. Perhaps it is defragmenting when you are working with Pro Tools, affecting the drive performance. You may want to change that setting and manually defragment when you are not using Pro Tools. As previously mentioned, the 5,400 rpm drives are not suitable for Pro Tools.

[8dB.co.uk]

Don't know if the Tascam is like my Motu, but I found it very easy to clip the analogue outputs, resulting in crackling. My RME seems to have far more internal headroom. Are you seeing any clip lights on your master output meters?

[jzaid22]

No everything on my meters is reading normally, and there doesn't seem to be any correlation between what is happening with levels or music and the crackling. It seems to me that it is completely random.

I've been looking into Solid State Drives and I'm thinking about picking up a Samsung Evo 850 256gb. Do any of you guys have any experience with this piece of hardware?