Vocal cuts off/loses signal

[AdamTabares]

I've been attempting to record new songs but haven't been able to due to the vocals cutting/losing signal in PT. The microphone is able to pick up the vocals outside of pro tools (through the UA console) without cutting which is very strange.

• I re-installed PT
• All iO pathways are defaulted

• Wires are plugged in correctly since the microphone sounds clear without cutting off when not using PT (I don't use another recording software)

• Output & Input: Universal Audio Thunderbolt

• Full Disk Access/Permission: On

I'm not sure why this is happening and I am very upset. I'll continue to see what I can do to fix this issue but I just don't know what else to do.

If someone reads this please help me out. I am bummed out.

Thank You

MacBook Pro 13" M2 2022
Chip: Apple M2
Memory: 8GB
Startup Disk: Macintosh HD
macOS: Sonoma Version: 14.2.1
Audio Interface: Apollo Twin X Quad (Thunderbolt)
Pro Tools Studio Version: 2023. 12.0

[Darryl Ramm]

Hi Welcome to DUC. Explain *exactly* what you are experiencing. What *exactly* is happening?...

.. and especially with the meters in the UAD Console and track meters in Pro Tools you should have enough tools in front of you to trace the signal flow to the point where things stop. It may help to use a Signal Generator plugin on a separate mono audio track, output that to a line output and connect that back to the mic/line input just to trace stuff more easily.

Is the waveform begin recorded OK to the audio track and you just not hear stuff after it "cuts out" while monitoring?

Or does the input audio track meter stop showing any waverform being recorded when it "cuts out"? make sure meters are in pre-fader mode (Options>Pre-Fader Metering).

How are you monitoring? Through the UAD console (i.e. hardware monitoring) or though Pro Tools (i.e. software monitoring)? Do the UAD Console meters show signal from the mic after the "cut-out"?

What exact mic make/model? What exact cable ends connected to what exact input? If it's a condenser mic is phantom power enabled?

Be especially careful of improperly licensed or demo plugins that may periodically mute their signal. If such a plugin is on the input track or the downstream signal flow you'll stop hearing things periodically on playback or while software monitoring but the signal will be recorded to the audio track. Understand your track signal flows, see the signal flow by track type section in the Pro Tools Reference Guide.

If the input cuts out in the Apollo Console and input track meter, and especially if you have a phantom powered mic then you may have a faulty mic or phantom power. Or maybe an intermittently faulty cable/connector. You can try measuring the phantom power with a DC multi-meter, ideally when the mic is connected, which takes opening up some connectors. But it's much more likely to just be something like a demo plugin.

[AdamTabares]

Hi Darryl, thank you for your quick response!

Once I press the record button (which starts to blink) it picks up my vocal but it begins to cut off. So If I say "Hey how are you doing" it cuts off and sounds like "ey ow yu doin'" it cuts the beginning and/or ending of the vocal dead. Also if I hold a note like "uohhh" the signal lowers and becomes staticky. Or the word "quiero" I hear it back and it playbacks "que ro" cutting off the "e" sound in the word. I also changed the H/W buffer size to 32 samples and that created a complete static in the vocal and still cuts off the words. I tried every size and I can still hear the words cut off.

I am not sure on how to use the signal generator. I tried to follow your steps but I don't see any changes or traces from the signal flow (Googling it to understand it better)

I can see the waveforms. It shows the waveforms that have been picked up by the mic and when it cuts there's not waveform.

Yes the "Pre-Fader Metering" is ON.

The meter signal on PT drops down right away after I finish a word (showing me its cutting only on PT), while the meter signal on the UA slowly lowers (while having both the record button on PT and while its off, as well)

Mic: Manley Reference Cardioid w. Manley Power AMP

All of my plugins are bought; subscription etc. I haven't used a demo plugin.
I removed every plugin on the track and it still has the issue; cut-offs and static

I tested the mic with GarageBand and it worked fine; not cuts, clean and clear.
As well as, having PT off and the mic being on I can hear myself clean and clear without cutting off, pops, delays etc.

[AdamTabares]

Hi Darryl, thank you for your quick response!

Once I press the record button (which starts to blink) it picks up my vocal but it begins to cut off. So If I say "Hey how are you doing" it cuts off and sounds like "ey ow yu doin'" it cuts the beginning and/or ending of the vocal dead. Also if I hold a note like "uohhh" the signal lowers and becomes staticky. Or the word "quiero" I hear it back and it playbacks "que ro" cutting off the "e" sound in the word. I also changed the H/W buffer size to 32 samples and that created a complete static in the vocal and still cuts off the words. I tried every size and I can still hear the words cut off.

I am not sure on how to use the signal generator. I tried to follow your steps but I don't see any changes or traces from the signal flow (Googling it to understand it better)

I can see the waveforms. It shows the waveforms that have been picked up by the mic and when it cuts there's no waveform.

Yes the "Pre-Fader Metering" is ON.

The meter signal on PT drops down right away after I finish a word (showing me its cutting only on PT), while the meter signal on the UA slowly lowers (while having both the record button on PT and while its off, as well)

Mic: Manley Reference Cardioid w. Manley Power AMP Box

All of the plugins are bought, subscription-based; no demos.

I can hear myself clean and clear while PT is off or if the record button is disabled. I also tried recording on GarageBand and it also sounds clean and clear; without pops or cuts or static etc.

[Darryl Ramm]

OK that extra info was very helpful, this is not what I was guessing you meant by "cuts-off". I was thinking more the signal drops out cleanly and stays out. To be cutting off parts of each word/sound you likely have something like a noise-gate or some other plugin causing this, potentially on hidden tracks, or maybe its automation that is doing this (it's very easy to accidentally write unintended automation to tracks).

Start by trashing Pro Tool's prefs just to be sure. Use Pete Gates' free PT Prefs program. https://petegates.com/pgptprefs.html Just always start by trashing prefs.

I would try create a new empty Pro Tools session (not from a template... which might be corrupt). Create one mono audio track in that session, do not add any plugins anywhere, and just try with that.

In addition to plugins this also checks you don't have say volume or plugin automation hidden in the session that might be able to can cause effects like this.

And no this does not sound like a demo plugin which typically chop sound or insert noise for longer periods of time, but just be aware you can't just reply on thinking you don't have demo plugins installed... sometimes licensing gets screwed up and the plugins revert to unlicensed/demo mode without you knowing... manages to catch many folks eventually. So trying with sessions with no plugins instantiated is just a good idea for multiple reasons (including plugin automation causing problems).

[AdamTabares]

I FOUND THE ISSUE!!!!

The New Macbooks have a "Mic Mode" on the laptop itself.
(I've attached a screenshot of it)

It has "Standard" and "Voice Isolation".

It was on "Voice Isolation".

It MUST be on "Standard".

I feel like a dummy!

Thank You Darryl for your time and patience with me!

If you're into Reggaeton or Spanish Trap give me a follow on IG: @adamtabares

Wishing you a blessed new year and many opportunities your way!!!

Gracias!

[CaptCharlotte]

Seriously, I was banging my head against the wall because of the Voice Isolation issue. Thank you for posting!!!

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by AdamTabares

I FOUND THE ISSUE!!!!

The New Macbooks have a "Mic Mode" on the laptop itself.
(I've attached a screenshot of it)

It has "Standard" and "Voice Isolation".

It was on "Voice Isolation".

It MUST be on "Standard".

I feel like a dummy!

Well done finding the cause.

This Mic icon silliness was added in Sonoma (and is in Sequoia as well) and is being discussed a bit on DUC in other threads, both from the mic permissions and voice isolation angle and the confusion this all causes. It's being discussed lots all over the internet, folks are generally not happy.

The privacy part here is no doubt well intentioned, and the voice isolation part might be helpful for (non-audio professional) use like web conference calls etc. But overall this is stuff is just not well implemented, Apple should be embarrassed what a UI/UX mess this is. In part they are lifting stuff here from iOS and stuffing them it into macOS without thinking, which does not give me comfortable feelings about macOS priorities at Apple.

The new macOS mic permissions icon appears in the menu bar any time an app is running that has been granted mic privileges. It is a confusingly named thing (has nothing necessarily to do with a Mic or the Mic in a MacBook), and the icon appearing and disappearing also helps add to the confusion. All that Mic icon means is at least one app running has permissions set allowing that app to receive audio input via Core Audio. Without that permission an app (including Pro Tools, see this thread https://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=428928) would just receive silence on all inputs.

The Voice Isolation feature is additional ham fisted stupidity. Apple has been all over the map on how developers/audio applications should interact with Apple provided voice isolation processing and with the change in Sonoma have now enabled the user to force this setting on any CoreAudio app, on all audio inputs to that app. In the past things were different and I'm sure you can Google and find discussions about the voice isolation processing in certain MacBooks etc. I still have questions about what Apple is doing here, and will play with some code that messes with this stuff but not sure when I'll get to that.

Voice isolation has tripped up others, but it even if it's enabled the behavior will depend on what folks are doing, not everybody may notice the same problems as you saw. But it really should just not be set to isolation for any of our normal DAW/Pro Audio uses.