Clicks and Pops. Why?

[Bman]

Hey there.
I'm pretty new at this, so please excuse what will no doubt be my first dumb question...

I'm running the AT2020 mic through an Audio Kontrol 1 usb interface and recording on Sonar 6.
No matter what I try to record, I get a clipping type of sound every few seconds.

I tried switching to the other mic in the AT2020 set, using Cakewalk Pro Audio 9, decreasing the mic input, increasing the mic input, changing the distance of the mic from whatever I was trying to record...

You can hear it at :03, :07, :12 and :19. (it's just a bodhran - frame drum - I grabbed for an example.)



I pray it's not the Audio Kontrol box. Could it be a chord?

Thanks for any advice/help!

[brandondrury]

This is a common problem.

Home Recording Computers: Clicks, Pops, and Latency

Try that and let me know how it goes.

Brandon

[Bman]

Hi Brandon - thanks for the help.
I tried adjusting the latency - choosing options/audio. It was set at a default of 11.0msec. I tried a few different settings, eventually turning it all the way to 340.2msec and several in between. It seems to have the same problem though.

I was looking through the 'help' index on sonar, and it suggested the I/O buffer size might be off. I tried a few different settings there as well with no luck.

The thing that has me nervous is that I used to record on Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 on this machine with no problems. Now I get the clicking and popping even when I use Pro Audio 9. Of course, this is after upgrading my mics, interface and software. So that's why I'm worried it's the interface.

Thanks for the advice so far though!

[maestoso]

is your interface usb 2.0 make sure your drivers are updated. hope this helps

[Bman]

Brandon - Now that I've looked around a bit, I see how I completely overlooked your article. It was very useful. I didn't really know what terms to search for, but now I do, and I can check out the work you've done - and referred to previously.
Thanks for this resource.

Also, I do have the usb 2.0 drivers.
My search continues...

[brandondrury]

I was looking through the 'help' index on sonar, and it suggested the I/O buffer size might be off.

This is the same thing as latency. Increasing the buffer increases latency and vice versa.

The thing that has me nervous is that I used to record on Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 on this machine with no problems. Now I get the clicking and popping even when I use Pro Audio 9. Of course, this is after upgrading my mics, interface and software. So that's why I'm worried it's the interface.

Well, it's definitely the interface and, more importantly, how that interface works within your system. I'd make sure that you are using the latest drivers. I'd also make sure that there are no chipset issues in your computer conflicting with your audio interface.

I'd also make sure you aren't overworking your CPU.

I'm also assuming you've done the old "restart computer 3 times" trick. This solves more problems than it should.

Brandon

[YAZAM68]

Originally Posted by brandondrury

This is a common problem.

Home Recording Computers: Clicks, Pops, and Latency

Try that and let me know how it goes.

Brandon

now I know.... why there is less click n pops when I used the Line 6 POD xt Live compare to the toneport UX1 for my recording.

Maybe, the UX1 makes my PC work harder.

[brandondrury]

Sorta. The drivers in the UX1 may be superior at this latency setting. When I switched from my M-Audio Delta 1010 audio interfaces to the Presonus Firestudio, I had to use an extra notch of latency to avoid clicks and pops. However, once the Firestudio has more mature drivers, I expect to be able to monitor at lower latency settings.

Brandon

[Bman]

I tired pretty much everything I read on my desktop PC - which has an AMD Athlon chipset - and as a test I installed it on my laptop, which has a pentium chipset.

It was nice and quiet on my laptop. Now I'm wondering if I should just get some nice monitors for the laptop and work from there. I'd rather work off my desktop (bigger monitor, quieter machine) but I also don't want to drive all the way back to the store where I got it. (It would be my third trip in four days and it's an hour away.)

So... Laptop recording? I'll give it a few days and see how it goes.

Thanks for the advice - I would've been completely lost without it.

[brandondrury]

desktop PC - which has an AMD Athlon chipset

I don't think AMD Athlon makes a chipset. It's usually "Gforce", "Via" or "Texas Instruments".

Here's my advice:
Take a few days and use the laptop. Have fun and actually make music. When you are ready to tackle the desktop, jump in. First I would immediately start with a dual boot system. This sounds tough, but it is not. I've done it multiple times, but don't feel quite comfortable teaching it. There are a zillion sites that explain how though.

There is a good chance that a clean Windows install for your recording rig will fix all problems.

If the problems still persist, you can bet heavily that this is a chipset issue.

Lastly, I would quit driving! Since you have a laptop to hold you over, it's not worth hours and hours of driving for a bigger screen. You are new to this and will suck for a while anyway. Just start!

When the time is right, order your parts from Newegg. Staples in my hometown wanted $50 for a Firewire PCI card. I got it from Newegg for $6.

Brandon