re: hardware clicks + pops - whats the real cause?

[geforceg4]

is my interface really defective??


well i looked at this article:
http://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/eradicating-pc-audio-clicks-pops


which led me to read more on this utility (yes its for a pc, please try not to lose your mind)


http://web.archive.org/web/20080420115043/http://www.mark-knutson.com/t3/


this guy wrote this app claiming that it adjusts the pci latency thus producing a rock-solid stable recording setup from a previously snap-crackle-pop'in setup.


im interested to see what other people have to share about this pci latency adjusting..??
does anyone have experience with solving clicks + pops?
i have an M-audio audiophile USB that works fine.. except it pops + crackles every so often.. id love to fix it and make it a rock solid interface again..  NO MORE POPS!!!



but.. as i said im using a M-audio Audiophile **USB** so it doesnt even connect to the machine via PCI in anyway.. is this even relative to me? probably not? whats causing my POPS? how can i STOP THEM once and for all?

presently its only connected to the SPDIF out from my motherboards built in digital spdif output, and its also receiving an analog in from another nearby laptop (which is plugged into a seperate AC outlet to get rid of the nasty ground-hum loop)

[geforceg4]

the page also linked to this page:
http://web.archive.org/web/20050606001003/http://www.geocities.com/phileosophos/tech/pcilatency.html

all this stuff is kind of in sync with another article i happened upon thanks to some README files from one of the early versions (mid 90s) of cubase 2.x or 3.x saying that certain video cards were removing a latency-safe check to do with the pci-latency in order to speed up the video of the video card.. and providing a benefit at the detriment of the actual pci bus because its not acting 'to spec' which is throwing off other pci-bus interactions (to do with audio?) the fix put forward by this article i read was to use a specific graphic card (matrox millenium? or  mystique?) that allowed u at the time, to replace the PROPER functioning driver that actually did not bypass this pci-bus latency check.... which meant that it didnt prioritize the video over the audio on the pci bus.....

soo.. are all audio clicks + pops to do with pci latency caused by video?
or are they simply timing differences??

who is going to help tackle this age-old + still menacing topic!
are we able to intelligently discuss this topic, covering both the pc + mac, what are the real causes? what is the way to fix? etc  e

[mrhappy]

(which is plugged into a seperate AC outlet to get rid of the nasty ground-hum loop)

Usually you're better off plugging everything into the SAME outlet to minimize hum/ buzz/ground loops... ideally you want your stuff taking the same path to ground.

[mrhappy]

who is going to help tackle this age-old + still menacing topic!
are we able to intelligently discuss this topic, covering both the pc + mac, what are the real causes? what is the way to fix? etc  e

I have a Tascam interface that was given to me that I want to start using at some point and was a told that it would occasionally pop/crack... not sure if it was the interface itself or the setup he was using.

My PT setups don't have any issues so I haven't had to track down or deal with these problems until now. we'll see when i get around to using it.

[geforceg4]

so is there no way to fix the pops + clicks?
is it hardware or software problem or combination of the two?

is only mr happy going to talk on this important issue?

[mrhappy]

Clicks and pops are usually symptom of clocking problems... the rule in that regard is that you can only have one master clock in your system. In a system with more than one digital device you need to pay attention to that.

[nanopico]

Part of it might be the drivers.  M-Audio some times made drivers that were not the best.
I have a USB Transit that I use on my laptops. 
On a couple machines (desktops and laptops) I've had clicks, pops and drop outs.  They all occurred at the same time as using the mouse or trackpad.  Increasing the latency solved the problem in those cases.
Because of the way OS 9 handles USB and drivers, it's likely that any activity on the USB bus can cause issues related to timing.