endless clicking/crackling problems with Live 9?

[Angstrom]

My Live 9 experience, every song I try to make in Live 9 - has been blighted by clicking, both a constant crackling low level click (like a DAT tape gone bad) and a loud crackle once a bar. It sounds exactly like buffer under-run which would mean that upping my sound card buffer to something huge like 512 or 1024 ought to eliminate it. But changing the buffer makes no difference at all.

This happens in all sets including in low resource-usage sets with no VSTs in, only native devices.

Live 8 still works perfectly, and does not crackle, I can take my buffer down really low, run multiple VSTs, etc. etc. All with no crackle. While Live 9 crackles and pops when hardly anything is happening, low resource usage, high buffer.

I am amazed that more people have not reported this issue. How can my Live 8 work perfectly and my Live 9s be all crappy like this?

I am using the latest version of Live 9, I have tried both the 32 bit and the 64 bit versions, I have delete my preferences, etc. - and it has made no difference to this problem. I have reported the issue ever since the Beta of Live 9. but nothing has happened about it.

It makes Live 9 pretty unbearable to use.

[33tetragammon]

Well, count me in as well. Today, all of a sudden i get clicking/crackling problems in Live 9.1.1.(32 bit) Mac osx 10.8.5

The only thing that changed on my system was an RME Babyface as my new audio interface. Changing the buffer size didn't seem to solve the problem. It happened with various NI AU plugins (Absynth 5, Reaktor 5, Massive, FM8, Guitar Rig 5) so far.

I need to investigate this further. I will post here when i have more info.

[Angstrom]

I also have an RME, a fireface.

[33tetragammon]

Ok i tested some more.

-Live 9.1.1, mac osx 10.8.5
-24 Bit/44.1 khz.
-Audio buffer set to 128 samples in Live.

Using Live's Instruments & FX or AU/VST instruments and FX, and the crackling starts to appear as soon as the cpu is around 50% and above. MaxforLive's Granulator 2 set to 32 voices and playing really fast skyrockets my cpu and Live freezes instantly. I have to force-quit it then.

Arrrghhhhh…..hard to stay calm with this crap going on……i hope they fix and improve it asap!

Going to sleep now….

[33tetragammon]

Update:

In Live's preferences i reduced the inputs and outputs to a maximum of four ins and outs. Didn't help.

Also, during the same test, i switched to my Macbook pro's Built-In audio set to the same buffer size (128 Samples). Didn't help.

13" Macbook Pro, 2.9 GHz Intel Core i7, 8 GB 1600 MHz DDR3 Ram, 256 GB SSD.

[nemoy]

I have the same problem since 2009.
the only thing that helped me so far is:

keep that cpu aroun 40% max.
everything else DOES crackle & click.

this is still the only thing that helped so far.
(it is of course not a solution)

let me know, if you find something else...

[Angstrom]

I get the problem in sets around 20% CPU , so quite low resource usage.

[33tetragammon]

Might be a good idea to mention the following for anyone who has these problems:

-Your computer specs and operating system.
-Audio Interface, sample rate, bitrate, and buffer settings.

This might narrow it down to the source of the problem.

[Angstrom]

win 7 64 bit, 16 gb memory, quadcore i7 3.4gHz
Live 9.1 64 bit,
RME fireface 400.

One method I can make Live crackle repeatably on my system

1. create a new set,
2. load a sample into a clip clot,
3. selecting Complex Pro on that clip
4. use the warp markers to stretch the sample to be 4x it's normal length.

Outcome : Live 9 will now crackle, with just one audio clip loaded and no VSTs or effects

[33tetragammon]

win 7 64 bit, 16 gb memory, quadcore i7 3.4gHz
Live 9.1 64 bit,
RME fireface 400.

One method I can make Live crackle repeatably on my system

1. create a new set,
2. load a sample into a clip clot,
3. selecting Complex Pro on that clip
4. use the warp markers to stretch the sample to be 4x it's normal length.

Outcome : Live 9 will now crackle, with just one audio clip loaded and no VSTs or effects

I just tested what you described, but i get no crackling whatsoever.

[jestermgee]

For those reporting these as a "new" issue (not something that has been occurring for years) has it been since upgrading to 9.1.1 specifically? Just wondering if there may have been something "optimized" in the latest upgrade that causes issues.

[33tetragammon]

For those reporting these as a "new" issue (not something that has been occurring for years) has it been since upgrading to 9.1.1 specifically? Just wondering if there may have been something "optimized" in the latest upgrade that causes issues.

Could very well be 9.1.1. I can't recall having these issues with version prior to this. I can't test it though, since i have no other version on my system….crap…..

[jestermgee]

I have been holding off 9.1.1 but may just install and test. I always keep at least 5 old versions anyway in case of this kind of thing. Does anyone have an older version they can test a problematic set on to see if it is the same thing?

[Slartibart]

Hello,

This started for me yesterday suddenly when I opened a set that I was working on the day before?!

I have been using 9.1.1 (32bit, Windows 8 64bit) for about a week. I have Steinberg C1 audio interface. Now it helped by increasing the buffer size to 256, but I have not noticed any problems before with buffer size 64.

I tried the FL Studio demo, and it works just fine with buffer size 64.

It defenitely looks like a problem with Live, because sometimes the audio is clear at first for a while (few seconds to minutes) when opening a project, or playing some audio. Then suddenly the crackling kicks in.

I have seen this behaviour with earlier Live 9 versions also, but then a PC reboot has always helped.

-Slartibart

[33tetragammon]

I tested the same stuff in :

-Studio One Version 2.6.2.
-Five12's Numerology 4 (build 128).

Both didn't have ANY problems like i have in Live.
Still have to test this in Logic x 10.0.6 and Maschine 2.06.