Live 10 Audio crackles

[Cailia]

You are using the correct drivers for it? Remember there have been 3 generations of scarlett interfaces and the drivers are different for them all.

Yes, I'm using the correct drivers for it. The Gen 2 Scarlett 6i6 uses Focusrite Control 3.6.0 - Firmware 1583 Driver 4.65.5, which I downloaded directly from my account page for the device under bundled drivers. I've also uninstalled and reinstalled the drivers a few times now to no avail. The result is the same with the ASIO4ALL drivers.

[Cailia]

Have you taken a look at the following? https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... Windows-10

Thank you for the link. Yes, I went through this when I first set up the Focusrite, but I just went back through the list again just in case I missed something. But, I had no luck, unfortunately.

• Hard drive space, memory, cables and such aren't an issue. I built the system in December for illustration, video editing and music production. The specs by far exceed Ableton's system requirements. I have a dedicated 1TB M.2 NVMe drive as a scratch disk and this is where Ableton's cache folder is set. The system currently has 64GB DDR4 3200 memory and memory usage in Ableton is not a problem. Storage also isn't a problem.

• Since this system was set up as a professional workstation, it's already optimized for performance, USB selective suspend is disabled and processor scheduling is already set to Background Services. I double checked in case something got switched during the last Windows update (could maybe happen), but it's all still ok.

• Startup programs are not an issue. I have limited programs and services that launch at startup. The crackling also happens when no programs or services are running in the background and Ableton has been open for a while.

I don't have an issue with the Focusrite interface in any other DAW. It works fine in ProTools, Reason, Reaper and Cakewalk. It also isn't an issue in other standalone software, like Maschine. The crackling is exclusive to Ableton and only happens with this audio interface, regardless of whether I'm using VSTs, only internal instruments or only have a single track of flattened audio, like a sample or vocals imported from another DAW. Using the basic desktop speakers, Ableton audio is perfectly fine. There's no crackling except with the interface.

At this point, I'm out of ideas. I've been trying to resolve this for almost a month to no avail. Aside from maybe buying a premium USB cable to see if that helps, or getting a different audio interface altogether, I can't think of anything else to try. (And, I don't really have the budget for another interface at the moment due to the pandemic). I came here to post only after exhausting ever possible fix I could think of or find online. I'm open to try just about anything that might resolve this and I'm utterly stumped. Any other suggestions?

Thanks again for the help! I greatly appreciate it!

[miyaru]

I don't think it will be the USB cable, with my new Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen came a cheap cable, and it does the job fine......

There is a thing called system latency - not latency from your audio interface, but from windows. There is software to measure this, and if it is above a certain threshold it causes crackles and stuff. I had it on my old machine, and could not get rid of it easily. At that time my PC went outdated and eventually sold it and bought my current machine......

Google on this topic and you may find the software to measure this, and hopefully solve your problems!

[miyaru]

It's called Latency Mon and Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool, these two can give some answers......

[Cailia]

It's called Latency Mon and Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool, these two can give some answers......

Thank you for the suggestion. I actually ran Latency Mon on my system a few times yesterday after reading through a help page on Focusrite's website that recommended it. My system performed very well during the latency test (registered very low in the green) and the utility reported that my system "appears to be suitable for handling real-time audio and other tasks without dropouts." I did discover a number of pagefaults being caused by my antivirus, but they don't appear to be causing the audio problems. Disabling it had no impact on the crackling audio. I don't have an issue using any other software with the Focusrite, or using my computer speakers in Ableton, but these two definitely aren't playing nicely together on my system when they should be. I'm flummoxed.

I do now have reason to suspect that the power adapter may be contributing at least somewhat to this issue, as when I was testing things last night, I moved the power cord and the crackling got much worse. I ended up unplugging it from the power strip and then directly into the wall. It improved a little, but the crackling is still there. I am going to email Focusrite to see if they have any solutions or can weigh in on whether the power adapter could be either causing or contributing to the problem. If I don't get anywhere there, I guess the next idea would be to see if I can find a third party adapter that doesn't have that two-piece plug and see if the problem still exists. I may pick up a high-performance USB cable while I'm at it. It certainly can't hurt.

Thanks again for trying to help. I appreciate it!

[miyaru]

If it is the power supply, I would be amazed! But what you described it could be true though... For the last 20yrs I used 19" rack audio interfaces with build supply with just a powercord going to a powerstrip, so never had the problem.

Another question: do you know someone with an audio interface you can borrow for one day to see if it is the power supply or if it is Ableton causing the problem?

I'm at my second Focusrite audio interface, and mostly they work problem free. I first had a Saffire Pro 40 (on firewire) and now the Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen.

Hope a new power supply will do the job! It is easier to replace the supply then doing all faultfinding in the Operating System!

[Cailia]

I can't think of anyone local who has an audio interface that I could borrow, unfortunately. I own an old Avid interface that I think my son still has, but he has never been able to get it working correctly in Windows 10, since driver support was never added. Updates for Windows 7 and 8 were released just last year though. Go figure. This is why I now avoid Avid interfaces. Beyond that, I can't think of where to get another one other than to either buy one. I'll try asking around on Facebook to see if anyone I know may have one I could briefly borrow.

I'm still looking for potential conflicts on the system that might make Ableton cranky with the Scarlett 6i6. I've been setting services to manually start, updating drivers, uninstalling programs that I'm not currently using, etc. etc., but so to no avail thus far. The crackling persists. I ended up working in Reason last night to take a break from the crackling audio. It's not my preferred workflow, but it was definitely nice to listen to clean audio for a bit.

[miyaru]

I feel sorry for you......

As far as Reason goes: I just bought it last year in November and I like it a lot. I like the mixer with build in dynamics, I love the synths and FX's and love the way it consumes less CPU resources then Ableton does. Oh, now I get angry Live lovers all over me LOL.

I have Reason 11 suite, so I can use inside Ableton too, but I find myself more then often to use Reason, but it is depending on my mood. I have this software running called PusheR2 - so I can use my Push2 in Reason in a positive way.

Never the less, I like Ableton too - but it is very different from Reason. Maybe I like Reason and it's linear way of working because I used Cubase in all kinds of flavors' for almost 20 years.

[Cailia]

Thanks for that. I just spent another half-day turning drivers on and off, uninstalling programs and the like, but the crackling is still there. I give up, at least for the time being. I've spent too much time trying to find a solution and not really getting very far. The crackling has been less since I moved the power adapter and reseated the plug plate in the process, but it's definitely still there. Ugh. So frustrating.

I did a bit of recording using Protools and a couple of other DAWs a number of years ago, mostly for vocals. But, it was a long time ago. Not only has the software changed a lot, but there is just so much more to choose from now. I'm trying out different programs to find out what I like and what suits my needs now. The workflow that I like depends so much on what I'm doing. I like Ableton for creating ideas. Being able to switch between arrangement and session views is great for that and it flows pretty well with Maschine. But, there are some things I am not crazy about, beyond crackling audio - like the process for recording and comping vocals. It's more complex than it should be and the workflow isn't, uh... anything like Protools! lol. I have a feeling I'm going to use a few different DAWs and switch among them, depending on what I'm doing at the time.

As for Reason, I am new to it and still finding my way around. The linear workflow definitely makes sense for some things, but I miss that session view! lol. I definitely understand why you like it if you're accustomed to Cubase. Wasn't Reason created by former Steinberg employees? Hmmm. Anyway, I like the mixer, rack and synths quite a bit myself. And, I love that the rack can be used in other DAWs! Speaking of which... the more reviews and walkthroughs I see of Friktion, the more intrigued I am. That strings synth is quickly finding it's way onto my want list! lol.

[kc80]

Thanks for that. I just spent another half-day turning drivers on and off, uninstalling programs and the like, but the crackling is still there. I give up, at least for the time being. I've spent too much time trying to find a solution and not really getting very far.

Hey I ended up here because I was also searching for users with the AMD Radeon 5700 XT card using Ableton. If you search the web, you'll see there are alot of users, both PC and Mac experiencing the same crackles with this combination. In this thread, it didn't seem like you ever considered that as the problem so wanted to chime in and let you know.

I have a Mac Mini 2018, with The AMD Radeon 5700 XT in a Razer Core X enclosure as a eGPU setup. Everything works fine until the eGPU is connected and a project with some heavier plugins is running, then the audio crackles start. Without the eGPU, everything runs fine, running exactly the same way. It's a shame becuase I do notice a performance increase with the 5700XT, but can't figure out the crackles, I don't think anyone has.

Some PC users reported changing the PCI setting in PC Bios from Gen4 to Gen3 worked. I'm on Mac so cannot do that.

[cyril86]

Hello,
I have the same issue with Ableton and Scarlett 6i6. Every drivers are uptodate and I went through all windows settings suggested by Ableton and Focusrite. I have a core I7 with 16Go RAM. The CPU and disk are far to the limit.
I have crackles on a midi track and also on audio. For audio, It appears when several short clip are on the same track. But the crackle is not only at the clip start du to fades, but all along the clips.
Have you finally found a solution ?

[Mark Williams]

Enusre the Focusrite interface is on its own USB port and NOT via a hub,Scarletts can be extremely picky on USB ports, and using the correct generation drivers for the interface, the different generations do use different drivers, also worth checking your power management settings too using this guide to check various settings.

https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/ ... Windows-10

[cyril86]

Thanks for your help.
Scarlett is plug directly in laptop plug. I have the latest drivers and have done all suggested settings by ableton and focusrite...
My issue look very similar to the original post and I'm wondering if he finally found a solution or left ableton for another daw.

[miyaru]

Make sure all settings in Windows according to samplerate etc. are the same in in Live. That means if you are using 48 KHz in Live, do so in Windows to........

[Groovial]

Hi guys! Anybody solved the issue?
I noticed yesterday crackles started after about 1hr of experimenting with my external synths. I use an Arturia Audiofuse Rev 2 as audio interface, Live 11, and had plugged in 3 synths with mono outputs, and 2 other instruments which were sending audio into Live via USB. The crackles started by the time the Audiofuse got hot (as they usually get). Even with only one synth track playing the crackles were still there and they were even more frequent or intense when the sound of the instrument was higher in volume (signal) or more complex, for example the peaks of a bass or lead line. I hope is not because of the Audiofuse USB 2.0, because it gets me tempted to switch to a Focusrite interface with Thunderbolt 3 (my laptop is compatible, ROG Zephyrus G17).
I deactivated all the MIDI clips except the one for playing the synth but still the same.
In the settings I set it to ASIO4ALL so I can use the USB audio inputs from a Roland TR8S and a Digitone.

Thanks,
Groovial