Ableton Forum

Hey there

I'm using the RME multiface, along with a dell notebook. So far without any problems.

The last 2 weeks, suddenly strange digital clicks and other malfunctions appear (tempo change, weird noises) - no matter which program I'm using (Cubase SX or Ableton LIVE 5.1). The noises only appear after around 20 minutes running the system. As soon as I restart everything and wait a little bit, everything works fine again - for another 20 minutes, then again the problems start.

Any ideas what this could be?

Thanks!

dk

http://www.division-kent.com/

Try different buffer settings and cables, if you know anyone that has a unit;
Send an email to Mathias Carsten and see if you need another factory flash installation on the cardbus.
luck
Sub

let me guess--it is hot out and summertime. you are on a laptop that is not brand new, possibly a P4 desktop-in-a-laptop processor. Same thing has happened to me in the past on my laptop. For me, and many other laptop owners, heat can cause problems exactly like you describe--things work perfectly fine at first, then as the computer gets hot, things start to go south. This is because the computer has a built-in protection against getting too hot, so that you don't fry your own system. This causes the processor to slow down it's activity to keep from overheating and damaging itself. Which in turn causes your audio problems. I had the exact same things happen to me as you mention, only mine got so bad that the computer would completely shut off to a black screen instantly when rendering audio to disk.

The solution is to clean off your heatsink. The fans blow air over the heatsink, which sits on top of the processor, Over time, small fibers, lint, and dust can form a little dust blanket over the thin copper blades of the heatsink. This reduces the fans effectiveness to a high degree, so that they aren't really able to keep the processor and heatsink cool enough. On some computers, it can be fairly easy to access your heatsink by removing a small cover with 2 screws that is above the heatsink, then taking out the heatsink and cleaning the crap off. On other computers, you have to take the whole back of the case off, with like 20+ screws, which can be a PITA. enter at your own risk. Maybe do some googling to see if this is a common issue with your make and model of laptop (it definitely is on mine, and that is how I found out what the problem was and how to deal with it). I can tell you that after cleaning it off, the computer feels like new again and everything is faster, and the audio glitches go away completely. I've done this cleaning about four times now, roughly every 8 months or so. hope this helps,

ryan

Thanks for your replies.

Actually, the laptop is pretty new (4 month, centrino pocessor, no desktop). And it's not that hot ( but for sure hotter than usual). I don't dare to open the item...

I will check with different cables and ask the guys at RME if the problem is still there.

Cheers,
dk

strange, I had the same problem the fist weeks using the cardbus + multiface 2... centrino laptop as well, less than 1 year old.
I reinstalled the drivers and voilà, that was it, no more noises coming from RME.

thanks, I'll try. really strange.

I'm sure it's not the RME Whatz left?