Clip Countdown – #25
November 23, 2009
Counting down 30 of the most bizarre Cinemassacre clips from the past 15 years.
Clip #26 was from Rumble in the Jungle. (1997). Only the trailer has been released.
Audio Problems!
On another note, I’ve been having audio issues for a long time now. Can you identify this sound? Direct emails to James@Cinemassacre.com. Thanks.
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Comments (280)
OMG!!! ITZ TEH DEVIL!!! He is speaking through you!!!
Seriosly though, I don’t know. You could try using Audacity.
Either way, you pump out good videos. I mean, what’s filmmaking without it’s share of frustration?
Is there another way of connecting the sound board to the computer? It seems like a pretty hefty device to be going in through the USB. Perhaps the ports on the motherboard can’t handle the output.
OH, and do you have the correct drivers for the sound board?
Have you tried a new soundcard for computer? And that what Phillip said could work also..
At first it sounded like a cable had come loose, but that is unlikely because I assume the rig to be stationary. Also it is probably not that because a restart fixes it. The only thing I can think of is that it is electromagnetic interference from other cables. Try removing all cables around it and testing. If that is that case you could put torriods on all the cables to cut down on EMI, or buy a cable that has better shielding on it.
I would have to say, you need to update, get firewire components, sure they are expensive, but from what I have experiences in recording studios, they are flawless, most likely, it could be that your computer can’t pick up the sound fast enough.
Another thing it could be quicktime, use garageband for recording vocals, I mean, thats what its meant for, I use a rinky dink 30 dollar pre amp just to do vocals for my side project and never have I ever encountered that problem. You do the same thing on garage band, its simple to use and if you need help then just email me and I can give pointers.
Connect the audio component as your last component that you connect to the computer. Do some audio recording and then try connecting another USB device or two. Repeat testing. I suspect the problem is USB related.
In Windows you can encounter a problem with the OHCI controller when you connect additional USB devices. I suspect you could see something similar on a mac.
Maybe the best solution to get around this problem is to install an audio card.
Sounds simmiliar to the effect when you record your own output. You also hear words multiple times with worse quality every time. I also guess its your sound device.
Especially with onboard soundchips there are some issues like noise from electrical impulses.
Wild guess but did you tried another power socket?
I’ve experienced a similar problem when recording on a PC. The crackling starts happening when the hard drive gets very busy. Is quicktime the only thing you’ve tried recording in? I’m not so familiar with how quicktime records, but if it is anything similar to how sound recorder on Windows works, the amount you can record in one go is equivalent to how much RAM you have in the computer. I would suggest trying out a program that is more optimized for recording line Garage Band or as Spazz Master suggested, Audacity. I’ve done a lot of recording and mixing for audio dramas and on the PC the best program I’ve used was Audition. Another PC program people swear by is Sound Forge.
In any case, it seams like its not a problem with any of the external peripherals so then it’s either an internal hardware issue, or the software.
One thing to be aware of is that for sound or video work you should regularly defragment your hard disk. When you record sound or video in real time and the hard disk is fragmented, it will start jumping around the disk trying to find empty sectors to write the data. So when it starts doing that, that can cause skips and distortions in the recorded sound.
In the end, it could be something completely different. But maybe this helps you to troubleshoot a bit more to get to the bottom of the problem.
Greetings
Maybe it has something to do with computer resources… maybe another device is using the same DMA/IRQ/mem address?
I found this:
http://rainrecording.com/pro/hardware/usb-irq-conflicts/
Regards
It does sound like electromagnetic interference from within the system itself, or possibly an external source -> is the system grounded well enough? Are there any obvious other external electromagnetic sources which might interfere (and which you would also hear on a cheap FM radio?)
I have had similar problems using the Firewire 410 in a x64 OS. I’ll play for days and one day…it breaks down just like your syptoms. Apologies…no idea why yet.
James,
Sell your mac on ebay (with a signature) and buy a new one.
Regards,
w00dyt
Usually this kind of thing happens to me when I’m using too small sound buffer in whatever audio program I’m using. If there’s a setting in quicktime where to set the buffer then try make it larger. Oh… And try using Audacity too.
nah that was funny, cool and a learning experience for all, i’m no expert so i can’t help but i’m sure something will arise out of this.
i like the busy hard drive comment watch for that, also bring up a task manager and look for spikes in CPU usage, look at which parts of the PC are using it’s resources the most and close unneeded ones for more streamline processing, during recording and this problem.
it would sux if your computer was doing some sort of system maintenance defrag/virus scan/updating or checking for some other crap while you’re doing a serious take.
but then if the PC isn’t the problem… you’re gonna have to move to some serious wire and sound equipment.
Before you do anything I’d connect the master outs of the soundcard into any recording device, and record to that and the USB simulataneously to see if you get the problem in both. If you only get it on the PC, it’s something to do with the board’s USB out (unlikely if you swapped it 3 times), recording software (doubt it, can test easily with another piece of software to test), or the drivers for the board.
If you get it on both the USB and master outs, it’s nothing to do with the PC. Which would prob be interference (if you’ve swapped the board and tested the mic/XLR properly).
I’ve had a couple of USB interfaces where I’ve had a similar problem as you, and only had to update the drivers to fix it.
Well I have an Studio and I’ve been working with audio devices for years and I can tell you one thing.. that noise doesn’t have to do anything with normal electronics, so its not the mic nor the audio part of the mixer, try changing your recording software to audacity if that doesn’t work then going for a Firewire device as a guy pointed above is the best solution as you will be using another interface, one that is not as crowded as your USB ports are and one that works in a different way. One thing is true THAT PROBLEM HAS TO DO WITH THE COMPUTER RECORDING SYSTEM (from the mixer USB Interface to the software or the computer itself) it doesn’t have anything to do with the analog part (mic or mixing board itself) as it even repeats your voice again and again.
The only thing I could think of was interference of some kind.
Y’know, like when you put a cell phone near a speaker.
AVGN, I have heard this kind of audio interference before. It is on the Legendary Frogcast, a Podcast aired by Joseph Blanchette, the Flash author. He has a podcast that he distributes through his website legendaryfrog.com and often in their podcasts he gets the same sound. I’d ask him via email or his forum if he has any idea what the problem might be. Hope this helps in some way!
FIRST! Test other software and se if the problem still exist if it does:
Check for audio driver updates first or maybe even test older, if it still exist do your mix thing have midi out or something else than USB?
The USB signal could be the problen, but you didn’t mention what type of computer you are haveing.
Maybe old usb drives? Maybe they arent even 2.0?
RAM errors?
PSU? If the PSU is old or delivers to little power the computer starts to get unstable and the sound could get garbled.
CPU usage? Maybe it is to old or to much is running in the background. Have the computer been on long it could get hot and the computer gets unstable.
Harddrive? Have it been formated recentley? Maybe it’s damaged? Is it SATA or IDE? If IDE upgrade, they are really slow…
I would check for something to get around the USB first, an new soundcard or invest in an new computer.
It could be an combination of all above.
Hope you get around the problem, there is ALLWAYS an solution!
I have the exact same problem !!! no kidding !!! and i don’t know the solution too o.o I got a creative x-fi titanium and i thought maybe it was broken or somethin’ but i tried others, so i cried a little and now i’m lost…
I agree with some of the posters above, it has got nothing to do with the mixer or mic, they work properly. I know that I have problems if I have too much audio tracks in one session in audio editing softwares, it works fine for few seconds when I record or reproduce the sound but then it starts to lag. When I make a mixdown everything’s fine. Computer probably has too much stuff to handle and reproduce so I guess that a good CPU or more RAMs could take more processes at once. As far as I got it, your sound gets recorded like that, but does it happen also when you’re monitoring (when you can hear yourself on headphones for example while recording voice)? I have also noticed that mixer shows clipping on few parts. Clipping doesn’t make sound so shitty usually but distorts it a bit of course. So you should try to lower your recording level so it doesn’t clip.
I really think you should not go through the USB dude. I think you need a better soundcard and go through there. U should get a external Soundcard. And Quicktime isn’t a good program to record in. Try something else a real sound program like Pro Tools or Cubase, Logic…
I can second DragonFire1984’s statement. Though I have no experience whatsoever with mac, I get pretty much exactly the same kind of distortion on both windows and linux whenever I set the audio buffer size too low. Shouldn’t be a biggie, just double the size.
Hope that helps.
I know a guy that was having a problem like that. I’m not saying that this is your problem, but it turned out that it was his cell phone causing his problem. You know how some cell phones when searching for a signal will make a weird noise through speakers. Well it was causing him mic problems too. Sounds strange I know, but now that he turns off his phone when recording he doesn’t have that problem anymore.. I would try different software and see if it still does it. If it does then you have a hardware problem..
It could also be any other electrical device.
Like dish-washer or washing-machine.
Maybe you need to check what other electrical components are currently running while this phenomenon occurs.
First off, why do you need a soundboard? What does it actually DO for you that you wouldn’t have with simpler voice over methods?
I don’t know anything about them, but from the looks of it, it seems like an overcomplicated technology. I’d take a completely uneducated guess and say the problem might have something to do with that.
With a year’s worth of frustration, I’m surprised you haven’t considered simpler ways of doing it. Will the microphone work just plugged into the computer with a USB cable or something? Or simply put an extra camera below the computer and talk into the external mic. Works fine inside a makeshift voiceover booth.
Second, in terms of technical problems, that’s not very serious if you have a reliable way of stopping it every time. The switchoff thing sounds very simple. And you can always do post-play voiceover over again. Plus, if you do multiple takes, you can always cut around the fuckups.
On my old computer I got the same sound during playback if I used the audio card on the motherboard. It happened when I was scrolling a window. Just when I was scrolling I would get that distortion. I had no problems when I used a Audigy card.
could be a promblem if the computer james
how old its your computer
Could be an interference.
Try to move your microphone away from your speaker or sound deck.
Try it from longer distance as now.
Its White Noise!!!
Maybe James has been putting out hits on his rivals and they are getting theirs back by messing with his audio from beyond the grave!!!!
Maybe you could record the voice-overs externally with a high quality voice recorder, then import and edit them (unless that IS what you do!!)
I make music myself with my laptop, but its pretty rudimentary/make-shift compared to what you are using (all those mixers etc) but I know people who make more professional stuff, and alot of them prefer to use dedicated stand-alone voice-recorders then import the sounds, than sing directly into the soundcard
Hi James..
I sometimes experience the same exact audio problem.
The problem is it happens to me in a total different situation/system..
I have PC and i hear that noise while i’m using Logic Audio to record music and i try to record sound (using micropohne and direct monitoring) while in the same moment i forgot some VST instrument track on.
So the system doest like to have the VST instrument on and voice recording together and does that weird sound.
As i turn off the rec switch in the VST instrument track everything goes right.
So.. speaking of you case it seems that something wrong is going on in the background.. maybe some application or other things sharing the same audio component?
Hope it helps!
Marco from Italy
THIS IS MOST LIKELY THE PROBLEM!
I’ve got an Echo AudioFire 4 I’ve used a lot to record both voice and instruments. It had the same problem like this. What I later discovered was that it was a driver problem. When the newest drivers for the device was released, the problem just disappeared. Now, I’m using this on Windows 7 Ultimate x64 but I’ve read a lot of posts on the internet with people using it on a MAC. The drivers are supported there so you don’t need to install them manually. I would still recommend you to update the drivers. This seems to be a big problem to a lot of people and it’s usually a driver problem.
I hope that helps.
It’s a grounding issue with the PC. I had this problem as well, specifically while trying to record through USB audio. On some computers, the power source gives out these currents that can interfere with external sound sources. I have the same mixer (6 channel version) and remember being able to fix this by buying a stereo 1/4 to mono headphone wire and routing it into my PC’s audio input, then setting my DAW to record it. I eventually got sick of mono recorders, so bought a Boss digital recorder which lets you transfer four track recordings to WAV via computer.
Hmm, I don’t know what to say about your audio problem, checking for the newest sound drivers could be helpful.
Yeah i remember having the same kind of problem so i think it’s a quick time
Hi,
I recommend to use this
http://www.amazon.com/ESI-MAYA44PCI-MAYA44/dp/B000IHP910/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1258980832&sr=8-3
And PROPER condensor mic with a good preamp. You can do all the editing with cool edit. Doing soundwork via usb…I dont know why so many do so. I really think it sucks.
You have wireless internet?
I should shut off zie internetz when recording, every once and a while zie internetz updates and radio frequence can mess up audio
Hey James,
Don’t use quicktime to record your Voice over work. If you really want a good sound, get Pro Tools. It is optimized for sound recording. You are obviously at a prosumer level of work, so it is time to start using the programs that the big boys use.
The problem is either your buffer, or interference. Get cables with better shielding. This is one of the problems faced with doing all your editing, post, and sound at one station. Too many cables! You have to organize them, tie the shit down, make sure none of the cables are tangled or laying on top of one another.
I took a lot of sound classes at school and we always used a separate station for post ADR and sound work.
Dude try to reinstall audio drivers, this should help
Use firewire, lower latency, MADE to be used for audio devices. Simple as that.
check the driver settings for the soundboard and try dickin around with some of those. i was also thinking of weather the mic is active or passive. just a theory, but if it’s active and there’s power being sent to it, that may be the source of the distortion. another idea would be to ditch that soundboard and go with something a little more simple like the TonePort UX2 or, as it’s called now, Pod Studio UX2. using that would totally remove the sound card from the equation. i also like the idea of going with a better recording program like pro tools. makes the editing alot faster and you can mix your videos more seamlessly.
Doobious
home digital recording specialist
[...] is the original: Clip Countdown – #25 | Cinemassacre Productions By admin | category: recording software | tags: another-piece, board, drivers, piece, [...]
I would’t use a USB connection. Try out an analog connection, i.e. RCA to TRS (audio jack). By using this method you shouldn’t have driver issues, since your Soundcard instead of the internal chip of the soundbox is used.
Regards,
Soldier
I would suggest using decent software made for sound recording. (I suppose there was a licence to Cubase LE with the Multimix) Allso to upgrade your sound equipment to semiprofessional, I would buy a large diagram condensator mickrophone (just for better sound). Those are pretty cheap nowadays. This upgrade can be done with pretty low budget.
There are some problems with using laptops for recording. Mainly electrical.
Dear James,
here are a couple of tips from my friend who is a professional music artists and writes soundtracks for games.
1) try to reduce the mic level on the sound board. the distortion may be be caused by overloads when you raise your voice over a certain level
2) mac is not good for sound recording
3) electromagnetic interferences may cause these problem – there are maybe sources in your room
you can ask me for more info from that guy via my email: killymel at gmail dot com
This could really be a WLAN problem, but only if you’re using vista or 7 (if you have XP probably not).
Google for “WLAN Optimizer” and try it out, perhaps it helps.
Also google “dpclat.exe” and let it run some time in the background, if you see big fluctuations, try to remove some hardware and see what the problem could be.
sorry for my bad english, I hope it helps
The problem is really simple: You have mac. Everything should work with mac fine .. but when something doesn’t work you are fu##ed. Get prober hardware.
I’ve had the problem as well, and I have a complete different setup, programs and hardware as well. I found that turning the volume down sometimes worked, but what really helped is when I changed recording locations, ie. when I moved. This probably is not an option so one possible thing to try to move some of your equipment to another room. If it’s the same thing I had problems with it’s possible it comes from background interference.
Maybe there is nothing wrong with the hardware itself, maybe something like a router close by in the same room causing interference? And any other electronics near by that would do that? Like a huge 50 inch LCD screen on the other side of the wall? I’d try moving your mic the furthest away you confortably can away from the rest of your hardware.
Don’t use the Quicktime player, use Pro Tools.
James, I would say getting a decent sound card for music (audio) recording and plugging it in to your sound card instead of your usb. That will guarantee it’s own IRQ which I doubt was the problem and will also have better quality.
Wow, people really are clueless on here. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the equipment he’s using. Stop fucking telling him to use pro tools. Pro Tools won’t make it sound better in any way and I am saying this as an owner of PT8.
Here’s my take on it:
1) Disable Airport.
2) USB soundboards might be the easiest way out there for simple recording tasks but I’ve never had one that didn’t fuck up in some way or another. Make sure that the buffer setup is absolutely static, because sounds like these are usually a sign that the buffer size is being changed automatically. I suggest just getting rid of the soundboard and instead use a xlr-usb adapter, there’s a few new ones that works great and they will also eliminate:
3) Power Issues. Since it’s connected over usb there will always be some weird things going on with leaking and cross-feeding.
As for which xlr-> usb gadget to use, shure, lightsnake and the blue icicle are all great alternatives.
Also, I thought about something, I’ve actually had some problems with a usb multmix and my mac and it was solved by simply using a self-powered usb hub to connect it into.
I know there’s also these double usb cables, where the extra plug is used purely for extra power.
ok well the audio recorder that i use is audacity is free and really easy to use and it have MAC OS/windows so you can try it out, but the only down side is that the audio its preformat to WMV file but try ti out ok
to find it Google Audacity and it will be the first one, or http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
hey have u tried getting a new sound board for your computer? (it might be sound card) it might also seem like ur computer is slightly out dated, have u ever thot of buying a new one? it might fix your problem. also try sound testing at a friends computer and tell me how it went
Outdated computer? I vaguely remember hearing that he has a fucking OCTACORE mac..
..Definently not outdated.
Looks like that’s a story for the bullshitman.
It would help if your problem happened all the time but as it’s random, no way to test efficiantly. I would go for electromagnetic interference. I had a TV that was very sensytiv, and it would get crazy when the fridge start, someone used a dryer and even when a bike passed by in the street O_O;
I really don’t know. but i would guess it’s a driver issue.
But on the cable issue(?) try putting power cables away from audio cables. power cables generate a magnetic field and causes distortion and all kinds of weird shit.
just noticed, under topic it sais “email” lol. well. maybe someone reads it anyways..
I had the exact same fucking problem although I’m using Windows. In my case the problem was in insufficiency of resources (RAM particularly), cuz I used XP and Cubase 3, and at that time, it ate alot of RAM and CPU. You didnt specified your computer specs, so I’m going to assume they arent top notch for the task.
For some reason Mac folks have this belief that everything should be USB, then can’t understand where the latency issue came from, just use the damn audio in jack.
The problem could be related to ground issues!
Are the ground connectors of the soundboard, computer, speaksers and monitor all propperly grounded?
When you connect a lot of stuff to your computer, everything needs to be on the same electric current and must be grounded!
Sorry for my bad english! But make sure the above is ok!
Also, try your soundboard on another computer! Perhaps bring your recording to a friend for testing!
I’ve heard this exact thing before, but it was a long time ago, and I have no memory of the details.
However, the first example gives some good clues. First the crackling is very obviously digital in nature. The fault could be anything, maybe even including (very maybe) analog components, but the crackling itself comes from digital hardware or software. Second, there’s echoing, but without feedback (it doesn’t echo indefinitely, but only once).
I surmise there’s some misuse of a buffer somewhere. Stuff is written into it, and read out of it in a cyclical fashion, going from beginning to end and then starting over from the beginning of the buffer. Let’s suppose, as an example, that the piece of code doing the writing suddenly starts writing only every second sample. Now there’s old data interleaved with new data, which would
1) make a simple echo effect, every other sample represents what was recorded a second ago, or however large the buffer is.
2) make a nasty crackling effect, because the old and new are not mixed together, rather the signal jumps back and forth between the two different levels of the two signals. But only when the signals are different obviously, if both are quiet, there’s no jump, and no crackle.
It may be possible to figure out, but I can’t tell if this is what happens without looking at the original recording.
So, generally, it’s something that has a buffer:
1) the A/D sampler or its hardware driver
2) any digital interconnection
3) the OS, or its audio subsystem
4) the recording software
Number 4) is easy to test, just use any other recording software. The simpler the better, but anything goes. Number 1-2) is the sound card (in your case, the Alesis USB mixer) and its driver, and the usb system in the OS, try some completely different hardware, like a mic that plugs straight into the computer, or a soundcard. Number 3) is more difficult to test, but not impossible. A different computer with the same/different OS is one possibility.
From experience, I’d say it’s less likely to be the Alesis, because fixed hardware tends to be more reliable than flaky drivers. On the other hand, USB sound hardware in general I’ve found to be not quite rock solid. I use optical and digital coax cables between my mixer and computer myself, just to eliminate complex hardware and reduce the number of things that can go wrong, which they always do.
So there you go. Also, the guy who mentioned Pro Tools is out of his depth. Ignore.
I know you like to be hardcore about all your sound equipment etc, but if it’s just a microphone you’re probably better off buying a cheap new microphone which can be connected directly to yer Mac via USB or audio in jack. I bought mine for about 10 quid here in the UK and the sound quality is more than acceptable.
Then again, my Mac also suffers from strange recording problems. I record my speech through Garage Band, and sometimes it’s really high pitch when I play it back, and it eventually fixes itself if I record for a few minutes. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm………..
that actually sounded like it hurt. The punching I mean.
could it be static charge?
though you probably do have 3d wire, its not granted its actually conencted to ground – can you try to discharge it next time, could be worth a try
Greetings!
I hear this on the This Week in Technology podcast all the time. (Leo Leporte’s Gang). Usually, he tells them, on air, to disconnect and reconnect their Mic’s into different ports on their Macs.
James, my suggestion would be to make sure your keyboard/mouse/other stuff is on a different usb bus than your mixer. That might do the trick; however, according to Leo, this is quite prevalent with USB mic’s and the like.
HTH,
cyan990
On your sound board or in your settings somewhere under sound settings/ mixer, try muting or turning off your stereo mix option. Had this problem on my PC where no one could hear what i was saying because it was really really low and sometimes distorted. Anyway, don’t know why but this seemed to help me. Good luck.
My friend: That sound is classic when an audio amplifier is loosing its power during its work time. I dont think that is a software problem. Do you have the same listening music on the computer? or do you listen the same sound with the microphone directly connected to that computer? I dont know how the audio board is powered, but if the 2 that you have are using an external power supply, maybe there can be the problem.
But, as some people already said, it better to check if its a problem with the computer itself, trying do the same things in another one. Dont worry, I had this kind of strange problems every time, and as stupid as they appear, there is always a solution.
Take care.
Greetings. Here’s a workaround nobody’s mentioned yet:
On your FAQ you mention that your camera is a Panasonic DVX-100. This camera has XLR inputs. Essentially you can use this camera to record audio directly to tape by plugging your XLR mic into it.
Or, if you’d rather not have to deal with extra tape capturing, hook up your camera via firewire to your mac and prepare Final Cut Pro for capturing, only instead of capturing from tape, set your DVX to camera mode and capture your voice in realtime. Set FCP to capture audio only. This will conveniently put your clips into your bin for editing in your timeline.
The problem is the Audio Drivers, try to re-install them or update them, if thats doesn’t work, try your all your audio equipment in another computer, maybe your computer is the problem :S
I hear distortion like this sometimes when recording music and my buffer size is set too low. If you can change the buffer on your soundcard it should help. Im on a Windows PC and have never used a mac but Im guessing it has a setting like this.
Also try using different drivers for your audio recording. On the PC, ASIO4ALL are good generic drivers, not sure if there is an equivalent for macs.
There is one very easy solution to try, plug the audio equipment into a different electrical run. It sounds a lot like a bad ground to an amplifier, the easiest fix is to move the mixer to a different circuit to split the load.
We had a similar problem in our frat house with blowing speakers due to channel noise. We split the load (its an old house) and bam! problem fixed.
That being said, its very possible its either the driver for mac, which is possible due to the sketchy nature mac uses to pass audio. There is a software for mac that allows you to pass audio to a device or output it to a file (the latter being what you need), I don’t remember what it’s called but it bypasses the built in methods which seems to fix a lot of problems.
Probably the voice recording program. Use something more “professional” like Audacity or just by a music mixing program. Check the “drivers” and so on.
Cellphone interference? My TV used to make a weird sound similar to that when a phone call was about to come in on my cellphone. You might be receiving ambient interference.
It has nothing to do with recording audio because i don’t and i have the same problem…
Sometimes i have winamp opened and i’m watching a stream movie on the net (winamp opened but stopped) and that sound happens ( the audio from the streaming movie is unbearable at that point … It surely is digital though, i have creative x-fi titanium connected by optical cable ( dunno if that’s the correct name for it in english ).
So, my guess, after reading FBJON comment, is that having 2 softwares that use the same soundcard and cable to run audio information at the same time is maybe the problem…
The SO is not the problem,working with USB is not the problem either ( that’s just stupid to say it is one ).
So, that’s my 2 cents comment…
And please stop telling James to waste money in stuff he doesn’t need, what he has is more than enough to record what he needs…
Definitely a problem inside your Mac Pro, not outside of it.
That is to say, your equipment is fine. I’ve been doing USB recordings on a Mac Pro for a long time, and as long as your equipment is alright, it’s very possible.
It’s been noted before, but just to amplify it;
Try the buffer setting. It seems your computer somehow can not allocate all the sound information in time.
Increasing the buffersize might not really solve the problem, but just delay it. So if that doesn’t work, maybe the following is true:
Did you upgrade your RAM to a ‘weird’ number? It shouldn’t always be a problem, certainly not on your Mac, but sometimes a weird number like 3GB can cause problems. Also, RAM from different manufacturers can be very painful.
Are you recording on anything higher then 44.1Khz 16-bit (mono)? If so, try downgrading to this minimum.
If that is all not the case, then you might be in tough luck and you don’t have your equipment wired to the ground. But still, you should be able to overcome that problem. Can’t help you on this one though, because this problem is really something mankind should be punished for.
When all else fails, I can only join the line by telling you not to use Quicktime. Although it should be working fine, it’s just a scaled-down recording program, which might not be able to handle your soundboard. Garageband should do the trick, it’s a good start.
Good luck man.
O and…. ehm… maybe you’ll have to dive in Jitter-related problems. It’s a burden, really. I don’t suppose you’re really facing this problem, but are your soundboard and Mac or recordingprogram at the same clockspeed for example?
If not, you’ll have to sync them somehow.
So.
There you go.
I have no idea but if you find something you think solved it, I hope you share the solution with us.
Hi James. Long time fan.
I am a computer tech with 15years exp.
To be honest I don’t think the video gave me enough information to properly diagnose. There are a few steps I want you to attempt to troubleshoot this. It is important to isolate possible issues. So try another recording software other than Quicktime. It is possible it is recording in Quicktime format and the encoding codec is the issue. Try recording in raw WAV format. Also try recording in MP3 or adjusting the settings for AAC recording (thats Quicktime native format). This will isolate if its the Codec. If the problem still remains it can still be many things. Soundcard drivers, recording buffer settings, available ram. It can also be that you may have 2 sound devices now that you have that USB sound mixer. If this is the case try disabling the onboard sound card on your MAC. I have heard similar distortion on people using gaming USB headsets where the headphones install as their own sound device as apposed to connecting in the 2.5mm stereo jacks using the onboard. I would know if that is even an issue if I had the manual for the mixer. Could you please reply with all of the Make and Model numbers of all the devices? The manuals are usually available on the websites. I’ll have a look for ya
From the video it
looks like you have an Alesis Multimix 8 USB. Were your first two
mixers also Alesis?
This particular model does not require software drivers, so any
suggestions to update drivers should be ignored. However, the newer
Alesis Multimix USB 2.0 series models do come with drivers. These
drivers will not work on your mixer. The manual suggests that if you
have a USB hub in between your mixer and your computer that you remove
it and hook it up directly. Not sure if this is the case with your
setup. Also, since your mixer does not require drivers, chances are
there is no control panel where you can adjust settings. However, if
there is one, you can try increasing the buffer size.
One more thing you can try is a piece of software called USB Audio
ASIO driver. It’s actually recommended by Alesis, and is designed for
USB boards like yours to help you get the most of out if when
recording to a computer, like low latency, support for 24-bit, higher
sample rates, etc. Essentially what it does is bypasses your
computer’s built-in audio processing software and substitutes it for
this one which is actually more efficient. It should bypass whatever
in your system is causing the instability. The driver costs 44 euros,
but there’s a demo you can try out to see if it’ll work for you. You
can get it here: https://www.usb-audio.com/
@YOUPEOPLEARECLUELESS,
Dude, relax, most of us are just fans trying to help out. None of us have 150+ years experience like you do. Anybody with puppy shit brains can get on here and ACT smart, but it takes somebody like you that choked on an orange slice for 5 minutes to actually create a new user name just to bitch. Relax, James won’t come and party with you for this.
It’s your bitrate going down. You get the same sound when using skype when the call quality drops significantly.
I’d put it down to USB as although USB 2.0 has a faster transfer rate than Firewire it does not guarantee a transfer rate (unlike firewire). By and large it should be no problem, but you might want to try and see what other USB devices are doing at the same time.
If it’s not that then I would look at the performance of your MAC when recording, although doubtful I’m sure it’s a pretty substantial Mac, it may be suffering to process the information if something else is ticking away in the background.
It’s certainly nothing to do with your equipment until it hits that USB cable.
Hey Jim,
You should have a contest to see which one of these highly detailed solutions is the closest to being right, and then tell who/witch one it is.
I know you’re using a Mac, but a Windows PC will exhibit similar behavior if the hard drive is stuck in PIO transfer mode.
Sound module power management features can also cause problems (entering/exiting power saving mode).
Close other apps that utilize your sound card. If you have too many windows open and they are all simultaneously trying to use the same device, you will run into problems.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Test to see if it is quicktime by using Audacity.
If that doesn’t work it may be a power surge, is the soundboard plugged into a surge protector?
Those are guesses, hope you can fix it
2centsworth tells the truth! Close the other apps that you don’t need during the record. It’s a performance problem.
It is possibly the program’s fault, but you could also try to change your input from usb to the good old audio jack. Try both of them.
Hmm….a good portion of people hear are talking about windows problems, did you guys actually not see that he is clearly using a mac computer, and also mac are great for audio recording if you use the right software, GARAGEBAND is the only audio software needed, I am sorry that windows users can’t enjoy the software as much as mac users.
Your equipment is fine and I’m sure your programs are fine. My only half-asses explanation would be another electronic device is disprupting the input, like a cell phone, CB radio, or some other radio signal. Either that or it’s static building up in the mic or somewhere else, then when you power your shit off and turn it back on the charge is gone and it works fine again. Try grounding the mic, haha. (That probrably wont do shit) I’m not sure how you would go about finding static building up somewhere it shouldn’t be though.
Maybe because of an operating system.Try using Windows.If problem still persists,then it is maybe because of your Mac.Did you try using other PC’s?I suggest that you try with another PC.
Does James actually read this stuff? All of this might be in vain since he was hoping for advice via email.
James, are you there?
I had a problem just like that . I`m a musician and had an PC which did this problem . It is A bug in the in the machine some of the programs are messing with the calculating ,or your sound system is returning some volts in the PC or something like that
. <- I hope You Understand me . I`v ask a friend of mine and that was it . 
or you can buy new sound card . well if not buy new PC because it has defects . I hope your OK soon 
It sounds like a strong EMF interference. I would try turning off your cell phone and check to see if any high energy drawing electric motors are running while you record. most likely a fridge motor or heater/ air conditioner motor could be the problem. you could try to spring for high end shielded wire but if it the USB port it’s self picking up the interference then you would have the your PC to another room and see if that helps. for the most part those unshielded wires are nice antennas. you could try recording at a higher or lower frequency if you can adjust it but but this also depends on how wide the ban of the interference is running. other than that I don’t know what to tell you. it sounds like my speakers right before I get a cell phone call when my cell is in my pocket so I would defiantly say interference from an external source
i’ve emailed James already,
but thought i’d post here as well.
i noticed that the phantom power in ON at the back of the Alesis board.
James,
Look at a recording software that has low-latency audio drivers (ASIO). Also play around with recording buffer size if QT allows you to do that.
It’s like the noise or some kind of interference induction, you should ground all your equipment. Or it’s just a problem with computer ports or maybe there are not enough resources of your computer. I don’t think that problem is with the phantom power.
It sounds like a reverberation, like the signal is bouncing back and forth on itself, maybe like Cyril said, its not grounded properly. Grounding it takes all unnecessary voltages, signals ,etc off, which would ideally only allow necessary signals through.
It’s definatly related to usb bandwidth overload , i get this problem sometimes when i dj using an usb soundcard
basiclaly you should try disconnecting as many usb devices as possible
Quicktime sucks on PC I’m sure it’s not much different on a mac. If mac allows you to, adjust the buffer settings in quicktime. It has something called a “safe mode” on PC try that. I would find some better recording software. Since it’s only voice, lower your bitrate to accomodate usb bandwidth.
“I don’t think that problem is with the phantom power.”
yeah, you’re probably right (even the manual says “unaffected when the power is on”). but i’d still turn it off unless i was using a mic that required it.
about the USB issue, the manual’s trouble shooting says:
“Certain USB chipsets have
design limitations or IRQ
assignment restrictions that
must be resolved before audio
can work correctly on them.
See your USB chipset
documentation for further
information if required.”
IRQs are more an OS problem. This day and age they all have dynamic resourcing / addressing. Basically, if it works at all, it has a working IRQ. It’s definately a Buffer/bandwidth issue. Quicktime is bulky and I bet that board is pushing a high bitrate or uncompressed audio. Quicktime can’t keep up. Lower the quality and up the buffer.
sound card perhaps?
If there is sound and the driver is updated, not likely
The information is coming through as data on usb not analog from a connection on the sound card. Which means data rates pushed through usb bandwidth and not static/interference through analog sound cables and sound card processors.
have you tried other microphones?
As you’ve said you’ve tried other XLR cables but not that you’ve replaced the microphone.
Next time it happens give the microphone a bash and see if it clears it up, if it does there is probably a speck of dust inside the mic where it shouldn’t be, or it was constructed incorrectly.
Cross out the Mic, the XLR cable, and the mixing board. If it was the mic or the XLR cable it would be consistant static. That is all analog. Because that board has USB it has to take the analog signal from the mic and encode it into compressed DATA to push it through the usb. Quicktime has to accept that data at a certain rate. That means transmission speeds and recording rates through memory. I.E. USB bandwidth limitations and buffer memory. Just like streaming video looks choppy through slow internet. Too much high quality audio through slow USB gets you inconsistant static.
There’s two ways to go, either use a mic directly connected to your sound card which puts the data encoding on your much more powerful CPU. Or find a better way to connect that high end analog audio equipment. I’m no audiophile but think more like PCM coaxial to a high end sound card. Something that can hold that level of data transmission.
It’s definitely a buffer underrun. I’ve heard that sound plenty enough to identify it as such. Either find a buffer setting in Quicktime and increase it to > 100ms (or higher, since it doesn’t need to be live) or use other software. Other people have mentioned Audacity, which is a good choice because it’s free. Remember: You don’t have to use it forever. It’s just to find out if Quicktime is hitting a buffer underrun.
It sounds like something cant keep up with the audio stream, most likely the soundcard or USB ports. If the computer is older it might still be running USB 1.0 ports, if so try to upgrade to 2.0, but that’s pretty standard in newer computers so that’s an unlikely. If you want to see if Quicktime is the problem, go get Audacity. You have to find a plugin to save in mp3 but it’s not difficult, it’s free, and it’s a simple program with nice options. If all else fails, look into a new soundcard that can connect directly to your soundboard, or at least has a data transfer option faster than USB, cutting out a middle man should let it process the audio much faster and prevent that distortion as the data overloads.
Sorry for the double post. As others have said, it can also be because the USB bandwidth is too low (probably not if you’re using USB 2.0) to keep up or the board itself isn’t encoding fast enough (not likely, since it’s a professional board). In any case, it’s still a buffer underrun.
Just clarifying. I still suggest that you try Audacity or some other audio recording tool… Preferably one that lets you define the prebuffer size.
i heard that tone once in tv and i know dont know the name of the problem anymore there is a sound effect in audacity that sound exactly same
if you would search for that effect you maybe could fix your problem by research greetz Kaneda
Even USB 2.0 is too slow. Although there are tons of ext. hard drives and other devices, they are designed to run at much lower speeds than any internal bus. Firewire and E sata are faster data options. However, a mic directly connected to the computer is the most simple considering even the cheapest sound card has a DAC on board. However, eliminating Data all together is the best way to go. Upgrade the connection from the board and go into a sound card. That eliminates the need to compress the audio into a data cable in first place.
Hey James, i see you are running tiger. I’ve had problems similar to this before, and what I did was upgrade to leopard. I used to use tiger and I had a problem like this. Eventually I got leopard and everything has been good since. don’t know if this will help at all, but if not, just take it to an apple store and see if they can help.
i have the same problem before at my college what you must do is unplug the machine then plug it back it and do a test
I’ve ran into a similar problem, this was on PC mind you but I found that the PSU can cause interference sometimes depending on how close the cables are to it.
also I use Audicity for my voice recordings, it very well could be quicktime itself (hates quicktime)
Hey James- I know what your problem is. It is interference from a cellular device, such as a cell phone or a GPS. When you record make sure that your phone is turned off or not with you. I hope that solves your problem.
I know it sounds obvious but it could be feedback or something to do with the monitoring in quicktime.Have you tried using sound forge? its a great program for audio.you can record directly to it,or you can record on to another audio device(mp3 player,Mini-disc player etc) then upload it to SoundForge and edit it.also Sony Vegas is a similar program but you can also edit video with it.
its your cell phone
On a side note: Make sure all your stuff is grounded.
I’m not sure if your microphone needs phantom power, but the audio sounds like a phantom powered mic losing its power.
OK, i created a account just for this post…
But as a fan, i should have done long time ago, anyway…
Please excuse my lack of english, it’s just what i learnd at school.
As that sound isn’t permanently present, i don’t think it is something like a ground loop, something that has to do with the way, you plugged the devices into sockets.
I woult try these things:
1) At first, update your audio drivers. If you have a consumer-/onboard-/gamer-soundcard, go to
http://www.asio4all.com/ and get the asio4all-soundcard driver.
2) If your cutting-programm/audio- or video-editing programm has a option, where you can controll the audio-buffer, set them to a higher sample-number, try the highest, latency shouldn’t matter for you anyway…
3) If you have got a external soundcard, that goes via usb, check, wether the “usb-channel” is being used by other devices. If so, try to use only your soundcard.
Hope that helped…
I personally really think, your soundcard has a problem with the audio-buffer/latency…
Hope you get that problem solved.
But look, what a fanbase! Man, as you can see, we really don’t want your output to suffer from any technical problems
Tschüss und viele Grüße aus Deutschland…
I had this in the past with 2 different solutions.
First it was my cell phone causing interference because it was to close to my audio equipment. Second, get yourself a Monster-Power Strip and Surge Protector. This will keep a steady power flow and rid these horrible power spikes that cause this. Hope this helps and keep rocking in the free world.
Don
James,
It seems as though it could be a number of things. First off, I’ve had this exact same problem, albeit on a different computer (and OS as well). I had an old Sound Blaster laptop card that would screw up when I tried to activate its native mode of 24-bit / 96khz. As long as it was set to its basic mode of 16 bit, it was good to go. The reasoning behind this was power consumption and the card slot’s bandwidth. In essence, it sounds like one of two things is happening.
1.) You are underpowering your audio board. If it is powered solely through USB, this may be true. If it has its own AC adapter, this will more than likely not be the problem.
2.) Your USB ports are all being used, and the bandwidth available is too narrow. From the sounds of it in this video, and how it looked, you’ve got a lot of stuff packed onto that Mac Pro. Perhaps disconnecting things that use a lot of data during the recording might help?
2b.) If you’re recording at a high bitrate, I’d suggest lowering it. If anything, close any other open programs. If you’re viewing video straight off your camera via USB and recording via USB, that will be bound to cause conflicts.
Are these the absolute ways to fix it? Probably not, but it helped me out. I’ve heard that sound before, and like I said, it was the exact same sound (the crackly, looped sound) that would appear any time my Sound Blaster card was upped in sound quality.
In essence, unplug anything that’s not needed during recording, and close anything else while recording. You can narrow things down substantially when you do that.
I can almost guarantee it’s not a software issue, as you’re just recording sound, so if it’s not a bandwidth or power draw issue, I don’t know what to tell ya man.
Good luck!!
James, I have had that issue before, I tried new sound card drivers and that didn’t fix it.. ended up getting a new sound card.
So, try a new sound card…. good luck!
You should try Garageband. I don’t own a Mac, but at my school we use them for podcasts with headphones with mics in them, and Garageband, the software we use, never does that.
James although the problem could likely be the drivers I would say its a build up of static on your sound card itself.I would purchase a new external sound card, they aren’t too expensive and would greatly improve you sound quality.Also I would suggest you upgrade to a new program which would give you better options. Audacity is a great free program. but I would recommend you go ahead and get a copy of adobe audition, its the best program for recording audio out there, although garageband is another option(although not as good) at about a quarter of the price.
CJ
Senior Theater production Major at the University of Delaware, With a concentration on lights, sound, and properties.
With
its all right james. i havent had that problem but i have 2 solutions for you. ok the first one is that, thats a lot of jucie going though the usb port. and the other ( the one i think it probs is) is the sound chip make sure that on the recommended section on the back of the sound board package. it should say what you need for the sound chip
I really have no idea what that would be, I would recommend a very easy sound recorder but it looks like you have a mac and i use windows. I’m glad this doesn’t stop your reviews. Good luck with finding a solution
Hi James,
I have worked for a number of companies in the past and I have to incline myself to your appeal for help.
The BEST advice I can tell you is “LESSER the BETTER” and “The quicker the path is the safer path”.
Be smart and connect your USB connection to the BACK of your computer. When you connect it to the back it is usually to the main board and this is important when dealing with products with a heavy load. The FRONT should only be used for mice and the sort.
Now for my main objection with your set-up I would recommend ditching the mixing board. Its nice and I see that it is compatible but understand that a Direct connection is usually better as opposed to a filtered connection. If your going to FILTER, USE a PROGRAM like someone mentioned above named Audacity or Garageband. BUT when using the mic make sure you use a DIRECT CONNECTION to a suitable SOUNDCARD with a 1/4″ DIRECT MIC input.
Ram is always good as well as having other programs shut down.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If all this is too much to read just use this…its very effective and will solve all problems in a weeks time upon delivery.
http://www.samsontech.com/products/productpage.cfm?prodID=1916&brandID=4
Cheers
Never had that problem, make sure power cords are not running parallel with the data cords, no unshielded speakers near by, no florescent lights within 16 inches of the cables, and maybe change out the software, sound like you’ve changed everything else. http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
Oh yeah, if your using a power strip on your mixer…DITCH IT.
Lol, fail, i sent you an email with all the possible solutions I could think of.
Hi, I have been recoding audio for a few years and I have experienced that same noise many times. It usually means that your audio driver is overloaded and needs to be reset. I use a program called Nuendo and when this happens I have to reset the ASIO driver in the program. I am not sure how to do this in Quick Time but there must be a way. If not you should look into getting a better recoding program like Apple Logic, Cubase, or even Cakewalk just to get you started. Hope this helps.
Nevermind all this bullshit. There’s no such thing as an overloaded driver. If he’s experienced that same noise many times, he should probably record audio for a few more years. See my above posts for the right answer.
Hi,
as mentioned it could be a latency problem. Though it wouldn’t really explain why the noise doesn’t happen all the time. It’s possible that it’s a problem with feedback. Quite often there is a burst of distortion with feedback that is unexpected.
I would recommend checking the buffer stream to make sure there is a steady buffer.
Also check for any environmental factors that may affect the recording process. I.e. how soundproof is the room? if there are external factors such as low hums they will effect what you’re doing.
The other possibility is the filter that’s being used for the mike. Think about upgrading to a better filter.
And also as has been previously mentioned, think about upgrading the equipment and program you’re using.
Keep up the good work
You know whats bullshit?!? This could have been a “you know whats bulllshit?!?” episode but nooooooooo. I wish i could help you with this problem. Keep up the videos and please use more profanities in your AVGN videos.
I have had this problem as well. I ended up using the program on my mac GarageBand. It has a section where you can play the video and do the voice over and i have yet to have the static voice come through. Keep up the GREAT WORK !!! love your videos and always look forward to the next one
I have to laugh at the people saying the problem is that you’re using a Macintosh. Yeah, the computer that pioneered computer audio, the computer that gives you the soundcard for free when you buy it, that must be the problem.
My 2 cents will probably match up with several others here. Stop using Quicktime for recording. There are several freeware and shareware audio applications OS X friendly to test out. Audacity is my audio editing program of choice, it’s what I recommend, and it has the ability to record from different sources. The best part about it, you don’t need to have the x11 environment installed to use it. If your computer came with GarageBand, I’d say try it, but since mine didn’t, I have no personal experience with it.
The only time I’ve experienced a similar sound is back when I was using a Performa 6200, and I was playing a sound file, when a Type 11 error happened. The distortion happened before the sound just completely cut off.
I have the same exact issue! Randomly sound will distort and sound exactly like that and it is screwed up until I restart. I know my issue is the sound card. I know this because it never happened before I upgraded my sound card and after I installed it, it started happening. I haven’t been able to find a solution other than restarting either sadly. If you have a Creative Audigy sound card in that computer that most likely is the culprit, James. I’m now going to read through all the posts hoping someone has a solution other than replacing the card as I can’t afford that :\
Hey I had something like that happen before and I’m pretty sure it was the software. So either update the software, try another sound card (so it has different drivers), reinstall windows or flat out try another computer. Good luck
Yeah I’ve seen this – or rather heard this problem alot. It is definitely either a bad audio driver or undersized buffer memory error. Your last option should be the actual sound card. But my money is on the audio drivers.
I get something similar to that when i have too many electronics around on at the same time.
I suggest turning off everything around it, including cell phones.
Love your vids bro.
Loving the clips!
Unfortunatly I have zero experience with sound recording technology, aside from knowing that if the volume is too high, you get distortion. What I do know is James, even when you make a video pleading for help, you still make it pretty entertaining.
I am always reluctant to recommend software…btu for all the eiditing you do….some version of SONAR has gotta be goood for you…saw a Pro Tools recommendation..but that is much too high end and can often require outboard gear…SONAR my man…Cakewalk
Very cool turnout on this regarding your Question James!
As always, its surprising to see how supportive and helpful your loyal fan base can be!
Everyone has their own opinions on this issue,
and everyone has their own similar recording difficulties. If there is one frustration that every self recording author comes across- it has got to be how many different difficulties can arise from trying to record something!
Both Re-Member and GADBabaganoosh where on the right track as to why you are coming across this strange distortion.
The truth is, the system needs to be grounded. Electrical currents tend to not effect a system, especially one intended for smaller professional products, however, depending on the exact layout of your Mic, Mixer, and Desktop, electrical currents can react negatively with one another as each part of your system tries to dissipate it’s static electricity.
Most of the time, Static electricity is dissipated by following the shortest path that it can find, either through an electric cord or a grounding cable. In the case of your system, The static electricity is being discharged by following your audio cable to your computer, through the line out/in from mixer to sound card. This is not the proper way your system should be dissipating this current. As you have probably noticed, if you do not use the mixer, the distortion does not happen. This is because the grounding issue only arises when your setup is somewhat complicated, i.e. Microphone-mixer-soundcard.
The solution for fixing the grounding issue is extremely simple. I will outline it in a couple steps:
1. find screws on your mixer and desktop computer that you could wrap a speaker wire around. Loosen these screws.
2. Use a pair of diagonal cutters to cut off the ends of some speaker cable. Make 2 separate lengths of cable and wrap one end of each cable around your loosened screws, then snug the screws up so the speaker cables are held firmly in place.
3. Wrap the other ends of your speaker wire around something nearby and metal- the leg of a folding table would do nicely. The static electricity that is building up will follow the shortest path to the ground, so to make sure it uses the speaker wire you need to use shorter lengths of cable than your sound system uses.
Notes: The Microphone does not need to be grounded, it does not pass enough voltage.
The D/C power of a computer and A/C power of any devices do not mix well with each other. Electronic keyboards sometimes suffer from distortion from static electricity buildup when connected to PCs.
Speaker wire does not have to be used. You could just as easily use coaxial cable, a coat hanger (must scrape of paint) or an old electrical cable. It just has to be a metal to metal connection.
That should fix it! Cheers!
-Carson
BTW…this is almost always a driver OS issue. What sound hardware are you using…then I can investigate….and i will.
Is this guy with the grounding issues serious??? LMFAO
It’s definitely not a hardware issue. You get the problem when you have a resource issue. that’s why it’s sporadic, your MAC does different shit at different times and sometimes, especially when it is doing scheduled tasks will do them a lot, thus the reason when you reboot it works and sometimes it coninues to have a problem. So make sure you are using a dedicated device, (PC or MAC) with a great sound card and better software and you should be fine.
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“I have to laugh at the people saying the problem is that you’re using a Macintosh. Yeah, the computer that pioneered computer audio, the computer that gives you the soundcard for free when you buy it, that must be the problem.”
LoL pioneered computer audio? You are kidding me… Pro Tools has been around for PC forever, and PC’s have been including you “soundcards” since the dawn of time. Otherwise Macs have been a one horse software/hardware show since its inception (and it still continues to this day).
I know it’s stupid to blame on owning a mac, it’s most likely something to do with the drivers or USB buffer. USB can get ugly at times. But don’t pretend Mac is the innovator of the digital audio universe, they haven’t done anything special for computing since the early 80’s except marketing.
Do you look at Asian porn before or after doing editing work? That always causes an issue.
It’s a chi to yin/yang problem, with sprinkles of feng shui. Big audio problem, usually listening to “Peaches en Regalia” helps.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HK6tciDAJU
All the steps to problem solve are just as I would have done. My only hesitation with full on saying it’s a sound card or driver problem is that you stated switching the mixer on and off sometimes stops it. However, this could be just a fluke and it just so happened to stop after turning off the mixer. Electrical interference could be a cause, but I feel you’d watch out for such situations. But just to point out, I can leave my cell phone on my half stack and it causes random noises through my amp… especially when it’s in my front pocket, right on the hip my guitar rests when I’m playing it. Good Luck.
-KiD
I cant be assed to read through 150 posts to see if this issue has been fixed or my ideas suggested, though ive had problems in the past when it comes to audio with cross talk between wires from certain power outlets in my house.
Havent experienced the stactic crackle much, though would get an annoying hum with a home threatre sound system plugged into a spare computer.
Changing wall outlets got rid of the cross talk issues i was having completely, though ensuring all your cables arent wrapped together is also suppose to reduce crosstalk issues.
Good luck with fixing it anyway.
You said these problems have been going on for about three years. Have you been using the same computer for the past three years. Is it a Power PC Mac or an Intel based Mac? I couldn’t really tell from the pictures. If your software and your hardware has not changed in the past several years then that would be my first step.
Based on the Castlevania clip it sounds like a feedback loop that builds with increasing static. As far as the computer being grounded it already is. That’s the point of a three prong plug. The third is the ground. The metal case acts in the same manner as a car would.
If your recording equipment power cord is a two prong then it has a floating point ground and it could be causing the feedback loop through the USB. I’ve had similar issues with connecting a floating ground device into a grounded device. Think of record players. There is usually a ground screw to connect to the amp in order to prevent a feedback loop. The problem would be intermittent because the static charge that causes this loop would increase or decrease based on usage, humidity and heat.
Try grounding your soundboard to your Mac’s frame (any piece of significant metal on either) with a simple piece of wiring. See if this fixes the problem.
If you are using the on-board audio in your Mac try using a aftermarket audio-card. The interior of a computer case has high levels of electronic interference and using on-board sound multiplies this issue because it can cause the board to act like a antenna. Aftermarket cards cushion this by being on a separate discrete channel (PCI) usually away from the most harmful components leeching EM interference. My $.02.
Checklist I’d follow:
-Software problem (reinstall quicktime or try new program)
-Software conflict (clashing with other sound program or device)
-Driver problem (check driver signing and update)
-Sound card problem (try different one)
-Cable shielding issue w/ interference.
I think this are the most likely causes since you’ve gone to great lengths to rule out most hardware issues. I’m not a mac user, but the above things listed are pretty universal with all computers.
Btw, congratulations on having the nerve to put up with the problem so long. I guess playing all those shitty games has given you great patience and nerves of steel. If it were me, I’d have destroyed the system by now. Ain’t technology great?
I know you have a lot of suggestions here, many of which conflict. I just wanted to add that it sounds like my friends wireless headset when he gets too far from the PC. I think its a data transfer issue. Especially considering that when you restart your computer it resolves the problem. Does your computer have a firewire option?
I am on a mac. Xeon Mac Pro. Yet your using more equipment than I am. The distortion sounds like what i’m having a problem with. CFLs and their hertz heard into my mic. Yet the echo problem.. I don’t know. A simple move the mic in another room during record could help that thought. Some questions.
Is it usually long into a recording you get these issues? Quicktime Player, even pro is considered a fast quick dirty player / creator. QT X has no preferences, 7 has nothing about buffers.
Are you on Snow Leopard yet? I am a month in and having zero issue (10.6.2). Also the audio layer (Core Audio) long with 90% of the OS has had an overhaul. Could remedy the situation.
If your using a mixer like others said firewire is still king for the mac side (and audio industry). USB doesn’t have true dedicated channels for highly intensive equipment (video, audio, fast rpm HDDs, etc). Any good mixer has both ports. Will probably need a FW 800 -> 400 adapter, not that expensive.
Also look into Aggregated Devices in Audio MIDI setup (Application -> Utilites Folder). It does 2 things for you. Aggregate devices can combine sources and make a virtual input in a sense. Now that doesn’t help here but it also makes OS X have the source be of more importance. It means an even lower latency as its priority is upped. Even things like resample can take all sources in the aggregate device and resample them with little lag (3 USB mics resample to 44.1khz *best for FC*) and with this Mac Pro all synced 4-5ms lag to Adobe Soundbooth CS4 for me.
I know this a handful, I hope it helps. I felt bad for when people say “reinstall the sound card drivers”. Umm if your running a mac, its either OS X’s way or no way. Also audacity is shit right now in OS X. Horrible gui, doesn’t keep up. Some of its transcoding is not taking advantage of Intel arch (SSE3, Multi-Core, etc.)
Best of luck
Cheers,
Bradley W.
I registered just to comment on this.
I’ve had the exact same problem recording in the past with various USB audio controllers.
Basically this behavior comes down to two problems: Bandwidth and Power.
The USB controller on your computer can only supply a finite amount of both. I noticed that your USB ports are completely loaded on the back of your computer. It is very likely that you are running into a bottleneck with one or both.
There are ways you can diagnose exactly how much wattage your USB devices are eating, as well as bandwidth, however I am unfamiliar with tools on MacOS to do this, sorry.
I have a few suggestions to try to narrow this problem down.
First, get rid of everything that’s plugging into USB. Use the bare minimum: Keyboard, mouse, and audio controller. If you are unable to reproduce the problem with this configuration, then you need to start experimenting with practical solutions.
Power: A great way to alleviate a power bottleneck is to use a powered USB hub. Plug everything in to this that does not require high performance, such as mouse, keyboard, printers, USB coffee warmers, USB microwaves, etc. I don’t recommend plugging your audio controller into a hub, because it will share bandwidth with everything else over the single uplink cable.
Bandwidth: The ultimate solution is to buy a new USB (PCI or PCI-X) controller. Plug only your audio controller/mixer into it. Beware, some configurations only allow you to use a single USB controller at a time, so do your homework before you buy. Alternatively, some PC’s actually have multiple USB channels. Do some research and see if you can figure which ports go to which channel. Sometimes the front ports are on their own channel. You might be able to find some way to keep the audio controller on its own channel.
My own personal opinion is that USB is a terrible interface for audio. I much prefer Firewire or PCI solutions because they tend to offer lower latency and higher bandwidth compared to USB. The problem is made worse when you have a zillion USB accessories sharing the same damn bus.
Hope this helps,
-a
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Being A Mac guy since 1994, and also a recording musician using only my mac, I can try to give some pointers. The sound you hear is clearly digital in nature, so its not in your analog line. (IE your mic and XLR) Sounds like a buffer issue, I sampled your video into a sound wave. Looking at the sound wave for the issue, Somewhere in the chain, its dropping samples. So you get part a wave then silence, then a little more of the wave the a moment of silence. That will give a very harsh crackle that you hear. Analog noise will be spikes in the wave, yet still be one continuous wave. I have had that exact problem you are experiencing before with my old PPC mac and my M-Audio mobile pre when I was using apples driver for it. The fix was to use M-Audio drivers. Now in your case, I don’t know if your device has drivers. I also was using gargeband and not quicktime. Try opening the audio and midi utility in the utilities folder, select the soundboard on the left (this is all snow leopard, but leopard should be the same if your using that, at least) Change the recoding format to 44100.0Hz and 2 channel 16bit. Thats CD quality sound. If that doesn’t work, try a higher bit rate recording or sample rate recording, to natively match the devices highest settings so the OS desont have to dither out the audio as it records. I have no idea if this will work. Never had an issue with recording at non native setting on any audio device
You can ignore all the IRQ and sound card driver stuff people are saying here. In Mac OSX, every audio device acts as its own sound card and macs will pretty much run any sound device without any drivers.
Try another recording app. Garageband is nice and easy, plus you can add sound effects to your voice like echo and stuff. You should also be able to record directly into final cut I believe as well, never used it. If all else fails, My recommendation, I know you’ll hate me, is to reinstall the OS and see if that clears up any issues. Yes, even i Mac world, reinstalling the OS is sometimes the solution. In fact i just did it couple weeks ago. If you do an “archive and reinstall” It will move your old system folder aside and make a whole new one, but leaving all your data intact. You might have to reinstall some software drivers.
Give me email (if you have it under my registration) if you feel i can be of any help.
Being A Mac guy since 1994, and also a recording musician using only my mac, I can try to give some pointers. The sound you hear is clearly digital in nature, so its not in your analog line. (IE your mic and XLR) Sounds like a buffer issue, I sampled your video into a sound wave. Looking at the sound wave for the issue, Somewhere in the chain, its dropping samples. So you get part a wave then silence, then a little more of the wave the a moment of silence. That will give a very harsh crackle that you hear. Analog noise will be spikes in the wave, yet still be one continuous wave. I have had that exact problem you are experiencing before with my old PPC mac and my M-Audio mobile pre when I was using apples driver for it. The fix was to use M-Audio drivers. Now in your case, I don’t know if your device has drivers. I also was using gargeband and not quicktime. Try opening the audio and midi utility in the utilities folder, select the soundboard on the left (this is all snow leopard, but leopard should be the same if your using that, at least) Change the recoding format to 44100.0Hz and 2 channel 16bit. Thats CD quality sound. If that doesn’t work, try a higher bit rate recording or sample rate recording, to natively match the devices highest settings so the OS desont have to dither out the audio as it records. I have no idea if this will work. Never had an issue with recording at non native setting on any audio device
Well.. it may be cool to have lots of comments like James has had but it must be a nightmare to go trough all with a lot non-helping comments, as I stated before ITS NOT THE ANALOG COMPONENTS FAULT, the analog parts can’t repeat things like the audio example, then there are nonsense comments… using a USB mic? oh yeah.. I’ve always thougt the same.. why so much equipment in a concert? they could do with one billion boomboxes just fine, the board has a MIC PREAMP, you can’t have the same quality with those Mic toys that connect to the USB port directly, those are just that.. TOYS.
Second point.. he is not using his soundcard to record, his mixer has an internal soundcard and that’s what he is using to record.
On a side note James, I remember that when those mixers came out I was crazy about them.. I was like.. oh.. cool a mixer with an integrated audio interface.. but a lot of people told me that they had a lot of problems so I stayed with my trusty MOTU interface and an analog mixer as I said before, first try recording with Audacity (someone put the link in the comments) then if you have the same problem try using a Firewire device instead (and try not buying the same mixer with Firewire, it may be a problem with those mixers)
Neverind about the lack of spikes in the audio, They are there, just didn’t look far enough to see them. I still see it as a digital problem and not an analog one as I had the exact issue when using apples driver that they included with 10.5 after i realized 10.5 disabled M-adios old driver on my mobile pre. Since then I’Ve gotten rid of my old PPC g4 tower and now using a mac pro, but I am still using M-audios driver, so I have no idea if the problem still exists.
Hi, I’m actually studying to become an audiotechnician and I know the problem you have. Unfortunately I don’t have a streight answer.
In my opinnion it’s something to do with the actual mac hardware. I encountered the same problem with a mac with a digidesign soundcard (Mbox 2) about a week ago when I was just doing some basic stuff. The mac had been on for ages and just before it was under alot of stress. My best guess would be that the internal memory is running low and somehow it glitches mac OS X. The only sollution I found was to boot up the machine.
When you record you shouldn’t have too much programs on in the background. Have you tried shutting some down? Soundrecording is a tough task for some computers so you should have lots of RAM on your computer. I recomend atleast 4gigs. I saw you have Final Cut as your videoediting program and it’s also a monster program to run. Try shutting it of when you record.
Hope this helps!
James, you aren’t the only one with the problem!
PS: There are so many comments here and I’m at school now so I didn’t have time to read them all, sorry
I have had this happen before, it may or may not be related to the same thing. But my problem was with the boiler in the house firing up and if there is no surpressor it causes interference with all things, for me it affected my tv signal, speakers, and recording from my mic. If you could test recording voice in another location and it still happened then that would completly end my theory.
I have also experienced something similar working on a few of my projects for school. Trust me, man, I feel your pain in this situation. And it is especially frustrating when you’re a perfectionist and a stickler for detail, regardless of how mundane.
I’ve been reading through all the posts here and I have to say, everyone here seems to be as tech-minded as I am. They all present sound theories (no pun intended) and any one (or a combination of several) could be related to the technical difficulties you’ve been experiencing (if not the sole cause altogether).
Admittedly, I am not a Mac user. I only ever owned one my entire life and while I was very impressed with its performance, if something goes bad it’s like trying to find replacement parts for a high-end exotic automobile. However, that is the beauty of Macs, very seldom (at least among the many Mac users I know) is there a major operational issue.
Back to your problem–I’m as stumped as you. If I were in your place (I’d be a lot fucking cooler, I know that), I’d consider heeding the advice of the people who posted their theories here for you. Try out a few of the solutions that have been offered here and see where that gets you. I know that one major issue for me is that every time I went to record something, I had the rotten luck of always–ALWAYS–having my work station set-up right by, underneath, or in front of an air vent. That will definitely cause some major distortion. Especially if you’re using a really sensitive mic or audio input device.
Only other piece of advice I can drop on you is to possibly have it checked out by a professional. Yeah, it’s a pain in the ass and yeah it can be costly–but there’s no price too high to preserve one’s own sanity (or what remains of it).
Regardless, my personal opinion is that all of your productions are pure genius. Every video you post here on your site (regardless of run-time) is of the highest quality both from the production end and the entertainment end. And now knowing that you’ve given us so much content over the past few years while enduring such technical difficulties–well, let’s just say that my appreciation of all your work and dedication has transcended to an entirely new level; both as a fan and someone who shares the same passion.
If all else fails, you could try getting your rig exorcised. And if demonic possession is the case, then ask yourself this: W.W.S.M.D.C.D.?
Could be the buffer, or a resource problem, or electrical interference. Either that or your sound card isn’t up to par.
Sounds like some kind of interference from some electro-magnetic field. Have you checked if there is some other gadget in the room transmitting strong electro-magnetic waves (a radio or microwave oven)? Maybe it’s even the power supply itself? Try to move your equipment away from the wall. It might be cables in the wall disturbing your equipment? It’s some wild guesses, but it’s maybe of some help.
Maybe your RAM gets overloaded and computer is starting to use swap and sound distorts at that point..
I’m clueless about your problem, but the video was fun to watch.
There really isn’t anything embarassing about sharing issues with your fans. Actually, it’s one of the reasons you’re so popular: You respect and are close to us!
Cinemassacre 200 was an awesome short! Film making is like making a puzzle. Every little part needs to be perfect and it often times requires thinking outside the box to get things done.
I can’t imagine how this issue must have been annoying during Cinemassacre’s Monster Madness. I shiver just thinking about it.
Try increasing the audio latency in preferences, should solve the problem.
Have you tried all your equipment on another mac? or even a PC?
Also, you should try hooking up the sound board with another cable, not USB, but a minijack of some sorts to the microphone input.
I’m pretty sure QuickTime screws around when using ASIO. I talked to some Renoise musicians, and they claimed they had the same problem. Try using something else than the QuickTime tools.
A lot of people here mentioned using a too small of an audio buffer, but that would not explain the echo-effect. And does not make sense when using ASIO, as there isn’t any buffering
James,
Sounds like you got a lot of great answers on here. My suggestion would be to try a new software something free as you said you only use Quicktime. My first rule as a IT is to try and troubleshoot all the free solutions first. Changing the sound board would have been the last thing on my list as i can imagine it’s pretty expensive (unless you still had time to exchange it).
And please do not feel embarrassed to express any troubleshooting problems you may have that you cant find the answers to. Your entire fan base has a lot of computer background and can help you out when you need it. Use your resources! We are all happy to help. ^_^
Oops forgot to say, keep us in the loop, let us know if any of our answers work. Oh, did you try asking the Screwattack crew if they have a solution to your problem? I bet they would be more than happy to help you out.
I’ve got the same problem with the audio… once in a while I’m on internet and SUDDENLY the SLOF (Shit Load Of F**k) sound.
And, somehow, just by logging out and back in, it dissapears. Well it get fixed even BEFORE the log off sound. This is probably due to the motherboard, or the drivers, or my old machine…or maybe some problems with flash. Because it append when I watch a movie or play a flash game.
hope it helps…
As far as i can see, you could have some of these problems.
- Drivers: Make sure that you update your drivers often, cause’ they repair programs and runs them proberbly.
- Cables: Maybe youve tested 2 already, but if some of them are old, they can get cracky. Im a singer, so i know what im talking about.
- Sensetivity: Maybe it has something to do with the way you have equalized it. Mic’s are very sensetive, because of the vibrations.
- Programs: I record my music with audacity and have NO problems at all! Its a sweet program. Its easy to use. Just press record, and there you go.
Lots of greetings from denmark, hope you fix your shit. Looking forward for videos! Keep up the good work, James!
Forgot to say, Try using MIDI cables instead. They are QUALITY besides USB and Jacksticks and so on.
Try a power conditioner. furman makes a good one. the fact that restarting your board or comouter fixes the problem temporarily makes me think it could be a power problem.
and im sure you thought of this, but just in case you havent, try keeping your wires seperated, if you dont already. it doesnt always happen, but if too many wires are too close together, stuff starts to happen.
Try another recording program, to see if the problem re-creates itself.
Could be indeed EMI (ElectroMagneticInterference)
EMI, can be caused for example by a microwave. Sinds the sound disrupting isnt always happening, EMI can be fixed by better shielding of your wires.
If you’ve made it through all these comments James.. by now you realize that every single part of your setup is broken
My advice? I read some good comments about trying to get the USB thingie (not an audio expert) on its own powered hub.
I also think you should try this setup on another computer to see if you can reproduce it. My first thought watching your video was “what if the computer is causing the problem?”
I’ve had my fair share of odd issues too! My computer used to restart every time my flash drive made ‘contact’ with the USB port
hey james,
i didnt go through all the comments but this sounds like a driver problem. i dont know how to tweak it on the mac but on the pc you can mostly open a “panel” whithin the audio preferences of your recording software, where you can set higher buffer values or higher latency values in “ms” – what solved the problem for me. maybe theres also an alternate asio driver for the mac. good luck and keep up the good work.
Are you running a low latency kernel? I believe Darwin has the settings if you are willing to recompile. It isn’t as intimidating as it sounds, hehe…
I’m pretty sure someone’s said this already, and I admit, I’m probably the last person who would know anything about a soundboard, but sometimes the suggestions given from a person with practically no knowledge whatsoever can be quite useful.
Maybe it’s the Sound card inside the Macintosh, it could be deteriorating, or a driver problem even.
Is the Alesis mixer that you use the newer or older version of the mixer? Only reason I ask is because the old one used USB 1.1, whereas the newer one (that’s touted as being the Multimix 8 USB 2.0) obviously uses 2.0. It still could be the mixer, but more that model of mixer as opposed to a defect in your actual unit.
I have had similar issues with my M-Audio MobilePre, and it’s just a matter of them trying to cram a lot of data down the USB 1.1 pipe. They use fairly creative ways to do this. That said, much like yourself, anything that resets the USB connection to the computer (whether it be unplugging the unit and plugging it back in, or power cycling the computer… etc.) will fix it for an indefinite period of time. Since my preamp is also bus-powered completely, I occasionally get it worse than you do, but most of the time I don’t get it at all.
My recommendation would be to use the tape outs on the board with an RCA-to-1/8″ TRS adapter, then plug that directly into the line-in of your computer and use that for recording. Completely disregard the USB for now.
If it still does it, then it’s definitely something else, but definitely something in the department of bandwidth for the data. Could be soundcard buffer sizes or a number of other things, but due to my experiences with the MobilePre (which I still like as a small kick-around type piece of gear) my first thought was the USB.
Here are some things you should be doing:
If you have a wifi card, disable it before recording. I know this sounds trite but every manual I’ve ever read on home recording says to do this. Sometimes other wireless devices like phones effect speakers/mics/signals in odd ways, so try to keep them away as well. Your problem could really be as simple as this.
Never record audio to the same hard drive your OS/Recording software is running off of. In other words, record audio to a firewire or USB 2.0 7200 rpm hard drive.
As far as further troubleshooting this, I’d first try better recording software. Audacity is free and pretty popular. I think that Alesis you have comes with Cubase. Try that out or whatever software came with it. It will be way more robust than quicktime.
The next probable culprit would be your sound card and it’s drivers. The setup looks like you are monitoring your audio files through your sound card. It’s probably interfering with the Alesis’s recording interface. You should really be using your interface for this.
For the amount of recording you do, you should invest in some studio monitors. This way you can disable your mac’s sound card and directly monitor your audio through the Alesis interface, which is what it’s designed for. The sound card in your computer isn’t.
In short: Install recording software packaged with the Alesis. Hook up the Alesis to some ACTIVE studio monitors… a stereo receiver’s aux input and some speakers could be used in a pinch. Disable your mac’s sound card and all wifi adapters…. Open program + set it use the Alesis interface for both recording and monitoring.
Also, take another look at the Alesis’s manual. It should give you a good step by step on how to configure the packaged software with the interface.
Here’s a great reference website: http://www.homerecordingtips.org/
Best of luck. I really hope this helps. I know this seems a bit long winded. Recording is a pain in the ass and a lot of unexpected and frustrating issues happen, but once you get a proper set up life becomes so much easier.
I should add, looking at the comments above, it’s definitely not EQ, definitely not a cable issue (it would have dropped off in volume dramatically as well and would not have had the echo as it did a few times… which leads me to believe it’s the software trying to “catch up” with the sound, or the USB interface itself trying to catch up), and probably not EMI but I have little experience with that – either way, if it stops when you power-cycle the board, it’s not because someone is trying to microwave burritos right next to you while you’re recording.
It COULD be Quicktime, depending on how it handles resources, and COULD be a soundcard buffer issue. It would likely be fixed by upgrading to a USB 2.0 or Firewire interface, or by pretty much telling it to give you as much latency as possible in whatever settings panel you can find. Latency = buffering time. You’re experiencing the audio recording equivalent of a buffer under-run error that used to plague all computer users when burning CDs…
Anyway, I registered mainly to post about this since I do audio for TV professionally and do quite a bit of music recording, etc.
Wi-fi and cell phone interference sounds much different than that – it wouldn’t distort the sound so much as add its own flavors to it – in the case of wi-fi it’d be a “tick-tick-tick-tick” type of sound, whereas cell phones it’s usually a “tick tick-tick-tick tick” type of sound whenever it contacts the cell tower… 3G doesn’t seem to have this problem though, only older cell phones.
I agree with TimLyons’s 4:33 post, especially paragraph 2.
Hmm… I had a similiar problem that turned out to be a related too two(2) things. First there was interference coming in on the AC outlet. This would cause havoc on my soundboard’s filtering which was the second affected device. When you restart the sound board, it restarts the filters(which are usually Op-Amps) allowing them to become unsaturated. Interference can cause spikes in the sound waves going in to the filters, this saturates them inducing distortion until cleared.
To fix this problem I simply bought an isolation transformer to put in between my soundboard and the outlet. This prevents interference on the AC powerlines from saturating your filters in the Sound Board.
This may or may not be the cause, Usually you can get an isolation transformer cheap if its just for a couple amps(I doubt your sound board takes anymore than mine(2.8A) If you cant find one cheap, another possibility is to use a Variac. You should be able to barrow one from someone to test it. Simply leave it set to 110~120V and plug your soundboard into it.
Good luck and I hope you find a resolution to this problem. Peace
Might be a bug in Quictime or the interaction between the soundboard and Quicktime. Have you tried using some other software to record the voiceovers? If yes then do these programs exibit the same problem?
If you’we already got a licence to Pro Tools or some other more hi-end software like that I’d recommend trying it. If you don’t have anything like that from before I’d try using Audio Hijack Pro first, it’s pretty easy to use. The only problem is that it only allows you to record for 10 minutes with the trial version, but the full version is just $32 so it’s not a too big investment.
Try using another computer. If it’s not that then I don’t what else you can do.
maybe this is why AVGN vids come out every 2 weeks.
maybe you need a new sound card or something, your windows computer does seem pretty dated, or maybe you need to reinstall quicktime or something else that could be causing this “shit sound” that keeps going on.
sry i meant new computer, but the sound card could work too.
It seems like interference from the components in the machine and in the cables, it would still remain with other cables also.
Don’t listen to these immature people tell you about how bad it is to use Mac, for what you do, the best software is available and it is what you are used to.
I am more a computer guy, I don’t know a lot about audio recording but I do know a bit about electronics and it seems like interference.
Better drivers could improve your problem even if it is interference if they use a better method of smoothing out the signal.
I agree that the USB cable may have too low of bandwidth to carry the entire signal, but I’d try everything else first if you have to upgrade a lot of equipment to use fire wire.
Try some different software besides quicktime, there is likely good freeware software available that will help.
Try moving your speakers for the computer also, speakers cause a great deal of electromagnetic interference, especially subwoofers.
I am not sure if this helpful, but have you looked in to ground loops? The have a tendency to disappear and reappear for no reason. They are capable of picking up distortion like an antenna. You can read up about them on the net, I don’t fully understand them so I can only suggest this.
It sounds like your signal is feeding back, so check your signal path and ground loops.
Also your power supply. Is it sending surges through your devices? Any big appliances getting switch on and off?
Hope some of these ideas help.
It sounds like interferrence to me. Depending on where you are, a mic can sometimes get radio waves. It also depends on the lengh of the cable (If it crosses an entire room, packed near metallic furniture, etc.
Have you ever tried recording from another room/house? I happen to do some french fandubs for the Transformers Headmasters series and when I’m recording from the basement, I sometime get strange noises and even some random fuckin FM waves.
The sound you are hearing is an encoding artifact caused by a voltage issue in your USB host–it appears that you are using a G5 Pro and you are hooking your USB audio device up to the front panel connector, and considering the number of blown LEDs and crap I’ve had to deal with concerning the front panel IC’s on that case, I’d strongly recommend only using the front panel connectors for low bandwidth operations like digital camera readers or mice, or whatnot.
Plug your device into a rear panel USB port and see if there is any improvement. There is a difference, even if there doesn’t seem to be a difference, there is.
Also, i’ts not a ground loop, you cannot get a ground loop over a USB connection unless that ground loop also includes the +5v on the motherboard’s VRE, and if that were the case an intermittent audio stutter would be the least of your worries.
Also, avoid exceeding 4 meters of USB cable between your device and your host. It’s really 5 meters, but you can count on the cabling inside your PC to be inclusive of the last one. USB may be a digital connection but dropped bits are still possible and you want to eliminate those in an application where it would be noticible, like audio recording.
I would strongly recommend using ASIO certified drivers and equipment, to preclude any other issues; but this particular issue is almost certainly the problem I stated earlier
the first thing I thought of besides the logically answers, Sound drivers, USB drivers, Different Cable etc. Was The audio encode. USB has a streaming issue to begin with (with both Audio and Video). I suggested using a different Encode, such as Lame MP3, Firewire has a much higher Bandwidth and would be the way to go,
does that make sound about right guys?
No Pun Intended.
After rewatching It confirms the issue isnt with the mic or the board, 1:45 into the clip it starts yet again. and the lighting doesn’t show static, and i doubt its the computer because you have a mac, a windows OS and you also have a Windows Server 2008 downstairs (im not a stalker, i just got an IIS7 error when posting the message above thats how i know =p ) Leaving it to one of two things, Encode or driver. make use you do have USB 2.0 ports not only 1.1 and the sound driver isnt what you should be updating but rather the Chipset drivers (for your mother board)
macs are nothing but trouble, get a windows computer. good luck.
You know I’m sure this isn’t it. But if you have your cellphone near there can be interference with your equipment. I record music and sometimes my cell will do that whether or not I am making a phone call or not.
Little repetitive in my last comment eh? haha.
I have an associates degree in Music and Recording Technology so this question is right up my bowling alley. Check Alesis for new drivers (Alesis ain’t the greatest home recording hardware manufacturer), Check and play around with the audio buffer in your sound card’s settings or in the settings of your recording program. I would recommend another program if your main is audacity. Adobe Vegas or freeware apps like Reaper may help. I hear a delay which leads me to believe its the driver or buffer. Try downloading asio4all, a free driver which interfaces with most hardware out there. If no joy after these i’d check RF interference. One thing to look at is when this “distortion” happens is that if you can see it on the multimix meters, that could help narrow it down between hard/soft ware. Love your vids man
I remember having an issue like that where the radio in the house would sound like that while it was tuned in to one certain radio station. It turned out to be airplanes flying overhead that caused it. It was the pilot’s radio interfering. Would you believe that? It probably isn’t your issue but hey, maybe you should check the sky when that happens… lol.
Well.. I’m sorry for breaking the heart of many people that has posted here to use “MIDI CABLES” instead, but MIDI is not and audio interface of any sort its a DATA interface and it can only transmit note on note off and parameters data, his mixer will not have a midi output because its of not use, at least in his mixer, midi is a CONTROL protocol it can’t send just any kind of data as other interfaces do. So no.. telling him to connect trough MIDI is just as if someone told him to connect his computer to a light bulb to see if it works, it doesn’t have anything to do.
ALL THESE PC PEOPLE CHIMING IN ON A MAC SYSTEM!!! PLEASE MAKE A RESPONSE VIDEO IF YOU ASKED US PLEASE!!
SONIC/SOUNDY FOURDY/VEGAS. THEY DON’T FUCKEN EXIST IN MAC!
Sorry I am so upset… I am trying to relate to an older woman going through menopause…
A DUDE! Tards…
I’ve read through every comment here and there is a common thread from people who have had the same issue and people who are also using recording equipment.
Static of that nature is due to interference or power inefficiencies. I will rule out interference from external devices like cell phones so we’re on the issue of power.
You’ve stated you can record for days and not have it happen but sometimes it happens over and over again in a given day. I can see the mountain of frustration when you constantly have to edit unnecessarily.
The more devices you have to go through, the more buffers you have to deal with and that’s been mention in above posts – direct connection usually is the best, however we all know sometimes certain setups don’t allow for that.
You are really overloading your USB’s a lot – meaning you’re using every port for something. Many devices are rather power-hungry and USB isn’t always optimal for power. If you can go through any other port and/ or get some of your equipment on their own connection other than the USB then do so.
Assuming you understand all of your software settings and have dicked around long enough to know how your system works (which is probably a given, given how long you’ve been doing things), it’s a hardware issue somewhere.
I know I’m repetitive but I honestly think it’s a power issue.
P.S:
“tjsnide November 24, 2009 @ 2:05 am
I cant be assed to read through 150 posts to see if this issue has been fixed or my ideas suggested, …”
Well then you’re a gimp – plain and simple. If you want to leave an educated response, then you’d DAMN WELL be bothered to read through the forum posts. I hate lazy people.
Can’t be power, a soundboard has exturnal power supply, which make the soundboard only need +5amp to transmit the sound data. and it can’t be the computer itself because like i said in the post above i know james has ATLEAST 3 computers that i know of, two windows OSs and one mac most likely he’s tried it on all of them. does anyone know what macs default Encode is for audio? I can download Quicktime, Im like the gregory house of computers I need to know the answer to the puzzle. lol
damn kids, I just looked up the specs for this badboy, It only uses USB 1.1 ———
CONNECTIONS
USB 1.1 Stereo input/Output for PC and Mac. All 1/4″ TRS except as noted: Mic in x 4 (XLR), mono line in x 4, stereo line in x 4, aux sends x 2, stereo aux returns x 2, stereo main out, stereo control room out, headphone out. 2-track stereo in and out (RCA).
Theres no midi port, no firewire, no nothing. It bandwidth rate it’s trying to push thru is higher then the sound encoding. It can hear it when james plays the example it echos, it desyncs and trys to catch up.
That explans why turning it off and on clears the buffer and you start over. damnit im coming over and fixing it lol you only live an hour from me lol
This is clearly an issue with latency, you’re getting “audio lag”. Chances are that one of your devices has a latency setting that’s set right on the edge of what it can handle speed-wise.
If the board is USB or Firewire, make sure you have ASIO drivers installed to ensure the lowest possible latency. Most compatible devices get around 5ms with ASIO drivers installed. Without ASIO drivers you’re looking at latencies of around 55ms to 75ms.
The solution is to just go into your settings for either the computer or the sound board and turn the latency up a little. This will mean there will be a slightly longer delay between when the audio gets from the mic, to the computer then back out to the speakers, so monitoring might be more difficult, but it won’t produce any of that “lag” sound.
The repeating of the sound hints to me that it is related to the sound buffer, which could be related to hardware or software. (doesn’t narrow down much I guess)
Narrow things down, one potential cause at a time. Try the board on another Mac w/the same version of OS X. If the problem continues, try a PC. Also, try it without anything else plugged in to the other USB ports. Any other devices on the same hub could be causing latency/bandwidth issues. For instance, using a mouse on the same hub will make the hub run at ‘full speed’ (12 Mb/sec) instead of ‘hi-speed’ (480 Mb/sec), including any other devices that need the extra bandwidth (not sure how much your device uses). Usually, there will be 2 external ports per hub, which is why USB ports tend to come in groups of 2. I usually run anything timing-sensitive/bandwidth-intensive on its own hub.
In any case, USB audio generally sucks. Most devices that I’ve seen that use USB for audio do so simply because it’s cheap and convenient, not because it is *good*. A good, professional-ish internal audio card may work much better for you… assuming you don’t have an iMac.
Oh yes, and Quicktime is an abomination. While it may not be causing the problems, it probably isn’t helping any. There are a number of pro and semi-pro audio recording/manipulation programs for the Mac. Audacity is free and open source, so I’d recommend trying it out.
Over 9000 Hosting
USB 1.1 runs at 12 Mb/s and raw 44khz 16-bit stereo audio is only about 1.2 Mb/s. Even 44khz 32-bit stereo would only make it 2.4. I know nothing ever reaches its theoretical max, but that seems like quite a bit of breathing room (unless he has a USB mass storage device on the same hub being used as the scratch disk or somethin)
you could be over loading the sound card if youve ever used 5 voiceovers at one then its your sound card over loading
Sorry for not reading 222 comments; I don’t know if this has already commented or not, but these are my two cents:
-If the sound board has analog output, try connecting some earphones, and leave one on your ear while you record. If you hear the distortion while you record, the fault is not the computer nor the USB cable.
-Do you have the sound board connected to an UPS or line stabilizer? if not, I highly suggest you to do so; these things are real sensitive to spikes in the current; that can be the reason you have days where all goes right and some days when the distortion returns again and again. Power supplies for computers usually come with some kind of stabilization because there’s space to put it, but in some smaller electronic devices for space considerations there’s no protection; and if you have a bad electric line, you’re screwed.
I hope this can help you.
Hi James…
Did You tried to record on a different computer? Mine is a bit possesed, maybe You got simmilar issues?
Bye,
G.
# Over 9000 Hosting November 25, 2009 @ 12:13 pm
[...snip...]
CONNECTIONS
[...snip...] It can hear it when james plays the example it echos, it desyncs and trys to catch up.
That explans why turning it off and on clears the buffer and you start over. damnit im coming over and fixing it lol you only live an hour from me lol
[end quote]
I’ll bet he’d really appreciate that if you visited him to fix the issue. My post above was a recap of everything thus far and my ascertainment based on those posts. I had a feedback problem once on my crude mic but it was simply due to a faulty connection but I ruled that out from the video itself.
Go fix Jame’s sound problem, I’ll bet it will let him post videos faster and everyone will be happy! ^_^
o.o That happens to me too, but with my speakers. I think it has something to do with cellphones and radios, because when my brother has both on, my speakers freak out. I guess, make sure those things are off? You could try audacity too
I’ve never had recording problems with that
I had this problem too on my older computer, when I was composing music. The problem had quite a weird solution: the computer was overheating, which caused also other random bugs. It might be trivial and stupid, but I’d really check the temperature.
I don’t really have a clue since i’ve never used an external mixer.
(im not a hardware guru so this might be pointless)
1. Checked ASIO ms? (Dumb question) and Hz settings
2. Made sure that all wires are properly shielded?
3. No Interference from other devices
4. ???
5. Profit
Relating to your sound problem… This was probably asked already, but are the proper drivers installed and updated? Are they corrupt? I know you said you used an entirely different brand, but checking your drivers might help.
it’s a RAM issue, when it cracks the computer is having too much information going through it at that given time than it can handle. Try increasing
I have the same problem with my X-Fi fatal1ty sound card. It goes like that sometimes, plus it cuts the sound every second for a prief moment.
I play lots of online games and try making up what someone is saying when it’s all disorted like that and cutting in and out.
Well, unfortunately I don’t have fix for it. I just restart and hope it goes normal – and it does usually and stay that way the rest of the day.
If you are using the same audiocard (or X-Fi for that matter) try putting in older audio card you migh have laying around, or buy new one. Sound Blasters should work fine. X-Fi is just crap.
I’m sure you’ve been getting a lot of good feedback. My only thought would be that it’s some kind of outside interference (and I’m not talking about ghosts) You should check all other component sitting around the aria, and think about when you got them. I usually have problems like this when speakers are sitting too close to what I’m using; it’s bcz of the magnets. Or maybe it’s someone turning the microwave one? LOL
Have you tried using another computer in the same aria?
i have had the same problem using my USB headset for gaming. Its by no means the same scenario, but i hate that fucking sound. I threw that son of a bitch away and bought a new one. it always seemed to happen if i was repositioning my body and moving. if that’s the case it might be some kind of loose connection or interference from a different device. try producing a video on mother fucker mikes computer and see if the problem follows you.
I’ve been recording music for the last 5 years and know exactly what the issue is. I have the same exact USB mixer he has and it’s not it. It’s due to latency and monitoring.
James, I’ve sent you an email suggesting many things to get rid of it. Check it out!
And no, he is not getting audio lag. What’s happening is that there is not enough lag being introduced which causes the system to try to catch up to the audio that it’s lagging and it distorts. Hardware (through his mixer) monitoring may help get rid of this which was one of my suggestions.
And it has nothing to do with ASIO drivers. Those are windows based drivers specifically and James is using a mac.
1. It is not a power issue, whether it be USB or power strip or whatever.
2. It MAY have something to do with his internal sound card. If he’s using the USB mixer as his IN and his internal sound card as his OUT that maybe whats causing the latency issues. If he were to have both the IN and OUT coming from the USB mixer and he monitored it from the USB mixer through the headphone out it should help tremendously.
I HOPE you haven’t tried a lot of these suggestions. I have the same sound board, and I HAVE had the same problem.
The sound board (mixer doesn’t really use any drivers and its perfectly fine in a usb2). and FOR SURE its not the sound card, I recently took my sound card out, because its pointless even to have one if your using the sound board. The usb bypasses any need for an internal soundboard.
Problem I have was quicktime. I always thought it was looking for updates at random times and messing up my recordings.
Now you should try audacity 1.3
Its a freeware recording program that’s very simple. I use it basically because the audio converter is one of the best.
I hope this helps
I’ve got the same problem with my computer. I have midi keyboards and a mixer all linked into and external sound card (m-aduio 410) firewire. At times when it distorts is often during video footage. If I want to play a avi. or mpeg. it will distort and I either have to do a registry clean or reboot. I’ve tried all the drivers for the sound card and nothing works.
But, I would narrow it down to your soundcard and possibly the drivers. I tried a ton of different tests and found it had nothing to do with the gear but primarily my soundcard.
Hope that helps…if you resolve the problem PLEASE EMAIL ME! Cause its driving me nuts too. I do nothing but electronic music on this computer and to edit audio with this sound really pisses me off
twindwick@yahoo.com
Dude this may be hard but easy if u know what i mean just dont speak loud into them mic same thing has happened to me so please try because any time wasted IS TIME NOT MAKING VIDS
Hi James, i´m Walter, from Argentina, i´m a sound engineer, i see you have audio problems, try to use SOUND FORGE, is a audio edit program, you can record without any problems, it´s very simple to use
if you have any questions, please ask me
Bye
please, forgive my english, i try my best.
my E-mail is killerqueenero@yahoo.com.ar
Hey James, I’m a music producer and recording engineer for Namortsa Music in Halifax Canada. The sound you are hearing is a Latency issue from both your computer and recording gear. It takes time for your voice through the mic, into the mixer, through the usb port, through the computer processor, and then out of your speakers. It’s really only milliseconds but there is a noticeable delay and the computer is trying to make up for it but it is hard to do that and run an operating system so it sounds choppy/glitchy.
I’ve never used the mixer that you have so I don’t know if you can change the latency settings. If you use a higher buffer like 512 it will compensate for the delay and keep down the workload on the processor.
Try looking for Latency settings for your usb mixer. Also regular computer soundcards are not really made for high quality recordings so make sure you are recording at 44.1Khz. 48Khz will be to high a sample rate for the program to run smoothly.
It will be worth it for you to look into getting a good usb or firewire soundcard for your voice overs.
http://www.m-audio.com/ has some amazing audio hardware that will help you do what you do.
Hope this was helpfull for you and everyone else.
Dave.
Namortsa Music Canada.
I haven’t read all the comments because theres over 200 of them. Could the problem be from interference?
Use firewire james!
i also recommend using garageband instead of quicktime.
Victor form Barcelona Spain
As an audio engineer, broadcaster, I would recommend that you check several things.
Disconnect and power off everything you are not using. Then attempt to record. If the problem still persists, I recommend you turn off your computer and re-set your sound card. If it does not happen, we know it’s not with the computer hardware itself. If the problem persists still, try the sound card in a different slot.
If it does happen still, then it is highly likely it is your sound card. Order a new sound card and test with it as well. Yes, ordering a new sound card to compare and test with seems like it could be a waste of time or money, but as an audio engineer it’s always a good thing to have an extra sound card.
Sound Cards to recommend for you: Creative/Soundblaster or M-Audio cards.
When you get a sound card, make sure it is an actual card, not usb. PCI or PCIe x1 would be the way to go.
If you’re using onboard sound, you definitely need a card.
Try running an RCA to 1/8 inch cord from tha mixer to tha microphone in on your computer to record instead of a USB cable. Or download Sound Forge, thats a great wave progam. That right there will fix your problem for sure.
im a mac user my self and i always have problems with quick time. it seems to me that what ur asking that shitting peace of software to do is 2 much for it i would sergest using a proper sound recorder software quick time is shit.
the only other prob would be is its your sound card but thats unlikly
Try getting a new sound chip. Or change the software of which you record in. Or better yet,try to get a new computer.
Is James ever actually going to read these comments? I wonder how long it would take him.
Sometime When you have a cellphone or some other source of interferance near you equipement it can do that
ex: when you receive a sms with you celphone near an unsheileded speaker you will ear something similar. Or maybe a power bar are anything electric or magnetic.
Just check around your equipment for source of interference maybe that will help.
James,
I’m fully aware that the solution is a little late but I’ve just seen this video today. So here we go:
What you need to do is stop using Quicktime to record your voice and start using Final Cut Pro for narration (which I’m sure you are currently using). How you record full length voice over is simple. What you have to do first is put an IN (the “I’ key on your keyboard) at the beginning of were you want to record and an OUT (the “O” key on your keyboard). Now, with your cursor within the selected field, here are the steps:
1: Go to “Tools” on the top of the screen.
2: Select “Voice Over” (sixth option).
3: Press record and you’re ready to go.
Important note: If you do not place an IN and an OUT, the software will not let you record the whole way though. It’ll stop automatically at the end of the nearest scene. So make sure you have an IN from the beginning of where you want to start and an OUT at the end.
Also, I have the exact same set up as you including the console, wires, mic, computer and software and the way I do it, I’ve got no problems. If even after that you still have that problem, it’s 100% sure it’s your sound card failing.
Anyway, let me know if it worked. My guess is that it will.
PS: Sorry for the spelling mistakes, wrote this one kind of fast.
It has to do with the recording device on your computer. The mixer and cables are never the problem. I am a DJ and know about mixers and such and most times it is the Mixer but not in your case.
Try recording on a different tool, PC wise.
I watch your videos and I had to make an account, the problem I believe is white noise.
I have seen a video of it before and it says the Wave needs to be turned down to get rid of distortion.
Watch this Youtube video, go to about 1:50 and it gives you an example, plus the beginning explains how to fix, though it was slow and boring.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ynm91RfhBW0&feature=player_embedded#
If this doesn’t help, I often read that it also can be caused by bad ram and plug-ins.
Though look up white noise and hope you get this fixed soon, hope to see the next game review and thanks.
“James,
I’m fully aware that the solution is a little late but I’ve just seen this video today. So here we go:
What you need to do is stop using Quicktime to record your voice and start using Final Cut Pro for narration (which I’m sure you are currently using). How you record full length voice over is simple. What you have to do first is put an IN (the “I’ key on your keyboard) at the beginning of were you want to record and an OUT (the “O” key on your keyboard). Now, with your cursor within the selected field, here are the steps:
1: Go to “Tools” on the top of the screen.
2: Select “Voice Over” (sixth option).
3: Press record and you’re ready to go.
Important note: If you do not place an IN and an OUT, the software will not let you record the whole way though. It’ll stop automatically at the end of the nearest scene. So make sure you have an IN from the beginning of where you want to start and an OUT at the end.
Also, I have the exact same set up as you including the console, wires, mic, computer and software and the way I do it, I’ve got no problems. If even after that you still have that problem, it’s 100% sure it’s your sound card failing.
Anyway, let me know if it worked. My guess is that it will.”
WHAT???
*goes to try it out*
HOLY……
FUCKING………….
SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIT!!!!!!
You just flipped my world upside-down. Now I shall no longer have to point the camera at the screen, speak behind it while watching the video, and then flip it around to log and capture the runs like separate clips.
Now I just gotta figure out what kind of microphone to buy so I don’t have to rely on the computer’s external mic, where ever that is.
Now if only someone knew how to fix a tape deck I’d be off to the races with my projects.
Hello there,
As others have pointed out also, it might be cellphone interference.
It really could be anything anyone mentioned by now, but I’d say, shut down your phone during recording.
Mano
Youre probably never going to read all of these but Im pretty sure I know what the problem is. From what I can tell you are using an Alesis Multimix 8. I am an audio engineer hobbyist and this sound is 1 of 2 things.
Grounding. If your XLR cable is running near any power source like a wall outlet it will cause interference. You can fix this by moving your cables or buying more expensive cable that has proper grounding in it. The grounding issue can also come from using USB. I understand that this mixer does not have any other means of connecting but it seems to be a popular problem. Read this review: http://www.amazon.com/review/R9Y341EOZGZ53/ref=cm_cr_pr_viewpnt#R9Y341EOZGZ53
Phantom Power. If your mic requires phantom power and you dont have it switched on (switch should be on the sound board) then your mic will lose power periodically and crap out. This is more likely. Look for a push button that will deliver that phantom power to the mic. Only do this if you KNOW your mic requires phantom power. Some mics do and some dont.
If you have any questions dont hesitate to email me directly. staticcomputers [at] gmail [dot] com
I met you and got your signature on my MC Kids at that convention in PA. You prob dont remember but I owe ya one so hit me up if you cant figure it out. Thanks james.
Improperly shielded components, wireless interference, kernel audio driver problem or it could just be the Mac. Pick one.
sounds like an echo to me then the echo jams it’s own source
try disabling/muting the recoding on the internal sound card
Use a Linux.
I have the same problem. (Incidentally I have a HND in Audio systems so I know more than the average Joe)
I have a USB sound card like yours (sound card/sound board/audio interface are the same thing: basically just analogue to digital (A/D) and digital to analogue (D/A) converters).
I get the problem when I leave the computer on and the application running but turn off the sound card at night, and then turn on the sound card again in the morning. The type of application is irrelevant. It does it with Ableton live, Firefox, whatever. To solve it all I do is shut down the application, then turn off the sound card and then turn it on again. (windows xp then makes a particular noise to confirm if a devise is working properly). Then I restart the application and it works fine.
So it could just be as simple as making sure the sound card is on and recognised by the system before you start QuickTime. However its seems in your video that the problem happens spontaneously half way through a recording.
If it does then possible problems could be the firmware on the sound card itself or the drivers on the computer.
Check if there is a firmware update for the sound card on the company website. If there is then the instruction manual should give the procedure on how to install it on the devise. The latest drivers should also be on the company website. ASIO drivers are Preferable if they have them as these allow lower latency (although probably not essential for voice overs) If all of these things don’t work then it could just be that QuickTime sucks balls. Try another simple recording application and see if you have the same problem. In some applications you have to set up the soundcard in the preferences so this is something to check for.
Just so that you don’t do around in circles I definitely know that this is a problem with how the soundcard is interacting with the software. It isn’t a hardware problem otherwise it would happen constantly. It definitely isn’t white noise or grounding noise or anything like that. so you don’t have to buy gold plated connectors or any of that shit.
The people saying to use firewire are talking out of their ass. Even usb 1 has ample bandwidth to transmit real-time audio.
[...] Clip Countdown – #25 | Cinemassacre Productions [...]
i didnt read all 10,000 comments to see if this was addressed. i’m not a data geek in the least bit, however, i do believe i can help. if you have any low voltage cables running parallel with anything 120v you will pick up interferance. also, check the location of your 240v service in relationship to any said cables. if in fact you find any suspect cables, replace them with shielded cables of the same sort or reroute them. perpendicular runs of low voltage (24v and lower) and high (120v and higher)cables should not interfere with each other, parallel however, creates an impedance and the lower voltage loses. hope this helps.
James, make a video about how you went over the comments to this video.
Nerd,
Having heard a similar sound come from my computer speakers, as a few other users here, I can attest to the fact that cellular and wireless data transmission nearby (within 4-8 feet at most?) will produce a sound like that.
Perhaps the randomness of the phenomenon is related to if you have a cellular device nearby, or if a large amount of wireless traffic is passing nearby your recording instruments? In that case it would have to do with shielding of some sort, but the mystery would be which component you need to shield/replace or just put in a spot more tucked away.
Other than that, my first instinct says to check your power sources, and make sure you are getting clean power, and you are not getting any massive irregularities with it (I’m not an electrician but perhaps it could be as simple as a surge protector?)
Anyways, I hope you get this solved, you do awesome work for the internet tubes =)
I think the problem lies with the fact that you are using USB to transfer your audio. Despite the fact that you tried different usb jacks on the computer, they are typically shared on the same USB host adapter. USB devices communicate at various speeds to the host adapter, some are fast (480 Mbps) medium (12 Mbps) or slow (1.5 Mbps). The problem is that the host adapter can only talk to one USB device at a time. Some other devices could be tying up the time on the bus and the computer can’t fetch the audio data off your audio mixer fast enough causing that distortion. If you’ve got an external USB hard drive on the system, that is probably the culprit. One of the weaknesses of the USB protocol is that the computer can’t prioritize the traffic on the USB bus.
If your stuck using USB, I would recommend buying a dedicated USB expansion card that plugs into your PC. This guarantees that your audio mixer gets its own dedicated connection. You can buy one for cheap on newegg. Make sure its MAC compatible, if you’ve got a macintosh.
Its a buffer/bandwith issue.
Depending on the program you use to record and the computer you use. Once it becomes “full” that will happen. Its more common with USB devices for sound recording, but if your program allows you to increase the buffer length, it will fix it.
Id need more info like a cpu-z or dxdiag report to really tell you more, but try that 1st.
is that computer connected to the internet
The problem is Doc Brown. For years now he’s been traveling through time, and that feedback you’re experiencing is your computer picking up a signal from his flux capacitor. He must be stopped, before everyone’s computer ends up with this problem.
Ok, so for serious James, did you ever figure out what the problem was?
Holy shit, my sound card (Creative XFi Fatal1ty) makes that EXACT sound bug through playback sometimes until I exit out of the program that’s distorting.
I may not know what the problem is, but I’ve heard the exact distortion before, and it’s annoying as hell.
It’s either a MAC software of Hardware issue.
Put the MAC aside and plug it into a PC.
Problem solved!
I’ve been doing this kind of recording on PC for years and never had that problem.
I had the exact same problem, I have the sound board running through a separate usb interface on my mac though and to rectify the problem, I unplug the usb device and then replug it,
I’d kinda given up on it though
I can’t believe how many people here give absolute bullshit as advice, identifying themselves as “home recording specialists” or whatever. Then again, many people in the comments have got it right.
When it comes to identifying myself, I am a graduated audio engineer, trained at the school of audio engineering (SAE), location Amsterdam. I can work in professional recording environments, like SSL, Neve and Icon setups. So trust me, I know what I am talking about.
For those of you that shout “analog interference, turn off your cellphone or airport”: you are so wrong. This type of interference is so unlikely because dynamic microphones produce a BALANCED signal. Analog interference is cancelled out when inverting the phase from either the hot or cold lead. The only way this can occur is either when the cable is broken or the input on the audio interface is unbalanced. The only unbalanced microphones out there are those simple headset or PC microphones that use a 3,5mm jack.
Also, dynamic microphones do NOT use phantom power (+48V), and even then, phantom power can never distort when using proper cables, because it is still balanced.
The distortion is most definetly digital. It looks like the host and the recording interface are running out of sync. Digital audio is captured at a configured sample- and bitrate, defining how many samples are captured on a scale of frequency and amplitude, and when either the audio interface or the host cannot keep up, the recording gets corrupted resulting in the audio as heard in the movie.
I saw a comment of someone who had the same problem when harddisk was active, and yes, that can cause it. However, this is extremely unlikely on a very powerful machine like a Mac Pro. Buffer size can cause it, but once again, unlikely on a powerful Mac Pro, especially considering you’re only doing one channel mono recording.
When I e-mailed James, I couldn’t identify the audio interface. With a closer look, I could see Alesis, and now I can identify it as an Alesis Multimix 8. Even though the specifications can be called decent, it’s a cheap piece of crap. If you want to get it working, you will need to let the interface be able to catch up with the host. Things you can do in the software:
- Lower the recording sample and bitrate. By doing so, lesser bandwidth between interface and host is needed for recording. 16kbps at 44KHz should be more then plenty.
- Up your buffer size. Giving more tolerance for the host to catch up.
I doubt you can configure these settings in Quicktime though. If you want my advice, grab a different audio interface. I’ve emailed you some good options.
Forgot to mention,
ALWAYS keep your driver up to date.
I’m thinking it has more to do with electrical interference like another piece of electronic equipment, are you drying cloths or something when it happens? Look to see what other house hold equipment is on or is turned on when it happens it could be something distorting the the electronic sound wave (you might want to invest in one of those electricity cleaning surge protectors) or it could be something going through the air and you may just have to hold off on using it when recording (like the drier thing) lastly it could be something overheating causing some circuitry to become loose within your computer maybe. Idk just some ideas good luck with it though.
this is my favorite clip so far. i think its funny that the kid starts pounding the crap out of the other and i cant tell if he was supposed to have his head slammed or if it was fake but really hit his head or what
I would definitely try new updated drivers although it sounds like a problem with the converters in the desk, or at least how those convereters are communicating with the mac. I would send that desk back and get a different model.
http://www.emixingstudio.com