Clicks and dropouts on new rig

[Terry Kelley]

I had good results with my HP 8560p i7 16GB but I couldn't keep it cool. Monitor the CPU Temps and see if Windows is slowing to processor to  keep it cool.

One of the indicators was noise, static and crackling.

Edited February 19, 2021 by Terry Kelley

[aidan o driscoll]

@David Grammerstorf As i mentioned a good way up Page 1 here I am having the same issues .. it is a number of things.

I have both a core i5 laptop and desktop. I move my Audio I/F ( Audient EVO4 ) from one to the other. 

I am getting clicks and popouts, mainly on Laptop I have to say. 

I have been intouch with Audient ( after a session with Noel Borthwick on Skype a few weeks ago ) and they have said they will be releasing major Driver/Firmware update imminently.

In the meantime I decided to try something on my laptop. Over the years I have amassed a serious amount of VSTs and all added inside CW .. the folders where they reside. SO today I renamed all those folders with TEMP_ and dumped them from the listings in the CW Prefs so it would not find the zillions of vsts

I then picked a track that was causing issues with clicks and dropouts .. created a new VST folder and just put a copy of the VSTs used in that track only into that folder. Loaded the track, which did so now way faster. I still had the clicks and dropouts when played BUT I then deleted the AIR Compressor on 2 tracks, still clicks etc. I then dumped the TANTRA plugin from a guitar line. TAA DAA whole track now plays perfectly .. no clicks/dropouts. Added the AIR compressor back also, all works fine now

I know many here will say why bother temp dumping the main VST folders. I did so to see if THAT was causing the dropouts/clicks .. 

So not sure if this might be of help or not .. just relaying my experience anyway ...

Edited February 19, 2021 by aidan o driscoll

[user 905133]

On 1/2/2021 at 3:53 PM, David Grammerstorf said:

It also says, "Highest reported DPC routine execution is from wdf01000.sys- kernel mode driver framework runtime, Microsoft Corp"

With new activity in this thread, I decided to update latency mon (from 6.71 home to 7.00 home).   Today, LatencyMon was squarely in the red from the start unlike previously plus I have the wdf01000.sys issue.

It could be coincidence, but after some Windows Updates over the past month or two I have noticed System interrupts using increasingly more of my CPU.  I have needed to adjust settings and pay closer attention to CPU load to avoid driving the CPU above the level that interferes with audio (pops, crackles, distortion, etc.)

I haven't yet gotten to explore what is causing the increased System interrupts load.  

Prior to today: "Your system appears to be suitable for handling real-time audio and other tasks without dropouts.   LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for  0:15:00  (h:mm:ss) on all processors."

Today: "Your system seems to be having difficulty handling real-time audio and other tasks. You may experience drop outs, clicks or pops due to buffer underruns. One or more DPC routines that belong to a driver running in your system appear to be executing for too long. One problem may be related to power management, disable CPU throttling settings in Control Panel and BIOS setup. Check for BIOS updates.  LatencyMon has been analyzing your system for  0:16:02  (h:mm:ss) on all processors."

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by User 905133
to simplify post

[David Grammerstorf]

Yes, I'm still at it.

I've done as many things as I can think to reduce DPC Latency scores in LatencyMon, and I've brought them down overall. I'm disabling my wifi adapter when I record, I've removed all power throttling settings I can find, removed bloatware... While performance has improved a bit, the Tascam US 4x4 interface is still unable to get clean playback of audio from Cakewalk. Buffer size settings have no effect.

Next I borrowed by buddy's Scarlett 18i8, uninstalled my Tascam, and installed the Scarlett 18i8 on my computer. Sure enough, I used it all night with narry an issue. For whatever reason, the Scarlett's drivers are playing nicely with my system. I'm going to get my own Scarlett 18i8 and test it out. That may be my solution. We will see!

 

[David Grammerstorf]

Although I don't necessarily need to make an interface purchasing decision based on Zoom and Google Meet, it's worth noting that even with Tascam's latest drivers, I experience issues when trying to use my US 4x4 for video chats. This is apparently common with other Tascam users. Perhaps that's a sign.

[David Grammerstorf]

Ok, looks like a new interface did the trick. Switched to the Scarlett 18i8. Installation was far easier than any interface I've owned previously. I was up and recording in minutes, and despite my imperfect Latency Mon reports, I spend a couple of hours recording and playing back music in Cakewalk without a hitch. 

Why does the Tascam US 4x4 and its drivers play nicely on my on my five year old, slow Surface Pro but not on the new HP Spectre? Who knows. All I know is this new interface is working, and I can finally stop trying to troubleshoot.

Thanks to each and every person that offered advice. I am willing to bet that the steps I took to reduce my DPC latency scores in Latency Mon likely helped.