Problems, O problems with new audio interface - Tascam US-4X4HR

[winkpain]

{This is a continuation and a little bit of a repeat of info from this post, but as I kind of hijacked the thread there with my problem, and the OP's issue was solved, I wanted to present it on it's own for information's sake and in the remote case that there is a wizard out there that sees a solution. Please excuse the cross-post of redundant info}

I have a brand new (now my second) Tascam US-4X4HR which I so very much wanted to love. I have nothing against Tascam and have never had issue with Tascam products in the past. This audio interface is a new upgraded model of a previous interface and hot off Tascam's production line with a new driver and only one version of that driver.

Please assume that my system is a professional audio set-up (built by PCAudio Labs) that I have been using for years with multiple other devices without issue.

My issue is loud pops/crackle whenever the audio engine is being accessed. I have no issues (that I've noticed yet) during record or playback, but the sometimes very startling POPs are very unnerving and don't leave me feeling very secure about its ongoing operation. In Cakewalk specifically, the pops happen when:

• whenever first starting CW
• accessing the Preferences page and making a change to the audio settings
• whenever toggling the state of the audio engine in the Control Bar
• whenever adding a VST instrument (if I add 16 instances of the instrument with the "Track per output" setting, it  pops 16 times in slow succession)
• whenever adding an audio track template with a VST effect on in its bin
• whenever toggling the Record Enable button on audio tracks

In my thorough troubleshooting I have:

• installed, uninstalled, re-installed the Tascam ASIO drivers (many, many times now)
• changed out USB cables (many different cables, USB A and C)
• moved the device to every USB port on the computer (all ports are USB 3)
• tried it in a USB 2 only hub in case USB 3 ports are incompatible (they are not supposed to be)
• tried with device plugged into power supply and with only USB buss power
• removed all other ASIO drivers from my system(s)
• confirmed Windows Sound to share sample rate and bit depth settings with CW or other DAW
• performed all necessary "tweaks" to Windows to ensure smooth audio - i.e turned off networking, bluetooth, etc. - (which, in any case, has been done and set for years)
• talked to Tascam who just scratched their heads and suggested that I...
• replace the unit with another one in case the problem resided "in the box", which I did

The issue remains. POPping happens whenever, especially Cakewalk, "grabs" the device, it seems. I say this "especially" because in Ableton, for some reason, the popping only happens when toggling the audio engine on and off. I can toggle record states, add VSTs, or anything else without this popping that happens with all those actions in CW. I guess the programs access the audio engine/driver in different ways.(?) I can also say, 'tho, that the popping happens (very, very strange to me!) in a browser when I am online and changing pages!(?) on pages that don't contain audio.  On this forum, for example, when clicking from page to page through a post. This, however, is not consistent, but odd.

None of this occurred before with any other device, and I can plug back in my previous Steinberg UR22 without any issue. The other weird thing is that, when troubleshooting (as was suggested in a Sweetwater article) with the ASIO4ALL driver (which I installed for just this purpose)...... all the popping in CW and elsewhere goes away and the device behaves "normally"! Normal for ASIO4ALL, that is, which 'though fine for some, I am not willing to settle for using it with a brand new device with it's own actual ASIO dedicated drivers. But this is an odd indicator if you ask me. It shows me that it can work, at least.

Another important troubleshooting factor is that all of the above holds true for a second machine, totally different system. One is a Windows 7, one a Windows 10.

So, different cables, different ports, different actual units of the device itself, and all on different machines with different operating systems: same problem!

What would you say? It would sure seem to be a driver issue to me. But there is only one driver available from Tascam. Who of any of you reading this has a new US-HR device with its driver and has no issues? Or, better, who has one and had this problem and fixed it?! Long shot, I know.

I have to say that if it weren't for the Cakewalk specific issues, I would be inclined to just go with it. The issue is almost non-existent in Ableton and the popping on the browser is intermittent and audio in the browser is not a priority. But really, it's not a good sign.

If there is anything that stands out that I have missed, please tell me. Otherwise, let this be some informative input on the Tascam US-4X4HR device. Perhaps it needs a bit more time out in the wild to be tested. I don't know. If there is nothing forthcoming it just goes back to Tascam...

 

[Promidi]

26 minutes ago, winkpain said:

What would you say?

 

Get another brand Audio interface.

[winkpain]

11 minutes ago, Promidi said:

Get another brand Audio interface.

Yup. Not that Tascam has let me down before. But yes.

[John Vere]

I hope that Tascam takes note of this as it's surprising how far flung posts like this can go on the internet today. Your title to the tread is perfect as it contains 2 keywords for Google Search.     Problems- US us 4x4HR. 

People with issues or better yet people doing research on what interface to buy might find your post. Hopefully they will be getting other complaints and possibly update the driver. What is odd is Cakewalk and Tascam were working together at one point a few years ago... both owned by Gibson?? 

If it makes you feel better my Motu M4 also does exactly what you are saying from time to time. My other interfaces never did that. It's got something to do with changing sample rates I figure.  

 

Ha- I was right I didn't even finish typing 4x4 And check it out

Edited March 10, 2021 by John Vere

[winkpain]

1 hour ago, John Vere said:

I hope that Tascam takes note of this as it's surprising how far flung posts like this can go on the internet today. Your title to the tread is perfect as it contains 2 keywords for Google Search.     Problems- US us 4x4HR. 

People with issues or better yet people doing research on what interface to buy might find your post. Hopefully they will be getting other complaints and possibly update the driver. What is odd is Cakewalk and Tascam were working together at one point a few years ago... both owned by Gibson?? 

If it makes you feel better my Motu M4 also does exactly what you are saying from time to time. My other interfaces never did that. It's got something to do with changing sample rates I figure.  

 

Ha- I was right I didn't even finish typing 4x4 And check it out

Hey wow! I finally made it to the top of a Google search!

Yeah, the changing sample rate seems to be like what's going on. But why would that happen all the time? Why at all??  A kind of clue to that is the fact that when Cakewalk "lets go" of the audio driver when closing, and even though it's set in Windows AND in CW as 48k, the readout in the Tascam panel goes back to 44.1. There is no way to set the sample rate within the Tascam panel either, it's just a readout. It doesn't do that if CW (or other DAW) is still open, and it doesn't do it every time. And I can then go into Windows Sound settings, set it back to 44.1 apple, and then set it again to 48, apply, and then in Tascam panel it shows 48. But after opening CW at 48 and closing again, it sometimes goes back to 44.1 in the panel. There is nothing else (to my knowledge) in my setup that would change the sample rate. So what gives?  Certainly a Tascam driver issue.

In talking to Tascam they just said that they "have no reports" of this issue (which is a little annoying, because here I am reporting it), so they can't tell me anything that helps.

[John Vere]

I think we are on to something here. That's not right that the Tascam is forcing back to 48. What I'm thinking is every time you do something the Tascam is jumping back to 44.1 and then when the Audio engine starts it goes to 48. ` 

I think I'll hook up my us 1641 and see what it does.  I think the drivers are very similar for all Tascam interfaces. 

OK I hooked up my Tascam and it showed 48 when I turned it on. I loaded Cakewalk, still 48, I loaded a 44.1 file and it quietly switched sample rates. I had put the Tascam Control Panel on my second monitor to watch it. So I closed Cakewalk and it stayed on 44.1 I opened Wave Lab and It stayed 44.1, I But I opened a you tube and it quietly changed to 48. And I had my monitors on pretty loud just to listen for any glitches. 

So I turn off the Tascam and turn on the Motu M4 and it's at 44.1. I played the same You tube that my Tascam changed to 48 and the Motu stayed at 44.1. ? 

I manually changed the rate to 48 and I got that POP. ITS LOUD>>> 

I leave it at 48 and open Cakewalk then the 44.1 Project and no pop. 

Does your control panel look like this. Notice you can't change the sample rate it either says automatic or internal. Thats for the SPDIF. 

 

[DeeringAmps]

RME; drivers, drivers, drivers. 
Not being “flippant” here. 
Obviously Tascam has “missed” something here. If you can’t return the interface, ouch. 
t

[winkpain]

12 hours ago, John Vere said:

Does your control panel look like this. Notice you can't change the sample rate it either says automatic or internal. Thats for the SPDIF. 

No, John, My panel looks different, and when I talked with Tascam they told me it was a completely re-worked driver and that there was no other, older driver of theirs that would work with it. Perhaps this is related to the new "HR" functioning (which I assume means High Resolution) that allows you to set buffer size down to 4 samples! (if your machine can handle it.)

And here's the final clue! I guess in all my troubleshooting I hadn't tried this before, missing the proverbial forest for the trees. If I set the sample rate to 44.1 in CW.... no more pops! Same with Windows Sound settings. Set it to 44.1 , all the pops go away with the browser issue (which is bizarre to me). Any setting other than 44.1k sample rate in either Windows or CW, and the Tascam driver seems to get confused. Bleh!

So, a professional grade, brand new audio device and driver and I can only get it to work "right" with ASIO4ALL or in 44.1k only. Not gonna do it.

 

1 hour ago, DeeringAmps said:

Obviously Tascam has “missed” something here. If you can’t return the interface, ouch. 

@DeeringAmps For sure they've missed something. If I am really the only one to have this issue, given all my troubleshooting on two machines, I would have to start believing in some supernatural causes! And I'm not gonna do that either.  It is mildly annoying that in my couple calls to Tascam they didn't want to try and figure something out, given that it's a new item/new driver out in the wild, as I say.  So, yes, it's going back to them!  (Both of them.) No problem there, I just got  it.

Now I'll get something else.

Edited March 11, 2021 by winkpain

[DeeringAmps]

A little RME update, hope I didn't speak too soon...

Question on the RME forum about the UFX+:
Notice this almost every time...  when changing clock rates (96 to 48 to xx) the left speaker will POP or CLICK or etc (how ever you want to describe it...  very short transient, like a trigger is sent out the analog output.

Answer: from support, not just a member
Disable input monitoring and the click should be gone.

Seems a bit inadequate to me, I've been using the UFX for 9 years, zero issues .
About to upgrade to the UFX+; second thoughts?...

t

 

[winkpain]

5 minutes ago, DeeringAmps said:

A little RME update, hope I didn't speak too soon...

Question on the RME forum about the UFX+:
Notice this almost every time...  when changing clock rates (96 to 48 to xx) the left speaker will POP or CLICK or etc (how ever you want to describe it...  very short transient, like a trigger is sent out the analog output.

Answer: from support, not just a member
Disable input monitoring and the click should be gone.

Seems a bit inadequate to me, I've been using the UFX for 9 years, zero issues .
About to upgrade to the UFX+; second thoughts?...

t

 

No. Too simple.

In my situation, the popping happens all over the place , input monitoring on or off. In fact turning it on or off is one of the many scenarios that causes it. And it happens, I say again, even when just browsing the internet! And it all happens whenever any setting other than 44.1K sampling rate is chosen, in Windows or in DAWs.

Tascam "Support" continue to get back to me simply repeating to make sure that the Windows Sound setting for sample rate matches the DAW chosen sample rate. You can be sure that I have confirmed that many times over. And anything other than 44.1K, pop-pop-pop.

 

 

 

[DeeringAmps]

Well I just left a message on the RME board that

2 minutes ago, winkpain said:

Disable input monitoring and the click should be gone.

is an inadequate answer and maybe I'm sending the UFX+ back.
We'll see how support responds.

Tascam has always had some driver issues on some/all? models.
Supposedly they do drivers "inhouse" now.
It all comes down to drivers.

t

[winkpain]

In fact, what we have here is a failure to communicate!

[John Vere]

When I first got my Tascam us1641 in 2008 the driver was at least much better than the M Audio fast track it replaced but there were many issues for sure I finally got fed up in 2014 and bought the Scarlett 6i6. It had just hit the street and it went through a year of updates before it became solid. It’s still super solid and my best overall interface. 
About the time I bought the 6i6 (2014) Tascam did go in house and released a new driver for mine. Wasn’t expecting that. It became solid as a rock ever since.
But both are 6 years old and I thought time for an update to the modern world. What a disappointment the Motu was as the only thing better is a few ms of RTL. I am hoping a driver update will fix the issues it has that my other 2 devices don’t have  

Wont switch sample rate for some videos 

pops loudly when it does

Have to run at a higher buffer settings or crackles 

and needs to be turned on before I open cakewalk 

doesn’t have power supply 

rear jacks are almost useless because no toggle settings 

no SPDIF 

after all Tascam did come through 6 years later ?

Edited March 11, 2021 by John Vere

[winkpain]

@John Vere  I hear ya. Don't think I'll go for the MOTU, then. I for sure want power supply option. Definitely looking at the 6i6 or just staying with Steinberg and upgrading to a larger one.  I'm just tired of the back-and-forth shipments!

"Good" thing life is still so shut down for me and there is still no work at the moment! That's why I decided now to have at all this now.

[John Vere]

They stopped making the 6i6. The 4i6 is the closest but lacking the spdif so for me the 8i6 is the best replacement. But I’ve decided to just carry on and put up with Motu issues hoping for that update. I can like you just use my old interface because lesson learned is nothing new is guaranteed to be better 

[winkpain]

13 minutes ago, John Vere said:

They stopped making the 6i6. The 4i6 is the closest but lacking the spdif so for me the 8i6 is the best replacement. But I’ve decided to just carry on and put up with Motu issues hoping for that update. I can like you just use my old interface because lesson learned is nothing new is guaranteed to be better 

8i6

That's what I meant.