What would cause...SOLVED

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Gary McCoy
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2012/04/14 22:22:24 (permalink)

What would cause...SOLVED

...my system to start making bad noises.  This is all very new.  I hear it only on bass tracks.  I would not describe it as distortion exactly.  It sorta sounds like a torn speaker.   It is a kind of rattle and hiss as bass notes fade out.
 
My troublshooting thus far:
 
It is not in any cabling
It is not the speakers
It is not Sonar (I tried another program and it persists)
It is not a soft synth (I tried several)
Turned the computer off and rebooted.
Turned the interface off and back on
 
To me, that leaves my interface (M-Audio USB, which has worked beautifully for many years).  The noise is evident in the interface headphone output.
 
Any of you guys got any ideas?
 
post edited by Gary McCoy - 2012/04/18 20:07:55
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    gcolbert
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    Re:What would cause... 2012/04/15 08:10:27 (permalink)
    Gary,
     
    It sounds like you are over-driving your output device.  If it seems to just be the bass you might have an EQ pushed too hard in the low frequencies.  What driver mode are you using for your M-Audio USB device and does it have volume settings/EQ at the driver?  Are you accessing this through windows (WDM driver) and unintentionally using some kind of Windows volume control/EQ?
     
    Glen
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    Rimshot
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    Re:What would cause... 2012/04/15 08:25:50 (permalink)
    Gary, is it only the headphone out while the line outs are clean?

    Rimshot

    Rimshot 

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    Gary McCoy
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    Re:What would cause... 2012/04/15 12:31:48 (permalink)
    The noise is independent of EQ.
     
    I am using ASIO
     
    The noise is in the phones and in the line outs.
     
     
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    gcolbert
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    Re:What would cause... 2012/04/15 14:37:46 (permalink)
    Does the same noise appear if you export the project and play it on another output or computer? (might be a way to isolate if the problem is in your sound card).
     
    Glen
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    Gary McCoy
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    Re:What would cause...SOLVED 2012/04/18 20:12:46 (permalink)
    Many thanks for those who responded with helpful ideas.
     
    I am not very computer-savvy, but I am a fairly competent troubleshooter.  I eliminated every possibility but the sound card.  For some reason, I simply felt that a bad interface would just quit working.  Not so, I learned.
     
    I replaced the interface and...voila!...instant gratification.
     
    Cleaned everything up beautifully and also took care of another vexing problem...a buzz that was dirving me nuts.
     
    Thanks again to all.
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    JonD
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    Re:What would cause...SOLVED 2012/04/19 06:24:00 (permalink)
    Are you sure it was an hardware issue?  
     
    Hope you at least tried uninstalling/reinstalling the interface drivers before you went out and bought another one (Corrupted drivers or even a system file can cause all manner of weird behavior.  This is where a backup imaging program becomes indispensable.  By restoring to the last backup, you absolutely confirm or rule out a software problem).
     
    As you observed yourself, you just can't assume anything when it comes to computers.
     

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