This isn’t really an Elektron related post but I know theres some audio wizards on here so I thought I’d post
I’m getting random static pops through my speakers and they are HUGE. I can’t take the speakers very high because one of these pops could easily kill off the speaker if its too loud. When I’ve picked up the pops in a recording they are double the volume of the actual music. Last week I recorded a DJ set and the pop occurred 40 mins into the mix, ruining it. Yesterday, I recorded another set and the pop happened right at the end of the 60 min mix, again ruining it. Today, I’m recording drones from the Elektrons and you guessed it, static pop on the recording, completely randomly with no warning or notable trigger. I’m sure I don’t need to explain why this is a major pain in the ass, to the point that i’ve decided to give up!
If anyone has any useful advice it would be appreciated!
Its a very basic setup, I have my DJ mixer running into a small mixer which has the speakers plugged into it. Additionally, my Saffire soundcard is plugged into the smaller mixer for computer playback, and the mixer is routed back into the Saffire for recording. When using my Elektrons, they are plugged into the DJ mixer, and I rarely have everything all running at once (meaning the Saffire is usually off when the decks or Elektrons are on).
I’ve been having to put up with these pops for the last few years and its the main reason I hardly get anything recorded. Today, I’ve reached my cutoff point of patience and I’ve decided to give up djing and making music at home until this is resolved, which could be never at this rate…
These damn audio gremlins have really got me this time!
Are all your drivers and such up to date? Also any mismatched sample rates? Ive has clicks and pops before from for example standalone NI plugins having their own sample rate setting. Could be a problem with the interface itself, how old is it and is it under warranty? I’d try another interface and see if I still had problems. I’m by no means any kind of audio wizard but just some suggestions
Hey djenzyme.
I’ve had a good share of things like this over the years. Random glitches, delays, pops, audio gremlins. I can’t think of many things that have driven me to such a pissed off state as things down those lines. The worst being those things that are intermittent and therefore managing to remain under the radar enough for you to roughly carry on regardless.
I’m no hardware engineer or studio head but I would suggest stripping your set up back and trying to identify, through the powers of deduction, which piece of kit is causing this.
You mention the saffire, 2 mixers, and the Elektron kit.
I’d try different combinations with only the goal of identifying the guilty kit.
Is that a possibility? In the past I’ve had to do this and people have suggested it but I never really wanted to be bothered because I knew it would be a pain in the arse. However, it tends to be quite an informative process.
When everything write perfectly again, it’ll remind you for a little while of what we all often take for granted when our setup is working solidly. I know I’ve forgotten about the niggles and annoyances I’ve had in the past!
Can you check, whether you have any digital gear in the lines, which is causing this? Or your cables? Or some power on/off switching, which is induced on the analogue lines?
So it looks like I have to use a process of elimination, indeed I already knew this but its kind of a daunting task.
One of my speakers is very close to a power socket but I guess the speakers can be ruled out because the pop/spike is getting recorded. Most of the time, I just use the decks or Elektrons running into the DJ mixer without the computer or soundcard even switched on (though I should add that my laptop is used with the decks so there is sometimes another computer in the equation).
All my computer stuff is up to date including drivers, though the Saffire itself is not actually on sale any more. With regards to this, the soundcard is usually off but the leads are permanently plugged and run very close to a power outlet, I have no idea whether this is a factor.
If I just use decks, the issue happens. If I just use Elektrons, the issue happens. And if I just use the computer, the issue happens. So I’m thinking its got to be one of the mixers, they are the only consistent factor.
Thanks for helping me focus guys! I’m going to get to the bottom of this so I can get back to what I enjoy, might take a while though!
it reminds me of a rehearsel room i played in with my first band many years ago. it was in the cellar of a very old house with a very old heater in the next room and very old electrics. when this heater switched on every now and then we got really bad induction into our equipment. is your studio maybe in such kind of house ? as you write that these pops occured after 40 or 60 minutes… could be the heater i thought.
I’m afraid the only way to do this is by process of elimination. Start with your mixer & a known pair ( i.e. ‘good’ ) of headphones. then start adding a unit at a time into the system until you find the culprit. In my experience ‘pops’ like
this are almost always digital artefacts of some kind ( unlike analogue crackles or buzzes ) often related to wordclock, samp frequency etc issues with soundcards etc. But it’s hard to know without hearing them. It could just be one
faulty piece of gear though.
Edit ; just read your last post again more closely : yes, focus on the mixer (s).
Yes, I suspect the mixers as well… Are they both analogue? Do both mixers have a ground prong?
How is your electricity in the room?
Certain lights, like fluorescent ones, can introduce clicking or hum into the signalpath if they share a fuse with your rooms electricity. Also some other equipment can cause power spikes which can manifest as pops/crackles in the signalpath…
So far, I only tested with my smaller Yamaha analogue mixer last night and got a distinct pop within an hour of it just sitting idle with nothing else powered on. I’m thinking this is probably the problem device but I’m a bit stuck because I need to test the DJ mixer too. The problem is that I need different speaker leads to test this mixer.
I’m thinking maybe I’ll test with my current speaker leads running out of the booth output but its not really an accurate test if I start changing the configuration around like this.
I’ve been wondering about the actual electricity supply too, the static pop resembles a spike and sounds quite sharp like a spike. There is no surge protection on the plug bank that the smaller mixer and speakers are using… and theres my next test right there, I’ll switch the power banks around and leave it idling again.
Wow, sometimes just typing out the issue makes me see it more clearly!
So I’ve done some more testing today and the Yamaha mixer definitely seems to be the culprit, but its still not 100% so I have to test some more. I’ve switched the leads a few times today so the connections have been freshened and the problem has only happened 3 times (its really time consuming waiting for the issue to happen!).
Could also be bad drivers causing audio dropouts if you’re on windows. I need to switch off my WiFi card when recording. Try this software: http://www.thesycon.de/eng/latency_check.shtml
Get some connector adapters or something so you can test your setup entirely without the yamaha in the mix. If your monitors need XLR, there are plenty of XLR adaptors available, even for rca
