Internal Feedback?

S

s1000

New member
Hi all

Im somewhat new to home recording. I had an MBOX and ProTools a decade or so ago that I used, but since then, nada.

This is my current setup: HP G72 laptop (8GB RAM, Windows 7 x64), M-Audio M-Track Quad, 2 AKG condenser mics, AKG K240 headphones (using an 1/8" to 1/4" adapter for the interface), and Studio One 3.
Also, I know this is rough, but in case it's useful, the screen is currently cracked on the laptop so the visuals are running via VGA to a separate monitor.

The problem: A couple minutes in to recording or playback, I'll hear some clicking, and then some static (by which I mean the sound we might associate with analog, real-world static electricity), and eventually it compounds in to a full-volume screech. It behaves a lot like feedback you'd get in a live setting. Also, even after closing the program, the sound will persist.

So far, I've made sure the software bit rate matches the interface bit rate (sorry if I messed up the terminology there), disabled the laptop speakers, and made sure the wi-fi was disconnected(?).
Also, the only headphone jack is in the front of the interface (as opposed to say, the old MBox, which had one in front and back); I tried switching the headphones to a monitor output in back, and got a signal seemingly without noise, but I couldn't get the volume up to a practical level and it only played through one ear.

So, there's my newb thread. I'd really appreciate any advice anyone could offer as I've asked musician friends and checked other forums and haven't been able to find any answers to what seems to be a very site-specific problem.

Thank you in advance for your patience
 
I'd suspect that your ASIO sample buffer is set too low, or your sample rate is set too high, and the demands of processing audio are overpowering your CPU.

In your M-Audio ASIO control panel, take a look and see how many samples your ASIO buffer is set to. I think there is a drop-down list with different powers-of-two as options. Try setting it to the next larger size and try playing your project again.

For now, I'd recommend also making sure that your sample rate is set to 44.1 kHz, with a 24-bit depth. If your CPU agrees with that, then you can try higher sample rates if you feel the need.

In Studio One, there may be some option in the audio device menu that could override what your ASIO control panel says. Try to set it to the same ASIO buffer size, sample rate, and bit depth as the ASIO control panel.

It'll probably be worth starting a new project, as things can get weird if you're using a mixture of .wav files at different sample rates in the same project. Record a few scratch tracks at 44.1K/24-bit, play them back, slap some reverb on them, etc. See if your CPU agrees with those settings. If not, there may be an issue with the M-Audio drivers or installation.
 
Thank you for your response Tadpui

I'm currently experimenting with your suggestions.
Do you think there's any probability that the interface is defective?

Thanks again
 
Had a similar thing going on elsewhere in the forum. The longer the song played the worse the static got. Are you running any reverb or echo plug ins when you hear the static? (What we assumed was wrong in the other post)
 
It appears the problem is solved in Studio One 3. Thank you so much for your contributions.

I downloaded ASIO4ALL and used it to match the ASIO buffer size and the MTrack buffer size in Studio One. I also lowered the bit depth.


Curious enough though, Broken_H, I gave Reaper a try and yeah, as soon as I added an echo (post-record), it all went to static hell again. In Studio One FX weren't a problem; I just kind of figured I missed something in the Reaper setup. Did you find a solution in the other post?

Thanks again
 
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Don't know, I just skimmed the thread. Didn't even follow it. I'm a Reason guy and only use Reaper for SSD4, so my abilities and knowledge are pretty limited. Take a look around for the thread...I just put them in the back of my head filing cabinet enough so I can find things later if I need them. :)
 
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