Intermittent Clicking Noise

[mr_es335]

Hello,

Working with my new rig last evening with someone who was assisting me with the audio configuration.

I connected a mic to input 1 on the ADA8000 and I started to get an intermittent clicking noise. The mic is a Beyer Dynamic TG V35d - using it simply for dialog with the audience - so nothing fancy at all.

I shut down SAC, looked at TotalMix and I noticed the clicking there as well. Powered down the speakers, and turned off the ADA8000 - it was still there. The only solution was to reboot the system.

So, I am not sure if it is the mic, the ADA8000 or the audio card (RME DSP9652)? I am running at 4x64 and everything has been great up until last evening. I also noticed that I was getting more slipped buffers than usual.

I will do some more testing today.

Any ideas?

[Bob L]

Make sure the RME is set to master or internal clock... the ADA set to ADAT sync.

If you have more than one RME card, you have to properly sync the clock between those units as well... only one can be the master.

Bob L

[mr_es335]

Hello,

This is the idental setup to SAWStudio, at least as far as the card and DAC are concerned.

RME, Clock source: Internal
ADA8000: ADAT In

[NoFear13X]

What version of SAC? I recently had a similar issue of clicking and digital distortion with SAC for over an hour and finally realized my CPU usage was pegged at 99%. Shut down the SAC engine and turned it back on, right back at 46% like it usually is. Now I haven't been able to duplicate the problem since, so I didn't bring it up, but if you're on 3.0, maybe there's a new bug? Again, unless it happens to me again, I'll just blame it on Obama or something...

[Mattseymour]

If you're seeing it in totalmix then SAC is out of the picture. It does sound like a clocking issue. Could be the card didn't initialise properly. Who knows.

[hkmorgan87]

Are you running just the one ada8000? I have had the same issue with an ada8000. First I tried reconnecting the optical cable. No help. Way back in the day on the sac forum, I remember reading about the clock switch on the back of the unit having issues. I moved the switch to another position then back to adapt sync and that fixed my issue.

However that is also the sign of a failing behringer.

[marcus]

What version of SAC? I recently had a similar issue of clicking and digital distortion with SAC for over an hour and finally realized my CPU usage was pegged at 99%. Shut down the SAC engine and turned it back on, right back at 46% like it usually is. Now I haven't been able to duplicate the problem since, so I didn't bring it up, but if you're on 3.0, maybe there's a new bug? Again, unless it happens to me again, I'll just blame it on Obama or something...

I actually had the same thing happen, exactly, i had to hard reset the computer to get any response from the computer. Only had it happen once and not again, and haven't been able to replicate it. SAC version 3.0

[mr_es335]

Hello,

It is not definitley NOT SAC...it is either the ADA or the RME. The RME was used and shipped in a poor condition...and as I bought it from a store , I got the extended warranty on it (3 years).

The ADA is new and I an running just a single unit.

Last evening - 3 hours and no glitching - but I did notice slipped buffers. So I started with new edl's - I am glad I often "over-document things" - and that seemed to rectify that problem.

Does excessive "tweaking" of the audio signal cause such issues? That is only thing that was really different from anything I had previously done. Maybe, this caused excessive CPU spikes that caused the situation? Just thinking out loud - can not see THAT being the problem though.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.

[dbarrow]

My guess is the ADA8000 is going bad. The power supply in those is poorly designed and runs really hot. Over time it cooks the unit. I have had four of those go bad. In a friend's rack we powered just the ADA's with a Japanese stepdown transformer that stepped down 120v to 100v. Those units are still functioning perfectly. On my own rack I upgraded to the Focusrite Optopre Dynamic mkII units. They run cool with regular AC voltage. Before that I had ART TubeOpto-8 units, which ran hot like the Behringers and developed the same issues.

[Mattseymour]

Just re-read the original post. Did the troublesome signal continue in total mix with the ada switched off? If so it much be the rme card or a pc problem.