Q: clipping sound on new iMac when Logix X is running

im afraid i have to report that i am going to be sending back my second imac 27 inch tomorrow. after the problematic first one, i didnt even load any of my usual daw software (logic, ableton), or any plugs (native instruments, soundtoys, audio damage,etc.) before givng the replacement a try. i unboxed it. booted. opened a softsynth in garageband and held a single note. after a moment or two, that glitching popping intermittent noise. no external converer. just the imacs built in output. either i am staticstically cursed or something is clearly up with this new iteration of machines.

Let us know how you get on with your replacment machines guys!

I still think it's a core audio bug with late 2013 iMacs that may be patched at some point, but maybe I'm wrong.

Hopefully your new iMacs won't have the snap, crackle and pop.

Im thinking it is some kind of CoreAudio issue too.. rather than a specific hardware issue...  as two of my clients using 2011 iMacs and one client using a 2010 Mac Pro are reporting the same issue.... with Logic Pro and also with DP..

Deadphish,

Right, I have both a 2011 and a 2013 iMac and neither demonstrate this issue.... (as well as several other Macs of varying ages and models and none have this issue)

But, as I said, it doesn't appear to be limited to one specific model of Mac... which means, to me at least it is more likely to be a software issue of some kind, rather than a hardware issue relating to a specific model of Mac... and my best guess, given the type of issue it is, is that it's some kind of CoreAudio issue within OS X...

It reminds me so much of the GUI lag issue that was going on with Logic Pro 9.... that affected some people and yet not others, even when users were using identical hardware... and apparently identical software configurations (though as it turned out, that problem was likely caused by faulty updates that didn't fully 'take')

The fact You and I have basically identical hardware and yet you have this issue and i don't probably confirms this thought... but of course there is a chance that you do have some faulty hardware and once replaced, your issue will go away... Time will tell...  It also could be a hardware component tolerence issue.. and maybe my 2013 iMac doesn't have this issue because a component or componenents in my iMac are "working better' than yours.....

However, It does confirm it's not a hardware issue that is present in all 2013 iMacs.. and it is an issue that affects different models of Macs too....

So far, thats all I've got!

Let's see what happens when you or others here, get replacements and see if that changes thing..

No problem Deadphish....

Trying to keep track of everything going on around this and other forums.., can be a real pain!

I should also say, that there could easily be several different issues, that produce similar consequences but have different root causes.. so nothing is certain, by any means so at the moment, much of this is just pure guess work!

Cheers!

Hello folks - a fresh apple user here.

In pursuit of portability, I recently (last week) purchased a MacBook Pro and installed Logic Pro X.  I am experiencing the same problem on audio tracks - software instruments/drummer seem fine on playback but audio tracks have a persistent crackle all through.

Very interested in The Art of Sound's advice because I have it hooked up via Firewire (another reason for the MacBook) to a Mackie 1220i with a serial number that corresponds to the advice that no driver is required on the page with the following link http://www.mackie.com/products/onyxiseries/drivers/  .

It looks as though it may have something to do with Core Audio - whatever that is - but it may be an external interface compatability problem.  Apple Care are looking at it but at the same time I think I am going to knock on Mackie's door (very Loud ).

Maybe Apple should take a leaf out of Avid's book and produce their own compatible audio interface.

Spec3,

Yes, your well documented issue is, without a doubt, caused by your Mackie because the ealier model you have and it's design flaw, results in exactly that issue and cannot be fixed by drivers or a firmware update because Mackie didn't provde for such things when they initially designed that version of their Mixer. The later updated version of their Mixer does allow for drivers that can then fix the problem.... This is why there are many very frustrated and annoyed Mackie owners..... out there... because they must either not upgrade to Mountain Lion or buy new hardware.

Your issue isn't related to CoreAudio.... but an issue regarding how a piece of hardware wasn't correctly designed...(as per Apple's guiidelines) and so as i said in my previous post, this is one example where the issue seems similar but has an entirely different cause...

Thanks Guys,

All the tracks I have laid down with Loops, Drummer and Software are fine - which seems to point the fickle finger of fate in the direction of this Mackie alongside me.

It seems I am nearer to the cause of the problem but it does not give me much comfort if there is a fundamental proble with the AI.

I have raised it with Mackie and will now stop hijacking this thread.

Deadphish42,

I sent back the first iMac for the same audio clipping/interrupt issue. Btw, both machines are the brand spanking late 2013 iMac. After exhaustive troubleshooting with the first one, I sent it back and received the replacement quite quickly. But like I said in my previous post, I started as plainly as I could to look for the problem and did quite quickly find it before loading any of my software onto it.

Interesting tidbit for our discussion here, one of the most perplexing aspects of my troubleshooting on the first machine was that when I opened a synth (I think it was ni massive) in standalone mode, I could NOT reproduce the problem. But when I opened same plug in logic OR ableton I got the problem again. This was perplexing because every other thing I tried was consistent: clipping happened with an apogee interface, with just built-in output, plugged into a wall socket on a different breaker, with logic plugin, with third party plugins, when recording audio, etc.