Random Static - Help!

I'm chiming in here because this has destroyed three of my podcasts so far. Here is my story...

All worked fine on my old Mac Book Pro (max memory was the 3GB model) which was stolen last month out of a locked hotel room (long story). I went out and bought another one with the insurance money, this is the newer MBP (4GB max memory) and it came with a leopard install which was the first thing I installed 🙂

First podcast, using the USB Alesis mixer received a boat load of static about 5 to 6 minutes into the podcast. This static also fired through SKYPE to all the folks on the conference call/podcast.

I read this forum (and others), partitioned some of the leopard install and put Tiger on there to 'remove the new OS' from the equation. I did a recording with two mic's on my USB Alesis - same static.

I found that I could remove the static if I hit "stop" in Audacity and then hit "record" onto a new track and buy me five or six minutes of clear recording. Something about resetting the buffer or something?

Originally I figured the only variable was the OS, but realistically the other variable is the fact that I had an older MBP (by about 6-months) and updated to the latest... and the static is happening in both OS's.

It sounds EXACTLY like the static from the mp3 example to a tee.

I am on tiger 10.4.11. The issue started with the 10.4.11 update and or iLife 08. The day before, everything fine. The day after, garbage. I think it is in the os update but can't roll back. I re applied the update and I thought the issue went away. It came back on all recording programs after 30 min. I have tried almost every setting listed in this thread. The bad thing is that my back up hard drive wuld not boot. This weekend I will most likely re-install ad just update to 10.4.10 and ilife 08.

Hi Guys, I too am experiencing the exact same problem recording my show using an Alesis USB mixer, Garageband and an Intel Imac after updating to 10.4.11.

After a few seconds or mins. I get what can only be described as static and have to quit Garageband and restart to carry on, it is really irritating and puts me off my thread!

If this helps to combat the problem I have taken the audio from the "Main Out" terminals on the mixer and run RCA cables into the Imac via the Line-in port (using an RCA to 3.5mm connections) on the back of the Mac. I reset the audio drivers in Garageband swithched on and left it all running for an hour to see if it would still happen and I think it has worked! I have not figured out the USB problem and I nearly purchased Leopard to try and combat it that way, but reading this I am glad I did'nt!

That's great to hear, because I was planning on doing the same thing... just let it record ambient noise, or listen to an mp3 and let it re-record it for five or ten minutes to see if I experience the sound with RCA cables. You saved me some time.

What I don't want, during our next podcast, is to have everyone on skype and have the audio crap out 5 minutes into it. The only indication I have now (since I'm listening to the audio via the headphone jack on the Alesis) is to watch the waveform patterns for quick jumping spikes...but that takes away from the conversation on the podcast if I'm constantly worried about watching the waveform.

I'm using the USB connection to send all the input from skype to the mixer, mixing it down in the mixer and sending it back to Audacity via the RCA cable. It is much more convenient and a bit better quality to do it all the real way, via the USB for both input and output, but I can't take another static cast... I'll toss the mac against he wall and... install Vista. (no, just kidding, I'd not take it that far)

Glad it helped you. It has worked for me, I managed to record for the whole hour and there was no static and it did seam to be a better sound quality. the real test will be when I record the next show I guess.

Unfortunately, for, me, I have to release a partially static episode later this week because there is no way I can go back and re-record it. Hopefully it doesn't turn off too many of our listeners. I've got two podcasts going (one drinking and one gaming) and our drinking podcast is only episode-2 so I know we don't have too many listeners yet, so we won't tick off too too many people (crossing fingers)

I really wish I knew who to blame for the problem and had an ETA on a fix (if anyone is even listening to our issues). It seems, to me, that podcasting and mac ownership is a synonymous relationship and this problem should become more frequent as more podcasts start up rather then fewer.

if anyone is even listening to our issues

if all you're doing is posting here, then you're preaching to the choir. send system profiles and full details (leaving out the emotion) to Apple via the Feedback menuItem under the GB menu.

oh, I'll be getting vocal, but typically nobody listens to me anyway 🙂

If we all yell loud enough maybe someone will care! That would be awesome. Just give them the facts, it's easily reproducable if they needed to see a live example that's for sure.

I did a clean install and stopped at 10.4.10 for updates. installed iLife 08 and all it's updates. After setting everything up, I did a 62 min recording. The audio was perfect in GB08. I did relate this in the garageband feedback. It does appear that the USB issue in in the 10.4.11 update and 10.5 . I am just happy that recording is back to normal. Hope this helps.

I too have been having problems with the usb static issues, and noticed this only started this weekend during my band's recording session, following an update to 10.4.11 last weekend. I thought I was losing my mind. I used to work Apple phone tech, and ran through all of my normal troubleshooting steps. I believe at this point the update to .11 or the new 10.5 os are both experiencing the same issues from the sounds of the many posts here. This makes sense, since the audio drivers in both systems are probably pretty much the same setup now. I'm going to try re-installing the os back to an earlier version, and disabling my updates. The best course would be to send your system profiles and setups to apple via Garageband feedback (under the GB feedback tab in the main GB tab on the top of your screen). If they see enough of the same issues slamming into their inboxes at home base, they will look into it. Hopefully if enough of us send them the same problem, they'll get to fixing it sooner than later. Good luck everyone... I'll pop in after next session for an update!

Maybe this can help filtering some of the static noise from the recording.

http://www.piticule.com/plug-ins/zimple-gate.html

Hope it helps.

I ran about an hour and eight minutes using USB for output into the Mixer and RCA "tape-out" back into the Mac Book Pro without any problems... it complicates the setup by requiring even more cabling and degrades the quality slightly (but my mp3 encoding will make it worse anyway) but it worked without issue.

Using USB to feed into the mixer is 'okay' just don't use it to send back into laptop.

From what I did to solve the issue, it was not the USB connection. After I reinstalled and went back to 10.4.10, I tested both USB 1 and 2. Both were clean. From all the forum posts concerning 10.4.11 and 10.5, It appears to be in the actual USB drivers. I have not heard if the 10.5.1 update fixed this. My recording rigs are 4 years old and every thing is still perfect. I just recorded an hour show this afternoon and all is great.

It's not an Intel thing, I had two Mac Book Pro's since one was recently stolen using the old Intel chipset (with 3GB max) and it worked fine. When I had to buy a new one to replace it I got the newer Intel (Rosa chipset?) with leopard on it, that's when the problem started.

I've tried on my wifes new Leopard Intel Mac Book Pro, same issue.

The RCA jack system worked with Leopard without any issues. So if you're on Leopard and you have a mixer like the Alesis then this may be the immediate work around. You don't want to be mid-podcast with people that were hard to get all on skype at the same time and end up with this horrid issue.