High pitched noise coming from inside the computer

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High pitched noise coming from inside the computer

Hello.

I have a RME Fireface 400 soundcard that I bought one month ago. It is plugged to my Macbook Pro 13 (3rd generation) with a 400/800 Firewire cable. I have installed the most recent RME drivers on my computer.

Whenever any sound is played in any program (Ableton Live for example), there is a slight high pitched noise coming from inside the Macbook, near the Firewire plug.
I tried all the sample rates available in the interface, the noise frequency is different for each setting but still the noise is there. If I raise the sample rate, the frequency of the noise raises as well.

I tried my Fireface 400 on several other Macbook Pro 3rd generation (13, 15, 17 and Mac Mini) and the same problem occurs also.

I compose electroacoustic music so I need to work in a quiet environment. The noise is low but nevertheless audible. Under those conditions, that parasite noise is a real problem to me.

- Does anybody would happen to know the origin of this problem?
- Is there a way to make that noise disappear?
- Is it a problem that could be solved by a future upgrade?

I love working with the Fireface 400 which is an awesome card and I would really love to find a way to make that noise disappear.

Thanks in advance for your answers.

mac book pro 13, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Mar 4, 2010 4:05 PM

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Answer 1

Jun 12, 2018 5:46 PM in response to unuagist

This problem has been around for a long time.

I have experienced it on several MacBooks (Pro Mid 2009 and White Late 2009).
It has to do with the so called C4 power mode of the CPU. As soon as the CPU throttles back to C4 power mode, the whining occurs.

There is an application called ShhMBP. It installs a kernel extension that disables the C4 power mode.

It's known to work on most MacBooks, but as the application is no longer being maintained, there is no guarantee that it will work for the newer models.

It's worth giving it a try. You can download it from http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/22091/shhmbp

Message was edited by: JeFFJuH

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Answer 2

iVmichael

Level 6

13,740 points

Mar 4, 2010 5:40 PM in response to unuagist

Welcome to Apple Discussions 🙂

Might be a long shot, but does the noise go away if you launch PhotoBooth and activate the camera?

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Answer 3

unuagist Author

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Mar 4, 2010 7:16 PM in response to iVmichael

hello,
well the noise is less high in frequency but there is still a crispy airy noise,
the same thing when i scroll up and down with tow fingers on the trackpad.

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Answer 4

iVmichael

Level 6

13,740 points

Mar 4, 2010 11:14 PM in response to unuagist

OK, next thing to try is the three pin cord into the MagSafe to make sure you have a decent earth connection ...

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Answer 5

unuagist Author

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Mar 5, 2010 3:23 AM in response to iVmichael

i did a test with the three pin cord and without it, but i don't have earth connection,
also tryed using the macbook on battery , same thing.
i'll try pluging it at a friends place witch has an earth connection.
thanks

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Answer 6

unuagist Author

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Mar 5, 2010 1:41 PM in response to unuagist

tried it with the earth connection, same noise.

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Answer 7

iVmichael

Level 6

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Mar 5, 2010 5:24 PM in response to unuagist

Dang, OK then I'm guessing that it's coming from the Inverter and if so there's nothing you can do about that, only take it in to an Apple store and have them listen to the interference and see what they say ...

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Answer 8

unuagist Author

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Mar 10, 2010 2:30 AM in response to iVmichael

hello michael,

You wouldn't happen to know if using the expresscard 34 slot on the macbook pro 17inch could solve the problem?

Thank you very much.

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Answer 9

Rod Hagen

Level 7

32,000 points

Mar 10, 2010 2:42 AM in response to unuagist

I guess it may, unuagist, but given that you have tried the audio interface on several other computers and experienced the same problem, I'd be wondering about a problem with the card itself, rather than just the computers, too.

Have you discussed the matter with the manufacturer's support people? You may just have a "bad" card that is itself generating some sort of harmonic interference on all of the computers, I guess.

Cheers

Rod

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Answer 10

unuagist Author

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Mar 10, 2010 4:51 AM in response to Rod Hagen

Hi Rod
i tried a Motu UltraLite mk3 Hybrid and a second Rme Fireface 400,
no difference, same noise.
I'm thinking of coming back to pc.
According to other forums where people seem to experience a noise on a mac pro connecting a sound card through firewire, there is no issue;
http://macproaudiobug.byethost31.com/
"One possible fix is to use a PCIe sound card"

That's why i was asking about the exprsscard on the macbook pro 17",
i tried it at the store through expresscard, can't be sure because of the environmental sound,
but it seam to be more silent.
I can still exchange my macbook pro 13" for a 17", but is it worth the risque knowing that if the noise is still bothering, i will have to work with bootcamp because under windows7 the noise
disappears after a brief moment.
i'm seriously rethinking the choice of staying on mac.
my question now is, can an upgrade of MacOs fix this bug.
Tanks

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Answer 11

Mar 28, 2010 11:25 AM in response to unuagist

I have the same problem ..
Now I'm using an ultralite mk3 hybrid from motu, and, just as all my other firewire-audio interfaces (apogee, M-Audio, ..), it has this noise when I use it with Firewire, but it hasn't got the noise when I use it through USB.. So absolutely a Mac-hardware problem.

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Answer 12

Apr 8, 2010 8:06 AM in response to unuagist

Hi all and peace forever!

I have the same problem and it is really annoying sometimes. I also write ambient music and my best parts are the most quiet and then is when the problem is consistent and thus unbearable...

Apogee were very kind but also sure this is an Apple issue. True.

Here are some posts I had made with not so much luck (I didn't try the CoolBook app though, has any?).

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=839031

http://discussions.info.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=10773796

http://www.rme-audio.de/forum/viewtopic.php?id=7157

http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=132438

sincerely,
chris

dergar.bandcamp.com
www.myspace.com/dergar

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Answer 13

cvcvcv

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May 21, 2010 10:20 AM in response to Chris Dergar

has anybody been able to find a solution to this problem? i am experiencing the same issue on a 2010 i7 macbook pro with a motu ultralite mk3 connected. the noise starts when i begin audio output and within minutes, the top left corner of the machine heats up quite a bit. i am using wall power for the ultralite, so the draw of bus power should be minimal/nonexistant.

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Answer 14

May 21, 2010 10:50 AM in response to cvcvcv

The noise you're describing sounds a lot like a common but only semi-well-documented problem regarding "CPU napping" and external audio interface devices. I am only about 1/4 literate in computerspeak, but as I understand it OSX tells your CPU to take little micro-second "naps" between computations in order to save power and reduce heat. The high-pitch screeching noises you're hearing are, for lack of a better description, the amplified sound of your CPU "snoring". (A good way to tell if this is what you're hearing is to listen for changes in the noise as you do CPU-intensive tasks like loading a web page or opening applications or whatnot--usually the noise will stutter or get intermittently quieter for brief bursts of time while the CPU is actively processing data.)

If this more-or-less describes what you're experiencing, download and install CHUD Tools from the Apple website. A new "Processor Preferences" option will be added to the Hardware pane in System Preferences. Un-check the "Allow Nap" option, and bask in the glorious silence of it all 😉

FWIW, this problem has been cropping up on certain PBs, MBP, and even G5 towers and Mac Pros for years. My almost 6-year-old Powerbook started doing it the moment I plugged my first Edirol firewire sound interface into it (back in the OSX 10.3 days.) It started doing it again with my Apogee Duet and Leopard. And thankfully, the same solution fixed the problem.

Hopefully this works for you too.

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Answer 15

cvcvcv

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May 21, 2010 1:09 PM in response to banalelectric

I look forward to testing it out tonight! Thanks for the post. This is the first reasonable solution I've seen.

Btw - I've got a sample of the noise (recorded close to the port and amplified) here:

http://soundcloud.com/cloudveins/mbp-firewire-noise-problem-mic-placed-near-powe r-supply-of-macbook

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