audio and video stop working after a couple of hours

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Level 1

4 points

audio and video stop working after a couple of hours

I have a 2017 iMac, 4.2 Ghz, 64GB RAM, i7, Radeon Pro 580 (8GB). Presently running on Mojave 10.14.6.

For the last couple of months, and getting progressively worse, the audio and video simply stop functioning after the computer has been running for an hour or two. iTunes, Spotify, etc. etc. just don't launch when you click on a track to play it. YouTube, or any other video, just sits and looks at me with the rotating arrow, and nothing happens.

The only cure is a restart, in which case the problem just recurs again after an hour or two.

Interestingly, though, if I play a track I've recorded in Adobe Audition (or any of those), it will play quite happily. I record a radio programme and a podcast, and especially with regard to the radio programme, this is causing havoc. I can't record a full two-hour programme, because the playout software (Radiologik DJ Pro) will stop playing tracks out into the USB mixer long before two hours is up.

I have tried all the obvious things (reset SMC, NVRAM, PRAM, using different playout software, etc.), to no avail. I might mention that the system has worked perfectly as presently configured (Yamaha MG10XUF USB mixer, Radiologik DJ, etc.etc.) has always worked flawlessly. If there is any possible connected event, it may be that this problem has only existed in the last three iterations of Mojave, i.e. 10.14.4, 10.14.5 and 10.14.6.

I've been to the iStore/Apple Store or whatever it's called here in Frankfurt, Germany, where they just stood and shrugged at each other and suggested I call Apple Service, which I did, again to no avail.

I'm really in a sweat here, and in danger of losing the radio programme. Any/all help and advice would be appreciated.

Posted on Sep 13, 2019 1:25 AM

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Answer 1

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HWTech

Level 9

56,138 points

Sep 13, 2019 8:06 PM in response to DVD_Dinosaur

Run EtreCheck and post the report here using the "Additional Text" icon which looks like a piece of paper.

Try running the Apple Diagnostics.

Try booting into Safe Mode to see if the problem still occurs. Safe Mode loads only the minimal drivers necessary and disables Startup & Login items as well as running a file system check and deleting some temp & cache files. If any of your equipment requires any special drivers, then that equipment won't function in Safe Mode.

Try creating another user account and use the new account to see if the problem still occurs.

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Answer 2

DVD_Dinosaur Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 14, 2019 1:24 AM in response to HWTech

... Apple Diagnostics reports no problems found.

I've set up a 'Test' account, will boot into that and let it do its thing today while I am out. Will then boot again into Safe Mode and see what happens there.

Most grateful for your help.

D

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Answer 3

DVD_Dinosaur Author

Level 1

4 points

Sep 14, 2019 8:13 AM in response to DVD_Dinosaur

I've just come in after being out for six hours. During that time the computer was running YouTube on a loop in the 'Test' account I created per your suggestion. When I got back, it was still YouTube-ing happily away. So the problem didn't replicate itself, knowing that within two hours at the most it would have done so in my usual admin account (I made the Test account an admin account too).

The last thing to do is the SafeBoot option, and I'll do that tomorrow.

BTW, I switched it back to my normal Admin account and tried iTunes and YouTube just for laughs, and they worked. But after two hours in that account, they would probably have stopped.

Regards

Dino

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Answer 4

HWTech

Level 9

56,138 points

Sep 14, 2019 9:56 AM in response to DVD_Dinosaur

I'm not an expert on macOS software. The worst thing I see is the AppCleaner Smart Delete which is a login item for your account. Since your test account worked fine, this app could be causing your problems. I know nothing about this particular app, but app cleaners in general are not needed with macOS and many of them will just cause problems or affect system performance. Some are even considered a form of malware. Remove the AppCleaner Smart Delete according to the developer's instructions to see how the iMac performs.

I'm a little concerned about the very large difference between the read and write speeds on your Fusion Drive. While write speeds will always be slower, the speed difference seems unusually large, but I'm also not sure how EtreCheck performs this test. This may be a perfectly normal result. Perhaps another more experienced user will know for sure.

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Answer 5

Oct 3, 2019 8:58 AM in response to DVD_Dinosaur

I have been having the same experience. Restarting is the only way to fix it. I would like a better solution. All this rebooting reminds me of my old PC. Maybe I should go back to Windows. MS is a better company now.

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Answer 6

DVD_Dinosaur Author

Level 1

4 points

Oct 3, 2019 10:32 AM in response to Apple_JBE

Yes. Apple_JBE - it's a real pest, really it is. I took it to the huge Apple Store here in Frankfurt, Germany, and they just shrugged and gave me a service number to call which, when I eventually got through, gave me essentially the same advice as HWTech did here. None of the options helped. The machine is a year and a half old, is fairly high-spec and cost an arm and a leg. You may have a point - however, for graphics, video editing and some other things in that line, Apple is still the way to go. So I, like you, lurch through the day with a series of stops and restarts.

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Answer 7

DVD_Dinosaur Author

Level 1

4 points

Nov 16, 2019 1:19 AM in response to DVD_Dinosaur

Just to keep you up to speed ... I had more or less resigned myself to increasingly frequent reboots, when an update to Catalina, born more out of desperation than anything else, immediately and permanently resolved the problem. I#ve subsequently added the .1 upgrade that came out a couple of days ago.

I would never normally update to a new OS so soon after its first launch, but this problem has been giving me such stick that I thought doing so couldn't make it any worse, and might even help.

As it happened, it did. And I mention in passing that, paradoxically, the transition to Catalina has been absolutely problem-free in every respect. except of course for having to say good bye to a fre leftover 32-bit applications I seldome used anyway. The computer is faster, and it boots up MUCH faster, which is a joy.

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