Focusrite iTrack Solo with M1 iMac - high frequency whine on headphones

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Level 1

4 points

Focusrite iTrack Solo with M1 iMac - high frequency whine on headphones

I recently upgraded from a 27" Intel iMac (late 2014) to an M1 iMac. I use a Focusrite iTrackSolo audio interface for voiceover work. The setup worked flawlessly for 7 years on my 27" iMac.

On the M1, I occasionally hear a high-frequency whine on my headphones (Sony MDR -7506), particularly when waking the Mac from sleep. I've been in touch with Focusrite support, but we weren't able to completely solve the problem.

When the high-pitched whine is present, I can fix it by:

a) Unplugging and plugging back in the USB-b/USB-c cable I'm using

or

b) Typing sudo killall coreaudiod from Terminal

I've tried several different cables and several different USB ports on my iMac, but the problem still shows up intermittently. I've also tried a different pair of headphones when the problem is present, and that does not change anything.

I would welcome any thoughts.

iMac 24″, macOS 12.1

Posted on Jan 13, 2022 4:33 AM

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Answer 1

tgok23

Community Specialist

Jan 14, 2022 8:09 AM in response to acrein

Hello, and welcome to Apple Support Communities acrein,

From your post we can see you're using an Focusrite iTrackSolo audio interface device for voice over work. You've noticed intermittent issues with while using your headphones and your M1 Mac. You've completed some troubleshooting already which is great and found a workaround.

To clarify, is this only happening when you use the interface? Have you tried the using the interface recently on a different device? If you haven't tried this already, can you let us know? We'd want to narrow down if it's related to the Mac or the interface itself.

Kind regards.

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Answer 2

acrein Author

Level 1

4 points

Jan 14, 2022 8:45 AM in response to tgok23

I will try the iTrackSolo with a MacBook Air this weekend; to be clear, I had used this very device (and cable) on a 27" iMac for many years without any issues, and as recently as November 2021.

Thank you for your input!

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Answer 3

tgok23

Community Specialist

Jan 14, 2022 9:51 AM in response to acrein

acrein,

We completely understand that you've used the iTrackSolo before, and had many good years together. We just want to test it out with another Mac (hopefully that has Apple silicon) to see if it's still working. If the MacBook Air doesn't have it, that is OK too. It's the best way to narrow this down.

Have a great weekend!

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Focusrite iTrack Solo with M1 iMac - high frequency whine on headphones

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