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M1 MacBook Pro audio glitch

I cannot locate a relevant thread here, but there are reports all over the internet, including several audio forums and Apple dev. forums regarding audio glitches on M1 hardware.


The audio crackling or popping can occur in any application and is frequently (perhaps always?) accompanied by a console message like the following:


3587 HALS_OverloadMessage.cpp:222 HALS_OverloadMessage: Overload due to HAL client proc exceeding io cycle budget

The audio defect, and console message occur *almost every time* I use an application with audio. I am running MacOS 12.6 on a MacBookPro18,3.


Internet lore on the subject suggests deleting the audio plist files in /Library/Preferences/Audio/. I have not found that to be a reliable fix for the problem.


Has anyone discovered a reliable solution to this problem? Please help, Apple.


[Re-Titled by Moderator]


MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Dec 15, 2022 2:26 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 26, 2023 10:25 AM

Just received new M3 iMac, same audio issue. Randomly all audio cut outs for a moment. Does not matter what the audio source is. Very disappointed and frustrated.

Similar questions

40 replies

Jan 2, 2023 7:57 AM in response to Todd0213

It's not an audio/speaker problem, it's a M1 hardware problem. If I could turn back time I would never have bought the M1. It's only a year old and is a piece of junk. I have sent it to Apple and back again, run through numerous trouble shooting help, tried all the online advice, and it always comes back.

I am a music producer and I have to restart my computer at least twice or more times a day to stop the popping and glitching. The more programs you have running the worse it gets, until things are so slow you can't even load a page.

I have been a Mac user for years, but this has seriously made me consider never buying Apple again. They've lost the plot.

Apr 7, 2023 10:40 AM in response to mattrixxAustralia

I've been trying to deal with this problem for more than a year, and honestly, it's absurd that a machine with a price tag of over $3,000 can't play audio correctly. It's even more frustrating because I genuinely enjoy working with Apple devices, but this issue renders them practically unusable as workstations for developers like me.


I don't believe there's just one issue at play here. At times, it's the memory pressure, the core audio daemon, or even "insulated cables" (seriously?) - Apple's response in this thread to "check your audio settings" is practically offensive. You'd likely receive an equally unhelpful response by visiting any Apple Store. They're well aware of the problem but feign ignorance to avoid massive recalls.


Super frustrated, Apple, do something!

Jan 14, 2023 2:55 AM in response to grumpbus

Very true. I have the M1 Max 16-inch Pro. The audio glitches every few minutes. It really interrupts the listening experience. I'm listening through Apple music so it's not a software compatibility issue. If Apple's own software can't play perfectly, I don't know what else can. Actually, as I just clicked on the Post button for posting this comment, the audio popped.

Dec 18, 2022 1:23 PM in response to grumpbus

Greetings grumpbus,


Ensuring you're getting the audio quality that's expected from your Mac is important and it sounds like you've walked through great steps thus far. If you haven't already, you'll want to complete the steps listed below. These steps are specific to troubleshooting speaker related issues on your Mac.


  1. "From the Apple menu , choose System Preferences.
  2. Click Sound.
  3. Click the Output tab, then select the built-in speakers. If you don’t see built-in speakers as an option in the Output window, contact Apple Support.
  4. If the Output volume slider is set low, move the slider to the right and test again.
  5. If the Mute checkbox is selected, deselect it and test again.
  6. If you still don’t hear any sound, contact Apple Support."


If the internal speakers on your Mac aren't working


If you continue to have issues after completing the steps, you'll want to reach out to Apple next so they can look in to this issue further. You can find their contact details via the link below.


Contact - Official Apple Support


Take care!


Feb 1, 2023 10:19 PM in response to grumpbus

I am wondering if this is related to what I am observing.

It seems that every time an alert is fired off. ie Doing something wrong in Finder, triggering an alert sound (which you can't turn off like you can other notification sounds, you can only turn it down), I get an interrupted audio stream in Apple Music for example.

Even worse, it will cause ProToolsUltimate to stop playing or recording and throw an error, regardless of buffer size etc.

Also affects the playback in Logic Pro X.


I am using a Mac Studio Ultra that is otherwise not breaking a sweat, so it seems that it is something to do with that trigger fires off the sound.


Apr 4, 2023 7:02 AM in response to Casw

Update: I just upgraded to Ventura, hoping, by some miracle, it would fix this horrible audio glitch problem.

If possible, it has actually made it worse!

It's nearly impossible to record on Logic without the glitch stopping a recording mid-track. This is now a major issue.

I'm looking for ways to move my logic off this terrible M1 and go backwards instead of forwards.

Worst decision to buy an M1.

Apple, in my opinion, has gone down the toilet.

:(

Mar 13, 2023 5:07 PM in response to grumpbus

This ONLY happens to me on my work 14" MBP with an M1 Pro chip. My personal M1 MB Air works fine.


I like listening to lossless audio and have a DAC hooked up with monitor speakers, so this problem is pretty irritating. It does not happen when I use my Airpods Pro, but I'd really like to not have earbuds in my whole workday.


Any fixes would be appreciated.

M1 MacBook Pro audio glitch

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