Apple Music streaming sound corruption?

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Level 1

9 points

Apple Music streaming sound corruption?

Occasionally while listening to streaming music via the Music app on my Mac, the stream will occasionally become garbled, first on one stereo channel and then the other. This problem started when I first enabled Lossless audio playback via the preferences, but has persisted after unchecking that setting.

The problem will typically persist until I stop the stream and wait a minute or more; if I resume playback immediately, or quit and restart the app without giving it some time, the problem can persist. The only reliable way I've found to make the problem go away is to reboot my Mac, but fortunately about thirty seconds is typically enough.

I've never had this problem when streaming to my phone, iPad, or Sonos. It's unfortunate, because I'd like to listen to music on my nice speakers via my Mac's audio device.

MacBook Pro (M1, 2020)

Posted on Jul 12, 2023 8:03 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Matthew Lyon Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 19, 2023 10:28 AM in response to Sheree_P

After a bit of experimentation, I've narrowed it down to few sets of variables:

Music downloaded vs. streaming
Mac system audio output destination: Built-in Headphone Jack vs. Displayport Output vs. Zoom UAC-8 Driver (0C1429D4)
Network: home WiFi, home wired network via Thunderbolt adapter, Friend's WiFi network

The only variable where I was able to reproduce the issue was when playing through the Zoom UAC-8 interface & driver. Network didn't matter, downloaded vs. streaming didn't matter.

This is the latest version of their driver and the device is on the latest firmware. It works flawlessly with Ableton Live (which they say they support), Bitwig Studio, Max/MSP, and VCV Rack, and streaming audio through Bandcamp's web interface in Safari. They also claim it works with Logic and GarageBand. Unfortunately iTunes/Apple Music is not on the list of supported software.

I'm a bit disappointed by this, not least because I don't really otherwise have a noise-free way to play from Apple Music through these speakers that lets me control the volume (DisplayPort offers no volume control and is entirely too loud, and with the headphone jack + adapters I have yet to find a way to do this that doesn't lead to line noise), but I also understand if it's not supported.

I do also have a MOTU M4 audio interface for my iPad, and playing Apple Music this way has not yielded problems. It's not as nice of an experience as using it on my Mac, but that's largely a "I need to organize my desk and figure out some cabling issues I need to figure out anyway" problem.

I will try the M4 interface with the Mac and verify if that works correctly.

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Answer 2

Chris_V89

Community Specialist

Jul 13, 2023 3:44 PM in response to Matthew Lyon

Hey there Matthew Lyon,

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities.

Just to confirm, is this issue only occurring when streaming music in Apple Music on your Mac, or does the issue occur if the music is downloaded to play offline as well?

If the issue only occurs when streaming music, have you had a chance to test the issue out on multiple Wi-Fi networks? This could help rule out a possible network issue.

Next would be to ensure that you're updated to the latest macOS version, as this will also update the Apple apps installed on your Mac as well. When an update is released, it often brings the latest features, security updates, and bug fixes which may be able to help with the issue you're seeing.

For help with updating the software on your MacBook, check out this link here: Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support (MY)

If already up-to-date, a great step to troubleshoot and isolate the issue further would be to test the issue in safe mode. This can help determine if the issue may have been caused by some software that loaded when starting your MacBook up.

For steps on how to boot into safe mode, as well as what to do if the issue does or doesn't occur in safe mode, check out this link here: Use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support

Let us know if that's able to help.

Take care!

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Answer 3

Matthew Lyon Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 21, 2023 12:35 PM in response to Gena_D

Alright, I've narrowed it down to the driver for the Zoom UAC-8. I left it going with Bitwig Studio for much longer than I normally do and it eventually encountered the same corruption problems. Thanks for your help everyone!

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Answer 4

Gena_D

Community Specialist

Jul 19, 2023 10:39 AM in response to Matthew Lyon

Hi again Matthew Lyon,

We're glad to get the information about the narrowing down you've done. That's definitely helpful to get closer to a resolution. Testing in safe mode is 100% a recommended step to take next, though we understand it does take some time for the issue to appear.

Keep us updated with your further testing in the M4 interface and we'll go from there.

Have a good rest of your day.

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Answer 5

Matthew Lyon Author

Level 1

9 points

Jul 14, 2023 10:30 AM in response to Chris_V89

I haven't yet tried downloading music to my Mac for offline play or doing this via another wifi network. I can stream music via my iPad for hours in the same physical location on my same home network with no problem, and am regularly on video calls from this same area with no issues. It would be difficult to test this on another wifi network as I don't have easy access to one with comparable reliability & bandwidth.

I can give downloading for offline play a shot and report back. It will be difficult to test this in safe mode, as it sometimes takes a few hours to kick in and I'm typically listening to music while working on the same laptop.

I install system software updates regularly, and am currently on macOS 13.4.1 (c) (22F770820d)

My hunch about the problem based on the character of the corrupted stream's sound, previous experience with quality-testing mpeg audio encoders, and the observed behavior of both the problem occurring first on one channel of audio and then the other, and needing to at the minimum quit the Apple Music app, is that there is some kind of offset or mistaken checksum or marker placement that gets into the streaming decoder's buffer, and either the buffer needs to be flushed or the streaming handshake/session needs to be restarted before the problem can be resolved.

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Answer 6

bbesspete

Community Specialist

Jul 21, 2023 2:14 PM in response to Matthew Lyon

Hey Matthew Lyon,

Thanks for letting us know how the issue was resolved.

Cheers!

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Answer 7

Sheree_P

Community Specialist

Jul 14, 2023 10:57 AM in response to Matthew Lyon

Hey

Matthew Lyon,

Troubleshooting is a great way to isolate the issue. Testing a different Wi-Fi network would ensure the issue isn't network related in regards to the Mac itself.

Testing in safe mode helps determine if there is software installed that causing the issue. If the issue doesn't happen in safe mode, this may be related to a login item which starts when the Mac boots up.

Also, testing in a different user name will help determine if the issue is related that specific user account or system wide. If it's system wide and it is not related to the network and/or login items, the macOS software may need to be reinstalled. This article provides details on adding a new user account: Change Users & Groups settings on Mac - Apple Support

If you need additional assistance isolating the issue, you can contact Apple Support here: Get Support. They will be able to further investigate this with you.

Take care.

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Apple Music streaming sound corruption?

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