Why does the mic setting icon flicker and create pops or stutters during playback in Logic Pro 11?

This irritating drop out/stutter only seems to appear during playback. It happens even though it is set on the recommended standard mic mode. This occurs when only three or four tracks have been recorded and few, if any plug-ins have been used. This subject had been raised on previous posts in the Apple Support Community, but I never saw any answers about how to address it.