Sound stuttering after Mountain Lion install

Wow, 1200 Replies! Thought my Mac was just an anamoly. So annoying, i buy the most powerful (and expensive) computer) of my life and it can't even function as well as my old G5 (or 486). I have a Quad-Core i7 Powerbook with standard built in soundcard and there is most definitely something up with the audio.

Although it does function perfectly well using DAW's such as Ableton and Logic when it comes to simple tasks such as iTunes or VLC it just wigs out. On iTunes i will get stutters in the audio, they might not happen all day and then sometimes they might occur constantly. Have tried the more obvious solutions such as restarting iTunes, the computer and closing all other programs.

Similiarly with VLC and other video playback programs it can handle any amount of video intensive file but as soon as the audio on the film starts to get loud/more consistent/intense the whole video starts to stutter.

I've taken the Mac to the 'Genuis' Bar' where typically it decided not to play up and the chap 'had never heard of that issue before'. He plugged the computer into his magic box and told me there was nothing wrong with the mac and i should reinstall the OS. Arguably, i know this won't do anything as it has been doing it since the computer was brand spankers.

Can't believe that so many people have this issue and Mac won't even except responsibility. O well, it's too late for me know, my 1yr waranty ran out a few months back now, good luck to everybody else.

A long time back since I commented on this thread about my own issue, but last night I noticed the intermittent blips, or stuttering during iTunes playback is still here.

I do have a lot of apps open - Mac Pro with 32 GB memory, Mountain Lion 10.8.4 - but this is my work Mac, my business relies on it and I don't really have the time to troubleshoot further.

I have noticed that when these blips occur there is a hard disk write spike in Activity Monitor. May be Mountain Lion is not giving iTunes/audio playback enough CPU or hard drive I/O priority?

Found an app called fseventer to try and see which app is writing to disk when the blips occur but nothing yet.

It would be great if Apple could find a solution. - Steve Jobs was such a big fan of music.

I have a 2011 27" imac with the audio stutter. It ended up having something to do will an aging APC UPS. I could reproduce the problem when I started up a windows pc also connected to the battery side of the UPS. Moved the pc to the non battery side of the UPS and the problem went away. Voltage is fine 118+.

I can't believe Apple aren't resolving this problem with some kind of software bug fix/update.

It's been going on a long time.

I sent details to Apple feedback, including in it links to the numerous threads on the subject (not just this one).

I still have this problem and I can't put up with it for much longer because I'm a professional DJ and get links to lots and lots of promotional music online which I have to submit feedback for. That's the deal....free music in exchange for a rating/feedback comment. If I don't complete my feedback forms I get removed from the mailing list. That's the deal. Right now I can't listen to the music and haven't been able to for almost a month now since installing OSX Maverick!

This is deeply, deeply ****.....what the **** has happened to Apple of late??? They used to be quick off the mark

😟

Mac 101

HI CT,

Thanks for the link.

Which part is meant to be of use to me?

I'm a long-term mac user. This is my 5th Mac (a 27" iMac) starting in 2003 (I still have my old Powerbook)

Perhaps I should have entered more details in my last comment but I have added so many to the various threads I'm bored and am at the stage where I'm just waiting for Apple to issue a statement when the problem is fixed (or fixable)

I have not installed Mavericks on my MacBook Pro 13" OR 15" for now. These two computers are fine thankfully, as I use these to play live gigs away fro home. But my studio is thew one where I need the audio to work.

Thanks,

G

The original post was July 2012, it's now February 2014, 1200 replies later, and the stuttering still exists. iTunes and Quicktime both have audio stutting and none of the solutions posted here, or suggested by Apple fix the problem.

I have considered risking a Mavericks "upgrade", but reports are that many people suffer audio backouts; where audio ceases after waking up your computer from sleep-mode, and you have to restart your computer every single time to get audio back. And would that be an improvement from stuttering audio?

I remember back when Macs used to be rock-solid, with hardware and software perfectly integrated. The company has really gone downhill. For a multi-media computer used by many professionals in the arts to NOT BE ABLE TO PLAY SOUND is pathetic.

Hello Apple.

Remember that time I spent £1500 with you; for a computer that you said was "the best"?

I do.

Remember the countless issues I've had, and the many miles I've traveled back and forth to you, for issues that never seem to go away?

I do.

So when I ask for a fix to this problem, I'd like you to think back to that initial £1500 purchase. I really enjoy using my Mac, but it's becoming harder and harder to do this.

Please. Fix this "Audio Stuttering" we have waited long enough.

BeardyMike.

Ahhhh, i understand now. It's taken a while but now i get it.

It's just a figment of our imaginations...

I've got my apointment with the phychiatrist booked tomorrow. Do you think Apple will be kind enough to pick up the bill?

OK, for me a downgrade to 10.6.7 worked

I did solve it but I am afraid not many can or want to copy that. I hope though that it helps to find the glitch. My story isn't very scientific because I moved to another country when the troubles started and I didn't pay attention at first, but ok:

Since 2008 I have a iMac dedicated to music (iTunes) and tv (eyeTV). The sound is hooked into the hifi with a fire wire connection to an audiofire2 DAC. I only play files that I ripped of my cd's in Apple loss-less. I don't download, I don't listen to streams. This has worked fine until fall 2012, when I did one of the recommended system updates (I think 10.6.8, but it might have been a month earlier). Since then I experienced glitches when the soundtrack became silent or very soft. As I listen a lot to classical music this is killing. One second of complete silence and than the music resumes with a snap. Unbearable. Strange enough, and I have not seen that reported but I think it is important: when playing over the internal speakers of my iMac, there are no problems/glitches. I therefore think the problem is in a driver.

Over a year or so I tried several things (re installing etc) when I had some spare time (I moved remember). A few months ago I made a big effort to go back to a version of june 2012. I erased the computer and I am running now iOS 10.6.7 and iTunes 10.6.3. My music library was of course copied. (In case I solved it by pure luck I add that I changed the internal battery 3V as well. No idea if disconnecting that for a few seconds can do anything).

The whole old system now works perfectly again and has been stable for 3 months. But I wouldn't mind to be able to update my system, which of course is out of the question now.

I hope it helps some of you, but mostly that it helps the Apple engineers TO START SOLVING THIS

Tim

I was having this problem too, mostly when watching videos. Then I switched my USB headphones for a standard audio jack plug the issue went away.

Is there no permanent solution to this problem...?

Please do not ask me to upgrade to Mavericks...

My hard drive recently died, due to the age of my 2008 imac. I had to purchase a new one (on the advice of the Genius bar) at Best Buy. They could only install Mavericks. Since then, ALL AUDIO: itues, youtube, you name it, stops, skips, stutters. It's even happening when I plug my iphone into a speaker system. This is really sad. I can't listen to ANY music on my computer while working! This is CRAZY. Have any of y'all found a solution to this problem?

Sadly it seems a big NO for now... Imagine, the bug was introduced on 10.8.0, until 10.8.5 it is still there, and Apple has already abandoned it in favor of Mavericks 10.9, which I read somewhere the bug still exist...

So much for "It Just Works"... 😠

Can't confirm.