Deadphish42
Level 1 (0 points)

Q: clipping sound on new iMac when Logix X is running

I just got the new iMac that was released two weeks ago yesterday.  All I did was set it up with Logic X, Main Stage, and Aperture all from the app store. nothing else was put on it.  I opened up logic just to check it out and see how much faster the performance would be.  I just wanted to give it a quick test and played some apple loops I immideatly noticed it was making a clipping sound randomly.  The meters were not peaking everything was in the green and if you turned down the gain the clipping just got quiteter.  I called apple support thinking it was a hardware issue.  They had me do some trouble shooting like playing the same loops through quicktime and the clipping persisted. they also had me play a youtube video to see if I could hear the clipping. It wasn't as noticible but it was there. Apple decided that it would be a good idea to reformat the computer tomorrow and start over.  Sounded fine to me seeing how I didn't have much installed yet.  I did a little more trouble shooting on my own after I got off the phone with apple. First I made a copy of three apple loops and put them on my desktop then restarted the computer. Then after a fresh restart and nothing running I opened one of the apple loops off the desktop with quicktime player and it sounded great no clipping. Same with You Tube. I then opened Logic Pro X. Did nothing with it but minimize it. I then went back to quick time player and tried to play the loop again. This time the clipping was back. Same with You Tube. 

My conclusion for some reason when logic is running the audio makes a random clipping sound no matter what audio program you play the audio through. (Clipping sound comes out of the internal speakers as well as headphones) 

All of my software is up to date.

 

I am running:

 

27" iMac

3.5GHz Intel Core i7

16 GB 1600 MHz DDR3

 

If anybody has experienced this same problem or has any recomendations they would be greatly appreciated.

I am going to reformat in the morning and try and start again.

I will post my results

 

Thank you,

 

Aaron

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 8, 2013 11:22 PM

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Deadphish42

Q: clipping sound on new iMac when Logix X is running

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  • by Johnpaulmusic,

    Johnpaulmusic Johnpaulmusic Dec 21, 2013 5:29 AM in response to Deadphish42
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 5:29 AM in response to Deadphish42

    Art of Sound, Deadphish and everyone else...

     

    Just turned on my iMac to find that App store was downloading a MASSIVE update to Logic Pro X.

    says that includes stability updates within it and I am still downloading now but wondering if there is any change for the 2013 imac FD problems.. apart from new drummers and interface changes.

     

    Am still running off my external Thunderbolt drive which is 100% fine with my Focusrite Saffire Pro 14 (Firewire to thunderbolt & Saffire MixControl Software) and also my TC-Helicon Voicelive Touch 2 (USB)

     

    Just a heads up.

     

    Also seems that the MacPRo is now out... promoting everything graphic and audio.. (blood boiling).

    hope this gets fixed soon. my Apple Ticket is STILL open with Apple Support UK.

     

     

    JP

     

    Merry Christmas to All BTW

  • by south_,

    south_ south_ Dec 21, 2013 5:30 AM in response to Johnpaulmusic
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 5:30 AM in response to Johnpaulmusic

    A logic update isn't going to fix what is obviously an OS issue unfortunatley.

  • by Johnpaulmusic,

    Johnpaulmusic Johnpaulmusic Dec 21, 2013 5:38 AM in response to south_
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 5:38 AM in response to south_

    fair enough... just wishful hoping. hehe

  • by Deadphish42,

    Deadphish42 Deadphish42 Dec 21, 2013 8:40 AM in response to Johnpaulmusic
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 8:40 AM in response to Johnpaulmusic

    Hi Johnpaulmusic,

     

    Yes I saw those updates also but after reading the description figured it wouldn't fix anything on the fusion drive. I'm running on a SSD now and I can tell you the update didn't hurt anything. Also for people having trouble finding a interface to work.  My firewire interface is a old PreSonus Inspire 1394 that is listed on PreSonus's website as not being supported by Mavericks. But it is working just fine. The sound quality is plenty good enough for my amature ear. They don't make them anymore but there are lots to be found on ebay and other sites. I just got a second one to dasy chain onto my existing for $50 buy it now with free shipping.

     

    Good Luck everybody and Happy Holidays!

     

    DeadPhish

  • by shipsupt,

    shipsupt shipsupt Dec 21, 2013 2:00 PM in response to shipsupt
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 2:00 PM in response to shipsupt

    shipsupt wrote:

     

    The details of my problems have been somewhat different from most of what I've seen on this thread, but they do seem related. From those I've found and read, this thread appears to best capture the issues and potential solutions.  So I thought I'd share what I've experienced and the current situation. 

     

    I purchased a new iMac 27" with fusion drive about a month ago.  One of the major uses of the iMac for me is sending audio via USB to a DAC for conversion and playback.  I immediately started to have issues with USB playback.  Within minutes of playing music through several DACs I would encounter "pops" and "clicks".  It did not seem to matter what software I was using for playback.  Playback throught the internal speakers never seemed to be show any of the same symtoms, only playback through USB.

     

    I tested all the same DACs and software using a MacBook Air and an older iMac and did not have any issues.

     

    I started working with AppleCare and was put in contact with a higher level technician.  We spend some time running diagnotics, updating software and drivers, doing resets, changing DACs etc... Most of the typical thing you would try, with no success. 

     

    Close to 14 days I sent the iMac back and got a replacement.  I considered getting one with the fusion drive, but wanted to give the new hardward one more try. 

     

    Initially I had the same issues, in fact at times the distortion would grow worse until play back would completely stop.  This time we did a data dump and sent it off to the engineers at Apple.  Unfortuntately I had to leave town for 5 days.  I left the iMac running in the mean time.  Now, upon my return I have been listening for several hours straight with NO pops or clicks. 

     

    Ugh... I really hate intermittent problems and magic fixes.  I don't think there has been a firmware update or OS update in that time, so I'm at a loss as to what has changed!  (Crazy assumption not based on any solid engineering, the fusion drive has made some changes to what it's priortizing and buffering?)   

     

    The AppleCare guys have been awesome, and the first return was conducted with no questions.  My case is still open at this point.  They have indicated that there is "some issue" but at this point no root cause is clear and no fix identified. 

     

    I plan to run like this for a while and see if the performance continues.  I know this is slightly different than the original posters problem, but from the symptoms you guys are describing it's the closest I've seen to mine. I'll post up a progress report and of course anything we learn during troubleshooting.

     

    I'll be running close to the 14 day window soon, and I'd prefer to send this one back for a non-Fusion drive if I continue to have issues, but with this miracle cure I'm waiting to see...

     

    Curious if anyone else has had spontaneous repair, or noticed the problems disappear only to have them come back later?? 

     

    Here are a few hardware and software details of the gear I've been using:

     

    Model Name:          iMac

      Model Identifier:          iMac14,2

      Processor Name:          Intel Core i7

      Processor Speed:          3.5 GHz

      Memory:          32 GB

      Boot ROM Version:          IM142.0118.B00

      SMC Version (system):          2.15f2

    NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M

    3 TB Fusion Drive

    Running OSX 10.9

     

    Digital to Analog Converters Tested

    HeadAmp Pico DAC

    Cambridge Audio DacMagic

    NAD M51

     

    Software which playback noise/distortion was noticed:

    iTunes

    YouTube via Safari

    YouTube via FireFox

    Channel D PureMusic

    Audirvana

    J River Media Center 19



     

    A bit of a final update of my story... After working with Apple support on some work arounds that seemed to work, but left me "working around" I decided to go another direction while Apple works on the fix.  I've set up a dedicated music server using a Mac Mini and releived my new iMac from music duties.

     

    In the mean time, my Apple care guy said that clearly there is an issue with the FD (no news to you guys) and a fix is forthcoming.... when is the question!? 

     

    Good luck in the mean time guys. 

  • by actraiser75,

    actraiser75 actraiser75 Dec 21, 2013 2:50 PM in response to Deadphish42
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 2:50 PM in response to Deadphish42

    I updated both - Logic Pro to 10.0.5 and OSX to the latest developer seed 10.9.2. I have also rebuilt the fusion drive which I splitted before but that splitting did not solve my problems entirely plus the lower performance is really noticable. Anyways, it feels like the highpitchted distortions I experience appear less often and less long now but they are still present.

     

    This is my setup:

    - Late 2013 iMac FD 3TB, 32GB Ram

    - Anker USB 3.0 9-Port Hub where all external USB devices are connected to

    - Allen & Heath QU-16 Digital Mixer which also is my audio interface

     

    Maybe it's wishful thinking but I tend to believe that some things in 10.9.2 address either USB or FusionDrive problems or things just improved because I tried so many work arounds in the last couple of days.

     

    Either way - we are still not there yet.

     

    -act

  • by The Art Of Sound,

    The Art Of Sound The Art Of Sound Dec 21, 2013 2:58 PM in response to actraiser75
    Level 6 (12,117 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 2:58 PM in response to actraiser75

    As far as I am aware, the current Dev release of 10.9.2 does not have anything in it, to address the FD issue specifically... and the USB issue isn't one for Apple to fix....

  • by actraiser75,

    actraiser75 actraiser75 Dec 21, 2013 3:02 PM in response to The Art Of Sound
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 3:02 PM in response to The Art Of Sound

    Thanks for the info - well I guess that the USB-Hub may then be the item in question that improved the situation a bit for me. Originally with FD and Audio Interface connected directly to the iMac, audio was really unusable.

     

    -act

  • by The Art Of Sound,

    The Art Of Sound The Art Of Sound Dec 21, 2013 4:08 PM in response to actraiser75
    Level 6 (12,117 points)
    Dec 21, 2013 4:08 PM in response to actraiser75

    Yes.. Many people have reported using a powered hub improves matters by quite some degree for them....

     

    But that doesn't help with the FD issue.. just with the USB2/3 issue

     

    ...and of course, you can have both issues if you have a 2013 iMac with an FD fitted and a USB2 device plugged into a USB3 port....

  • by s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s,

    s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s Dec 22, 2013 6:14 AM in response to The Art Of Sound
    Level 1 (9 points)
    Desktops
    Dec 22, 2013 6:14 AM in response to The Art Of Sound

    The Art of Sound,

     

    Is there a way of discerning whether I'm dealing with the USB2/3 issue or the FD issue? In my case, I'm not using an interface. I'm using a Logitech headset, Blue Yeti mic, and Griffin iMic. They all work fine on my MBA, but not on my iMac. For that reason I suspect it's a FD issue, because both my iMac and MBA have USB3 ports.

  • by The Art Of Sound,

    The Art Of Sound The Art Of Sound Dec 22, 2013 9:11 AM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s
    Level 6 (12,117 points)
    Dec 22, 2013 9:11 AM in response to s_w_i_t_t_e_r_s

    Hey switters,

     

    There is no easy answer to this....

     

    But....

     

    The best way to be reasonably sure.. is to eliminate the FD from the system.. by means of splitting it or using an ext HD to boot from.... and then test..

     

    However... just to throw 'mud into the water'.. a client of mine has a MBP with USB3 ports and an iMac without FD but with USB3 ports...  and his Logitech USB2 HD Cam works great on his iMac but keeps losing audio on his MBP.. This is using identical OS X versions (10.8.5)  and Video/Audio Capture software on both... No idea if this is a USB2/3 issue or simply something else going on... as i am not the one troubleshooting this issue with him.. (Not my field!) but it's worth bearing in mind...

  • by Organik76,

    Organik76 Organik76 Dec 23, 2013 12:08 PM in response to The Art Of Sound
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 23, 2013 12:08 PM in response to The Art Of Sound

    Am really disappointed with whole experience , I got the charger from Motu updated to latest version my device keeps blinking 44 and 48 mix without being able to get any sound out of it . I tried the usb and firewire and usb hub both with no chance it makes my mac freezes and feels buggy . I cant get any sound what a waste of purchase

  • by Pancenter,

    Pancenter Pancenter Dec 23, 2013 1:16 PM in response to Organik76
    Level 6 (10,039 points)
    Audio
    Dec 23, 2013 1:16 PM in response to Organik76

    Is the clock on the Motu unit set to Internal?  It should be.

  • by The Art Of Sound,

    The Art Of Sound The Art Of Sound Dec 23, 2013 1:37 PM in response to Pancenter
    Level 6 (12,117 points)
    Dec 23, 2013 1:37 PM in response to Pancenter

    +1 Pancenter....

  • by Pancenter,

    Pancenter Pancenter Dec 23, 2013 2:23 PM in response to Organik76
    Level 6 (10,039 points)
    Audio
    Dec 23, 2013 2:23 PM in response to Organik76

    Also... If you have the digital I/O of the MOTU hooked up by s/pdif unplug the cable that goes to "Digital In"

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