Q: BEWARE IOS9.2 update!!!

Hi Balmerg

I'm interested in your comments: "Latest IOS 9.2 update has caused unbearable noise on guitar and Mic inputs in GarageBand. I love Garageband (for iPad) and have been working with it now for about two months with some success.

I'm using the Focusrite iTrack Solo for Voice and Guitar and an iRig Midi for keyboards. Just recently, I am getting an electronic distortion: a sort of snap/crackle/pop sound like a loose wire connection or scratched vinyl sound, on my recordings. By a process of elimination I have worked out that it is on the voice track (and now also on the guitar track). I have tried everything to adjust volumes and output settings, but it still happens. So I thought it was the

Focusrite interface iTrack Solo unit. I shut down and pulled out all the leads. It seemed to fix it for a while, but slowly the problem came back and got worse and worse.

I've scratched around on the Focusrite website. It seems they make a quality product and guarantee their products and claim that most of the cases are user errors rather than their gear.

Have you had much response to your post?

Thanks for your reply.

I have put the case to Focusrite (iTrack Solo). Let's see what happens...

I'll keep you posted

Hi there. I have the iTrack Solo and iPad Air combination and it is doing it for me too just as I bought some new mics and have several songs to record fairly urgently. Really hacked off about it. I'm sure it's not a Focusrite issue. I'll contact them anyway and raise a GB query too.

I have been in contact with the Focusrite Support team. They have been quite conscientious in their replies.

There latest answer to me: "There is a known issue with the Apple iOS 9.2 software that can cause glitches, delays and general audio issues when using a number of brands audio interfaces via the lightning connector on your iPad.

This is likely to be the issue in this case, and it is something that we (as have many companies) raised with Apple in order to try and resolve.

To test this fully, it would be interesting to test your iTrack Solo on an iPad that has not yet been updated and is still running iOS 9.1, if you know a friend or a family member who has such an iPad.

We can also test the iTrack with the Focusrite Tape app, a free app available from the Apple App Store. Do the same issues occur here on iOS 9.2?"

Round and round we go

Hi again. Spoken to Apple Support. The first thing I had to do was spell "GarageBand"!!! Anyway, the upshot is that they appear to be aware of the issue but we will have to await the latest update. I may try removing the app and re-download it to see if that does anything. I doubt it will though. It's been really helpful to read your posts so thanks for that.

I am also having the same issue.  I'm using an iPad Air 2 w/iOS 9.2, 128GB, Apogee One audio interface, and using Auria Pro.  Loud crackling static as soon as I record enable a track.  I read in an Auria forum that increasing the buffer size to maximum in Auria settings (4096) helps.  I did this, but it only improved but did not eliminate the static.  I have a deadline to record audio tracks for a radio program, but right now I am dead in the water.  Apple, please HELP!!!  I read on a forum that there is a iOS 9.2.1 in the works, ***hopefully soon and hopefully this will fix this!!!

Hey guys and thanks for all of your previous input here. Interesting is, I JUST updated to 9.2, and yesterday when I tried recording with my Samson Meteor usb mic (via camera adapter) it would not work correctly. Now, this is a little more simplistic than what a few have going on here, but maybe a more basic look at the overall issue. The Meteor mic has only 3 light indicators to tell what state of activity it's in. Ready (blue), Mute (yellow), and Clipping (red). Whenever I attempt to record a vocal track, it is in a constant state of Clipping. After having this issue, I first considered getting an interface where I can control the input level, but it seems like the issue is not the input of the device, but the communication/power that's coming into the device?!? I'm not a tech guy at all, but hopefully this can help resolve the issue. Thanks - and will follow to see where this goes.

Yip, I think you've hit the nail on the head. It seems that the Apple Lightning Connector is the guilty party. (I've heard it called the Camera Adaptor).

The truth is that it is mostly on the voice track. So your idea about it being the mic and causing the 'clipping' is right.

I have found that if I record the voice at about one third of the volume on the slide adjuster, I get a clean sound, but it sounds weak. So when I play it back, I crank it up again. And if you export it (M4a) at that volume and adjust all the tracks to the correct playback volume, it all seems to come together. You have to experiment a bit....

Hi all.

I've updated the iPad to iOS 9.2.1 (out yesterday) and it seems to have fixed my Focusrite iTrack Solo and the crackling when recording with mics. Let me know if you get fixed.

Regards all,

John

Oh Wow! That's good news!!!

I've not received update notification yet, so thanks for the "heads-up".

I might also check it out with Focusrite - get their nod of approval...

Disaster. It's returned and I think because GarageBand updated on 20th Jan as when I tried it the other day I didn't have all that new stuff on GB and it worked fine (ie after 9.2.1 but before the GB update).. Totally hacked off. Crackles all over my mic'd guitar (and also when I plug it in). I'll get back on to Focusrite and Apple. We will record with an iPad that is way out of date for now! Ridiculous. To see what we've recorded try www.northernskykendal.com. Listen to the cello on Technicolour Love. That's how good the iTrack Solo is - when Apple allows it to work properly!!!!!

I posted a question on this yesterday (Garage Band crackling and popping).  I'm hoping Apple read and respond to these questions, it would save a phone call to their support team....

It may be plausible that it's the iOs upgrade, but there have been questions back to 2010 on this same issue.  I never had it with the previous version and I have just upgraded both Garage Band and iOs this week and now I have it.  Same interface, same guitars and same microphone.  Very disappointed as I have just recorded with a friend who was in the country for 2 days, no joy.....  I would like to see something specifically done for Garage Band users or a very quick update from Apple.  Garage Band is 70% of the reason I bought a Mac.

FYI - My system

iMac 2008

Garage Band - 10.1

OSX El Capitan

Yamaha Audiogram 5 interface - Plugged into the back of the iMac, not the keyboard)

Rode NT2a condenser mic (Interface supplies the 48v DC power)

Usual Strat, acoustic guitars into the interface, no effects pedals.

The old version worked no problems, the $7.99 app looks great and I love the drum choices, hate the snap, crackle and pop!!

David