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Rob Loomis Author

Level 1

64 points

MacBook Pro (2016) audio problem

Hello,

I'm two weeks into using my new 2016 MacBook Pro w/ touchbar (15 inch) and am having an aggravating issue with the audio output. At some point throughout the day (every day) the audio on the MacBook ceases to work. It usually occurs after waking from sleep. It doesn't matter if I've been using or haven't been using headphones. It just won't work (across every application and with all settings normal in the system pref). The only way to resolve the issue is to log out of my user and log back in or restart the system completely.

Anyone else having this problem?

Posted on Nov 26, 2016 9:43 AM

Top-ranking reply

epressario

Level 1

9 points

Posted on Jan 27, 2017 7:39 AM

Same here, MBP 2016, 13'', TB. Seems like coreaudiod somehow gets killed and doesn't get restarted by the system, so sudo launchctl unload /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist && sudo launchctl load /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.audio.coreaudiod.plist fixes it temporarily (no restart needed).

But yeah, it's really disturbing that Apple didn't address this ASAP, since it's not the cheapest product and the adequate support is supposed to be a big part of what we paid for. 😕

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44 replies

Dec 1, 2016 1:04 PM in response to Rob Loomis

I just got off the phone with Apple support. The tech had me reset the nvram, but that didn't help. Then we tried starting in safe mode, but pressing and holding the left shift key just after restart. That fixed it. I restarted again to go back to normal mode (or whatever it's called) and it still works. I'm not sure if it will last, but it's working for now.

Dec 1, 2016 1:08 PM in response to Rob Abram1

hmm I'm skeptical because rebooting fixes this everytime for a small time ammount

Dec 1, 2016 1:09 PM in response to Raphael Hehl

A normal reboot did not fix it for me, but I'm skeptical too. Now I've got to get started with the waiting.

Rob Loomis Author

Level 1

64 points

Dec 1, 2016 1:35 PM in response to Rob Abram1

This was one of my original courses of action, but unfortunatley it hasn't resolved the issue for me. The problem reappeared after a day or so.

Thanks for the post.

tomxi

Level 1

4 points

Dec 1, 2016 9:20 PM in response to Rob Loomis

I just experienced the same thing! I'm on a 2016 MacBook Pro 13 inch with touch bar.

Being an audio engineer/researcher who constantly need sound to work reliably... this is a pretty serious issue. I wanted to do an audio demo for my students on dithering and noise shaping and I couldn't get sound for a embarrassingly long time... It was not a good advertisement for the new machine in front of a class of rich college students.

Restarting the machine was the only fix I found so far, however this is quite annoying if it is persistent. Hope it is only a software issue and will be addressed soon.

Rob Loomis Author

Level 1

64 points

Dec 2, 2016 8:56 AM in response to Rob Loomis

Just for the record, this problem is still occurring. I have tried everything my numerous years of doing mac support work knows how to do. This is obviously a bug in the system and will need to be addressed by Apple.

Other issues I am currently having on the 2016 MacBook Pro (15 inch) w/ Touch Bar:

- Audio issue (described above)

- Siri locks up when asking for certain things

- Random screen issues (weird color glitches when working in some apps and switching between desktops)

Honduras

Level 1

4 points

Dec 2, 2016 9:22 AM in response to Rob Loomis

It appears the problem is originated by the volume slider control. This has worked for me so far:

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard.
Select: Touch Bar shows "Expanded Control Strip"
Select: Press Fn Key to "Show App Controls"

This will leave the ribbon with the volume up and down buttons which seem to avoid the problem. I've been using this setup for a couple of days without problems.

Rob Loomis Author

Level 1

64 points

Dec 2, 2016 9:27 AM in response to Honduras

Thanks Honduras.

I'll give it a try, however it does make using the touchbar a bit like not having a touchbar. Bummer. Again, this obviously points to a software bug that I'm hopeful Apple has it's sights on. I've already submitted a bug report to them on it. I would recommend everyone else do the same if you are experiencing it.

Honduras

Level 1

4 points

Dec 2, 2016 9:32 AM in response to Rob Loomis

You can still use the App specific functions of the ribbon by pressing the Fn key with this setup.

You can also try this alternative which will allow you to press Fn Key to access volume up and down buttons. Again I think the slider is the problem and this way could also avoid triggering the bug.

Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard.
Select: Touch Bar shows "App Controls"
Select: Press Fn Key to "Show Control Strip"

Dec 2, 2016 3:14 PM in response to Rob Loomis

Same issue from me on 15 inch MBP with touch bar. Nothing has seemed to work besides a full reboot. Extremely annoying.

laf2019

Level 1

4 points

Dec 3, 2016 4:43 PM in response to Rob Loomis

I have the same exact issue. The keyboard configuration tip mentioned in one of the replies worked for me. I then flipped back the keyboard configuration and it still worked. Though this is pretty horrible, first apple product I ever bought and I regret it immediately.

Has anyone else noticed a problem with apps crashing when waking up from sleep? Firefox keeps crashing on me when I wake up my laptop.

Dec 5, 2016 11:17 AM in response to obscurelyfamous

I found a workaround (?) that has worked for me at least once.

Instead of rebooting, I tried unplugging the power from USB-C and plugging it back in. The charging chime sounded and then the volume was working again.

I'll give this another shot when the sound eventually craps out on me again. Solid innovations here, Apple.

olls

Level 1

4 points

Dec 5, 2016 11:44 AM in response to Rob Loomis

I have the same problem, but my machine is the 2016 MacBook Pro 13-in WITHOUT the touchbar. Restarting gets the audio working again, but this seems to be happening to my machine about once per day.

Dec 5, 2016 12:10 PM in response to obscurelyfamous

Unplugging the power USB has worked for me twice. Another time it did not work.

Honduras

Level 1

4 points

Dec 11, 2016 11:12 PM in response to Rob Loomis

It just happened again. If you press SIRI while the sound is down you'll hear the initial sound, but it then shows the following prompts:

"One second..."

"Hmm..."

"Just a sec..."

"Be right with you..."

So it seems this problem also affects the use of SIRI.

MacBook Pro (2016) audio problem