Edirol UA-25 serious USB noise
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Posted on Jun 16, 2006 02:12 pm
wahee
Member Since: May 27, 2006
HI
been having problems with my 2496 so bought a edirol UA-25 USB audio interface. Its supposed to be plug and play, well no. It works but im getting a serious digital noise in the background - kind of like a hight pitched whine. The output is ok when im using headphone directly into the interface but its there when sending the output to my amp.
Its seems to be some sort of grounding problem maybe
any ideas many thanks
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pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Jun 16, 2006 02:53 pm try and plug your headphones into your output, if possible - very low volume, or you'll break your ears, or headphones.
If it is indeed a grounding problem, then you shouldn't have any problem with headphones in the normal outputs.
Or, try pluging the outputs into a different amp, or anything else that you can troubleshoot with.
Does the amp have a grounded plug? is the house grounded. Also, is the cord you're using to connect output to amp in good shape? have you tried another cord (cords).
Try and isolate the problem, by removing the possibilities that 'aren't' it.
Process of elimination, I say.
good luck, hope this helps.
Jun 16, 2006 08:05 pm It is probably grounding. All of my noise problems have stemmed from that. But if it is digital noise having to do with the USB cable, then perhaps try a USB cable with a core-filter on it.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Jun 18, 2006 04:39 pm What type of speakers are you hooking up to the UA? That may be part of the problem there.
Jun 19, 2006 10:52 pm I sometimes get a whine off the USB cable when it's hooked up on my Fostex, but it doesn't actually get recorded. That proably doesn't help or anything, just thought I'd throw it in.
A friend of mine was losing signal on an edirol recorder and it ended up that the USB cable was shot - he replaced it and everything was fine. May be worth checking out.
waheeMember
Since: May 27, 2006
Jun 20, 2006 10:41 am hi - thanks for all the replies. Tried another USB - same problem.
I think there is a component fault in the interface as the unit itself is physically making a similar high pitched noise?! - also if I plug the interface in and listen through direct monitoring I can hear the sound on 1 channel. Its loud enough to light the limiter on the suspected faulty channel. It aslos changes pitch when the phantom power switch is turned off/on. Got the interface on ebay - and the seller does not want to know. So looks like I have been sold a dud. Ah well - saving up for a new mobo/chip/gfx card etc - so might fix my 2496 audio card problems Or throw up some nice new ones:)
pesaMember
Since: Apr 28, 2007
Apr 28, 2007 12:05 pm Hi, I just bought an edirol ua-25 on ebay and i have the same problem of wahee.
Did you figure it out at the end?
If I go trough the UA to my amp I hear the noise, if i go from the UA to the stereo speakers I don't.
I still hear the noise if go from the amp to the UA and then to the stereo but the noise is coming from the amp( of course using the amp normally there isn't such a noise).
Is it my amp?Grounding?
Thank you very very much.
Jul 13, 2007 04:49 pm im having the same problem ....
changes pitch when phantom power is switched etc ........
anyone gotta fix for this?
Jul 13, 2007 06:09 pm woah!
hmm i was thinking it was more of a cable/speaker issue since it dosn't happen when ya hook up headphones...
when y'all say 'amp' is this a dedicated poweramp that's hooked up to passive monitors? or are we talkin' about a PA type amp? guitar amp? home stereo receiver?
also i'm thinking this is not a grounding problem....grounding problems give off a 'hum' right at 60hz...so a high-pitched whine isn't gonna be a symptom here.
are ya using balanced TRS connectors for your output? haha wait, that would be a grounding problem too! doh!
Will FMember
Since: Oct 25, 2007
Oct 25, 2007 09:47 am Hi guys. Dunno if anyone's likely to look at this thread again but I've just got a UA25 and it's also making a high pitched whine or whistle.
I've got a crazy thought though... it's supposed to do it?? It's just it's VERY high in pitch. So high in fact that neither of my parents can hear it!! Maybe it slips by a lot of people undetected?
It doesn't sound like a grounding problem (especially since it's still there when I plug it into my laptop running off battery) It's also too high and like someone said, emmited from the box itself!
Thoughts?
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Oct 25, 2007 11:26 am Sounds to me like Edirol has a design flaw. If three people are having this problem, maybe there's more, but people can't hear it.
(just thinking out loud here)
Yeah, grounding issue will be touching 60 cycle noise, which is pretty low, so a high pitched whine would be something else.
I'd guess there's a feedback loop somewhere in the opamps. Maybe a solder trace is to close to another one, making a feedback loop. Also, if the problem exists on one channel, but not the other, then I'd lean more towards a hardware problem.
Will FMember
Since: Oct 25, 2007
Oct 25, 2007 02:35 pm It literally sounds like standard operation noise it makes. Like a very very mini annoying fan inside. (i know there isn't one but just to give you an idea of what it sounds like)
But it's there whatever I press on the thing. Both ports are unplugged and I'm not direct monitoring at the moment but I can hear it. It's coming from the box and the same noise through my Royds.
Lol, damn my good hearing range! It's like having tinnitus!
CalMember
Since: May 06, 2008
May 08, 2008 07:05 am
Same here. Did the usual round of checks (including applying a Berinhger DI Pro) to no avail. Its noisy and you can't mix with - full stop. Oddly, the noise is just audible through the headphone out and yet the schematic show the audio path coming from the same source - how odd!" I took it to a friends with the same Sonar Cakewalk, drivers etc. Before we even put a signal through it, the noise was present. Its now back with DV247 (Digital Village) who are preferring to repair it, rather than replace it - which I am not happy about because it is 2 months old. The jury is out. I initially hoped they would just to take it back and send it back to Roland, I was simply going to upgrade to something better. This way, it could be gone for weeks/months. Sale of goods act.."goods not fit for purpose" Solution, Equal Liability Law, if you have paid by credit card, call the Credit Card Company as they a liable also. They usually put pressure on the supplier because they know the law and are scared of it. The dealer isn't - they just think were stupid. The bottom line…the more we tolerate this crap the more we let the dealers and manufacturers get away with it.
My advice, buy the TC Electronic Konnekt 24 - its more expensive, but reliable, sounds great (built in compressor) and it works cleanly and passively. Buying on the cheap always comes back to bite you on the backside and in the long run does not pay. Send it back.
CalMember
Since: May 06, 2008
May 08, 2008 07:09 am I should add, that I also know a guy who has the Edirol UA-25, and it works fine for him - that was why I bought one! But as pjk says...there is an issue here that "Sounds like a design flaw". I suspect he may be right.
May 08, 2008 09:36 am You fellow should get together and get on to Edirol to look at this forum and tell them about it. If there is enough complaints, they may recall the item and you get a better one!
CalMember
Since: May 06, 2008
May 09, 2008 05:12 am I think that is a good way forward. Edirol may have a solution to USB to Midi - Audio, but not a very good one, in terms of reliability. The UA-25 is now with DV247, so I should know very soon what their response is. I will keep you posted. If they are 'on the ball' they will serech for key words and find their name next to noisy Edirol UA-25 i.e This forum. Excuses that I will not accept are - "its your own equipment" because I tried it elsewhere, they tried the old "hum remover" argument, but you know what, its not a hum and I tried that as well. Keep you posted.
May 23, 2008 02:37 pm I'm prety sure that the ua25 suffers from the same noise as my ua20, I read somewhere that it is usb noise, and can be fixed buy putting smoothing and filtering capacitors in the power signal of the usb lead. Unfortunatly I dont know the values, or even whether to add the capacitors in parrallel or serial. But this may jog someones memory. Try asking an electronics technician. Even my Xenyx USB makes the same noise, I'll get back if I find results.
May 23, 2008 03:07 pm For my job I use two different USB pre's.
I have the Tascam US 122 and the Sound Device USBPre.
With my new computer, I had the same problem.
What solved my problem was just a DI, and lifting the ground.
Now I am using a Dell computer. What I have found is that grounding from the power supply to the PCB of the motherboard, can create a ground loop.
Mostly this happens when the phantom power is on the USB device.
So, I know that you tried a DI. But, did you use the ground lift on the DI?
If not, give that a try. See if that helps.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
May 23, 2008 10:47 pm Yep, it isn't really the USB that is causing the noise but the grounding of the phantom power loop of the device against the PC's grounding. I don't have any of that issue here with the UX-2 at ll because I keep everything isolated.
But using the DI and switching on the GL as Rob stated will cure the problem pronto.
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
May 25, 2008 01:34 am mate i had similar problem with a Lexicon Omega, apart from it being the biggest p.o.s. ever, it was doing the same thing. almost like you say, a grounding problem. Nothing i did fixed it so i took it back and got something else.
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
May 25, 2008 01:36 am actually it turned out it had a number of faults, so when we tried another one in the shop it dicked out as well.
That's all i needed to say you can jam this product all together.
CalMember
Since: May 06, 2008
May 27, 2008 11:33 am Just got back a new Edirol UA-25 from DV247 - it was faulty. Just for the record, if you are using, say, Sonar with the Edirol UA-25, make sure all other windows drivers for sound devices are disabled by going to: MyComputer/Hardware/Device Manager System Properties/Sound, Video etc, right click and disable all other drivers execpt the edirol. If you still get a noise, its either from another device (over gain), mains hum, or the unit is faulty.
loboMember
Since: Jun 06, 2008
Jun 06, 2008 06:58 pm Same prob here. Bought it on a place, moved to another, so no guarantee and no give back. The sound is only when recording/activating "Mon. SW" (Monitor Switch) and gets louder when using HI-Z or Preamp. Sounds great trough Headphones when Mon.SW is off, though.
Just wanted to add to the pile of dead corpses..
Jun 08, 2008 11:45 pm I have been having a very similar problem. Reading this thread gave me an idea which has worked for me. After exhausting all other possibilities and solutions, I have replaced the output cables with stereo ones (using the 6.5mm female connections on the rear) - the humming has disappeared! Apart from the noise problem I have been pretty impressed with the UA25 (and especially the Sonar LE software that came with it!). Now that the humming has gone I hope to enjoy it even more.
Jul 13, 2008 02:48 am This is a follow up to my last post. I realise the original thread is old, but thought this might help people like myself who are just buying their UA25 and encountering problems.
The solution I worked out in the last post proved to only be a partial solution. This only worked while I had the UA25 out connected to my mixer and then using headphones for the mixer. As soon as I monitored the mixer through my amp and speakers, and as soon as I used mixer out to UA25 in for recording some external synths - the hum returned.
So to solve the problem (and this time I seem to have it licked), I have installed a Behringer Micro HD HD400 Hum Destroyer (AU$28 each). You will need two - one for the inputs and one for the outputs.
Problem solved - for good this time I hope!
NightcapVeni, MIDI, ViciMember
Since: Jul 02, 2008
Jul 13, 2008 02:29 pm Yeah those hum destroyers come in very handy. I had a ground problem with an old Casio keyboard and nothing I did solved the problem. That's when I decided to give the Behringer HD400 a try. Glad I did, it's absolutely quiet now!
reebarMember
Since: Sep 16, 2008
Sep 16, 2008 07:40 am Hi guys. Just joined. I got help from this forum a few weeks ago when my edirol ua25 did the same thing. I connected it to some yamaha HS-50M monitors and got terrible hum. Unusable I thought. On the advice of this forum i picked up a Behringer hum destroyer and like magic the signal is now so clean you could eat off it. Amazing little boxes.
So thanks.
Oct 20, 2008 09:13 am This forum is owed a pint. I also had the issue and the Behringer HD400 is the solution. Shame I had to chase a Edirol UA-25 design flaw with money, but at least it was only £17 and did what those in the forum said it would.
Thanks guys (Graham Smith especially).
Anyone else reading with the issue, yes try it!.
Dec 17, 2008 06:32 am I have the UA25-ex and it sounds great. I used a Rode mic through it and the recording came out excellent.
It is really a matter of what mics you use on it. I find that cheap mics like dynamics, will show noise easily than a condensor mic like the Nuemann u87.
If you going to connect an audio interface to the amp, and the input of the audio interface already has noise, when u output that to the amp it will obviously become more louder in noise as the amp is ampliflying the sound.
Instead connect the mic to the pre amp and send the output of the pre amp to the input of the audio interface.
Feb 21, 2009 05:54 am Hi. I've had this same problem of high-pitched whining over the speakers, and interference when moving mouse or using keyboard.
Some posters have suggested disconnecting the ground pin from your mains power supply unit. Do NOT do this, it is unnecessary and downright dangerous.
To fix this problem, you need to connect the UA-25 to your amplifier using balanced connectors. ie. TRS to TRS (or XLR) connectors. This works, and actually sounds a lot better too!
If your amp does not have balanced inputs, try just using TRS connectors on the UA-25 end, connecting the amp's Hot and Ground (Tip, Sleeve) to the UA-25's Hot and Cold (Tip, Ring) and experiment with the ground lift switch. (I haven't tried this, but it should do the trick)
The ideal solution is balanced to balanced.
Feb 21, 2009 08:05 am UPDATE on previous post.
I have tested the option for an amp with unbalanced inputs, and it works.
Here's what to do:
You will need to adapt your output cable to have two stereo TRS jacks going into the UA-25. You will need basic soldering skills and the two jacks which are a couple of Euro each.
Leave the end that goes into your amp intact. On the other end, cut off the existing jacks or phonos. Strip each wire back and connect the inner wire to the "Tip" part of the TRS jack and connect the outer shielding wire to the "Ring" part of the TRS jack. Do NOT attach the outer wire to the main sleeve of the TRS! Just leave that bare. (You may need to use part of the outer cable plastic to keep this wire isolated from the sleeve)
You can then leave the Ground Lift switch in the normal or "NOR" position.
I would like to add that I think this little box is amazing and would highly recommend it. It's definitely worth doing this little cable job though.
I am selling my Focusrite Saffire Pro 10 as the drivers are so buggy, and it doesn't even have a real POT on the output! Just one of these software controllable dials. Something which I find quite unforgivable!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Feb 21, 2009 07:21 pm Thanx for the tip silkfield.
Glad you found another solution as well.
And I don't think anyone on this board would ever even think of cutting off a ground pin. That would be a very dangerous thing to do for those with expensive gear.
Feb 25, 2009 03:04 pm I had the same problem. Noise from my monitor speakers thru the edirol ua25.
I solved the problem by connecting the power cable of my laptop into a different powerpoint (outlet of a different powergroup) then my monitor speakers.
In this way there cant't be a ground loop. Which was the cause of the noise in my case.
Apr 03, 2009 03:17 am I have a UA-5 (which I think is the predecessor to the UA-25) and had a similar noise problem. In the end I found that pulling the guitar jack out from the UA-5 by about 1/4" fixed the problem. I think the UA-5 and UA-25 aren't wired up correctly internally to handle guitar cables, which is why they make the noise.
Anyway, with the guitar jack pushed all the way in, the GND and COLD lines are shorted to each other and to the guitar GND, and the HOT is connected to the line from the guitar. When the jack is pulled out a small amout, the HOT and COLD become shorted to each other, and the GND is then only connected to the guitar GND, and all of my noise disappears. I mean, the background hum completely and utterly disappears.
Still don't know exactly why, but it works. (And is also a pain in the ***.)
Took me two years to figure out though. :(
Apr 10, 2009 04:48 pm I have experienced this same problem since moving my studio setup (i.e. my audio interface and monitors) onto a desktop machine from a laptop. It cranks out some disgustingly awful feedback hum/noise/high pitched sound etc. I cannot work with THIS. Anyway, I have tried the following;
- reinstalling the xp drivers (the most up-to-date drivers are now installed)
- plugging the pc (desktop) into a power source different to that of everything else (no joy. also no joy removing the ground pin! hehe)
- changing the usb cable for a different one (no joy)
- plugging the monitors into a different power source to the rest of the equipment (no joy. yawn!)
- changing the guitar leads (from jack-to-jack to phono-to-jack leads) (no joy!)
- pressing and switching all of the switches (phantom power/mono sw/limiter etc) around (STILL no joy)
- plugging the ua25 BACK into my laptop (JOY!) however this defeats the purpose of moving my studio to a desktop pc right?
I am so confused now and i feel that buying a behringer hs400 hum destroyer might not work either? (and then i've wasted £17!) but it really is all i've left to try. Except binning this bloody piece of crap audio interface!!!
If anybody has any such joy after trying all of the above and know of what else might work then please email me on '[email protected]' i would much appreciate this, and above all if i find another solution i will post another reply to this, but so far NO good. (sob sob sob)
-
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 11, 2009 06:39 pm Well, the fact that it works on the laptop without any noise is a tell tale that the cause is either the power source were the desktop is or the desktop itself.
Also, a warning! Removing the ground is not a good idea at all. In some cases it can actually cause the device to be completely ruined!
Have you tried plugging the desktop itself into a different power source as well?
Apr 13, 2009 12:20 am Hey sleepingstaff,
I also thought I had tried all the obvious (and not so obvious) solutions for hum, before settling on the Behringer Hum destroyers. I can't speak highly enough about them as they certainly solved my problem. If the cost/ risk is an issue, do what I did and buy one first to make sure it is going to work before buying the second one. I also bought it from my usual supplier, so felt as if I could take it back for a refund if it didn't work.
Silkfield's solution might be worth a go if you can handle a soldering iron, but I haven't bothered trying it myself.
Hope you work it out.
regards
Graham
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 13, 2009 05:24 pm You may want to check the power supply in the desktop itself as well. That has been an issue in the past also with a desktop PSU going bad or simply having a bad ground if it is a cheaper brand.
Apr 19, 2009 05:15 pm Didn't read through all of the replys, but try using a different asio driver. asio4all works pretty well.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Apr 19, 2009 06:28 pm He has an electrical induced hum. The driver won't fix that.
Just to make note here as well.
ASIO4ALL is an ASIO emulator, it is NOT and actual driver. It uses the WDM native driver and emulates the ASIO characteristic's.
reebarMember
Since: Sep 16, 2008
Oct 11, 2009 09:15 pm Hi again. After a new PC upgrade to vista 64bit, some high pitched whine has returned. I'm still going through the hum destroyer (without it = mucho noise).
The interesting thing is that when you plug the usb cable in, initially, the noise is gone. The device then lights up ready to be used, still no noise, then slowly the whine appears over the space of a few seconds. Noise is worse with MonSW on but even with it off it is there and quite annoying. I've tried unplugging all the power packs around the room with no effect - this seems to be an internal usb noise issue. very frustrating. The sound is going out fro mthe ua25 via balanced TRS into a Yam sub then into yam monitors, all the way via balanced xlr's.
hmm
I noticed the newer ua25ex has an extra switch on it to kill ground loops. Anyone have experience on this?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Oct 12, 2009 12:43 am I don't use any of those UA series but I would assume that is telling something right there if the have to put a ground lift on the thing.
I would guess you have a bunk interface then if that noise slowly builds up like that.
You can try a different USB port and see what happens, But I"m betting money the interface is bunk.
john51Member
Since: Nov 03, 2009
Nov 03, 2009 05:39 am Hi all, I am new to all of this but want to ask if any of you have an explanation or fix for this:My Edirol UA-25 USB worked fine until I tried to find the right driver for OSX10.5[Leopard] now ,despite the schematic on top there is no sound from the powered JBL Monitors which get the signal from the edirol,which gets it from the iMac-but there is output from the headphone jack. Looking at the schematic I would think this was not possible as there seems to be no switch to change from headphone to Monitors,any Ideas? I must admit there is the possibility that there are more than one driver from Edirol in the iMac. The UA-25 is directly connected to the USB of the iMac. The problem started when I switched from Tiger to Leopard so I assume it must be the drivers I was trying out,still can't find the right one yet I guess. Thanks for any help with this.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 03, 2009 08:17 pm Not heard of any problems like that yet on the Mac. But you may want to go into your audio preferences and make certain that the UA is selected as the audio output device. Some times on updates the device that was set as the default gets knocked back by the new install.
john51Member
Since: Nov 03, 2009
Nov 04, 2009 03:01 am Thanks Noize2u, The Edirol IS selected in audio/MIDI set-up. I am fairly sure it's the driver-other forums had reports of this and the solution was the driver and they said it was hard to find on the Roland web site, so I may have installed the wrong driver for advanced mode.
If anyone reading this knows the right driver for OSX10.5.8 for an Edirol UA-25 [not the UA-25x] please post it here. Thanks in advance.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 04, 2009 07:25 pm If I get a chance this weekend I'll see what I can dig up. Not a Mac user so don't have a secret stash of Mac driver's, but I'll see what I can find out there.
john51Member
Since: Nov 03, 2009
Nov 05, 2009 04:07 am Thanks Noize2u, I hope we can get the Edirol working again-it did a good job. I installed the drivers for the Korg NanoKontrol, would that have an effect on the Edirol Interface? The strange behavior of signals coming through the headphones but not the Monitors baffles me completely.
john51Member
Since: Nov 03, 2009
Nov 10, 2009 03:44 am hello wahee, I use an Edirol UA-25Usb audio/MIDI interface and it started giving out a low hum, which went away when I placed a "ground Loop Isolator" between the edirol and the monitors, never had the high pitched whine though. The isolator is a small black barrel with RCA jacks[stereo one end male opposite end of barrel female RCA plugs. The name on it is"Bumper 15 amp High Quality Noise suppressor Isolation Transformer.
GRMember
Since: Nov 11, 2009
Nov 11, 2009 04:17 am I've the same problem with both an UA-1ex and UA-25, on Vista.
This problem is really a pain in the ***...
Edirol seems to be unwilling to solve this problem (because I'm pretty sure it can be fixed via drivers).
On my old XP pc those sound cards work perfectly.
GRMember
Since: Nov 11, 2009
Nov 11, 2009 04:21 am I've read this solution in Edirol's knowledge base.
It sounds interesting, but I can't try by myself because I've not an PCMCIA USB adapter, can anyone please try it?
---------------------
There are a few factors that could contribute to this issue such as IRQ conflicts, processor speeds or compatibility, and even network cards.
IRQ means "Interrupt Request". Devices can "interrupt" your processor and demand to take over current processes. Your processor usually says "No, I'm busy", and continues working. But a device may continue to send interrupt requests. In most devices, these interrupt requests will interrupt processes only for a moment and you won't notice it. But audio streaming requires totally interrupt-free operation, or you'll get click/pop sounds.
You can usually overcome IRQ Sharing conflicts by installing a PCMCIA USB adapter card. It will plug into the empty card slot on your laptop. Install the drivers, and Windows will usually assign a unique IRQ to the new USB card. You can now plug into the new card and enjoy uninterrupted audio. We recommend Orange Micro USB cards, but most cards using the VIA ver 5.0 USB Host Controller or better will do.
But be forewarned: Windows allocates IRQ's automatically. You cannot control what IRQ number it will assign. If Windows assigns a shared IRQ to your new USB card and you get pop/click, you'll need to contact your laptop manufacturer for advice on resetting the IQ scheme in the laptop.
GRMember
Since: Nov 11, 2009
Nov 11, 2009 04:23 am Again, still in Edirol KB, I found another interesting hint to solve the problem.
At the moment I can't try this solution, please give us a feed if you try it:
---------------------
IRQ Sharing/Digital Distortion (a.k.a. pops and clicks) with UA-xx or FA-xx on a PC
Knowledge Base ID: 103934
Product: FA-101 UA-25 UA-20 UA-700 UA-3FX UA-30 UA-3 UA-1X UA-1D UA-1000 DA-2496
IRQ Sharing is the number one cause of pops and clicks in a Windows-based digital audio workdstation and is most often found with laptop computers, but can be found on desktop computers as well.
In your Windows Device Manager there will be a category labeled 'Universal Serial Bus Controllers.' Within this category, there will be a Host Controller such as 'Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal Host Controller.' If this chip shares the same IRQ as any other device, pops and clicks or other digital distortion may occur (often there are more than one device sharing the same IRQ). This same principle can be applied to troubleshooting a FireWire or PCI interface, such as our FA-101 and DA-2496. If the FireWire controller or the DA-PCI card are sharing an IRQ with a different device, the same problem may occur.
To find out whether or not your computer has IRQ sharing in Windows '98/Me, perform the following steps:
1. Click on the "Start" button and select "Settings>" and then "Control Panel" from the list.
2. Double-click the "System" icon and click the "Device Manager" tab at the top.
3. Highlight "Computer" at the top of the list and click properties.
4. Locate your USB Universal Host Controller chip and note the IRQ number to the left.
5. Compare what you see to the above diagram, and note any other devices that share this IRQ.
To find out whether or not your computer has IRQ sharing in Windows 2000/XP, perform the following steps:
1. Click on the "Start" button and select "Settings>" and then "Control Panel" from the list.
2. Double-click the "System" icon and click the "Hardware" tab at the top.
3. Click on the "Device Manager" button.
4. Click on the "View" menu at the top of the screen and choose "Devices by type" from the list.
5. Click on the + next to "Interrupt request (IRQ)" and locate your USB Universal Host controller chip. Note the IRQ number to the left.
6. Compare what you see to the above diagram, and note any other devices that share this IRQ.
If you believe you are experiencing this problem and are on a laptop PC, the best solution is to use a different computer as an audio workstation; one that does not have IRQ sharing. If you're on a laptop or desktop PC, you may purchase a PCMCIA or PCI card, which will, on some computers, use a different IRQ and thus provide a different path for your recorded signal. On occasion, certain motherboards and manufacturers can be contacted for information about IRQ Steering and reserving an IRQ for your USB, FireWire, or PCI card.
Also note that in some cases the solution to IRQ Sharing (other than using a different computer) may be only achieved through disabling other devices on the system, which will reduce the total number of IRQs in use. Even if you do not use a device, it will use an IRQ until it is disabled.
GRMember
Since: Nov 11, 2009
Nov 11, 2009 04:35 am Another possible solution is on the way, this time from Microsoft.
(support.microsoft.com/kb/279256)
I have to warn that it's a registry tweak, it should be safe but I recommend to update your restore point before procede:
How to disable IRQ sharing for 16-Bit PC cards that do not support ISA-to-PCI routed interrupts.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
To resolve this behavior, disable the ISA-to-PCI routing feature to allow these PC Cards to function in laptop computers:
Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
Locate and click to select the following key in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\PCMCIA\Parameters
On the Edit menu, click New, click DWORD Value, type DisableIsaToPciRouting in the NewValue box, and then press ENTER.
Click to select DisableIsaToPciRouting, click Edit, and then click Modify.
In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.
This procedure disables PCI routing for 16-bit PC Cards. With this feature, you can successfully install 16-bit PC Cards on computers that are low on ISA interrupts by using a shared-PCI interrupt.
Note: If you disable this feature, the device could potentially display an error code 12 (not enough free resources) in Device Manager if there is not a suitable free interrupt for the card to use. You may have to disable an unused device or port to make an IRQ available for the card.
APPLIES TO
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Windows Vista Business
Windows Vista Enterprise
Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Ultimate
Windows Vista Business 64-bit Edition
Windows Vista Enterprise 64-bit Edition
Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit Edition
Windows Vista Home Basic 64-bit Edition
Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit Edition
GRMember
Since: Nov 11, 2009
Nov 11, 2009 04:39 am Great! TC Electronics gears seem to suffer of the same problem, in fact they give a solution for the same problem (well, I'm taking for granted that it's a IRQ sharing problem)
Here their solution:
(tcsupport.custhelp.com/cg...mp;p_topview=1)
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Question
Please provide some tips on how I can avoid IRQ sharing conflicts with Konnekt / PowerCore on my Windows system.
Answer
Here is a way how to manipulate your BIOS (Basic Input Output System) to get the most out of your DAW and your computer recording hardware.
For performance reasons we recommend to assign the Konnekt / PowerCore to its own IRQ. IRQ sharing is a normal thing, but depending on the devices it can lead to issues and affec the performance.
If you have too many devices on one IRQ, you can overload your system. You can, however, reassign the IRQs to optimize performance. Since Windows XP by defaults auto assigns IRQs, you might need to change it.
How to assign a separate IRQ to your TC Electronic Konnekt Interface / Powercore:
Take note of to which FireWire controller your Konnekt interface / PowerCore is connected . Then go to the Device Manager: right-click on My Computer, then select Properties > Hardware > Device Manager.
Look for an unused port that you can disable in order to use the IRQ it's assigned to. In most cases, the COM1 or COM2 ports work the best;
Once you find an unused port, take note of what IRQ it's on. Right-click on it, select Properties, and choose "Disable in this device profile." Then reboot your computer;
While the computer is rebooting, tap the F1 key and the Delete key back and forth until your system BIOS pop up.* Go to “Advanced,” then “PCI Configuration.” (in case of a PowerCore card, rather than FireWire device) This will show you the PCI slots and their IRQ assignments.
Simply go to the slot number that your Konnekt interface is connected to, and change it’s IRQ number to the newly available one. Choose "Exit and save changes".
Your computer will restart and boot up normally;
Now go back to the Start menu, select Run and type "msinfo32". Then click OK > Hardware Resources > IRQs. Confirm that Powercore/Konnekt are connected to a FireWire controller on it's own IRQ;
Please note: Not every BIOS version will allow you to make IRQ assignments by PCI slot. Please review your motherboard documentation for details, or get in touch with the motherboard vendor for more information.
GRMember
Since: Nov 11, 2009
Nov 11, 2009 04:43 am Ok mates, this is the last post.
I found this interesting article about ASIO optimization and I think it should be helpful to solve our problem:
( www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/ar...dio-system.html )
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ASIO Optimization for your E-MU Digital Audio System
Published: Mon June 14, 2004 News Feed
E-MU's Technical Support department offers some tips on how to optimize ASIO performance on your PC and reduce latency.
ASIO (Audio Stream Input/ Output) is the driver of choice for many professional desktop audio applications, sitting between your computer's audio hardware and your DAW software such as Cubase, Nuendo, or Sonar. E-MU's line of Digital Audio Systems makes excellent use of this robust multi-channel audio driver with comprehensive implementation of the latest that ASIO has to offer, with full 24-bit/192kHz support.
Although E-MU's Digital Audio Systems feature zero-latency Direct Monitoring (for those audio applications that support it), optimizing your PC ASIO setup is critical for proper recording and playback. For those audio applications that don't support ASIO Direct Monitoring, proper implementation of ASIO and a well-tuned PC allows for latency so low (2 to 5 ms) that it is hard to detect by the human ear, allowing musicians to monitor their performance in time with the backing tracks. In either case, your system will greatly benefit from the following tweaks.
BIOS level:
Set your PCI Bus latency to a minimum of 64 cycles- higher should be OK. If it's too high you may end up with graphics problems. If that's the case lower it. 64 to 128 cycles works best for most systems.
Turn off Legacy USB mode (note that this will prevent the use of USB mice and keyboards until Windows has booted)
Always make sure your BIOS is updated. Check with the BIOS and motherboard manufacturers website for the latest BIOS updates.
Turn off motherboard sound hardware. It's poor quality and will occupy PCI bus space for no good reason.
System level:
Never run instant messaging software while using your PC for audio production.
Always disable your antivirus software before using your PC for desktop audio production. Tests show that antivirus software is powerless against the types of viruses associated with musicians and vocalists. If you are concerned about this, use Lysol and wash hands frequently.
Disable your network connection. While having internet access on your audio production PC can be great for updates and registering your product, you want it disabled when making music. Go to Start/Settings/Network Connections/ find your network connection, right click on it and choose disable. To re-enable the network connection repeat the steps and choose enable.
Go to System/Properties/Advanced/Performance/Settings and set your system to "best performance".
Optimize your processor scheduling for audio. To use ASIO at lowest latencies under Windows 2000/XP single CPU systems, the 'system performance' should be optimized for background tasks. Go to Control Panel/System/Advanced/Performance Options. Change the default 'Applications' to 'Background tasks'. This can have a significant impact on ASIO latency.
Deactivate ACPI:
Note: The following tip is for advanced Windows users only. All others should consult a computer tech for assistance with this procedure!!!
Generally Win2k users should not use ACPI mode on their desktop audio production PC's. ACPI (Automatic Configuration Power Interface) was designed as a tool to prevent IRQ issues associated with PCI cards. It is generally considered very bad for robust audio applications under Win2k. It is important to know that ACPI is more of a problem in Win 2k then XP. Many XP users do not encounter ACPI related problems.
To determine if you need to deactivate ACPI do the following:
Go to the Start menu and click on "Run".
Now enter "msinfo32". This starts the system information program.
On the left hand side you can see a 'tree' view, similar to those used in the Explorer. Click on the left on "Hardware Resources" and then on "IRQs".
On the right hand side, there should appear a list of your devices with the respective IRQ to which they have been assigned. Check if devices (especially your E-MU audio card) share an IRQ with other devices. If this is the case, then you should deactivate ACPI.
How to deactivate ACPI before installing Windows (recommended method):
Backup your system using Norton Ghost or another backup/recovery program.
Before installing your Windows OS go into your BIOS and set Plug and Play OS to No.
During installation hit F6 when you are asked for updated device drivers (blue screen).
Then press F5 and choose Standard-PC.
How to deactivate ACPI after having installed Windows (not recommended- proceed at your own risk):
Backup your system using Norton Ghost or another backup/recovery program.
Set the Plug and Play OS option in your BIOS to No.
Once booted go to your Device Manager, click on Computer then double click on ACPI-PC. Go to Driver/Update Driver.
Now select 'Display a list of known drivers for this device', then select 'Show all Hardware of this device class'.
Now select Standard PC in the right hand window. Windows will then reboot and reinstall all hardware using your BIOS's IRQ assignments.
The assignment to Standard PC bears risks and is not recommended by Microsoft. You may have to reinstall Windows and select the Standard PC mode during the installation. Further information you can find in the Microsoft knowledgebase (support.microsoft.com).
You will find many excellent tips for PC optimization for audio at the following websites:
www.musicxp.net/tuning_tips.htm
www.musicxp.net/hardware_tips.htm
Drive maintenance:
It is important to have your hard drives optimized for streaming audio as well. Because hard drive tweaks vary from manufacturer to manufacturer here are some basics for hard drive audio optimization in the event you suspect drive problems:
Defrag your drive. Go to Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter/. Your media drive (the drive you record audio to) should be defragged regularly. Defrag even if it tells you the drive is only 1% or 2 % fragmented.
DMA enable your drive. For Windows XP, Direct Memory Access is not set for individual Hard Drives and CD Rom Drives. Instead, DMA is set for the Primary IDE Channel and the Secondary IDE Channel. These devices can be a combination of Hard Disk Drives, CD Rom Drives, CDRW Drives, DVD Drives and Tape Backup Drives etc. Therefore, if both channels are set for DMA access, then all the devices in your system will be set to use DMA.
Here's how to set DMA for your drives under Windows XP.
Go into your Control Panel by first clicking on the Start Button.
Then click on Settings, then Control Panel.
Then double click on the System icon to open up the System Properties window.
Now click on the Hardware tab located at the top of the screen.
Then click on the Device Manager button in the center area of the screen.
Now click on the plus sign [+] next to the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers to expand that section.
Then double click on the Primary IDE Channel to display the Primary IDE Properties window.
Then click on the Advanced Settings Tab at the top of the screen.
Now for Device 0, ensure that the Transfer Mode: selection is set to DMA if available.
Then for Device 1, ensure that the Transfer Mode: selection is also set to DMA if available.
Then click on the OK button at the bottom of the screen to save your settings.
Then double click on the Secondary IDE Channel to display the Secondary IDE Properties window.
Then click on the Advanced Settings Tab at the top of the screen.
Now for Device 0, ensure that the Transfer Mode: selection is set to DMA if available.
Then for Device 1, ensure that the Transfer Mode: selection is also set to DMA if available.
Then click on the OK button at the bottom of the screen to save your settings.
Then close Device Manager and the Control Panel to return back to your Windows session.
Nov 14, 2009 03:28 pm Hi guys, I have a brand new imac core 2 duo and I am using an 'edirol fa-66' connecting from firewire 400 to 800. I am experiencing the same dreaded high pitched whine and interference when scrolling mouse on screen. So the problem isn;t just localised to 'ua-25' model. As stated by others, I have replaced firewire cable even traded the interface and yet same problem so im delving into the frustrating route of ground loops. I may add that through the exact same set up but replacing edirol fa-66 with toneport USB I get a clean sound with no noise. Again as experienced by others this noise only occurs in monitors and not headphones. I am going to replace my XLR-jack TS to XLR-jackTRS tomorrow so will keep you updated to see if that is a problem solver without the route of DI's or hum reducers etc. going to also try the suggested try speakers mains in different mains supply. Fingers crossed lol
