Alesis iO|26 Crackle (with Logic Pro on Mac Leopard)
Home > Home Recording Forum > Recording Techniques > Alesis iO|26 Crackle (with Logic Pro on Mac Leopard)
Posted on Aug 11, 2008 09:15 pm
jonathancgbright
Member Since: Aug 11, 2008
Hey all - I've spoken with Apple support AND Alesis support, and nobody seems to have any familiarity with this issue.
Quick background: MacBook black, TI Firewire chipset, OSX10.5.3, Logic Pro, using an Alesis iO|26 interface.
What happens is that in my recordings I get a soft crackle in the background that, when amplified sounds like a lovely wood-burning fireplace in the dead of winter. Unfortunately, that's not what I want to hear in recordings. I've replaced the iO|26 once already, assuming that it was merely a defective board, but the issue has not been resolved.
What's even more interesting is that, even without any inputs plugged in (that is, with the Alesis board empty and all the inputs turned down or off) Logic will still record that crackle.
Is it a firewire issue? Is there a loose connector in the back of the Alesis unit? Is there something wrong with my MacBook's soundcard? I have no idea, and neither do any of the people, seemingly, who make these products.
I know it's not buffer issues, because the sound itself is actually being recorded and is quite visible in the waveform on screen...which is very bad.
Has ANYBODY experienced the same issue and, if so, is there a workaround? Or do I simply have to keep returning Alesis boards until I get one that isn't poorly manufactured?
Somebody! Anybody!
Thanks so much,
Jonathan
P.S. I can upload the crackle sound to my website if anybody is interested in hearing exactly what it sounds like!
[ Back to Top ]
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Aug 11, 2008 10:18 pm Actually it can be a buffer issue. If the buffer is set too low for the computer's ability then it can cause that issue.
I am however wondering if as you are thinking it could be a bad cable.
Are you using a 6 pin cable, preferably a good one? If it is a 4 pin cable or that laptop only has a 4 pin firewire port that may be part of the issue.
Aug 11, 2008 10:44 pm Hello!
Well I stand corrected! Apologies for making such a misinformed categorical statement...but I've played with buffer sizes and the issue had remained.
In terms of cables, I'm using a 6-pin cable that goes from a 6-pin output on the iO|26 to a 6-pin input on the MacBook. I've tried a few different cables, and the problem has persisted, so I don't think that's it either.
I'm taking it into a repair shop tomorrow to see if they can figure out a workaround, but I'm seriously considering just sending this board back and getting another one.
Thoughts re: Tascam FW-1082?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Aug 12, 2008 08:12 pm My personal opinion is the Tascam units have had less problems as far as the firewire connection goes. They had some early driver issues but those have all been resolved. They did cause several things to happen such as the board simply dropping off as well as some noise issues. But they have all been addressed and fixed.
The Alesis stuff havs been pretty stout as well though so I am curious to see what might be the problem with it as well.
But I have to say I have not seen too many issues with the Alesis either as of yet. Yours is the first of this kind were buffer adjustment did not take care of any noise.
Out of curiosity have you looked into the Alesis control panel to see what the settings are there as well?
Another thought is maybe a conflict of some kind. Do you have an on board sound card on the laptop? If so give a try to dis-able the drivers for it and see if that helps. There are conflict issues that can arise between those device at times as they don't share drivers very well at all.
