MAC Dual G5 Audio Pops and Crackles

[matt9b]

Hello,

I'm a music producer. I produce commercial pop, dance, and classical music. I purchased a MAC G5 for my work, for professional audio production.

When I'm trying to record, the audio through my speakers and headphones crackles/snaps/pops every few seconds. This 'popping' seems to be more 'there' when moving the mouse. The 'popping' only exists when I'm playing or recording audio.

This 'popping' is apparent in recorded mixes, and often causes an error in logic: "error synchronising audio and midi", and "different sample rate detected".

This problem renders the entire machine useless for professional audio production work. I have read many forums on similar topics, and tried the following remedies, but to no effect:

1. Install CHUD tools, disabled 'nap' mode.
2. Installed new mouse drivers
3. Disabled font smoothing
4. Increased I/O buffer size

As a music producer who is new to the industry, I have saved and invested a lot in this machine. I'm very dissappointed that a fault exists which renders it useless for my work.

If anyone can help with this problem, I would be very grateful.

Many Thanks,

Matt


--
System specs:
Mac G5 dual 1.8Ghz
OSX 10.3.9
3Gb ram
160Gb HD
400Gb HD
Mbox
Logic 7.1 Pro

 

[ponpon]

I suspect that you may have "Filevault" activated, which means that your streams of data video or sound is being crypted, and thus it is slowing down the computer. You may also try to save on the shared folder in the User folder, where data are not protected by "Filevault". Let me know, if this helped.

 

[cp0ff]

although I do not have an answer to your specific problem, I will assure you that it IS fixable, because mac is the #1 audio production system, and is used by countless producers and musicians.
your money has not been wasted.
I would try a mac audio specific forum or group.

good luck

 

[Captain Code]

I'm not sure if my problem is the same as yours but I have speakers hooked up to my G5 in my basement which do crackle sometimes. They seem to go "off" after a period of no use and then if you do something with any sound, the speakers will make a crackling sound and come back "on" ie, they'll output sound again.

I think it has something to do with the ground connections which I haven't really solved but I also haven't really tried. Why I think this is that I had my G4 down in the basement with different speakers even and it used to do this same thing. Now that I have the G4 upstairs, with the same previously popping speakers, it doesn't do it. The G5 does do it and it's hooked up to everything that the G4 was hooked up to. Same power bar & outlet.

So this shows me that it's not to do with the Mac hardware as it goes away when the computer is moved somewhere else, but it's something electrical in that area, either a screwy power bar or some other strange voodoo.

Maybe you are having a similar problem, as I know audio equipment uses grounds a lot for various things. Moving your whole studio is probably not an option but maybe you can take just the computer and a mic and headphones and see what happens.