Windows + USB audio interface -> crackles

[T-CM11]

I've recently bought a Steinberg UR22C for my "secondary" (general usage) DAW PC.
As my topic title says: crackles! I'm pretty good at troubleshooting software/hardware, so I've tried everything I (and Google) can think of, to no avail.
My conclusion: another audio interface with crappy Windows drivers!
<< My main DAW PC has an RME FF UC (awesome), but here the """cheapest""" RME is (financial) overkill when all I wanted is an extra DAC. >>

I contacted Thomann to get my money back, packed it up for sending back. Then, I connected my trusty Edirol M16DX (takes up too much space and I don't need all those inputs (on this PC)). Surprisingly, it also produced a lot of crackles!

I tried the last thing I could think of: turn off the XMP profile (RAM "overclocking"). It seemed so unlikely to me, but it solved it!
My PC was running stable for years with a memory overclock 2133>3000, but it seems that USB audio interfaces don't like it - at least on my motherboard, an Asus Z170A with latest BIOS.

I just wanted to share this story for people that experience the same troubles.

[chk071]

Yeah, I would have been surprised if it would have been the audio interface. I have the Steinberg UR22 mk2, and had a UR12 as well. They both are rock solid. No issues at all.

The problem is usually most likely in the PC hardware, not the audio interface. I think a good way to find out is LatencyMon.

[T-CM11]

I think a good way to find out is LatencyMon.

One of the first things I checked - DPC latency was a-ok! (while crackling and experiencing dropouts)
No surprise there - I rarely have these "easy" to solve/diagnose issues.

[chk071]

Yeah, computer stuff can suck.

My absolute nightmare vision: A new computer and micro lags in games... I never had those, but, it appears like those are notoriously hard to diagnose.

[T-CM11]

Yeah, computer stuff can suck.

My absolute nightmare vision: A new computer and micro lags in games... I never had those, but, it appears like those are notoriously hard to diagnose.

My weirdest experience: A (desktop) PC that (after a couple of years) didn't reboot anymore. "Solution": unplugging it (and turning it on) a couple of times.
Replaced PSU+MB+CPU+RAM -> issue remained.

[chk071]

I had a similar issue some time ago, with my former desktop PC. I always used to turn it off over night by unplugging the plugbar. One day, all of a sudden, there was a message which told me that the BIOS/UEFI settings were reset before booting Windows. And that happened every time I unplugged the plugbar from them on. I stopped unplugging it then, but, I becamse curious after a while, and tried unplugging it again. Somehow, the issue had disappeared... really weird stuff. It definitely wasn't the BIOS battery, because, it's still in excellent condition. After 9 years. Which is kinda weird too...

[T-CM11]

I had a similar issue some time ago, with my former desktop PC. I always used to turn it off over night by unplugging the plugbar. One day, all of a sudden, there was a message which told me that the BIOS/UEFI settings were reset before booting Windows. And that happened every time I unplugged the plugbar from them on. I stopped unplugging it then, but, I becamse curious after a while, and tried unplugging it again. Somehow, the issue had disappeared... really weird stuff. It definitely wasn't the BIOS battery, because, it's still in excellent condition. After 9 years. Which is kinda weird too...

It's like Oblivion/Skyrim: PC issues level up with your knowledge to solve them!
Did you try replacing the plugbar? Some kind of power spike maybe? (doesn't explain the mysterious disappearance of the problem though)
I bet it was caused by Gravitational waves!

[Pictus]

Check:

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/windows- ... de-part-1/

viewtopic.php?p=7624448#p7624448

[T-CM11]

https://devblogs.microsoft.com/windows- ... de-part-1/

Is it worth getting memory that is faster than the minimum requirement for your CPU and motherboard? In many cases, the answer is “yes”. There’s a price/performance trade-off, but if you go a couple steps higher, and the memory has an XMP setting (a profile for describing the memory’s preferred settings) that you can enable with your motherboard, it’s worth doing. Audio, video, and graphics work all tend to be memory-intensive, so it’s usually worth boosting just a little there when you can. Keep in mind that rated speed is not the only consideration, as various latency values also play a part. You can go nuts researching this on overclocking and gaming forums.

Still, you shared some good reads! (no new information for me)