can a DAW be noisy?
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:55 pm
- Location: Seattle
- Contact:
can a DAW be noisy?
I can hardly believe this.
After months of troubleshooting, I've discovered the source of a noise that's been tormenting me.
It's not my mic or my pre or my cables or my electricity or cell phones or any of that stuff. It's my DAW.
Listening to my mic and pre through my interface's mixer software, everything sounds as it should. But as I open a song file in my DAW, the static shows up. Close the DAW, we go back to smooth, quiet operation.
Is this a thing? Anyone else deal with it? Any solutions?
After months of troubleshooting, I've discovered the source of a noise that's been tormenting me.
It's not my mic or my pre or my cables or my electricity or cell phones or any of that stuff. It's my DAW.
Listening to my mic and pre through my interface's mixer software, everything sounds as it should. But as I open a song file in my DAW, the static shows up. Close the DAW, we go back to smooth, quiet operation.
Is this a thing? Anyone else deal with it? Any solutions?
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Is it possible that the interface is sending signal to your phones pre-converter? Or somehow with a different S/N ratio?
Which DAW are you using?
Which DAW are you using?
-
- suffering 'studio suck'
- Posts: 444
- Joined: Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:21 pm
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Are you using any plugins that add "analog noise"? That can be super annoying.
-
- moves faders with mind
- Posts: 2748
- Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2003 11:26 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
What make/model is the interface?
Does it have it's own power supply, or is it USB powered?
Does it have it's own power supply, or is it USB powered?
"What fer?"
"Cat fur, to make kitten britches."
"Cat fur, to make kitten britches."
- Nick Sevilla
- on a wing and a prayer
- Posts: 5587
- Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 1:34 pm
- Location: Lake Arrowhead California USA
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
If this only happens once you are going THROUGH the DAW, and no longer just monitoring through the hardware, this means your interface is the culprit. Many of these interfaces have totally different audio routing for "live monitoring" as opposed to the DAC step done POST DAW. What you are likely hearing noise wise, is in that POST DAW hardware conversion, which is different than the one being used for just monitoring "sans DAW."gravitychapters wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:10 pmI can hardly believe this.
After months of troubleshooting, I've discovered the source of a noise that's been tormenting me.
It's not my mic or my pre or my cables or my electricity or cell phones or any of that stuff. It's my DAW.
Listening to my mic and pre through my interface's mixer software, everything sounds as it should. But as I open a song file in my DAW, the static shows up. Close the DAW, we go back to smooth, quiet operation.
Is this a thing? Anyone else deal with it? Any solutions?
Hope this gets resolved for you.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:55 pm
- Location: Seattle
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Hey friends.
1. My DAW is Ableton Live 11 Suite, running on a fairly healthy Macbook Pro.
2. My interface is an Audient iD44, which is AC powered but connects to computer via USB.
3. I don't see how it could be a plugin since I get the noise even with no plugins instantiated.
4. Nick, I think you're on to something. What I can't figure out, though, is that I can record the noise. Which means...wait, what does it mean?
1. My DAW is Ableton Live 11 Suite, running on a fairly healthy Macbook Pro.
2. My interface is an Audient iD44, which is AC powered but connects to computer via USB.
3. I don't see how it could be a plugin since I get the noise even with no plugins instantiated.
4. Nick, I think you're on to something. What I can't figure out, though, is that I can record the noise. Which means...wait, what does it mean?
-
- moves faders with mind
- Posts: 2748
- Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2003 11:26 pm
- Location: Denver, CO
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Is there anything plugged into the inputs?
Are the input gain knobs all the way down?
Are the input gain knobs all the way down?
"What fer?"
"Cat fur, to make kitten britches."
"Cat fur, to make kitten britches."
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:55 pm
- Location: Seattle
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Yes to #1. I usually record through an external pre, which I then run into the Audient via its line input (actually a return, but same thing).
No to #2. Since I using a line-in, no need to gain up the channel on the Audient.
No to #2. Since I using a line-in, no need to gain up the channel on the Audient.
-
- steve albini likes it
- Posts: 392
- Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2003 10:57 am
- Location: Austin, TX
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
I had a weird thing happen the other day where Qobuz (hi-fi streaming service, highly recommend) was making a quiet, weird digital hashy noise (I think, not sure). I could only hear it when nothing was playing, with my system fairly loud. I'm somewhat sure it was the Qobuz app or how it was interacting with my system, but I actually have been unable to get it to happen again, so I don't feel I can lay the blame on the app. Every other time I've used it, it's been fine. Maybe some sort of OS weirdness, driver interaction, USB cable problem, who knows? But it seems that a piece of audio software can, under some circumstances beyond my comprehension, be noisy.
- digitaldrummer
- cryogenically thawing
- Posts: 3561
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
so what if you do not use the external pre - does the noise go away? If so, then look at where the preamp is physically placed (try moving it around in case there is interference from something else).gravitychapters wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:50 pmI usually record through an external pre, which I then run into the Audient via its line input (actually a return, but same thing).
Also, what kind of cable are you using to connect it - if it's through the insert return, then that to me implies it is an unbalanced connection (TS) and depending on how long that cable is, the quality of it, etc. and again if it is physically close to a computer... could be the source of the problem too. Anytime I get an unbalanced cable near the computer there is always problems.
Mike
- digitaldrummer
- cryogenically thawing
- Posts: 3561
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
looking at the specs it seems they do supply a TRS jack for the send/return so that is good - but make sure the cable is TRS also, and that your preamp also has TRS or XLR output.
https://audient.com/products/audio-inte ... ech-specs/
https://audient.com/products/audio-inte ... ech-specs/
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:55 pm
- Location: Seattle
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Sounds about right. For me, this noise would literally start the second the Ableton Live logo pops up on my screen -- like, as Ableton Live begins booting up. Which is why, at first, I believed the problem was with Ableton rather than the interface.
crow wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:11 pmI had a weird thing happen the other day where Qobuz (hi-fi streaming service, highly recommend) was making a quiet, weird digital hashy noise (I think, not sure). I could only hear it when nothing was playing, with my system fairly loud. I'm somewhat sure it was the Qobuz app or how it was interacting with my system, but I actually have been unable to get it to happen again, so I don't feel I can lay the blame on the app. Every other time I've used it, it's been fine. Maybe some sort of OS weirdness, driver interaction, USB cable problem, who knows? But it seems that a piece of audio software can, under some circumstances beyond my comprehension, be noisy.
-
- alignin' 24-trk
- Posts: 62
- Joined: Sat Dec 26, 2020 11:55 pm
- Location: Seattle
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Your thought process is what I went through when shopping for interfaces. It was important to me that I could run a balanced signal out of an external pre into the interface with no coloration from the interface mic preamps.
Which is another way of saying, yes, I'm running TRS and/or XLR -- but always balanced.
I'm going to run some experiments today with different USB cables and the interface's built in preamps. Will report back.
Which is another way of saying, yes, I'm running TRS and/or XLR -- but always balanced.
I'm going to run some experiments today with different USB cables and the interface's built in preamps. Will report back.
digitaldrummer wrote: ↑Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:05 amlooking at the specs it seems they do supply a TRS jack for the send/return so that is good - but make sure the cable is TRS also, and that your preamp also has TRS or XLR output.
https://audient.com/products/audio-inte ... ech-specs/
- digitaldrummer
- cryogenically thawing
- Posts: 3561
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2005 9:51 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Yep, "process of elimination" is your friend when it comes to this kind of troubleshooting. Strip away everything you can until you find the source. Sounds like you are getting there.
- A.David.MacKinnon
- ears didn't survive the freeze
- Posts: 3834
- Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 5:57 am
- Location: Hamilton ON, Canada
- Contact:
Re: can a DAW be noisy?
Is there another interface you can borrow/rent to see if the same issue persists? What happens when you disconnect your stand alone pre (and power it down)? What happens when you open Ableton with no interface connected and monitor through the computers headphone out? What happens when you open any other DAW? Garageband or Audacity?
For troubleshooting always start at one end of the chain and work towards the other end. Swap every element until you isolate the source of the noise. Mic, mic cable, no mic or cable connected, pre, pre to interface cable, no pre or cable connected to interface, interface, usb cable, no interface connected just the computer's built in I/O, software.
Also, move stuff around to see if it's interference caused by one piece of gear's proximity to another. Move the pre and interface away from the computer. Move the pre away from the interface. If there are wall wart power supplies on anything move them around too.
For troubleshooting always start at one end of the chain and work towards the other end. Swap every element until you isolate the source of the noise. Mic, mic cable, no mic or cable connected, pre, pre to interface cable, no pre or cable connected to interface, interface, usb cable, no interface connected just the computer's built in I/O, software.
Also, move stuff around to see if it's interference caused by one piece of gear's proximity to another. Move the pre and interface away from the computer. Move the pre away from the interface. If there are wall wart power supplies on anything move them around too.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 43 guests