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Focusrite scarlet solo (2nd gen) intermittent popping crackle

  • 48 replies
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Topic Focusrite scarlet solo (2nd gen) intermittent popping crackle
Hi guys,

I have spent the last few weeks trying to fix this issue but its hard to troubleshoot due to it being intermittent and unable to identify what the cause is. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated, as I feel a little out of my depth.

I bought a Rode NT1A Microphone with a Focusrite Scarlet Solo (2nd gen).

Sounded pretty crisp to start but for some reason starts making popping and crackling sounds, and at times just becomes completely inaudible with robotic noises coming from it. Unplugging and plugging back in from the back of scarlet seems to be a temp fix.

I have tried all USB ports in computer including USB 3.0 which don't appear to fix the issue. I have also insured that USB root hubs are not set to power saver mode.

System specs below:
Operating system: Windows 8 pro 64-bit
Chip type: Nvidia Geforce GTX 960
16g RAM
proccessor: i7-3770 CPU @ 3.4ghz

I followed these instructions for optimisation for windows 8.

https://global.focusrite.com/answerbase/optimising-your-pc-for-audio-on-windows-8

I am trying to use the program called reaper to run the audio through however the crackling appears to happen irrespective of using reaper so i guess thats handy to know.

Unsure of where to go from here. Any help would be greatly appreciated, understanding that this topic has been created several times.
View this discussion’s subject
41
I didnt delete the registry entries or the files in the user folder (AppData). Only the remaiming files in the program files folder.

I use the 2nd gen solo and 2i2.

[ Post last edited on 06/20/2019 at 14:05:18 ]

42
I went out and bought a Steinberg UR12(wanted a 22, but they just sold it before me) and this just doesn't have this problem.

I actually had my old m-audio 2x2 laying around(I switched from this to the Scarlett because this one was blue screening my machine occasionally and it had such a poor usb connection that if you nudged the box it disconnected). But I tried it yesterday for a bit and it just works too. With its driver, things are perfect, no crackles. As long as it works, the m-audio is fine.

I am, unfortunately, disappointed.

If I somehow manage to get a MAC in the near future I might consider Scarlett again, but as far as PC goes, I've buried the thought of using another one from them. I belive it's the driver implementatin. Cannot be the hardware or the firmware because I hear it's bit-perfect on MAC devices.(You can read on about this in many reddits, forums, etc. On PC it actually works perfectly in DAWs too, and also when you direct listen for the recording device in the sound control panel.)

The pre-amp is also better(undeniable, it is the cleanest and best in it's class), that is one of its redeeming qualities along with a few other nice finishing touches but the crackle in one of my main utilities, Discord, is a deal breaker to me.

I'll think about selling it, but it will probably remain laying around for quite a while before I utilize it again. That, is a shame really. I actually liked the unit A LOT, when I first tested it on my laptop after buying. It was so clean and nice. On an old set of some Philips headphones I forgot the model of the headphone out was absolutely fantastic. MIC was awesome too outside Discord...

Yeah, enough rambling now. Hopes of the newer driver fixing it, crushed. It's quite a bit better than the old one, but not there, yet.
43
How annoying!

I'm also trying to get to the bottom of an annoying metronomic pulse click from monitors which is coming from ALL main outputs of the Focusrite Saffire 24. Checked all computer settings, midi clock etc and all leads back to the Saffire outputs. it happens whether track is stopped or running. I have to mention that this pulse does not come out of the headphone outputs.

Help Please!!!
44
BLUF: Your interface buffer size needs to match you ASIO4ALL buffer size.

DAW software, MAC OSX, and audio interfaces all use the ASIO standard and typically work well together. Windows, however, uses its own driver standard called Windows Driver Model or WDM.

When you play an MP3 file on Windows Media Player, for example, audio commands in WDM are sent to your audio interface. If your interface is ASIO, it will not understand WDM. This is why you need a piece of translator software that translates WDM requests into ASIO commands and vice versa. Most people use ASIO4ALL as this translator.

The reverse situation exists when you are running a DAW (ASIO) through your PC speakers (WDM). In this case, the ASIO audio sent by the DAW needs to be translated into WDM (again, ASIO4ALL) before the speakers can produce sound.

Your device accepts data in chunks defined by the input/output (i/o) buffer size. The ASIO4ALL sends out data in chunks that are defined by *its* buffer size. These two sizes need to match. Imagine two people speaking through a translator but they talk over the translator before he/she finishes. The process needs to be synchronized.

As @Huzaa points out, there is no problem in Mac or DAW (because they understand ASIO natively) - the problem is when using a web browser or other application that only understands WDM.
45
I upgraded the Firmware in my Scarlet 6i6 and immediately started hearing persistent crackling noise with all audio played through the interface. I tried multiple installs, switching USB ports and a number of other solutions. What seems to have fixed it for me is to switch from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0. I'm guessing the new firmware targets a 3.0 connection.
46
Hello, i know this is an old thread, but i'm having the same issues with my scarlett and i've tried the 2.5 drivers and the new ones, but nothing works. I'd like to try the 3.2.2 listed here, but the link takes me to a page that says i don't have permission and that it's going to redirect me even though it never does. I do have a beta account, but i can't find that driver on the site. Please help me. My scarlett always worked fine in Win10, but now I have a new computer and the problem is persistent. I run an Intel chip. Many thanks in advance.
47
Can someone send me a working link to 3.2.2 drivers? I created account but i don't have permission. Please help
48
Hello! I've recently noticed my unit (the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 2nd Gen) also has this issue. I've owned this product for about 3 years with no issues at all, I'm mostly an instrumental musician and recording Bass & Guitar into DAWs is what I used it for the most.

I recently bought an Audio Technica AT2020 XLR Condenser microphone that I wanted both for gaming, voice acting, singing, recording, and daily use. I quickly noticed all of these issues with my unit as using it for playback on a daily basis for anything that wasn't my DAW would cause a lot of cracking and popping, and talking to friends and people on the internet I'd be made aware that I'd sound robotic or just broken at random times, as mentioned in other posts here, I'd also unplug and plug the interface back in to temporarily fix it again.

Something I've tested is that while I was in a voice call with someone in Discord, I'd have my mic on playback in Reaper and I'd be just listening to myself. When they pointed out my voice broke, it was sounding perfectly fine on the Reaper playback but if I went on the Discord playback it had the robotic crackle sounds.

I'm at a loss on what to do, entirely. I've loved this unit for as long as I've had it up until these last two weeks that this started happening to me with it. I've tried changing the buffer size and the kHz altogether which has alleviated the cracking and popping more or less but hasn't fixed it, despite that, the mic still glitches out with it.

I'm on Windows 10 running the latest drivers as of the date of this post, and just nothing works. I really want to find a solution for this not only cause I love this product but also cause I'm too poor to afford another one, specially after the price of everything literally triplicating where I live ever since I bought it.

I'd be extremely grateful for any solutions or any pointers that could help me at all.

[ Post last edited on 08/07/2020 at 15:17:17 ]

49
Hi all. I recently purchased a Focusrite Scarlett Solo Gen 3, and I believe I am experiencing this exact same issue. Running firmware 1605 on Windows 10, with driver version 4.65.5.

It's not apparent much in recordings (becomes hugely distorted and robotic sounding), but my friends who game with me on Discord complain that I become 'crackly' after some time - usually when the computer has been left on for long periods, or I'm in big gaming session (4-8 hours a stretch). This is upsetting as I bought the interface specifically to use my XLR mic for comms/streaming/recording voiceover.

The 'fix' is a reboot, and it's just plain unacceptable to have to interrupt a workflow like that.

Has anyone managed to make contact with Focusrite and have the issue solved once and for all?

Cheers!