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i'm rather new to the world of digital recording...having two learning curves to master:The PC and Sonar xl. i'm running sonarxl w/A7V333MOTHERBOARD, 1gig athlon, win 2000 pro and 528 megs DDR333 SDRAM, Edirol ua-5 sound card. i'm getting good results experimenting with different latency settings, etc. the problem? it seems I can't stop random clicks and pops from creeping up in the audio track. The input/gain is low, latency settings don't seem to help. also, when i click on "play' or "stop" i hear an audible pop. this makes auto punch impossible. no other programs are running on my system and everything runs great otherwise(no drop outs etc.) Would a dual processor set-up eliminate the problem? Faster hard drive? more ram? Does various "de-clicking" software work? Sonar recommends disabling WIN 2000 ACPI?(but they seem to suggest that as a solution for every problem.) then, the tech guys at my computer shop just raise their eyebrows at that suggestion "disabling ACPI?hmmmmm can't see how that would help." Do I just have to live with the clicks? Love the digital flexibility, hate the eternal system tweeking that sucks up valuable creative time. What's the secret to a stable system? i'm reading everything I can get my hands on, but a lot of the information seems contradictory...any help would be greatly appreciated...

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anonymous Sat, 09/21/2002 - 11:17

Have you tried disabling ACPI?? ACPI has something to do with the IRQ interupts, having it enabled allows the computer to mess with your IRQ settings. Since your soundcard is assigned an IRQ, when the computer messes with it during playback/recording, it's possible that you will hear pops. I'm kinda hack, trying to explain this, but you get the idea. Might as well try it. A dual-cpu computer would not help, you have enough RAM, and I don't think a better hard drive would cure you problem with pops. Anyway, Opus will come along and set ya straight, but until then you might consider tweaking the ACPI like Sonar tells ya to.

Ian

anonymous Sat, 09/21/2002 - 11:39

Ian,
Thanks for the reply. any info on how to disable ACPI in WIN 2000 pro? Are there any serious consequences that i can't correct once i disable it? i'm learning as i go. I should be writing/finishing/ songs right now but,...Thanks again this was my first post and i must say this is one great site.
H

Opus2000 Sun, 09/22/2002 - 13:11

Well, remember that digital clicks could be clocking issues. Or it could be simply the device itself, in this case I would not doubt that the edirol unit would cause this. They are not stable, solid USB based audio devices in any way. Trust me, been down that road before.
In terms of ACPI with Win2k, yes, you need to be in standard PC mode. In order to do this it is highly recommended to reinstall the OS as switching from one mode to another can cause weird issues. Only experienced users truly can get it to work properly with some extra tweaks. Those extra tweaks are very hardcore registry hacks that if you are not comfortable doing could mess your system up worse than you could imagine.
So in the long run bite the bullet and resintall the OS. When installing Win2k press F5 when it tells you to press F6 and you will see an option to install the OS as a Standard PC
Opus

anonymous Mon, 09/23/2002 - 07:18

Opus,
thanks for the advice. As a new user i unwittingly posted this same issue, into two forums...Now that i got that off my chest, i must say the response has been amazing...i'll re-install the operating system into pc mode...Is it Edirol's products that are the problem? or usb cards in general? would you recommend replacing the ua-5? Any cost effective/stable favorites? i know all too well that you usually get what you pay for...if only the clicks were in the right meter...once again, thanks...this is one great site!
H

KurtFoster Mon, 09/23/2002 - 07:56

Opus,
I have a new system that I am working on getting up and running and I was wondering if this is an issue I should have addressed before I get a lot of files on the machine. I am running a Anthlon Dual 1800 with Windows 2000 Pro as the OS. Do I need to be in standard PC modeand do I jneed to disable the ACPI...............Thanks, Fats

Opus2000 Mon, 09/23/2002 - 09:38

For Win2k it's best to be in Standard PC mode as ACPI for that OS is not good. It puts all IRQ's on 9 or 11 and causes many issues. It is again highly recommended to do a fresh install. Switching from one mode to another causes APM to do weird things.
As regards to the Edirol device...they are not that great IMHO, the driver support has never been up to par and also has to deal with the onboard USB eprom. It's not written that well
Opus

anonymous Thu, 09/26/2002 - 19:46

Opus,
I spoke to the folks at Edirol about the random pops, they blame my via chip? My usb is 2.0...in any case the representative suggested i purchase the 2496 and use my Ua-5 as a Pre...Gee thanks, Edirol.i'd like to buy a new sound card if it'll eliminate the pops. any suggestions under say six-hundred or so? i'm learning as i go, who are the reliable manufacturers?
thanks,
Helicon