Skip to main content

Hi! I'm having a major problem with mic.. Im having audio dropouts in my recordings.
I have tried the mic and soundcard on my dads computer and it worked just fine.
So i guess it must be a problem with my PC, at first I thought my USBs wasnt powered enough for phantom power,
but I bought a powered usb hub and it didnt solve the problem.
Ive also reinstalled the drivers.
Any idea what the error might be and what could solve this?
I'm reataching a picture of the weird looking wave form and an audioclip.

Im using Focusrite scarlett 2i2, Cubase 7 and At4040 mic.

Thanks!

https://dl.dropboxu…"]https://dl.dropboxu… form.mp3[/]="https://dl.dropboxu…"]https://dl.dropboxu… form.mp3[/]

Attached files

Topic Tags

Comments

pcrecord Sun, 10/04/2015 - 11:10

So it's not a mic problem, you should have titled the thread 'Audio dropouts with Scarlett 2i2' ;)

Dropouts happens for only one reason. The computer isn't able to process everything that it is ask to. Sometimes it's not the project itself but everything that is going on.
Disconnect from the net, disable your antivirus and any other software that is in memory..
In your project, render vsti instruments and remove any realtime effects. Then try again

If the dropouts still occurs, it may be because your audio buffer is too small.. try to change that setting in cubase audio options. a typical buffer is 256 or 512 or more on very busy projects. Note that with a bigger buffer will result in bigger latency. that's another reason to use less realtime effects while tracking..

What is the OS of your computer ? There is many sites with audio tweaks for win7 but not so many with 8 and 10
The drivers of the video card and main board are also a good thing to keep up to date for audio..

Rasmus321 Sun, 10/04/2015 - 11:32

Yeah but I don't think it is that kind of dropouts.
The project from which the files I attached come from have no vsts what so ever and only one audio track with no plugins.
I have windows 10 with a 1 year old i7 and 32 gigs of ram.
I'll check the video card drivers and mainboard though and see if that does the trick.
I find this thing really weird and hopefully its the drivers related, try to update the video card driver and main board drivers tomorrow.
Thanks!

Boswell Sun, 10/04/2015 - 15:50

The clue is that there is missing audio in the affected sections rather than silence. A microphone cannot do that, even if faulty. This means it must be a problem with either the driver for the audio interface or whatever is processing the track after it has been recorded. Check that your Scarlett driver is updated for W10, and then try increasing the buffer size.

I mentioned processing the track after recording because it sounds as though you have some compression or AGC on the track. This is kicking in after it detects the sharp discontinuities of the missing buffer sections. It would be much easier for us to tell what's really going on if what you posted were simply the raw tracks of the guitar. Of course, I may be doing you a disservice, and the compression is being applied by Dropbox, in which case you should try uploading via the "Upload a file" box at the bottom of this page.

Rasmus321 Sun, 10/04/2015 - 23:58

pcrecord, post: 432834, member: 46460 wrote: When it happens, does Cubase stop the recording and playback ? or the project still runs but with no signal ?

Cubase continue recording and the signal is still there but its really quite so i suppose its not really dropouts, dont know what to call it. Listen to the audio clip and look at the picture and youll see what i mean. The wierd thing is that theres only information on one side of the wave at a time..?

Boswell, post: 432836, member: 29034 wrote: The clue is that there is missing audio in the affected sections rather than silence. A microphone cannot do that, even if faulty. This means it must be a problem with either the driver for the audio interface or whatever is processing the track after it has been recorded. Check that your Scarlett driver is updated for W10, and then try increasing the buffer size.

I mentioned processing the track after recording because it sounds as though you have some compression or AGC on the track. This is kicking in after it detects the sharp discontinuities of the missing buffer sections. It would be much easier for us to tell what's really going on if what you posted were simply the raw tracks of the guitar. Of course, I may be doing you a disservice, and the compression is being applied by Dropbox, in which case you should try uploading via the "Upload a file" box at the bottom of this page.

Oh, I recorded a random track from spotify with my mix just to show the dropouts or missing audio. I'll record some raw acoustic guitar as soon as i get home. Glad to hear my mic is not faulty.. I find it really wierd that there is only information on one side of the wave at a time if you look at the picture I posted. I'll try to change the buffer size when i get home.

Thanks for the help! This is really frustrating..

DonnyThompson Mon, 10/05/2015 - 00:41

Have you checked your system to make sure that the 2i2 is the only enabled audio device on your system?
Often, there will be a second audio card enabled that can be overlooked - usually it's the built in sound card that comes stock with the off-the -shelf computers ( Realtek, Soundblaster, Conexant, IDT, etc).

Control Panel/Hardware and Sound/Sound, check the list of recognized audio devices on your PC, and turn off/disable all but the Focusrite.

Also, are you sure you have the most current, up to date drivers for the 2i2?

-d.

pcrecord Mon, 10/05/2015 - 07:32

I just listened to the mp3 for the first time. My guess is that it still could be the mic, the cable or the interface.
I hear a glitch near the begining of the recording and then the audio goes like if it's out of phase or something.. To me it seems like a faulty connection either the cable, the mic or the interface..
But what bothers me is that you say it's working fine on your dad's computer.. THIS messes a lot of assumptions and killed the wire theory. USB power should be investigated.. and no a USB Hub does't automaticly solve that kind of problems
I'd like to be near and meet you.. this is a weird one.

dvdhawk Mon, 10/05/2015 - 12:38

I'd look into the USB power too. Is it possible the AT4040 is starving for phantom power? The A-T wants 4.2mA of 48V, which shouldn't be a problem for the Scarlett, but the it is also powering the mic-pres, headphone amp and all of that other consumption. The Scarlett can provide 48v phantom power, but the computer is powering the Scarlett via USB which opens up a whole new batch of things that could go wrong. USB voltage is standardized at 5V ( ± .25 ), but the available current can vary pretty significantly from computer to computer and USB 1 - USB 3, especially if you're powering an external drive for recording, or anything else that would be an additional drain on the USB port(s).

Did you use the same USB 2.0 certified cable that came with the Scarlett testing it on both computers?

Sorry no answers, just food for thought.

Rasmus321 Tue, 10/06/2015 - 12:14

dvdhawk, post: 432843, member: 36047 wrote: I'd look into the USB power too. Is it possible the AT4040 is starving for phantom power? The A-T wants 4.2mA of 48V, which shouldn't be a problem for the Scarlett, but the it is also powering the mic-pres, headphone amp and all of that other consumption. The Scarlett can provide 48v phantom power, but the computer is powering the Scarlett via USB which opens up a whole new batch of things that could go wrong. USB voltage is standardized at 5V ( ± .25 ), but the available current can vary pretty significantly from computer to computer and USB 1 - USB 3, especially if you're powering an external drive for recording, or anything else that would be an additional drain on the USB port(s).

Did you use the same USB 2.0 certified cable that came with the Scarlett testing it on both computers?

Sorry no answers, just food for thought.

The problem is solved! I tried the original usb cable and now everything is working as it should. Thanks for the help everyone!

DonnyThompson Tue, 10/06/2015 - 19:47

Thanks for getting back to us and letting us know what the issue was.

Reporting back like this helps the forum; in the future, someone might be having an issue similar to yours, and if they do an internet search on the subject, it can lead them here - and to a possible solution.

BTW... giving credit where credit is due...

(dvdhawk )
( "Did you use the same USB 2.0 certified cable that came with the Scarlett testing it on both computers?" )

Nice call, Hawk! ;)

-d.

dvdhawk Wed, 10/07/2015 - 08:23

Yes indeed, we really do appreciate it when folks return to tell us what eventually solved their problem. (Even on occasions where we weren't able to help them) Thank you for that.

Glad to be of help, but let's all share the credit. I was also building on pcrecord 's earlier post about USB power, and the groundwork laid by PC, Boswell, and Donny pointing toward the Scarlett malfunctioning rather than the mic - so team effort all the way.