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Weird problem with noise
Hi,
I recently got a new iPad mini to use with Loopy Pro. It has the same processor as my iPhone 15 Pro Max. The problem I'm having happens both on my phone & iPad.
I have a Fractal Audio VP4 - a guitar multi-effect that has a built-in USB-C audio interface.
When I record and run a loop, it works fine for a minute or two, then the looped signal gets distorted and crushed, like a bit crusher effect, just too loud and noisy. The "live" signal of the VP4 stays as it should, the recorded play back sound is affected - to a point where I have to stop the playback immediately.
When I unplug the VP4, the sound switches to the iPad speakers, then it's fine again. I can then plug the VP4 back in and it works again, but I get occasional crackles.
I then took my Neve 88M audio interface and used that instead of the VP4. That works much better, however there's a minor amount of crackling noises that I get every now and then. I hear them cause I pay attention, but an audience probably wouldn't.
The CPU of the iPad stays at less than 10%. I have Groove Rider muted, no plugins are in use that affect the audio signal. I tried the same thing on the iPhone and also got the same result.
I reported the issue to Fractal Audio and they're looking into it. Both the VP4 and the Neve 88M are class-compliant, so it shouldn't be a driver issue. The iPad has a A17 Pro chip and plenty of RAM. I don't run a complicated project - just two loops.
What could the issue be - and how do I troubleshoot this further?
Thanks for your help.
Comments
What you are describing is unusual.
Without a demonstration of the noises, it is hard to know.
Can you list all the peripherals connected to your device?
Does the crackling happen if you just load a loop and leave it playing?
What is your buffer size?
Is multi-route audio turned on in Loopy’s System Settings panel?
Does this happen even if you have no effects or synths in your project.
Have you turned on airplane mode? Do so, if you haven’t.
If you launch Apple Music and leave it running, do you hear these crackles?
Download link to two videos: https://wetransfer.com/downloads/4f52e331ee43befdb4d10df50bb35c1320250114204647/94bf8eeea45306e66fa84f3ceccf415920250114204647/4c4f2c?t_exp=1737146807&t_lsid=f75e6ef5-6822-4dbb-be70-35ce76fa2c41&t_network=email&t_rid=YXV0aDB8Njc4NmNjZTcwYWI1OWY1YTkyZDU5YTli&t_s=download_link&t_ts=1736887607&utm_campaign=TRN_TDL_01&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&trk=TRN_TDL_01
When connecting the VP4, that's the only device connected via USB-C. Other than that, an Airstep BT Footswicht - that's it.
The Neve audio interface needs more power, therefore I have a cheap AliExpress USB-C hub and pull some power from a Cioks DC-7
Buffer: 512 (that was the first thing I suspected, therefore I set it to the highest setting)
Asides from that 48 kHz sample rate / 24 bit file format
Multi-route is off - Does that need to be on? The new iPad Mini doesn't have a headphone out
Yes, I had this happen on my phone with a fresh installation of Loopy Pro with no plugins etc
I don't get the crackles when I play sounds from Apple Music (however - the VP4 has 2 sets of stereo in/out via USB-C and I could only get it to play on the pre-fx channels. My understanding is that I would need extra software to internally route the signal, which would change the entire setup. The audio loop that crackles comes from the other two channels). The short answer is: no.
Are there any known incompatibilities with my hardware?
There aren’t any known incompatibilities with those devices.
Multi-route should be off. I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t on as it is known to sometimes cause issues.
What is the second video demonstrating?
With your fractal interface, if you just load Loopy Pro, create a new project with Loopy Pro’s default project and load in pre-recorded audio and leave it playing, do you have a problem with the playback?
You wouldn't really believe it - but that's the same clip playing. Once with the involuntary distortion / bit crushing that comes suddenly after playing the loop for about a minute. And the second video that sounds better is once I unplugged and re-plugged the VP4. No stopping of the loop required, just a re-initialisation of the audio interface
So I loaded a song into one of the loops on a blank project, put my guitar down and just let it play for about three minutes. No problem. Then I picked up the guitar and started playing along - then the noise started...
When you picked up your guitar played did you interact with the iPad or your interface or your pedal in any way?
FWIW, the distorted video sounded like a problem with the interface’s internal clock being out of sync with the iPad or iPhone’s clock.
Just tried that again. It happens without me messing with the pedal or the iPad when it happens. It started about 3 minutes into the song. Before that, it was fine. I tried to provoke the noise by turning on & off the effects of the VP4, but that has no direct effect. It feels more like a buffer filling - up until then it's fine, but once it's crackling, it won't stop until I unplug the VP4.
What exactly is the setup and what is the exact sequence of events that triggers the noise? Can you make a screen recording?
I guess a screen recording wouldn't be helpful because once the loop with the pre-recorded audio is running (a track that's about 4-5 minutes long - audio has to be set to in/out2, as in/out1 are being used for a four cable method setup of the VP4 and therefore don't necessarily contain all effects), there is no interaction between me and the iPad. The sound artefacts suddenly appear and are not part of what's recorded on the loop or the iPad because they disappear once the sound runs on the internal speakers.
The setup consists of a pedalboard that the VP4 is part of. While we could go through all the boxes that are on the pedalboard, I guess it makes sense to look at the VP4, because even though some pedals are digital, they're all connected via guitar cables. If the bit-crushing comes from the clock (I don't experience that when I use the pedalboard without connecting it via USB), then it's between the iPad and the VP4 hardware-wise or if it's software then the stack is iOS / Loopy / VP4 firmware / class-compliance of the audio interface. Right now, the iPad is connected straight to the VP4, no hub in between.
A screen recording will capture the audio going out to your interface. It MIGHT not show anything. But we are troubleshooting an issue that is extremely atypical.
Does the issue happen if you just have a simple two-cable setup?
I don't have the screen recording yet, nor have I broken up the 4CM setup. But I just ran Spotify for about 15 minutes through the VP4, then went back to the guitar - same behaviour.
Since I get the noise not only from Loopy Pro, I reported that to Fractal Audio and hope for them to troubleshoot this further and come back to me with a solution. Thanks for your help! I'll report back when I get an update.