Strange digital noise Axe iii

T

Thenewexhibit

Experienced
Hello! I was wondering if someone could shed a little light on this..

Yesterday when tracking guitar I was getting what sounded like strange clocking digital noise issues that came about intermittently. I’m running the Axe iii via USB in aggregate with my Focusrite interfaces with Pro Tools 2020.12.0. The Axe is also connected via SPDIF.

I’ve never had an issue like this before, so I’m wondering, is it possible that perhaps something could have changed in a recent update? I’m on 16.04, the Axe clock and buffer is set to internal and 64.

Just seeing if anyone else has run across this. It will pop up randomly when playing, and when you stop, it goes away for the most part, but when you dig in, it comes back, and as you play, it’s like you gotta “shake it out” and eventually disappears. Of course the track is unusable at that point. Just really strange because I’ve run it this way plenty of times with no issue. I’m on a Mac Pro Trashcan.
 
No problem here with my Mac Pro Trashcan. Make sure the AxeFX is the clock source for the aggregate and turn on drift correction for the Focusrite. Check to make sure your usb firmware is up to date, since that's a separate firmware from the dsp firmware.
 
Please also confirm that your DAW project and other devices are all clocked to 48kHz.
 
This will sound strange, but… I battled a “click” noise that was most present on palm mutes and heavy strumming with any gain. I tried all kinds of stuff - even had pickups replaced (under warranty). What finally did the trick was removing all fret buzz. If that’s a factor on your guitar, it’s an easy test.
 
GlennO said:
No problem here with my Mac Pro Trashcan. Make sure the AxeFX is the clock source for the aggregate and turn on drift correction for the Focusrite. Check to make sure your usb firmware is up to date, since that's a separate firmware from the dsp firmware.
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Got ya! I actually have it the other way around; my Focusrite is in charge and the clock source, and the Axe is set to follow it with drift correction enabled. I’ve always run it this way because the focusrite is my main outs and have never had an issue.

Now, REAL NOOB question... is the USB firmware something that needs to be updated? I just assumed that was a PC thing and didn’t matter for Mac and thought it just automatically happened with Ace updates? 🤦🏻‍♂️ I can’t remember the last time I looked at the USB firmware update. That’s on the Fractal downloads page, right?
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Got ya! I actually have it the other way around; my Focusrite is in charge and the clock source, and the Axe is set to follow it with drift correction enabled. I’ve always run it this way because the focusrite is my main outs and have never had an issue.
Click to expand...
I've had clock drift problems when I do that. If you're having problems, try it the other way around.
 
in the past, I've had 2 issues similar to what you have described:
1) my midi controller cables were too close to audio cables, and this caused a metronome style click/clack/static
2) I left the USB plugged into my midi foot controller, but the other end was not connected to my computer. The USB cable was in very close proximity to my guitar input cable. I guess the midi controller was sending signals through a non-terminated/non-grounded USB.
 
I have experienced this issue intermittently as well. If I stop playing for a while it seems to go away so it might be a buffer issue. I’m running the Axe III via USB in aggregate with a MOTU 8pre (FireWire). 8pre is set to 48kHZ clock rate. Not sure if it is a USB issue or something else. Haven't had time to completely troubleshoot yet. Computer is a late 2012 iMac running OSX 10.13.6. DAW's used are Studio One 5 and Ableton Live 11. DAW's are both running at 48kHZ. I’m on 16.05, the Axe clock and buffer is set to internal and 64. I have also experienced this in previous firmware versions. Still need to check to see that I have the latest USB firmware installed.
 
GlennO said:
I've had clock drift problems when I do that. If you're having problems, try it the other way around.
Click to expand...
Interesting! I will have to look! I just assumed my other interface would be the main host. I’ll have to see what happens. It’s just interesting that this has never happened before with the same setup essentially. Thank you for the reply!
 
rodzimguitar68 said:
in the past, I've had 2 issues similar to what you have described:
1) my midi controller cables were too close to audio cables, and this caused a metronome style click/clack/static
2) I left the USB plugged into my midi foot controller, but the other end was not connected to my computer. The USB cable was in very close proximity to my guitar input cable. I guess the midi controller was sending signals through a non-terminated/non-grounded USB.
Click to expand...
So, this is interesting that you say that! SO, I have an M Audio midi keyboard that plugs in USB into the same hub that my Axe Fx is plugged into. While the keyboard is plugged in, it’s NOT on. Do you think that could cause interference in some way?
 
I was getting a weird digital "singing" tone coming through. (I live in a rental with a terrible electrical system, so I get some interference through the wall outlets.)

Ultimately, the biggest issue turned out to be the placement of my unit. It was too close to my PC, router and air conditioning units.

I could "tune" the interference in and out by how I held the guitar. Moving the Axe 3 to the other side of the room greatly improved the situation. It was pretty unbearable, especially with single coils.
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Interesting! I will have to look! I just assumed my other interface would be the main host. I’ll have to see what happens. It’s just interesting that this has never happened before with the same setup essentially. Thank you for the reply!
Click to expand...
That's the nature of clock drift. As you've observed, it's intermittent. As a general rule, the AxeFX works best as clock master.
 
Well, I’ll be damned! All this time I had no idea that the AFX3 USB firmware was a completely separate update process. Silly me — RTFM, I suppose. Is this a “check often” or a “once in a blue moon” thing?
 
Oh great, now everyone will be gassing for the latest and greatest USB FW as well. “I swear, you can’t really hear the latest USB, it’s more of a feel thing…. “ 😁
 
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