USB audio: all of a sudden--> no sound

H

hobbes1

Inspired
I've had my FM9 hooked up in a format that works for me for several months. No unhooking of any cables or moving the unit around.
Today, for whatever reason, no sound is being passed through USB to Out2 which is where my nearfields are hooked up. I have sound through output 1 (I can hear music through my headphones, plugged into FM9 and through the guitar cabinet plugged into Out1---no i don't want music through that but trying to establish sound flow). Meters show USB In bouncing about 75% of the way up and Analogue out 1 meters bouncing as well. Nothing on Out 2 and if I go to Layouts and zoom into USB In block and Out2 block, no meter movement at all.

I'll attach two presets. The Jetcab one I have been using steadily for a couple of months...no problems. The Effects Only one I just built a couple days ago so I can run a signal from Out1 straight into a guitar cab. Any troubleshooting ideas and constructive input welcome. Thanks.

I have already rebooted FM9 x3, rebooted iMac x2, changed USB ports, changed cables, checked iMac "sounds" to verify I am using the FM9 as the Input and Output.
 

Attachments

  • Jet Cab.syx
    24.1 KB · Views: 4
  • Effects only.syx
    24.1 KB · Views: 2
This doesn't have anything to do with FM-Edit. I think Bleujazz3 misunderstood what you're saying. It doesn't have anything to do with your presets either, unless you're sending your audio to channels 7/8 (and setting input 4 source to digital). If so, that's not the best way to do it since that requires using presets that are customized for that purpose. Assuming you're sending your computer audio to channels 1/2, you must use the USB Output Mapping setting to select 1/2 -> output 2 in order to get that audio to output 2. Otherwise it will go to output 1.

So, the reason it stopped working is because either you changed one of those settings or you changed your output usb channels.
 
Last edited:
GlennO said:
This doesn't have anything to do with FM-Edit. I think Bleujazz3 misunderstood what you're saying. It doesn't have anything to do with your presets either, unless you're sending your audio to channels 7/8 (and setting input 4 source to digital). If so, that's not the best way to do it since that requires using presets that are customized for that purpose. Assuming you're sending your computer audio to channels 1/2, you must use the USB Output Mapping setting to select 1/2 -> output 2 in order to get that audio to output 2. Otherwise it will go to output 1.

So, the reason it stopped working is because either you changed one of those settings or you changed your output usb channels.
Click to expand...
To be clear, I changed no settings. None, zero, nada changes to settings. usb audio worked fine two days ago when i powered everything on as normal. Today, usb audio does not work. I'm going to check the settings you suggested to see what they are.
I believe that the FM9 firmware/software is buggy. There have been many reports here of weird issues related to usb/audio/freeze ups/switching, etc. IMHO, something in the bootup process of the FM9 fails to boot properly in a random manner. Hopefully, v3.0 will resolve these instabilities.
 
hobbes1 said:
To be clear, I changed no settings. None, zero, nada changes to settings. usb audio worked fine two days ago when i powered everything on as normal. Today, usb audio does not work. I'm going to check the settings you suggested to see what they are.
I believe that the FM9 firmware/software is buggy. There have been many reports here of weird issues related to usb/audio/freeze ups/switching, etc. IMHO, something in the bootup process of the FM9 fails to boot properly in a random manner. Hopefully, v3.0 will resolve these instabilities.
Click to expand...
Anything's possible, so it could be a bug in MacOS that caused a channel change on your computer. However, as I mentioned above, I would recommend not routing your audio to output 2 through the grid the way you're currently doing it.

P.S. For information about connecting to a computer, see the recording guide: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-for-the-recording-musician.177592/

To route computer audio to output 2, see my instructions above about USB Output Mapping.
 
Last edited:
Every so often this happens with my iMac...Listening to my Music library through my Focusrite Clarett Pre USB audio interface, and the audio shuts off...sometime mid song, sometimes between songs. The remedy is to visit System Preferences > Sound > Clarett Pre USB. If the iMac defaults to System or Internal Speakers, no sound is produced while my Clarett is on.

I'm guessing here, but try selecting FM9 from your System Prefs > Sound drop down menu...

This began happening with OS v. 12.4. Perhaps it's time to report to AppleCare and let them know about a possible system bug that defaults to internal inadvertently..
 
UPDATE:
I just got off the phone with AppleCare regards an intermittent audio glitch where the audio would cut out occasionally. Here's what we did that will hopefully temporarily solve a problem for any audio interfaces you may have, as well as the FM9.

SYMPTOMS:
Music library audio would stop. The temporary fix was visiting System Prefs > Sound > Select Clarett 4Pre USB. Audio would return.

CHRONIC ISSUE:
Music library audio would cut out entirely, which would require a visit to System Prefs

OBSERVATIONS:
After a visit to my iMac Utilities > Audio/MIDI setup, it was determined that my Clarett and FM9 were set to 48,000Hz I/O format (sampling rate). I also use a 3rd party EQ app called BoomAudio that was also set at 48,000Hz. My internal Mac speakers were also set to 48,000. My internal mic, though, was set to 44,100Hz.

THEORY 1:
When my Clarett mic connection volume was zero, the internal mic may have thrown a glitch into the Mac system that caused the System Pref > Sound to default to my iMac internal speakers. With the Clarett switched on, the Clarett has priority over the Mac, so the audio signal may have been directed to my internal speakers. Because the Clarett has priority, no audio is heard through either my JBL monitors nor the internal speakers.

THEORY 2:
While my System Prefs > Sound screen was open, both the AppleCare tech and I witnessed my Apple Airplay "blink" (drop off the screen and back on again) temporarily. We theorized that the blink may have been disrupting the audio signal between the Music library and the Clarett.

SOLUTION 1:
My thought was that both my Clarett and FM9 needed to be on the same page. The Clarett I/Os, and FM9 I/Os within Audio/MIDI Setup were set at 48,000Hz. My Mac internal mic and internal speakers were set at 44,100Hz.

SOLUTION 2:
A simple unplugging of my Apple TV 4K shut off Apple Airplay within my Music Library, Sound, and Audio/MIDI Setup. With Apple Airplay shut off, no blink can occur that can disrupt the connection between my Music library and Clarett.

OBSERVATION & PROJECTION:
With FM9 active, Sound defaults to the FM9. If one desires to hear your Music library, it is necessary to select Clarett from Sound so that Music is directed to my JBLs. If you happen to own both computer monitors and FRFRs, audio signal from your FM9 will default to the FRFRs without any issue (They are connected via XLR or ¼" directly. Your FM9 USB can be used to connect to your computer monitors as well, though I personally prefer to allow Music library and FM9 audio to process independently of one another.)

CONCLUSION:
It remains to be seen if either solution will solve the audio drop-outs entirely. But AppleCare tech 'Dave' and I tried to answer this question regards the audio drop-out. It seems that if you shut off Apple TV so that AirPlay is removed from Sound, no blink can occur which may be disrupting the audio signal.

POSTLOGUE:
I will bookmark this thread and report back if subsequent problems arise. I think the solutions above will have solved my audio problem. I hope you can extrapolate any of my findings for your own benefit.

ADDENDUM:
The audio drop-out remained occasionally for my Zoom meeting this morning. Kept cutting out about every 10 minutes. Quick visit to Focusrite for a driver update. Turns out my current driver was 3.7.4 and needed upgrading to 3.11.0. We'll soon see if this if the issue during Zoom meetings or not. The I/Os work fine, am guessing it was the obsolete OS driver that was the problem...
 
Last edited:
chris said:
USB audio by default only goes to Out 1. How did you change it to go to Out 2?
Click to expand...
As I noted in the OP, the Jetcab preset I attached is one that I made months ago. It allowed me to route the audio from USB to Out2 or Out1 or both. It worked other than the occasional FM9 glitchy/distorted audio that has been reported elsewhere here and was fixed with a reboot.
The current issue cropped.up just between shutting off the Fm9 one day and powering on the next time. Any changes in settings happened without my intervention.
I have been to Mac Sound settings as mentioned and made sure FM9 is selected as Input and Output for the Mac. I dug up and old Mackie Onyx interface and plugged that into the same USB port,
Selected Onyx in the Sound.settings Input/Output and the USB audio came through my nearfields perfectly. Pretty frustrating when the $99 dusty old interface works immediately and the very expensive new FM9 seems so.finicky.
 
hobbes1 said:
As I noted in the OP, the Jetcab preset I attached is one that I made months ago. It allowed me to route the audio from USB to Out2 or Out1 or both. It worked other than the occasional FM9 glitchy/distorted audio that has been reported elsewhere here and was fixed with a reboot.
The current issue cropped.up just between shutting off the Fm9 one day and powering on the next time. Any changes in settings happened without my intervention.
I have been to Mac Sound settings as mentioned and made sure FM9 is selected as Input and Output for the Mac. I dug up and old Mackie Onyx interface and plugged that into the same USB port,
Selected Onyx in the Sound.settings Input/Output and the USB audio came through my nearfields perfectly. Pretty frustrating when the $99 dusty old interface works immediately and the very expensive new FM9 seems so.finicky.
Click to expand...
With all due respect, I don't believe you're going about this the right way. Your preset relies on the computer audio being transmitted on an unusual channel. With your setup, it is not enough to simply select the FM9 as your output device...you also need to make a number of other settings changes, both on your computer and on the FM9, plus you must make special adjustments to any preset you want to use. In other words, you're making things unnecessarily difficult for yourself.

I'm quite certain what happened is the output settings on your mac changed from usb channel 5/6 to 1/2. I understand this occurred on a day when you turned your FM9 on, but it is extremely unlikely that this has anything to do with the FM9.

You can fix this by changing that back. But as I mentioned above, I believe it would work better for you to use the conventional way of transmitting computer audio through your FM9 to either output. See my instructions above or the FM9 manual if you need details on how to do that.
 
+1

Audio settings on a Mac can change dynamically, depending on connected equipment and their settings, as well as applications and OS upgrades in the background and more.

I have never seen I/O settings suddenly change on FAS devices.
 
yek said:
I have never seen I/O settings suddenly change on FAS devices.
Click to expand...
The only case I know of where this can happen is when a bad battery causes System parameters to be forgotten/reset.

There are no known bugs related to USB audio not working on the FM9.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that the FM9 and Axe-Fx III both have a parameter called USB OUTPUT MAPPING. This allows Mac/PC System audio from USB 1/2 to be played back at physical output 2. It's a swap through-- you can't address FM9 Out 1 L+R and Out 2 L+R at the same time, and it is universal-- you can't change between them using a channel, scene, or preset.

This option can also be accessed through FM9-Edit. The required setting for USB 1/2 to address Out 2 L+R is shown below.

1657543813029.png
The other way that you may have been addressing Out 2 with computer audio is by changing your settings for "Configure Speakers" on the Mac in Audio/MIDI Setup. As others have reported, I've seen this setting change on its own. The required settings to have computer USB audio play at FM9 Out 2 L+R is OUT3/OUT4, are shown below:

1657543717841.png
 
Last edited:
Admin M@ said:
The other way that you may have been addressing Out 2 with computer audio is by changing your settings for "Configure Speakers" on the Mac in Audio/MIDI Setup. As others have reported, I've seen this setting change on its own. The required settings to have computer USB audio play at FM9 Out 2 L+R is OUT3/OUT4, are shown below:
Click to expand...

No, that's not how he has his preset set up. He's using Input 4 for computer audio. As I mentioned above, it's 5/6. Too many cooks :).
 
Correct: route computer audio to USB 7/8, which addresses the USB INPUT block on the grid. Connect that block on the grid to the desired output blocks. I want to state again that the FM9 has no known bugs related to any of this.
 
I have had a chance to sit down this am and go through all of the info you all have posted again. The solution: USB Output Mapping had changed back to default (1/2->Out1). I had previously, months ago, changed it to 1/2->Out2. @GlennO did hit on that earlier in the this thread, @Admin M@
How that happened, I do not know, as I've had no reason to make any changes to these types of settings once I got everything dialed in earlier this year. I wonder if there is any situation where the FM9 might have a parameter like this to reset to default settings? Seems unlikely I could have fat-fingered this change as it requires two key strokes to accomplish. Regardless, thank you to those who have chimed in to help. I appreciate it.
 
hobbes1 said:
I wonder if there is any situation where the FM9 might have a parameter like this to reset to default settings?
Click to expand...
One thing that might help narrow it down is knowing whether other system parameters also reverted to default values, indicating a total reset. It's also possible however unlikely that you changed this one parameter and didn't realize. As I mentioned it can also be found in FM9 Edit.
 
Admin M@ said:
One thing that might help narrow it down is knowing whether other system parameters also reverted to default values, indicating a total reset. It's also possible however unlikely that you changed this one parameter and didn't realize. As I mentioned it can also be found in FM9 Edit.
Click to expand...
So, I do any changes (preset building, tweaking, etc.) in FM9-Edit. This is where I implemented the solution, as well. As soon as I changed USB Output Mapping to Out2, there was the sound. Nothing else seems to have changed...that I have discovered, anyway. Now, the FM9 is working as it should. Maybe I did inadvertently change the setting but I just don't know how I would have done that as it's two keystrokes in FM9 Edit. It may well be my fault...just not sure how. But, I do appreciate the help. Thank you all.
 
Some time ago Glenn put in a request for a single-screen I/O routing matrix.

In the past I wasn't convinced. But the number of I/O parameters / options has been expanded in the past year, so now I'm hoping that such a screen will be part of future firmware or new hardware generation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom