Crackling & Audio Interfaces: How to Fix These Issues?

Encountering crackling, buzzing, popping, and other unwanted noise is a common issue when working with audio interfaces (or external sound cards).

Even if you are using a high-end sound card like this one.

Typically, whether recording with a microphone or listening, you hear this kind of noise:

If you are also experiencing this kind of unwanted noise with your external sound card (for example, if you have buzzing on your Focusrite 2i2), don’t worry: it is not defective, but you will need to adjust a number of things.

Because yes, there are different possible solutions to the problem — or at least different actions that can be taken to eliminate these buzzing sounds that are really annoying for music production, recording, and mixing.

In this article, we will look in detail at different strategies that can be implemented to correct this crackling issue, regardless of the DAW you are working with (Ableton Live, FL Studio, Studio One, Logic…)

More specifically, we will address the following topics:

1. Why do I have crackling with my audio interface?
2. A word about the sound card
3. The usual suspects: buffer and sample rate
4. Reduce audio crackling by updating your software
5. Check the hardware part
6. Optimize CPU and disk management in your DAW
7. Windows: some simple actions to avoid buzzing
8. Windows: to go further…

Why do I have crackling with my audio interface?

Before trying to implement any corrective action or update to reduce the crackling sound from your audio interface, it is important to understand what causes it.

This will allow you to choose more effectively what you will do to eliminate them.

What happens when you work on your computer with an audio interface?

Well, necessarily, the two devices communicate with each other — via USB for example: they exchange data regarding the audio signal that needs to be recorded and/or the one that needs to be played back.

Although you may feel like everything is happening in real-time, that is not the case: neither the interface nor your computer can do everything at the same time.

As a result, a number of small memory blocks called buffers are used to temporarily store audio data — typically located in RAM.

This is particularly why there will always be latency between the moment you play a note and the moment it is recorded on your computer.

Good.

Let’s imagine that you are recording something (your voice, your guitar…) via your audio interface and let’s look simply at what happens:

1. the analog audio signal is converted by your interface into a digital signal;
2. data packets (and thus the signal) are deposited one after the other in a buffer;
3. the computer accesses this buffer, retrieves the data, and stores it on the hard drive.

And conversely when you are listening to your production:

1. the computer deposits a first data packet in a buffer;
2. this buffer is retrieved and read by the interface;
3. the computer deposits a second packet;
4. etc.

What happens if the computer is not fast enough to retrieve or deposit these data fragments?

The answer in audio:

And yes, here are the famous crackles in the sound of your audio interface!

Crackles that can appear even if you have properly configured your sound card.

Crackles that can occur during recording, mixing, or simply while watching a YouTube video.

And crackles that are very visible on the waveforms you have recorded:

A word about the sound card

OK, you have crackling on FL Studio, on Ableton Live, on Cubase, or whatever DAW.

The first reflex, of course, is to think that there is a problem related to the computer or the mixing software.

And that can be the case: if you have a computer that is not very powerful, then it can be a hindrance to practicing music production.

👉 Click here to see what technical specifications are required to produce, record, and mix without issues.

But before diving into the details of possible solutions to avoid these crackling issues (and I will give you all the paths to follow to prevent this from happening), I would still like to mention an important element.

The speed of the computer in managing data packets is not solely related to its power: the efficiency of the driver, that is to say, the program that allows to carry out the processes explained just above, plays a significant role.

Some manufacturers offer very well-programmed / very efficient drivers, like RME.

With others, the drivers are slower and more prone to crashes: this generally results in crackling or popping in the audio signal.

Additionally, two other factors can come into play:

• If you are using an older audio interface, it is possible that the drivers are no longer updated or that they are less efficient than those of modern interfaces;
• Or, in some rare cases, there may be a form of “incompatibility” between your specific computer and the interface you own. While everything would work perfectly with another interface.

However, contrary to what one might sometimes believe, most of the time it is not related to the fact that you have an audio interface working on USB 2. Indeed, USB 2 is still sufficient today for transferring audio data between a computer and an interface.

So typically, if you cannot reduce the crackling and your computer is still quite powerful, it may be necessary to change your audio interface to get a newer model.

For example, a Focusrite 2i2 of the latest generation like in the photo below, which works very well on most configurations.

👉 See the price of the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 at: Thomann Amazon Woodbrass

Or why not, at a higher end, an RME Babyface Pro FS, if the budget allows.

👉 See the price of the RME Babyface Pro FS at: Thomann Amazon Woodbrass

The usual suspects: buffer and sample rate

If you experience crackling with your external sound card (regardless of the DAW: Cubase, Reaper, Ableton Live, Studio One…), various actions can be taken to eliminate them.

Indeed, it is unacceptable to have this type of crackling when listening to your production, and even more so when recording.

Therefore, it is essential to first see if it is possible to optimize the operation of your audio interface before looking into more complex solutions.

Adjust the buffer size

Your very first reflex should be to increase the buffer size — the same one we mentioned earlier.

Note: as I mentioned, there are several buffers. However, since only one setting is available, the term is generally written in the singular. For the rest of the article, I will therefore write “the buffer size” and not “the buffer sizes”.

Indeed, the smaller the buffer, the faster the computer has to be. And thus, there will be more crackling.

Increasing the buffer allows your PC or Mac to breathe a little, at the cost of greater latency.

To adjust the buffer size, you generally have two options: through your DAW or through your audio interface software.

Through your DAW

When you are in your DAW (= STAN = Sequencer), it is always possible to access an audio settings panel communicating with your interface.

The exact names will change depending on the software, but for example in Ableton Live, you can go to Options > Preferences > Audio to access the following panel.

As you can see, the panel displays (area 1) the buffer size, which is also called memory buffer in French:

The current latency is also indicated (area 2).

By clicking on the “Hardware Config” button (area 3), the configuration window of the software associated with your audio interface opens. You can then adjust the buffer size.

I recommend going gradually: if your buffer is 64 samples and you have audio crackling, switch to 128.

Are there still cracklings? Move to 256 samples, the next size up.

And so on…

Note: I have already encountered the counterintuitive case where reducing the buffer size helped reduce signal issues. It’s rare, but some drivers struggle with very large buffers…

As a reference, here’s how to access your interface settings on the main DAWs:

Note: some DAWs include options to reduce latency through various technologies.

If you experience crackling or popping issues, try disabling these options first: sometimes they work very well, but in some cases, they can do more harm than good.

Source: I disabled these options on Studio One and the crackling disappeared.

Via your audio interface software

Most of the time, your audio interface comes with software that you probably downloaded, which allows you to modify the buffer size.

Generally, it’s this software that launches when you adjust the buffer from your DAW.

The interface may be more or less modern, more or less complex, but you will always find the appropriate setting.

For example, with Scarlett interfaces (2i2 or other models), the brand offers a tool called “Focusrite Device Settings,” which allows you to make the desired adjustments and avoid audio crackling with your Focusrite.

Adjust the sample rate

The problem with increasing the buffer size — as we mentioned — is that it results in increased overall latency.

If this doesn’t pose a particular problem during playback/mixing, it can be more bothersome during a recording phase.

A simple option, directly accessible from the same panel as the buffer adjustment, is to adjust the sample rate.

Indeed, it has a direct link to latency: the higher the sample rate, the lower the latency.

But the more your computer’s CPU will be taxed.

So you can say that there is a good balance to find between buffer size and sample rate.

However, especially if your computer is not very powerful, I would advise you to stick to the sample rate you want to work with (typically, 44100 Hz for CD quality), and simply play with the buffer setting to avoid putting strain on your CPU.

And if after these initial steps you still hear crackling when using your external sound card, then keep reading, there are still things you can do to improve your interface’s performance! 🙂

👉 For more information on this topic, feel free to read my article on setting the latency of audio interfaces

Reduce audio crackling by updating your software

A number of crackling issues can arise when your tools are not quite up to date.

Believe it or not, between the first and the latest version of a software, there can be significant performance differences.

If playing with the buffer size hasn’t allowed you to eliminate the crackling from your interface, I recommend checking that you have updated your tools.

Moreover, even without crackling, it’s generally a good practice…

The firmware of your audio interface

Let’s start by taking care of the audio interface itself.

Indeed, it has its own software, which is installed on the integrated circuits it contains.

This is called “firmware,” and it is essential to ensure that it is up to date.

Even if you just bought your interface, nothing guarantees that the latest version of the firmware is properly installed.

So, what to do?

The procedure is generally quite simple (and is described in your interface’s manual):

• either the manufacturer of your interface has integrated a firmware update feature, which runs automatically or that you can trigger manually;
• or you can download the latest version of the firmware directly from the manufacturer’s website, as shown in the image below.

Often, the firmware update is done via a very simple utility with a simple “update” button:

Updating the audio driver

99% of interfaces come with drivers provided by the manufacturer.

So, you need to ensure that you are using and keeping these drivers up to date so that they remain compatible with new versions of operating systems (Windows, Mac OS…).

Again, the procedure involves going to the manufacturer’s website to download the latest version and install it.

Normally, it is not necessary to uninstall the old version — but you can do it to ensure that the installation is as clean as possible.

A note on Asio4all:

On Windows, it is sometimes said that in case of crackling, you should use the Asio4all driver.

If you have exhausted all other options, why not.

But most of the time, it’s a false good idea: Asio4All is not a real Asio driver, but what is called a “wrapper.” It is therefore preferable to use the “real” drivers provided by the manufacturer of your interface, which are necessarily adapted to it.

Updating the DAW and plugins

It’s not just the interface and its drivers that need to be up to date!

Indeed, all of your software is likely to create performance issues, which often manifest as audio crackling.

So make sure you have the latest version of your DAW and your plugins.

Updating the OS

Finally, updating your operating system can also be a good idea.

However, it can be a double-edged sword, as we have already seen problems arise following a Windows update, for example.

That said, as far as I’m concerned, my PC running Windows is always up to date, and I have never encountered any issues.

Check the hardware part

Most of the time, crackling or popping issues with audio interfaces are related to the software side: poorly configured drivers, not updated, etc.

However, it is possible that some hardware issues may impact the behavior of your interface.

Here are some things you can check/try:

The cable and the interface

Visually inspect your USB cable and the connector at the interface level:

• is the cable in good condition?
• is there dust on the connector?
• when you plug/unplug, does everything look normal?

In short, check that everything looks normal physically.

Avoid USB hubs

Today, especially if you are a laptop user, the temptation is great to use a USB hub.

However, this can simply be the cause of your crackling problems: indeed, hubs will in a way share the electrical current between multiple devices.

Depending on what is plugged into your hub, and its quality, it may not be fast enough for your audio interface.

A solution exists with “active” hubs, which are powered by mains electricity.

By default, I recommend the one from UGREEN, shown in the photo above, which offers good value for money and, from what I have seen, performs quite well with audio interfaces.

👉 Click here to see the price on: Amazon

However, be cautious with this type of hub as well: depending on the grounding electronic circuit, they can create ground loops — and thus cause other types of audio problems (background noise, hum…).

In short, you will have understood: by default, if you have the option, I recommend connecting your audio interface directly to one of your computer’s USB ports.

At least, if you encounter audio crackling issues, start by connecting your audio interface directly to a USB port on your computer rather than leaving it connected via a hub.

Try another USB port

Depending on your motherboard and how the components of your computer are mounted, some USB ports may be more efficient/faster than others.

There are tools and techniques to make measurements, but that is not quite the subject of this article: that said, if you are experiencing sound issues with your audio interface, I recommend testing the other USB ports on your computer.

In some cases, the performance difference can be significant.

Clean your computer

We often underestimate the impact that dust can have on our computers.

Yet, not only can it reduce their lifespan, but it can also significantly impact performance.

Indeed, a lot of dust = fans have a harder time cooling the case = it gets hotter = the processor is potentially less efficient.

So, don’t expect that cleaning your computer will double its performance — but cleaning it regularly (once every 6 to 12 months) seems to me to be a good practice.

And if you like to get your hands dirty and have a tower PC, it might be a good idea to install a good CPU cooler or change the thermal paste of the processor.

Well, this is rarely the actual cause of crackling issues on interfaces, but it can be a nice little upgrade to optimize the temperature in your machine while you work.

Optimize CPU and disk management in your DAW

At some point, despite the various optimizations you can make in the buffer settings and on your PC, you may still encounter issues — especially on sessions with many plugins and many tracks.

Fortunately, different approaches allow you to save system resources.

Freeze your tracks (or: the Freeze function)

A large number of DAWs include what is called a track freeze function.

This is specifically designed to relieve your computer, thus avoiding crackles, pops, hiss, and other unwanted noises that you might experience due to communication issues with your sound card.

Indeed, when you freeze a track, it is exported to the hard drive in an audio format.

This means that instead of having a track with all your effect or virtual instrument plugins, you end up with a classic audio track — much less demanding on CPU or RAM resources.

And of course, the process is designed to be temporary and reversible: you can unfreeze a track at any time to make changes.

Adjust your plugin settings

Next, directly at the plugin level, some settings may require much more processing power.

Start by disabling or removing any unused plugins, if there are any.

Then, check if any of your plugins have an oversampling option that might be enabled.

Oversampling is a sampling technique used during plugin programming to avoid aliasing phenomena.

If it’s essential in many cases to achieve quality sound (especially for distortions and amp simulations), this type of algorithm can be very resource-intensive.

For example, with the excellent amp simulation Euphoria by Mercuriall:

• without oversampling, I’m at 10% CPU usage;
• with 8x oversampling, I jump to 29%!

I therefore advise you, when you are working and only if you hear crackles, to disable oversampling on your plugins.

However, don’t forget to reactivate it during export to take advantage of this feature and optimize sound quality!

Windows: some simple actions to avoid crackling

For Windows users at a minimum, some actions completely independent of the DAW can be taken to optimize computer performance and thus allocate more resources to audio processing.

Close other programs

If you are experiencing crackling issues, it is essential to start by closing all software that may be running in the background.

Close all open windows, but also check among the icons at the bottom right of your screen to ensure you don’t have any unnecessary software running:

• Gaming applications like Steam, Epic Games…
• Cloud applications like OneDrive, Google Drive (don’t forget to reactivate them after your DAW session)
• …

Disable visual effects

Make sure to disable all visual effects that may be generated by your computer.

Typically, on Windows 10, it is advisable to disable the transparency effects of windows.

To do this:

1. Right-click on your desktop and choose the Personalize option.
2. Go to the Colors tab
3. Uncheck the Transparency Effects box

If you are using them, also remove any widgets/modules displayed on your desktop.

Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth

In many studios, the PC(s) used for recording are not connected to the Internet.

This helps potentially avoid certain viruses, but it also has the advantage of maximizing system stability.

Indeed, everything that is Wi-Fi and Bluetooth necessarily consumes some of the computer’s resources.

However, in most cases, we do not need to go online when we are working on our tracks (no, the Facebook break is not a good excuse :D).

If you are experiencing crackling issues, try temporarily disabling these two features.

On Windows 10, a simple way to do this is to turn on airplane mode.

Adjust Power Options

Especially if you are on a laptop, it is essential to check that the default power options on your computer do not lower its performance.

Go to the Control Panel, display the full list of icons instead of categories (selector at the top right of the window) and click on Power Options.

A window will appear, with a list of power management modes.

Whether for producing, recording, or mixing a track, you need to have maximum resources available.

Therefore, it is important to ensure that the High Performance mode is selected:

Note: In some cases, the ‘normal use’ mode actually helps resolve issues.

Thanks to Eric who left this tip in the comments, it worked for him on a Zoom interface

Then click on Change plan settings and set both displayed parameters (Turn off the display and Put the computer to sleep) to Never:

Next, you can go even further by adjusting the advanced settings (Change advanced power settings):

• Processor power management: make sure all settings are at 100%
• Hard disk: set the disk turn-off option to ‘never’
• USB settings: disable selective suspend

All of this seems important, especially if you have crackling issues with Focusrite 2i2 or other interfaces powered via the USB port: it is important that the interface is properly powered for everything to work.

A Few Other Ideas…

Here are a few other simple actions you can take:

• defragment your hard drives, unless of course it is SSDs;
• disable system sounds;
• disable your antivirus (if of course your computer is completely isolated from the rest of the world).

Windows: To Go Further…

For advanced users who are not afraid of technology (and even for others as long as they follow the right method :)), it is possible to further optimize your PC to avoid audio crackling.

Note: The manipulations proposed below are not necessarily complicated, but there is a potential risk of harming the installed systems or the proper functioning of the computer.

Only perform them if you fully understand what you are doing: Projet Home Studio cannot be held responsible for any problems that arise as a result of these manipulations.

Similarly, especially in case of problems, I will not be able to assist you in correcting them.

Review the applications that launch at startup

When you turn on your computer and Windows starts, a number of applications are automatically launched.

Besides the fact that this impacts the time it takes for the PC to boot, the mere fact that these programs are launched means they will use a portion of your system resources.

Of course, some are very useful — but others do not necessarily need to be launched systematically.

On Windows 10, the simplest way to check which applications are launching is to follow the procedure below:

1. Click on the Start button
2. Click on the gear icon (Settings)
3. Click on Apps then on Startup

Then disable the applications that, for you, do not need to launch at startup. If you are unsure about the usefulness of an application, feel free to search its name on Google.

Update your USB drivers (also called USB drivers)

It is good practice to ensure that all drivers in your system are up to date.

In particular, as soon as you plug your audio interface into a USB port, it is useful to check that the USB drivers are up to date.

There are several ways to do this.

Option 1: via Device Manager

1. Click on the Start button
2. Type Device Manager
3. Launch the application of the same name that appears
4. Find and expand the Universal Serial Bus controllers category
5. On each line:
   • right-click and choose Update Driver
   • follow the procedure that appears by selecting the automatic search option

Option 2: via the manufacturer

Another approach is to go to the manufacturer’s website of the computer if you bought it pre-assembled, or to the motherboard manufacturer’s website if you assembled it yourself.

This way, you will be sure to go to the source by obtaining the latest available drivers.

Update the BIOS

The BIOS is a set of functions stored at the motherboard level, which ensures its basic operation.

Some of these functions concern the USB ports of your machine.

Generally, it is not essential to update the BIOS — it can sometimes create more problems than it solves, especially if the update is done poorly.

However, if you encounter crackling issues with your external sound card connected via USB, it may be worth checking if a BIOS update is available on the manufacturer’s website of the computer or the motherboard manufacturer.

And if that is the case, check before installing that the new version indeed brings corrections related to the USB ports.

LatencyMon: the ultimate tool against crackling in audio production?

And now, I have saved the best for last, as there is software that allows you to check if your computer is capable of real-time audio processing — and thus for audio production, recording, and mixing.

This is LatencyMon, a utility from Resplendence.

Install LatencyMon

There is a free version and a paid version of LatencyMon.

Objectively, the free version will be more than sufficient in most cases, as it already provides valuable information.

👉 Go to this page listing the brand’s software, find LatencyMon in the list and click on “Download Free Home Edition”.

Install the program like any other Windows software.

Run your first test

The principle of operation of LatencyMon is quite simple:

1. Launch the software
2. Click on the bright green arrow symbol (“Start Monitor”)
3. Wait a little for the analysis to take place
4. Click on the red square symbol to stop the analysis
5. Look at the results in the different tabs.

I recommend doing two tests, in both cases just after starting the computer:

• the first, “idle”, without launching any applications manually;
• the second, with your DAW open and playing one of your tracks.

In theory, the second test will allow you to confirm the results obtained with the first.

Also make sure to leave enough time for the analysis to be as accurate as possible: at least 5 minutes, but feel free to let the software run for a little quarter of an hour.

The summary report

Once the analysis is complete, start by checking the “Main” tab.

This tab provides a synthetic summary of what has been measured, as well as a concluding sentence.

This can be red, indicating that something is wrong — or green like in the screenshot below, indicating that everything is fine.

Basically, this conclusion is based on the four execution times of what are called DPC and ISR routines:

• if they are less than 2 milliseconds (2000 µs), the software will consider that everything is fine, and that your PC can handle audio in real time;
• between 2 and 4 milliseconds, the software will consider that there is some doubt;
• and above 4 milliseconds, it will indicate that there is a major problem.

Note: there is theory, and there is real life. It is possible that LatencyMon gives you a positive result (thus, in green) while you hear crackling. Keep reading if this is the case, what follows will concern you too.

Fix high DPC and ISR durations

DPC and ISR are routines that can execute at any time, and potentially on the same processor that is managing the audio signal — which can create micro-cuts in the sound.

It is therefore important that these durations are as low as possible.

To see what generates these latencies, go to the “Drivers” tab of LatencyMon and sort the table by clicking on the “DPC” or “ISR” column.

Then identify the drivers responsible for the highest DPC and ISR durations.

If, for example, LatencyMon indicates that the drivers tcpip.sys or ndis.sys generate significant DPC / ISR latencies, it means that your network drivers are guilty. Try disabling the corresponding devices (see the explanation on the Device Manager a little higher up in the article) and then take another measurement.

If you do not know what a driver name corresponds to, a search for the name and/or description of the driver on Google should provide you with the answer.

Be careful not to disable something whose utility you do not understand!

Note: instead of or in addition to analyzing DPC/ISR durations, you can also look at the drivers that have generated significant execution times, information available on the same tab.

Try to avoid pagefaults

A hard pagefault occurs when an application accesses virtual memory stored on disk rather than in RAM.

You will understand, these events are also likely to generate crackling or popping in the audio signal of your interface.

Click on the “Processes” tab and sort the table by clicking on the “Hard pagefaults” column.

I advise you to first take a look at the applications with a lot of hard pagefaults: some may not need to be running (for example, an antivirus scanning your hard drive while you’re doing music production…).

However, the most important thing is to look for your audio applications to see if they have been affected by pagefaults.

If that’s the case, two main actions are recommended:

• Close applications that use a lot of RAM;
• Increase the RAM in your system.

In conclusion

There you go, we have reached the end of this article — which I hope has helped you resolve your crackling issues and troubleshoot your audio interface.

Feel free to ask your questions in the comments if you need clarification on certain points.

👉 Keep reading with my selection of the best interfaces for home studio.