Audio Interference Problems with my DAW

Oh, it's definitely not the iO2. That thing has been gone from the system for over a week now.

To add a bit more to the above, I got to thinking about why it is just the soft synths and audio, and then it came to me. When I install a a plug-in soft synth in Sonar, I have to check the "First Synth Audio Out" box. So, the fact that the synths are being configured as audio outs is why they're also suffering from the same problem as plain audio.

I also finally got Amplitube v3 to work, after struggling with it for days. And guess what? It has the same problem. Are you familiar with it? It's amp modelling software for guitar. And it is pretty much straight audio in (and a bunch of amp modelling processing going on) and audio out. So now I'm wondering what it is these two pieces of software have in common with respect to this particular problem that none of the others have.

Well, both of those are using the audio in the PC, whether its the actual "PC Audio" or an external audio device such as the io2.

I still say break the PC down to bare essentials. e.g. go into the startup (msconfig) and temporarily disable everything that is not absolutely needed. Remove any non-essential plug in cards. Disable the internet (NIC), shut down anything not needed in the Notification area (lower right). At this stage its going to take the "process of elimination" to help find it.

I see you posted on the Sonar forum, but not the best section. The Sonar X section is where you should have posted. Get more responses in that section. The Software section is primarily for software add ons, not Sonar help.

Yeah, I didn't know where to post it because I didn't know what's causing the problem. Still don't.

After looking at your posts again and the fact it happens with Amplitude (standalone mode) that says its not really a Sonar problem, but a problem either with an audio device, driver or something else in the PC. Might have to start over with troubleshooting in a different direction.

I agree. Which is why, today, my plan was to disconnect anything that uses electrical current from the PC, one by one, and then give Sonar or Amplitube a try. I used Sonar. I disconnected one of two printers and gave Sonar a try. Nope. The second printer is on the network, so it shouldn't be affecting things. I disconnected the home network. Nope. Shut down the stereo powering my studio monitors. Nope. That's all the electronic things I have plugged into the computer that are switched on. Portions of my DAW, which include the Mackie 12-ch mixer, a few rack mount effects, and a keyboard, are switched off. And, far as I know, when these items are switched to off, they really are off as in dead to the world, and not just sort of off, like my AT&T Uverse TV set-top box is, for example, when it's switched off.

So that eliminates peripheral hardware from the suspect list.

In order to check and see if it's the power supply doing this, if all I have at my disposal is a multimeter, plus a lack of knowledge as to which wires carry what sort of information that might be causing it, I guess the only way to tell if it's the PS in this instance, would be to replace the PS. Well, as it so happens, another machine that I have on the network is down because its power supply gave out completely. I plan to make a trip to MicroCenter sometime soon -- maybe today -- to buy a new PS. So it's occurring to me that, before I install it in that other machine, I could just hook it up to my DAW (without mounting it) and see if that makes a difference. I'll bet it doesn't, but at least I would know for sure.

The power supply may not be the problem, but connecting the new one for testing is another step in elimination.

Even physically removing the Delta 66 card and use the iO2 if you need a interface unit.

Everything is suspect to start. Along with hardware, software and programs that "phone home" (check for updates or if the internet is there, etc).

Its been a week. Have you come up with anything?

Hey Fireberd -- just checking in here for another reason and saw your note. Actually, the pulse disappeared as mysteriously as it appeared. I'm glad it's gone, but it's very dissatisfying not knowing what caused it so I can deal with it the next time it rears its misshapen head.

It's kinda strange. The day it disappeared, it was still making a nuisance of itself that morning, then suddenly, as I was messing about with Amplitube, it disappeared. Hasn't been back since and I hope it stays gone. I wish I could say it was something unusual I did with an Amplitube setting, but as I recall it wasn't anything special.

Thanks for the update. If your lucky it is gone.