mdabro95 Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 Hi all, just a quick question about a recent issue I have been experiencing when recording music. I used to do all my audio recordings using Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen (including a microphone and cables that came together with the Focusrite), Logic Pro X and the cheapest MacBook Air (2017 version). Everything was fine, the laptop could handle recording multiple tracks on lowest buffer size available without any trouble. Recently, I bought a new 13" MacBook Pro (2020 version). I tried recording on my new MacBook using the same set up as above (except the USB cable connecting the Focusrite to the laptop, since the newest MacBook Pro does not come with 'old' USB ports). Somewhat frustratingly, multiple random crackling/popping sounds occur when playing back the track and the work products are unusable. I am going round in circles trying to figure out what could cause the issue. In my view, it cannot be CPU/RAM-related (the new MacBook is supposed to be much better than the old one?). I tried two different (and seemingly reliable) USB cables, but the pops are still there. The pops remain in the recording once the track is bounced, exported and played on speakers (not via Focusrite). I tried recording some stuff on Macbook's built in microphone and could not detect any corresponding pops. Is it the audio interface, then? If so, why is it all fine with the older MacBook? I would very much appreciate your input on this. Thank you for your help. Current specs: Logic Pro 10.6.1 MacBook Pro 2020 13" System: OS Catalina 10.15.7 Memory: 16 GB 3733 MHz LPDDR4X Processor: 2 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 Audio interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 3rd gen Microphone: as included in the Focusrite bundle USB cable: the one that came together with MacBook Pro or a standard USB C Anker cable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted January 16, 2021 Share Posted January 16, 2021 Likely an issue with the USB connection. Can you try with an Apple USB-A to USB-C cable? Or you can get a USB-C Dock like this: https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/owc-usb-c-travel-dock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdabro95 Posted January 17, 2021 Author Share Posted January 17, 2021 Hi, thanks for your reply. I forgot to mention (apologies) that my first ever attempt to record music on new MacBook was with the original Focusrite USB cable with a DELL USB-A/USB-C adaptor to plug it into the new MacBook. This also resulted in popping sounds. Do you think that Apple's original adaptor would be better/more compatible? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Adapters can be finicky. I would definitely try the Apple one. Or try the hub I mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdabro95 Posted January 18, 2021 Author Share Posted January 18, 2021 Tried the Apple adaptor, the pops are still there. An interesting development is that I tried recording in Garageband - no pops whatsoever. Also, I noticed that the older MacBook uses Logic Pro 10.5.1 (as opposed to 10.6.1 as installed on the new MacBook; as noted in my 1st post above, there are no pops on the older, 'worse' Macbook). I am starting to think that the issue could be with the most recent version of Logic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triplets Posted January 18, 2021 Share Posted January 18, 2021 Could be a Logic version thing, why not? Sometimes there's no logic to Logic's quirkiness, pun intended! Just grab the 10.5.1 app, put it on a flash drive and drag it over to the new laptop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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