yogigrip Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Hello All my midi track audio signals are distorted. (Not clipping OR Buffer Rate drop outs) This started yesterday for no apparent reason- No settings altered. All midi instruments affected. iMac 6GB RAM, running Yosemite 10.2.2, Logic Pro X (10.1.1), Novation MkII61 Keyboard (USB), Apogee Duet (FireWire) Unsuccessful attempts to resolve and troubleshoot by: 1. Reboot 2.Checked Connections, Adjusted Buffer size, Reviewed Midi Configuration, No other tracks open, no other apps running, 3. Updated/Reinstalled Drivers for Interface and Keyboard 4.Signal test through 2nd Keyboard,2nd Daw(Live), 2nd Routing (Mac Built-in Output bypassing the Duet) all with the same resulting midi track distortion. Again-Distortion is of pitch, timber and tone. NOT digital dropout or clipping. Signal is muffled and fluctuating) SO... It's seems to be a Mac issue & not a Logic specific one. I hoped though with this being such a supportive community that someone might have some experience/input regarding this type of problem. Thanks very much ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdoubleyou Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Sounds like you are overloading your interface, turn down your master volume. 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
des99 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 How are you hearing audio? Amp/speakers? Headphones? Instrument tracks distort but audio tracks do not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yogigrip Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Audio tracks are not distorted. When monitoring the midi instrument tracks ( through either the Duet OR system audio ) the audio is mangled. The volume settings don't effect it. ????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It's not clear what you mean with "distorted" or "mangled". These terms are just too vague, without hearing the actual sound. It would help enormously if you could upload a sound fragment or even the whole Logic project (or any stripped down version that still exhibits the issue) here, or anywhere else and post a link to it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stardustmedia Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 So your external MIDI instruments sound mangled and distorted, recorded with different DAWs and different converters? I bet that there is something wrong with either: - Your MIDI instruments - The different audio cables from/to your MIDI instruments (faulty MIDI cables won't have that effect) - Power issues of your MIDI instruments - Maybe effects activated in your MIDI instruments I don't think that two different interfaces (Duet and Inbuilt) will deliver the same distortion. But there is one other thing that you might need to check: - Sample rate settings - Recorded audio is recorded as Apple Loop (somehow, although I wouldn't know how that's possible) and then during playbay Logic plays it slower and in different key Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I don't think that two different interfaces (Duet and Inbuilt) will deliver the same distortion. Well, yogigrip clearly says he's tested that, and that it does deliver the same distortion, and there's no reason not to believe that - which means that the cause must be software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stardustmedia Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I don't think that two different interfaces (Duet and Inbuilt) will deliver the same distortion. Well, yogigrip clearly says he's tested that, and that it does deliver the same distortion, and there's no reason not to believe that - which means that the cause must be software. Yes, I believe him, that's why I guess there is something wrong with the instruments. Or as mentioned something with the playback, e.g. sample rate. E.g. recorded at 32kHz and played back with 48kHz, or so Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I guess there is something wrong with the instruments. Or as mentioned something with the playback, e.g. sample rate. E.g. recorded at 32kHz and played back with 48kHz, or so If it were the sample frequency, it would be the other way around: the audio would play incorrectly, the instruments would not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stardustmedia Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I understood that he recorded the instruments, then the playback is distorted. If the distortion is already there, the instruments are broken, or the recording path (cables) to the interface/mixer. He should first check the instruments, that they deliver proper sound. Not checking them with headphone, since this is another output. If not, check with other audio and power cables. We definitely need more detailed information. I just can't imagine that software would cause that, if all hardware parts are ok. At least it never happened to me since I use computers (since 1999, nor with Cubase, Logic or Protools, not on PC not on Mac). It usually is broken hardware or user failure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Yes, that's why I asked for an audio fragment, or even better: the project file. I cannot come up with a scenario for this either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic8mine Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Sounds like you are overloading your interface, turn down your master volume.) I am inclined to think that this has to be an overload of the input channels also. I cannot fathom a software based issue other than resetting midi effects as deft_bonz suggested. It's not clear what you mean with "distorted" or "mangled". These terms are just too vague, without hearing the actual sound. It would help enormously if you could upload a sound fragment or even the whole Logic project (or any stripped down version that still exhibits the issue) here, or anywhere else and post a link to it here. +1 It's impossible to have any clear idea without an audio reference or project file. However, the only time I have experienced any audio distortion from either external MIDI tracks or external Instrument tracks has been due to either: 1) Improper 'local on/off' setting- which created a doubling of notes an overloaded the input. Or, 2) Improper MIDI Port selection- which again created a doubling of notes and input overload. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakobP Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Is the problem still there if you have your Novation keyboard disconnected ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic8mine Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I will add one other issue that I experienced when the Motif XS first was released. I remember experiencing difficulty- first, with the USB driver and subsequently, when it was released for OS X about a year later, the mLAN driver (as it was called then). I literally had to re-download, install, uninstall, re-download and reinstall the drivers dozens of times each (no exaggeration) before they worked properly. Highly unlikely in your case unless both keyboards utilize the same driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
des99 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Or maybe some MIDI feedback loop? This can cause things to go haywire. OP - is this for external (ie real) MIDI instruments, or are you talking about the use of software instruments inside Logic? What do your CPU and Disk meters register? If you freeze the track, does it sound the same (ie distorted) as when unfrozen? Does this happen both when playing the instrument live, and during Logic's playback? Does this happen with *all* instruments or just some? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I just realised it must be external MIDI, since the OP states he gets the same distortion when using Ableton Live. So it is not a software issue after all, but most likely something wrong with the (hardware) soundmodule. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stardustmedia Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 I just realised it must be external MIDI, since the OP states he gets the same distortion when using Ableton Live. So it is not a software issue after all, but most likely something wrong with the (hardware) soundmodule. hehehe... that was exactly my thought too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logic8mine Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Or maybe some MIDI feedback loop? This can cause things to go haywire. What I described earlier is a MIDI loop. I just realised it must be external MIDI, since the OP states he gets the same distortion when using Ableton Live. So it is not a software issue after all, but most likely something wrong with the (hardware) soundmodule. That's why I am thinking either settings based within the hardware- i.e. local setting. However, if simply playing the keyboard / sound module apart from the mac yields no distortion, we're back in the same roundabout. Perhaps, checking a mic through the audio interface also, after checking the cabling as suggested earlier?? What would help immensely is for the op to complete their signature. Something is missing: if we are talking about external MIDI tracks what is the sound module? the Novation MkII61, unless I am mistaken, is void of a tone generator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eriksimon Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 It seems to me we can really only do two things out of all possible options that are or are not available: keep adding speculative posts to this bloated thread so it can achieve some sort of longest-thread-record - only to never hear again from the OP, who perhaps to his own embarrassment already found out that one cable wasn't properly plugged in somewhere or something similar... these things happen, you know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
des99 Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 only to never hear again from the OP, who perhaps to his own embarrassment already found out that one cable wasn't properly plugged in somewhere or something similar... these things happen, you know! Input set to "Mic" instead of "Line"..? Heck, I can speculate for quite some time, y'know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
webweave Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 I think I'm having the same problem. When I play two keyboards at the same time I get a spiky distortion around some of the notes played. If I stop playing one keyboard the noise goes away, if I play slowly the noise goes away. I'm using Logic 10.1.1, Yosemite, eMagic AMT8, Axiom61, Kurzweil Midiboard, Motu 828 for output. Standard B3 Logic patches. No external synths or analog sound gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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