smashingly Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 *This isn't a Logic issue per se - it's an audio interface issue. Happy to delete post if mods deem that it doesn't belong on this board.* I've got a weird pitch issue with audio output on my Mac that I first noticed with Logic when it gave an error message about mismatched sample rates. But I've replicated it in Apple Music, so it's likely to be a hardware/OS issue. My hardware: 16" MacBook Pro M1 Max. MacOS is Sonoma 14.0. Interface is Mackie Onyx Artist 1-2 (USB 2.0, AFAIK) Symptom: audio plays back about a semi-tone lower than it should. How to reproduce it: Play an audio file on the desktop, go into Sound settings and change output between the Mackie Onyx and MacBook Pro Speakers. It only happens when the Mackie interface is plugged in via one of the USB ports on my Orico Thunderbolt 3 dock. For see if it was an issue with the Orico's TB->USB-C conversion, I tried plugging Mackie -> Apple USB-A to USB-C dongle -> Orico hub TB/USB-C port -> MacBook Pro and the issue still occurs. Workaround 1: Plug Mackie -> Apple USB-A to USB-C dongle -> Mac, or play audio through MacBook Pro Speakers. I initially thought this couldn't be relevant, but the Orico dock has an onboard audio interface (1ch in, 2ch out) that I never use. I wondered if that is somehow interfering with any other audio interface plugged into the dock. So I checked Audio MIDI Setup, and I see that the Orico onboard interface is hard coded to 48kHz with no ability to change this (which is kinda weird). So I tried changing the Onyx to 48kHz but when I play Apple Music back, it reverts to 44.1kHz. So I went into Logic, spun up a new project with some simple C major chords, reproduced the pitch issue, then changed the project sample rate to 48 kHz. Boom - problem gone. I'm not an expert in Audio MIDI Settings on the Mac, does anyone have any clues as to how I might solve this, or troubleshoot further? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Logic now defaults to 48Khz. Do you have any issues when using that rate initially [I note you said changing to it solved the problem]? Is there an issue if you change back to 44.1 from 48? Can you delete the Orico in the Audio MIDI Settings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted October 30, 2023 Author Share Posted October 30, 2023 Hi, thanks for replying. When I create a new project in Logic, it defaults to 44.1 kHz. If I change it back from 48 -> 44.1, the pitch problem returns. Re: deleting the Orico in Audio MIDI Settings, unfortunately the "-" button is greyed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted October 30, 2023 Share Posted October 30, 2023 Are you creating the new project from a template or new empty project? Can you plug the Mackie into the Mac without the Orico hub? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted October 31, 2023 Author Share Posted October 31, 2023 I was creating a new empty project. If I create a template with project settings -> audio -> 48 kHz, then create a new project from that template, the new project is in 48 kHz, as would be expected. Yep I can plug the Mackie into the Mac directly without the Orico dock - as I mentioned in the original problem description, the issue goes away when I do this. But this does defeat the purpose of having bought the dock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted October 31, 2023 Share Posted October 31, 2023 Yeah I missed that you’ve tried with the direct to Mac connection. I am afraid I am just about out of ideas. Does the Orico have any drivers or install any software? I guess all you can do atm is work in 48K and hope someone smarter will be along to solve this for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted November 1, 2023 Author Share Posted November 1, 2023 (edited) Yeah - maybe that's what I'll do for now. In Audio MIDI Setup I've set the Mackie to 48 kHz so that other apps on the Mac won't try to play audio through it at 44.1 kHz. So that works around the issue for any Mac apps that follow whatever sample rate is configured in Audio MIDI Setup. I notice that as soon as I load a 44.1k Logic project, the Onyx switches back to 44.1k in Audio MIDI Setup, and this persists after I quit Logic. I may be able to convince Amazon that this constitutes a 'faulty' item, and get a refund. Thanks for your input @rAC. Edited November 1, 2023 by smashingly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted November 1, 2023 Author Share Posted November 1, 2023 (edited) Update: I've emailed Orico support in China about the issue, and submitted a support request to Mackie. Will update with any progress. Edited November 1, 2023 by smashingly Updated to add that I'd reached out to Mackie too 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted November 1, 2023 Share Posted November 1, 2023 @smashingly thanks for the update - if you get a response please post it here so anyone else suffering this can see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 Non-update update to avoid this topic being closed out: Mackie stonewalled me with "Our team only deals with North American purchased Mackie products", based on the serial number of my Onyx showing that it was purchased in New Zealand. I'll try contacting the distributor in New Zealand but that's going to take me further away from Mackie's engineering team, and towards a distributor that's essentially an importer and box-shifter. A bit disappointing from Mackie as I wasn't asking them to solve it, I just wanted some input and insight from their head office engineering team, who are the ones most likely to have encountered this behaviour. Orico's support have replied to my email asking for a video that helps them understand the problem better - I'm currently travelling between countries so won't be able to get onto that for a couple of days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rAC Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 @smashingly That’s a reminder of why I really got lucky picking up a second hand RME device when I first started getting interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted November 12, 2023 Author Share Posted November 12, 2023 (edited) Update: short version - no resolution yet. Longer version: Initial comms with Orico have them asking me to send them a video, then logistical backflips trying to share a 350MB video with them in a way that they can view in China (it seems Youtube does not work). Their latest reply is below, but there's a bit of a language barrier, so I've asked them to re-explain and clarify which USB port they want me to try. Also, I think "installed audio modulation" may mean "you're using a third party audio interface". At least they're responsive and keen to help, though, so watch this space. Quote Hi dear customer : Thank you for coming back to us We have consulted with our technician , There is no method to disable the Orico audio interface yet You installed audio modulation So your audio sample rate, the sound quality will not be reached the best performance So could you please replace another usb3.0 port to try again ? Thank you for your cooperations Best wishes for you Edited November 12, 2023 by smashingly grammar, punctuation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted November 16, 2023 Author Share Posted November 16, 2023 Update: they've asked a few questions such as "did this happen straight after purchase, or did it suddenly start happening recently". They've then offered me a small partial refund of AUD$40 (purchase price was AUD$190) for the 'inconvenience' of this problem. This isn't workable for me though as it doesn't solve anything. Also, I've started to notice Logic's "incorrect sample rate detected" issue occurring even when the project sample rate is set to 48k - it just takes a little longer (a few minutes of playback) to occur. So for now I've ordered an Arturia USB-C audio interface on Amazon (with a change-of-mind returns window till Jan 30, 2024) and I'll try that with the Orico and see how it behaves. If it behaves just fine then I'll probably take their $40 offer to cover the losses I'll make eBaying the Mackie Onyx interface. If the sample rate persists with the Arturia too, then this means the dock is badly designed, so 'd return it for a full refund and would be forced to upgrade to a more well-known brand of dock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smashingly Posted November 16, 2023 Author Share Posted November 16, 2023 Results: Arturia MiniFuse 1 (USB-C -> Orico dock -> MacBook Pro TB4 port): correct pitch Mackie Onyx Artist 1-2 (USB-A -> Orico dock -> MacBook Pro TB4 port): incorrect pitch / slower playback MacBook Pro speakers (just as a reference): same pitch as Arturia All devices were set to 44.1k in Audio MIDI Setup. Attached is an audio file, I used music playback as that helps you hear the slowdown as well as lower pitch via the Mackie. Due to only having one set of monitors and no A/B switch, I've run my monitors through the Arturia and my headphones (turned up loud enough for the iPhone's mic to pick up). Interesting that the Arturia doesn't suffer from the same issue, it makes me wonder if this is actually a Mackie Onyx issue. Orico-audio-issue-demo.mp3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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