Clicks and drops with software monitoring and quick punch

I recently switched to a new interface (RME Fireface 802, latest drivers/firmware) so I'm not sure if this problem is interface related or if it has something to do with recent Logic upgrades.

 

Here's the problem:

 

I'm overdubbing bass on a multitrack section with 10 tracks and almost no plugins. When I drop in, I can hear a click. When I drop out, I hear another click and then the sound of the track cuts off for almost a second. I use software monitoring. There's no CPU or Disk bottleneck.

 

I have quick punch enabled, low latency mode, auto input monitoring. I've tried all the usual audio settings (buffer, etc.) and it makes no difference. I've tried disabling auto input monitoring, no difference. Tried it on an empty session, it still happened.

 

Any ideas on what to try?

 

There is one weird thing: after it happened, I noticed that the icon for auto input monitoring was greyed out and it didn't work. However, the menu option to enable it does work. I've never had this feature working the way I expect it to, so it really doesn't make much difference. Does this problem ring any bells?

 

The only workaround is to stop using software monitoring and start using TotalMix, which is the better solution in the end.

I would try applying small crossfades at the punch in and punch out points, to smooth out the edits. That should take care of the clicks.

I'm not concerned about the clicks getting recorded, in fact Logic takes care of that automatically in the take folder if they do. However, punching out and getting the track silenced for about a second is a total vibe killer.

 

I'm also interested in finding out if this is a problem with Logic or with the RME Fireface.

Is this happening on a new empty project too or is it project specific?

Is this happening on a new empty project too or is it project specific?

 

I rebooted the Mac and the interface, created a new project, and it happened there too.

 

I get the feeling that it has something to do with recording bass specifically, since it's very easy to cut the soundwave and cause clicks. However, I already get the first click upon play.

 

The sequence is: play , punch in, punch out , sound of the track drops for about a second.

sound of the track drops for about a second.

 

That's really not normal behaviour.

What happens if you disable quick punch and try again?

If that works something is corrupted in the preferences.

 

You could try to quit Logic and move the preferences to the desktop and then re-launch logic to see if it helps.

Got to test that tomorrow at the studio. Actually, what I described is what happens when quick punch is not active, right? Also, auto Input Monitoring seems to do nothing, whethere it's active or not.

Got to test that tomorrow at the studio. Actually, what I described is what happens when quick punch is not active, right?

Yes, exactly. Sometimes the preference switch is corrupted and can act in the opposite manner.

 

Also, auto Input Monitoring seems to do nothing, whethere it's active or not.

 

I've not checked this recently (I'm 95% direct monitoring in my studio) but it has acted buggy before. I'll try it later in the studio to see if it's broken.

I trashed all the preferences files I found in ~/Library/Preferences, although interestingly enough I didn't get a full Logic reset.

 

I have done some further checking:

 

- If quick punch is not enabled, the whole session audio is muted when punching in. So quick punch is working.

- The clicks, as I suspected, have to do with cutting off the waveforms of the bass when punching in.

- The problem that remains is that after punching out, there's a 1 second silence in that track only.

- I can't find any difference between having Auto Input Monitoring on or off.

 

So it seems to be a software monitoring problem. As much as it bugs me that it exists, using direct monitoring solves it, so I guess that's the way forward.

I've ruled out RME/TotalMix as the source of the problem. The latest TotalMix beta has a "DAW mode" where it only outputs what Logic sends. I think I'm going to do a total reset of Logic and see what happens.