Distortion in Waveform

[Linuxmusician01]

@Matt73: I respect that you do not want to use Jack (yet). Too complicated.

Reading the recent replies it indeed might be USB Auto suspend. I've found a few links on how to disable that. One method is via Grub, but that's reported by some not to work (especially if you don't use Grub, duh). And it's risky, Grub is needed to start your computer's operating system(s). The other might work better (see link below).

First, try to determine if USB Autosuspend is on by the following (non-invasive) command:

Code: Select all

cat /sys/module/usbcore/parameters/autosuspend

If that echoes the value -1 on the command line then USB Autosuspend is off.

A way to set it off is via TLP (which you've already installed, I read). Do what is said in this link.

BTW, what Behringer interface do you have? I've got the U-Phoria 404. The 202 is another popular model. I wouldn't know how to test USB Autosuspend but maybe I can help if you've got a similar device...

Good luck!

[Matt73]

Hello Sir,


I followed the instructions to use TLP UI and seemed to have succesfully turned off auto suspend. I also followed your instructions to identify the USB interface (it's the UM2) and I seem to have succesfully blacklisted it.

However, when I enter the command you gave me to see if autosuspend is turned off I get a value of 2

And the problem persists. If I restart the computer and open the DAW it all works fine. But as soon as I close and reopen the program I get the distortion and I either have to fiddle with the settings (chaning stuff and then going back to selecting the USB) or restart the computer.

I got a bit confused where the link you sent asked me to create a flie. Should I do that outside of TLPUI? I mean, it looks like you can do it within TLPUI but the values returns as 2 when I enter the command to see if it is turned off.

I'm determined to get this resolved so any help appreciated

Thanks

Matt

[Linuxmusician01]

Hello Sir,


I followed the instructions to use TLP UI and seemed to have succesfully turned off auto suspend. I also followed your instructions to identify the USB interface (it's the UM2) and I seem to have succesfully blacklisted it.

However, when I enter the command you gave me to see if autosuspend is turned off I get a value of 2

And the problem persists. If I restart the computer and open the DAW it all works fine. But as soon as I close and reopen the program I get the distortion and I either have to fiddle with the settings (chaning stuff and then going back to selecting the USB) or restart the computer.

I got a bit confused where the link you sent asked me to create a flie. Should I do that outside of TLPUI? I mean, it looks like you can do it within TLPUI but the values returns as 2 when I enter the command to see if it is turned off.

I'm determined to get this resolved so any help appreciated

Thanks

Matt

Unfortunately I do not have the GUI (graphical user interface) version of TLP so I can't check (it isn't in the repo of my distro). I have no experience with TLP whatsoever but you could try to create the file that is referred to in the link. You'll have to create the file as root because it is not in your home directory.

Very unfortunate for you that you can't set USB Autosuspend off. My system also returns the value 2 when I run the cat command. But I experience no problems with my USB Audio Device up until now. Maybe mine cannot suspend. We do not yet know if autosuspend actually is the problem.

Do you use an external power supply with it?

[Matt73]

I ended up using sudo -H nautilus to modify the .conf file to try to disable usb auto switch off because it didn't seem to work in the TLPUI and I think I messed something up because now I can't get it to work at all without distorition. I'm going to try a different distro just out of interest. Maybe it's the new laptop I am using. It a HP15s-eq1125nw (jeez what a long winded model number). I dunno. Just want a headache free way of recording my frigging awesome tracks. I will report my findings.

[Michael Willis]

@Matt73, if you haven't picked out another distro yet, please try AVLinux. It comes with several real-time audio optimizations preconfigured, as well as several audio apps and plugins.

[Matt73]

Hello Guys,

So, I tried Ubuntu and then Ubuntu Studio and got the same problem. I'm not sure if I managed to turn off USB autosuspend. I tried using the TLP UI but I am not sure it worked. I am not sure if is is an issue because even if I leave the USB plugged in and get it to work smoothly in Waveform, as soon as I close and reopen the program (without unplugging the interface) I still get the same distortion and then have to fiddle with the audio settings and choose another USB codec from the drop down menu which also works (with no conversions) or choose another one and then go back to the original settings or, more usually, I have to restart the computer. There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and it's hard to pinpoint what exactly I have to do to get it to work. Just fiddling around in the settings does it eventually but I've often lost the will to play guitar by then.

I will try AVLinux now. Apparently it is preconfigued so maybe the DAW will work consistently in that environment. I will persist and learn because we have to keep our minds occupied with something during the apocalypse.

Best Wishes and thanks again for all the kind help.

Matt

[Matt73]

What does 'real-time audio' mean?

[Kott]

Try to turn off pulseaudio please.

[Linuxmusician01]

@Matt73: It may be the USB autosuspend problem all over again, it may be something else. I wouldn't try yet another Linux distro if I were you. They're not that different and can all be configured to do the same from a technical point of view.

Have you tried another DAW? Sometimes when one closes an application there's still something running in the background. So when you start it again strange things happen. Might be a quirk of Traction. I've read on the internet that people use your audio device without problems in Linux. I think that most people, however, do not start and stop their DAW during a work session.

Also, try to not stop your DAW for a while to see if the audio device makes the weird noises. If you can have your DAW open for a long time without problems then I think is is not a suspend problem.

Last thing. You're not gona like this. Sometimes a certain combination of hardware, operating system and software just doesn't work. There's no shame in using another OS that works then (Windows). Try Linux later with a different computer.

Good luck!

[Matt73]

Hello,

Yes, I see that they're all very similar and that changing the Distro was not the answer.

I could try another DAW but I am used to Waveform and I just spent money on some drum loops and plugins for it. I want to at least finish the album before trying another DAW.

When it's working, it'll work great for the whole session. But eventually I have to go out, go to bed etc so I shut the computer down. Next time I open it, I get the distorted audio and I have to fiddle to get it working. Then it works fine for the whole time I am using the program. Until the next time. It's just annoying and I would like to have it work smoothly every time.

Anyway, I am now switching to AV Linux. It seems to be a good OS for music production and I like the look of it. But I am having some problems installing it onto the hard drive. When I get to 'regular install using the entire disk' and click next I get a message saying 'OK to format and use the entire disk for MX Linux'. When I click 'yes' I get the message that sda2 is already selected for: EFI System Partition. And I just go round in circles. There is another option to 'customise the disk layout' but I am not sure what to do there. Maybe ask about that in a different section?

Best

Matt

[milo]

You probably want to install to /dev/sda (the whole device), not /dev/sda2 (the 2nd partition).

What do you mean by "choose another USB codec from the drop down menu"? Is this in the PulseAudio Volume Control window, where you choose different audio configurations? If so, then that's a clue that this might be a PA problem.

[Linuxmusician01]

You probably want to install to /dev/sda (the whole device), not /dev/sda2 (the 2nd partition).

No swap partition then?

[Matt73]

Hello,

I tried av linux but the installation was confusing asking me to make partitions and whatnot, asking me for a domain name (wtf?) and it didn't seem to boot up right either. When I switched on the computer I got several options to choose from...In the end I went back to familiar Zorin. Now, I am looking at JACK and getting it up and running. I don't really understand what real time audio is. And I don't know how to turn pulse audio off. Wouldn't I need it to run the laptop speakers when I am just watching the news? We see how answers just lead to more questions...Anyway, thanks for all your kind help. Seems like a really nice community. I'll let you know how the JACK thing goes...

[milo]

You probably want to install to /dev/sda (the whole device), not /dev/sda2 (the 2nd partition).

No swap partition then?

What I mean is to use the whole disc and let the distro installer choose how much swap it wants. I used to get granular with the partitioning tool, especially when I was dual-booting, but these days I just let the installer do its thing and it always works out.

[Kott]

And I don't know how to turn pulse audio off.

Run pavucontrol, open the configuration tab, set profile for your USB card to off.