Hello. I just upgraded to the UltraPak 2021. I am using a Presonus 1818 audio interface. When I load any song, it sounds distorted, pops and clicks. I know it has to be some setting but I can’t figure it out. Before this upgrade I was using version 2012.5 with no issues. Would someone please lead me in the right direction? Thank you, Steve.

Hello Steve350,

We will need quite a few details in order to narrow down what may be causing the issue, as there are several factors that could be causing it and reasons as to why it would be happening.

If you can please fill out this form, this will send an e-mail to our technicians and they can review it and help you determine the source of the issue:

https://www.pgmusic.com/support.form.win.htm

Thank you,
Ember

Steve, tell us what your audio settings are.

I found that BIAB defaults to the WAS driver. That did not work on my Focusrite unit. Using ASIO fixed it. Then I had to make the buffer size correct, which in my case was 512.

Thanks. I did change it to ASIO. I’m sure about the buffers. Do I put 512 in all the spots. It’s a bit confusing. I think it defaulted to 0.

Sounds like you have a mismatch of sample rate settings (BIAB versus your Audio Device).

If you connect two devices one at 44.1K and the other at 48K, then they usually fail to lock, but sometimes they will and broken audio with clips pops and bangs is normal.

No charge for the diagnosis.

Dr. Dan

My Audio Box is set to 44.1.

Buffers must not be zero. Start at 512 but experiment going both higher and lower.

While your interface is set to 44.1Hz, something else to check is that your computer settings are also using 44.1Hz.

Right click on the Start menu (Windows icon) and choose Settings, then click on System followed by Sound. Scroll to the bottom and choose Sound Control Panel.
Under the Playback tab, choose your default audio device (with the Green checkmark), then click on Properties. Go to the Advanced tab and choose 16-bit 44100 Hz (CD Quality) and click OK. If there is only the option of 24-bit 44100 Hz (Studio Quality), choose that instead. While we're here, uncheck the option to "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device".

Next, do the same on the Recording tab with the device that has the Green checkbox. Click Properties, go to the Advanced tab, and choose 16-bit 44100 Hz (CD Quality) and click OK. If there is only the option of 24-bit 44100 Hz (Studio Quality), choose that instead. While we're here, uncheck the option to "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device".

Once that is done, click OK on the Sound window, then go back to Band-in-a-Box to see if it's working.

Thanks for your help. I checked those settings and it is set for 24bit 44100Hz. Please keep in mind when I was just using BIAB 2012.5 it worked just fine. I think it has something to do with my ASIO settings. I am getting dropouts in BIAB 2021.
My settings are:
Audio Track. Render Track
Mono 44k. 44k
DMA size is 128. 128
DMA offset is 128. 128

Offset in ms is 5. Audio Latency is 6ms.

I also tried 512 and that did nothing.

Steve.
please post the following pics so people arent guessing.
1. the presonus control panel settings.
2. all biab midi and audio driver settings in the dialogs.
3. win play back and recording setting dialogs.

so people have a complete picture of ALL settings.

if there is any way you can still run the earlier bb version without a major disruption. write down all settings on the old biab version so you can compare with 2021 settings. and look for differences...

what i do BEFORE i upgrade is take pics (1,2,3 above) of all my settings just in case i run into prob s.
best
OM

This is a good one. So I just downloaded the program last night. I got the UltraPak so you know how long that takes. So I went on the CHAT HELP LINE. She asked me what build I had. I thought that was kind of silly because since I did it last night one would think it would be the latest. It turns out I had build 829 which is NOT the latest.
I downloaded the 835 I think and now everything works as it should, go figure. Thanks to those who tried to help me but Chantelle from the Chat line nailed it.

That's very good news.

Since nothing in the published changes for builds 833 and 835 seems to relate to your problem, I suggest you write down every audio setting as it is now, just in case.

Sometimes when they fix one thing, another one (or more) inadvertently breaks. This might have been your experience. Good advice to keep a record of all your settings.

Thanks. They are the same settings I use for my DAW StudioOne. Thanks.

When I downloaded 2021 I was surprised I didn't get the latest version and had to download a patch. Always worth checking.

And check on the website, not within the program, to ensure you have the latest.

Well I thought I had things fixed but the crackle came back when I loaded a RealTracks song. So I changed the driver to I think it is MME. It should my inputs and outputs for my AudioBox 1818 but not the L&R which I thought was weird. So I just sent it to my headphones which is on 7&8. No more crackles or anything. I guess BIAB does not like ASIO.

Generally when this happens it is because your ASIO buffers are too low.

Contrary to popular belief low ASIO buffers will affect playback. Many times I have low ASIO buffers when recording but I have to increase them during playback to eliminate pops, crackles, etc. YMMV

It’s fine to use MME in BIAB especially if you have another program open where ASIO is used, like your DAW. But BIAB works fine with ASIO. Please consider going back and reading the first two posts I made above. As Mario pointed out, sometimes the lower ASIO buffer setting that works better for recording needs to be raised for playback.

Thanks. I tried 128 and that did not work. Isn’t that pretty low?

That is low and good for recording but no necessarily for playback. Depending on how many tracks and how many effects I have I may have to set my buffers to 512, 1024, or higher. The settings will depend on the number of tracks, the number of effects, your audio interface (I use a Roland Octa-Capture) and your computer system's specs so you will have to play around with the buffers until you find out what works for a song. Note the buffer settings will/may be different for each song.

I hope this helps

It may be too low. You have to try several values to find the right one(s) for your system. Larger buffers for playback make absolutely no difference in the sound.

Steve.
you need to post the pics i requested upthread of your settings.
(and detailed pc specs would help too. Whats your rig details ?)
there IS a reason i requested such. ie the thread becomes just longer and longer because its a guessing game otherwise. ive seen such thousands of times on various recording forums.
it also helps pg support staff in doing correct analysis of why your getting problems steve.
think of it like an episode of CSI when the CSI's team go in and do forensic analysis. same idea.
this is daw forensics lol.
i KNOW its a hassle , the time it takes to create and post pics...
but its the only way often to nail down cause and a solution steve.

in addition have you ever run a latency monitor on your pc ?
eg resplendence ?


steve in addition...
if your pc hasnt been optimised get a proper qualified pc tech to optimise it after he reads the following links.
https://audient.com/tutorial/optimise-your-windows-pc-for-audio/
https://support.focusrite.com/hc/en-gb/articles/207355205-Optimising-your-PC-for-Audio-on-Windows-10
https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=654005

imho the above guides are most sensible and excellent.
also there is a nice large knowledge base on the presonus site/help.

just trying to help.

best
OM

I will post my specs when I get back to my main computer. I built it myself. I can tell you this, I did not skimp on anything. It has the latest high speed processor, 32gb Ram, 2TB SSD, top of the line Video card. I can tell you this, it has nothing to do with my computer. I can run 32 tracks of audio in my Presonus Studio One loaded with Waves and other plugins and I never hear a crackle, dropout, pop, or skip. Presonus has a CPU meter and I am hardly moving the needle.

I use this same AudioBox 1818vsl in Studio One. It is set up for recording and playback. I turn off my Virus protection including Windows defender, my Power settings are set for recording. I also had BIAB 2012.5 and ran that with RT's with no issues.

I tried almost every settings while in ASIO and I still got the drop outs, etc. I am Okay running MME, it works fine. Thanks for your help.

Steve.
allow me to reply.
1. if you peruse many recording forums on the net...years back daw users were advised not to put their recording daw rigs on the net.
years back previous generations of studios small and large took it as a given.
why suddenly this is happening all over again..with renewed debates on the topic i have no idea.
ie useing same pc for daw and net. i keep my recording daw off the net. and havent had a problem/nada/zilch for years since i went off the net.
(i use a seperate refurb junker for surfing with anti virus etc. plus an amazon cheapie tablet i love for the net.)
people can disregard my advice to keep a daw rig off the net. so be it. but if people doubt me read lots of old threads about this topic on various recording forums.
2. if your presonus isnt multi client asio with its drivers ...
ie ability to run studio one asio and biab asio concurrently that might be a possible source of problems.
heres a thread where pg clarified some things....

https://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=661339#Post661339

as you can see these issues sometimes can be rather complex.

3. with respect steve maybe your previous version of biab
had different settings from your new version of biab.
if your old version of biab caused no problems..
unless there is a bug in the new version ; useing the same settings as the old one should work.
have you tried the WAS driver in biab ?
does that work ?
is the presonus set as the default device in win ?

4. you said quote.."I can run 32 tracks of audio in my Presonus Studio One loaded with Waves and other plugins and I never hear a crackle, dropout, pop, or skip. Presonus has a CPU meter and I am hardly moving the needle. "
this is good steve. i can do the same with daws i use...BUT in some respects it should be clearly understood the software codeing in an accompaniement program like biab is different to a daw multitrak software like studio one which has no real time accompaniement feature.
ie different beasts.

best.
ex tech OM..glad to be out of the tech craziness lol.

BIAB is not a DAW. It is more CPU-intensive, unless one is running a lot of plugins in the DAW.

The performance requirements of BIAB 2021 cannot be compared with 2012. The capabilities of BIAB have greatly increased in nine years, along with the demands on the computer system.

I appreciate all the help. If someone is using a Presonus USB 1818 and want to share their ASIO settings, I would be happy to try them. I want to make one thing clear, I am not running Studio One and BIAB at the same time. I am running BIAB by itself. I tried scores of buffer settings and could get it to work so I am using MME. I don't know why that is a big deal. When I open Studio One it goes right to ASIO and when I open BIAB it goes to MME, that's it. Again if someone wants to suggest settings I have not tried yet, I would be happy to try them. Like I said earlier I tried 128 up to 1028, what's left to do?

Steve,

Just a quick thought. Have you tried the Presonus Forums or opened a request for assistance with their technical support?

I had a problem recently with my Focusrite Scarlett Solo interface and found that updating the drivers solved the problem.

My apologies in advance if you have already gone down this route.

Patrick

I've seen a lot of people with older Audiobox interfaces who had trouble getting them to work in BIAB. WAS and MME are the best choices for those units - WAS is newer than either ASIO or MME so that's usually the first to try.


I think I found my new job title

You are welcome to any titles I might have had.

Seriously, Simon, I don’t know if we have sufficiently thanked you for being active on these forums. It’s great PG Music devotes the resources to make this possible. We users really appreciate it and you do a terrific job.

Absolutely...Simon has been a great help to me several times! He has a great understanding of the more complex setups many of us are running...I think mostly because he's running a pretty advanced system too. He's been a great addition to the PG Team!

Jeff

I never have a problem with my 1818 while in Studio One. In fact I used the BIAB VST and it worked great. I was able to import 5 tracks from a BIAB song and it worked and sounded really nice and that is using the ASIO drivers with my 1818. Like I said, it's not a big deal for me to use different drivers while in BIAB 2021. Thanks for all your help but I think we beat this horse already.

When I export wav with VST, crackle will appear when studio one plays wav
But crackle's position is not fixed
I have made various settings, but there is still a little crackle

Maybe try this to see if you can identify.

Open the Wav file in your DAW (or Audacity), and zoom in at the area where you hear the crackle. Can you see a spike or similar in the waveform? If so, it is part of the recording. If not, it is part of your sound system on the computer (including external interference).

There is a burst sound during playback, and the position is not fixed.
The wav I made with other VST will not have such a problem.
Only with the sound generated by bb VST, there will be a burst when playing, and the position of the burst when playing is not fixed. Does this mean that BB VST accounts for a large proportion of resources? But I've set it to 512
In addition, my computer has an 8-core CPU and 16g memory

Try this:

Set Windows for High Power performance