Bloc-head, I just got my drive today, too. Yay!

And I have the same equipment as you. Is your Scarlett 18i20 a first or second generation? Mine is a second and I hope these instructions will work if you have a first.

I don't get the pops and crackles, so let's explore:

1) In Focusrite Control, Device Settings tab, is your Sample Rate set to 44.1?

2) In BIAB, Options, Preferences, Audio go to Audio Drivers. What is your selection for Resampler quality?
Then, right above that, click on ASIO Driver Control Panel. What is the buffer size? (You'll also see sample rate there and it should be 44.1).

Finally, since you've discovered running two programs with ASIO gives crackling, try using MME for BIAB. Any improvement?



BIAB 2024 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 6.5 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6; Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus Studio 192, Presonus Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors