MrDoomMaster Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Hi, I noticed that when I listen to music, some notes will cause crackles in the sound. For example, piano music is especially bad at exposing the crackles. I've listened to these same songs on 2 different sound cards and they all have the same problem, so I'm not sure what to do about it. You guys are all here because you know a lot about music and sound in general, so this topic seemed appropriate for here. The sound cards I've tried are listed below: Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeAudio (Integrated into MSI P6N Diamond) Anyone know why the crackles are occurring? They're quite annoying and I'm not sure how to fix them. Maybe the crackling is intrinsic to the X-Fi cards? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atmuh Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 im assuming this happens no matter what headphones/speakers you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDoomMaster Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 im assuming this happens no matter what headphones/speakers you use? Correct. I have some logitech speakers that expose this issue noticeably (With piano music, especially). I also have some Sennheiser headphones that were quite expensive, and they only made the crackling more noticeable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atmuh Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I also have some Sennheiser headphones that were quite expensive, and they only made the crackling more noticeable hd280pros? thats what i use and yeah i never hear any crackling i also use logitech speakers for my pc (their 150W 5.1 speakers) and dont hear anything like this sounds like your sound card to me (fyi im not nearly as knowledgeable as most people around here for this sort of thing) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDoomMaster Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 hd280pros?thats what i use and yeah i never hear any crackling i also use logitech speakers for my pc (their 150W 5.1 speakers) and dont hear anything like this sounds like your sound card to me (fyi im not nearly as knowledgeable as most people around here for this sort of thing) You're good! I am using the HD280 Pro! I didn't mention it earlier because I was too lazy to take my headphones off and look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanthos Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 You're talking about crackling on audio files, not crackling when trying to play back audio in your DAW, right? Are you sure there's no problem with the audio files themselves? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDoomMaster Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 You're talking about crackling on audio files, not crackling when trying to play back audio in your DAW, right?Are you sure there's no problem with the audio files themselves? Sorry, I'm not sure what a DAW is. I'm not really an expert at all with the terminology you guys may use, so if you could translate for me I'd appreciate it. All I can tell you is that I listen to remixes on this website and sometimes I'll notice crackling in some of them. For example, there is an in-progress Zelda remix I listen to quite frequently [here]. In this song, it starts off with a piano. I hear strong crackling as the piano keys are hit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hy Bound Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 It actually sounds like frequency clipping... A lot of low quality mastering and low(er) quality sound cards expose this in several prominent instruments; piano being the biggest. Since pianos have the widest harmonic frequency of any instrument (for instance if you play a middle C, you'll see sound in most every frequency in the spectrum) they tend to be really hard to record in high-quality. With a bunch of notes being played at a time, those trailing frequencies tend to build up a bunch of mud. Then, when a recording is mastered with compression and limiting it tends to compound those odd trailing frequencies and clip. Someone listening on higher-quality speakers/sound-cards/stereos can't hear these minor imperfections since the speakers can handle really complex textures, but someone listening on not as high of a quality setup will hear it a lot. ... Or it could be an incompatibility with your audio drivers and I'm just being a long-winded asshat... But I really do think that is the problem. I hear crackling a lot when I listen to piano mixes and when I'm working with piano on my low-end audio card (even when I'm using my sexy Sennheiser headphones). However, when I switch to my Mobilepre soundcard it all but disappears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atmuh Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Sorry, I'm not sure what a DAW is. I'm not really an expert at all with the terminology you guys may use, so if you could translate for me I'd appreciate it.All I can tell you is that I listen to remixes on this website and sometimes I'll notice crackling in some of them. For example, there is an in-progress Zelda remix I listen to quite frequently [here]. In this song, it starts off with a piano. I hear strong crackling as the piano keys are hit. in progress is one thing, posted remixes is something else can you link to a posted remix where you hear such crackling? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDoomMaster Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 in progress is one thing, posted remixes is something elsecan you link to a posted remix where you hear such crackling? As I stated, it's not really specific to any certain remix. But here's an example of a remix that is not in-progress but has the same issue. Notice that this one also has a piano at the start: Click here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanthos Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Sorry, I'm not sure what a DAW is. I'm not really an expert at all with the terminology you guys may use, so if you could translate for me I'd appreciate it. DAW = Digital Audio Workstation, a package that lets you record and arrange your own music. If you got crackling there, it'd probably be your fault (or that your computer wasn't powerful enough), but you're only listening to other audio, not making your own, so that's different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
po! Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 i'd suspect that your soundcard sucks and causes distortion when driven too hard. my built-in mobo soundcard does this... so the solution is to lower the volume in the sound properties and up the volume on your speakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moguta Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 If none of these other posts are of help, I have another question: What audio player do you use? If it's WinAmp or something with an EQ, do you have the EQ enabled? If you have an EQ digitally raising the frequencies, it may cause the sound to clip. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDoomMaster Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 If none of these other posts are of help, I have another question:What audio player do you use? If it's WinAmp or something with an EQ, do you have the EQ enabled? If you have an EQ digitally raising the frequencies, it may cause the sound to clip. Thanks for your response. I do indeed use Winamp. I also used the EQ as well. For testing, I turned it off, however the crackling is still there on the piano notes (Where it crackles the strongest). I spent quite a lot of money on the X-Fi XtremeMusic card back when it first came out. Why on earth would it be the sound card? Is Soundblaster just pathetic or something? If so, what brand would you guys recommend? I want a flawless sound card for my flawless headphones (Without spending $500, mind you.) I only listen to music, I don't produce it, so I don't need anything a professional would use. I just want a sound card that doesn't crackle on those piano keys. I'm assuming here that I need to buy a new sound card. I don't want to, but if you guys tell me the X-Fi XtremeMusic sucks and could very well be the source of the problem, then I'll go get a new one. I'd still be open to other (less expensive) solutions to the problem as well. Thanks for the continued help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLyGeN Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I had a quick listen to your WIP, and can tell you that the crackling isn't from the source file itself. I think Hy Bound has your answer. The vast amount of midrange overtones that sound with a piano are causing your mid-range speakers to play louder than they're supposed to. However, if simply lowering your volume does not fix it, then I don't know what the issue is. If this is the case, I would guess that the other inferences regarding your sound card are the issue. edit: I also have an X-Fi. Make sure that there are absolutely NO software EQ adjustments for now. This includes all the bullshit Creative software that tries to post-process your audio. Don't use them. If you raise any of the EQ bars over 0dB, you run the risk of causing any sound to clip. If you have an external equalizer, use that. If not, then go ahead and use the EQ with one program only. Instead of making the frequencies louder, make the other frequencies quieter. Your loudest frequency on your EQ should definitely be 0, with the others being in the negatives, if you are using software. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moseph Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 Do you plug the headphones in through a jack in the speakers, or do you connect them directly to the soundcard? If you have any sort of external cables, etc, involved, they could possibly be the culprits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayza Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 If he indeed means "crackling" like a fire, and not just general distortion, I'm not sure what it could be. The "Mountain of Dreams" song he linked to, however, does sound like a lower quality sound font, or something similar. Maybe a lower bit rate was used on the sound font (as opposed to the mp3 itself.) If I turn it way up I do hear some distortion which could be misconstrued as "crackling", I guess.. To me it's a lower quality piano sample that's being used.. IMO.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moguta Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Thanks for your response.I do indeed use Winamp. I also used the EQ as well. For testing, I turned it off, however the crackling is still there on the piano notes (Where it crackles the strongest). Curious, does that mean there was *less* crackling when you did that, or exactly as much? Also, what happens if you turn on the EQ, flatten it all to the middle (zero) position, and then put the EQ's pre-amp way down. Can you hear any crackling after you do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDoomMaster Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Curious, does that mean there was *less* crackling when you did that, or exactly as much?Also, what happens if you turn on the EQ, flatten it all to the middle (zero) position, and then put the EQ's pre-amp way down. Can you hear any crackling after you do that? Sorry, there goes the lingo again that I can't process Could you explain for us idiots? PS: Crackling was the same as far as I could tell. Keep in mind that this isn't *just* happening on the piano notes. That's just where I hear the crackling the loudest. If I pay real close attention I can hear it in the background between piano notes or even sometimes when no piano is involved at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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