Posting this in case some other gaming / bass / IT nerds have any ideas. My Scarlett 2i2 seemed ok on my last computer. Maybe a little noise in recordings but otherwise not bad. No noticable noise in games.
I just got a new high end machine with a very good video card but now when that card ramps up I get hum that goes up and down depending on how hard the video card is working in game. The hum 100% coming through the Scarlett 2i2 and krk monitors.
It stops as soon as games are closed out. I ran a benchmark tool and it made noise and actually crashed after a bit. This was repeatable. Running it with the Scarlett unplugged = no crash.
I haven’t tried it through the stock sound card yet.
From what I can tell “coil hum” is common and can be from an undersized PSU (mine is 800W), a ground loop, and also from electrical noise feeding back through USB from the video card.
I have a ground isolator on the way to test on the USB line for the Scarlett.
I’m going to try the onboard audio as a test.
I’m also thinking of passing the 2i2 through a powered USB hub so the power comes from the wall instead of the PC.
Other than that I guess I can try to put an RMA in and see if they’ll replace the vid card or PSU.
I’m a pretty capable IT nerd but I just wanted to post this here to see if anyone has similar issues with their audio interface.
I also have the issue of running gear on 2 different surge protectors but one is in my stand up desk and the main PC power is separate. I tried at least putting both into the same outlet with no change.
Worse comes to worse maybe I sell my Scarlett and just pick up another newer cheap di box.
Hi Andre,
Thanks for the reply.
I would now like to see if you are experiencing a DPC Latency Issue, as I have seen DPC cause issues like this in the past. Audio recording and playback both require a constant stream of data. If your system is not well optimized for this task, you may experience poor audio performance. To help identify possible causes of the poor performance being experienced, I'd advise running a scan with LatencyMon and have provided the necessary steps below for you. You can also read more about LatencyMon here.
Before working through these steps, please ensure that you have worked through our generic Windows optimization guide. You can find the relevant steps below:
- Optimise Windows for Audio
- Please also confirm you're properly monitoring through headphones or external speakers connected directly to the interface itself.
If the issue persists after performing the above steps, please run a LatencyMon scan as per the below steps:
Download and install LatencyMon.
Open LatencyMon.
Press the green play button to start the scan.
Let LatencyMon run for at least 15 minutes, being sure to reproduce the issue that you're experiencing. If the issue doesn't occur during the 15 minute window, please continue to run the scan.
After running the scan for an appropriate length of time, press the stop button.
After the scan is complete, please follow the below steps.
Click Edit > Copy report to clipboard. Paste this into a NotePad and save it. Please send this file in your reply.
Go to the Drivers Tab, sort by Highest Execution, with the highest on top, and take a screenshot of that page. Please send this screenshot in your reply. If you need assistance taking a screenshot, please see this page.
Go to the Processes tab, sort by Hard Page faults, with the highest on top, and send a screenshot of that page. Please send this screenshot in your reply.
We may also need a copy of your system information file. To get this, please follow the below steps:
hold down the WINDOWS key on the keyboard and then hit R.
In the Run window, type MSINFO32 and then click OK.
In the System Information window, click the File menu and then Save.
Set the desired folder to save to, enter a file name, and then click Save.
Attach this file to your reply.
Please get back to me with that information and I'll be happy to assist you further.
Best Regards,
It was a long battle… and tbh I think the bigger source of the problem comes from the PC and the power throughput. I’ve even added an EMF shielding (glued to a bass cardboard, that on the inside has acoustic panels) in order to reduce emissions… barely worked.
And because I feel I have to, I want to give an absolute huge shout out to the support / engineering teams of both ifi and Focusrite, they were impecable throughout the entire process.
Yea I feel like either the power supply can’t keep up (which the 2i2 is only 250ma) or it’s just echoing weird.
If the filter doesn’t work or it keeps crashing what I might try is to run audio from the PC soundcard and only use the 2i2 for mic/bass input. Kinda sucks but so does dealing with stupid PC issues.
Is the glass panel side of your case facing your focusrite? It would be nice to eliminate radiated interference as a possible source.
Does Ireland do the same crazy wiring configuration as the UK with a 40? amp ring and fuses on each appliance? If so your power situation is going to be somewhat different from Megatron.
All electronics noise I have ever had were caused by EMF interference radiated from my PC through its cool glass side panel, yeah. Got rid of the PC. Still adjusting to not having my full Steam library.
It’s directly above it. Not much metal on the top of the case but my hunch is it’s passing a dirty signal through the power. It would be nice if it just had a wall wart plug.
In a past work life I worked for an appliance manufacturer that ships to Japan. We had to relabel our brushed A/C motors because the Japanese compliance agency could not be convinced they will work just fine at lower voltage. We had the packaging power claims dropped to match the lower voltage, nobody was being misled or harmed.
We also threw one of those two prong to three prong adapters with a little wire and spade connector for the ground leg in every box going to Japan and compliance had no problem with that somehow. I know which one of these things I considered actually hazardous to the consumer…
I picked up my Studio the other day and am decomm’ing my last Windows box. This thing is the shit. I cranked Baldur’s Gate to Ultra and it just laughed at it (silently, of course). The handoff feature between all my devices… chef’s kiss
