Interesting. This may be the first time I've been able to say this about a track here - I heard every word! (Except, perhaps, the echo after 'I got a secret' in the chorus - are there words there?) Is the flip side of this intelligibility a thin, bass-light mix? Maybe. But I don't think it needs to ...

And what's this 'High street'?

Line Inputs on today's equipment are very forgiving. Shouldn't do any harm as long as you start with the volume on the 8-track turned RIGHT down and creep it up very carefully. It might even sound acceptable! Has the 8-track really only got speaker outputs? I seem to recollect a DIN on similar units.

I'd agree that both speakers failing simultaneously is unlikely, but less certain about both interface outputs.

This really 'just happened', in the middle of listening to a track, with your hands nowhere near the equipment?

There's very likely a use for the older computer. But I don't think it is in your music production setup! Are you THAT close to capacity on your DAW machine?

'Stereo mix' or 'what you hear' as an audio recording input disappeared from a generation of onboard audio drivers, presumably in an attempt to discourage direct recording of streamed music e.g. Spotify. For a time we had to look for earlier driver versions, or loop back physically. Now it's mostly ...

So the Mac is remembering which windows should be open, but getting muddled about their screen position?

This just MIGHT be about PRAM memory getting confused. A new battery won't hurt. But Google for 'Reset PRAM' as well.

Doveman wrote: ↑Sun Aug 07, 2022 2:23 pm hire a studio with expensive speakers and room treatment to do the final mix.

If you do this, hire an experienced engineer too!

OK, then compare the 'pop' from using the switch on the "extension power cord that has switches" with that from using the switch at the wall socket.

Folderol wrote: ↑Thu Aug 04, 2022 5:23 pm Absolutely DON'T do that

Why? It exactly emulates what we all think the problem is.

We seem to have decided this is about arcing switch contacts rather than the more usual 'switch-on thump'.

Easy to check. Power up by simply pushing the mains plug into a live wall socket. Do it fast, do it slow. Different sort of bump each time?

You don’t have to wait until a string breaks to order some spares!