External Soundcard Hissing Noise

[RS Entertainments]

Hi, I have an Alessis iO2 external usb souncard with up to date drivers. I have my laptop connected to it via usb and output from jack to phono to my usb studio monitors. The problem is when i am playing music after about a minute i get a horrible hissing noise then the music comes back on then after a minute it happens again and so on. Ive tried different playback software/speakers/cables and downloaded ASIO4ALL software as recommended by Alesis when I called them all to no avail. I appreciate any help cheers Ray

[inderface]

Have you disabled your on board sound card?
If you have not this may help....

[RS Entertainments]

Thanks for the reply, yes I have disabled the onboard soundcard, but still getting the same problem cheers though

[RS Entertainments]

i have a feeling it might be a grounding issue or latency does anyone know how this might be fixed? cheers

[The Elf]

Are you using some demo software anywhere in the chain? This is very typical of demos.

[RS Entertainments]

Thanks for the reply No I've tried Traktor scratch pro, Vitrual DJ, PC DJVJ, Windows Media and Spotify with the same problem, I will try disabling the wireless card to improve latency and report back Cheers

[RS Entertainments]

I have now tried improving the latency by optimizing my system and using DPC Latency Checker and have established this is not likely to be the problem as the latency was low and stable especially when I disabled the wireless controller. Still getting a hissing/noise simillar to when an analogue TV is not tuned in. When the computer is connected directly to my monitors via usb there are no problems so all this suggests it is the io2 interface. I have tried various drivers but it is a plug and play device so when ever I plug it in it installs the built in drivers anyway Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks

[RS Entertainments]

Have Tried this:

http://www.alesis.com/tipsnov08

[Exalted Wombat]

How long does this hissing sound last? Does it coincide with hard disk activity on your computer? Does it still happen if you move your system to another location?

[RS Entertainments]

Thanks for your reply, how long it lasts varies from less than a second up to about 20/30 seconds. yes It has happened at other locations such as when i am at a gig connected to my beringer mixer through Di Boxes to my Mackie SRM450 speakers without my home studio monitors. Re the hard drive: there doesnt appear to be a correlation as i have monitored the cpu usage/latency and optimized the system for the device and music in general and tried my desktop PC

[Exalted Wombat]

Thanks for your reply, how long it lasts varies from less than a second up to about 20/30 seconds. yes It has happened at other locations such as when i am at a gig connected to my beringer mixer through Di Boxes to my Mackie SRM450 speakers without my home studio monitors. Re the hard drive: there doesnt appear to be a correlation as i have monitored the cpu usage/latency and optimized the system for the device and music in general and tried my desktop PC

Can you try the Alesis on another computer?

[RS Entertainments]

have done on my desktop computer same thing

[Hugh Robjohns]

Sounds like the interafce is losing lock with the source for some reason. It might be time to try a second Aleasis or an alternative interface to see if it is a hardware problem with that specific unit.

hugh

[Exalted Wombat]

have done on my desktop computer same thing

We may have to accept that it's broken.

[RS Entertainments]

yep think that might be the case, thanks everyone for your ideas

[RS Entertainments]

Resolved by Alesis ive changed the usb cable and plugged into a rear usb port on my desktop computer as my laptop only has ports opposite the power socket which aren't meant for usb powered devices below is a copy of the email from Alesis:

Hi,

Sorry to hear of your troubles.

The USB connection you are plugging the USB Device into is not functioning up to the standard that is required by the USB Device.

Bad ports: Your computer may feature USB ports that do not fully meet the USB standard for bandwidth and/or electricity. These are often found on the front of desktops, and the side opposite the power plug on laptops. Do not use these ports for USB devices. This is the most common cause of poor connections and loss of connection. A port that works well for a mouse or a printer may not necessarily work well with a USB device. Mice and printers use only a small fraction of USB's total bandwidth. Your USB device requires full bandwidth to operate properly. Also keep in mind that USB ports do not always start off "bad," but may become "bad" over time. Try a different port.

*Do not connect using an extension USB hub; connect directly to the computer.

Bad USB Cable: this is not wishful thinking...it really happens. If a cable goes bad, you could get exactly these symptoms. The connection is being lost momentarily causing interruption in recording. Try a different cable.

Help this helps!

If not, we have an Ion Audio Tech Support office in the UK. They can be reached at 0044 (0) 1252 896080 between the hours of 9am – 6pm GMT Monday – Thursday, and 9am – 5pm GMT Friday (except holidays), or email uk-support@ion-audio.com .

Best Regards,

Daniel Morookian
Technical Support & Return Authorizations
Akai Pro | Alesis

[Exalted Wombat]

Resolved by Alesis ive changed the usb cable and plugged into a rear usb port on my desktop computer as my laptop only has ports opposite the power socket which aren't meant for usb powered devices

I hope you're right! But you DID say you'd tried other cables and other computers. Keep an eye on it. It's in the nature of a manufacturer to pin the blame ANYWHERE except the actual product!