Hauptwerk Virtual Pipe Organ

That's what led me to think the problem could be the computer. I have a 2012 Mac Mini running on a small instrument going on 5 years. Not a hint of any problem. Just like the Energizer Bunny.

Cheap on eBay even with a SSD upgrade.

Sure you know if you go headless, you would need a Headless Ghost Display Emulator such as https://www.ebay.com/itm/HDMI-DDC-EDID-Dummy-Plug-Headless-Ghost-Display-Emulator-for-PC-Mac-Mini-Monitor/152591711077?hash=item23872cbb65:m:moe96wjkfllIoWceVqbxO2Q&autorefresh=true

Rgds,
Ed

Thanks, Murph, for the suggestion. I do sometimes use organs that are at 48 kHz 24 bit, but maybe I could use one of the headphone outs to make up for it. It sure is reasonably priced.

Ed, yes, my eventual plan is to go to a Mac Mini, but my 2013 MacBook Pro shouldn't have any of those audio issues of the 2018/19 MacBooks. My guess is that your 2012 Mac Mini probably has the same generation Core i5 I have (or an i7, probably with 4 cores instead of my 2). Before all these audio issues, the computer seemed to be doing just fine, which is why I am tempted to blame all of it on the Cymatic. Hence why I started the thread asking for recommendations on interfaces... I've just been overwhelmed looking at the higher-end options

It looks as if Apple are finished as first choice for running organs (not just HW but all others). Why not sink to the depths and try a Windows computer. One with HD audio built in.

csw900

I feel your frustration when half of "you" is concentrating on performing while the other half is hoping the "hardware" will function properly.

Rgds,
Ed

Thanks for sharing your pictures. I have serious console envy.

I left my organ running all day yesterday and periodically played stuff as I walked by. The issue of "distortion" happened 3 times at what seemed like random instances. It really does audibly sound similar to your problem. What I found is that resetting the audio engine or even closing Hauptwerk did not fix it. What fixes it is opening Reaper preferences and then pressing OK. It's not necessarily refreshing the sample rate.

I tried messing with some interface options on the device itself, but that causes Reaper to reset, so of course the distortion goes away. Next I want to try bypassing Reaper and see if I still have the problem and if it goes away when restarting Hauptwerk.

Probably not terribly helpful so far, sorry.

A friend suggested that you try using the MAC native audio interface only and see if the problems go away. That may help see if the problems are the audio interface or the computer / configuration. Try a pair of the speakers at a time to try and eliminate them too.

Iain

Thanks, everyone, for all your replies and help. I decided to throw some money at the problem and see if I could fix it that way, purchasing a MOTU 8a (connected via Thunderbolt) and MOTU micro lite (overkill for my MIDI needs, but I'm looking for 100% performance stability here). It's been running for the last 36 hours and I haven't had any audio glitches — and while it may just be placebo, the organ also sounds clearer to my ears.

I realize that many people are using the Cymatic LP-16 with good results, so perhaps it's just my particular unit that is defective in some specific way, or maybe it's both USB buses on my laptop (since I had issues with it plugged into both USB ports) but at this point I don't really care. I just want to be able to lead Bach's St. Matthew Passion in a couple weeks and feel confident that I'm not going to get any bursts of audio interference — maybe these new components will give me that. I'm about to leave town for a few days, but I'll continue testing all next week.

Thank you, everybody, for reading and offering suggestions!

Jeff

high5ths wrote:Thanks, everyone, for all your replies and help. I decided to throw some money at the problem and see if I could fix it that way, purchasing a MOTU 8a (connected via Thunderbolt) and MOTU micro lite (overkill for my MIDI needs, but I'm looking for 100% performance stability here). It's been running for the last 36 hours and I haven't had any audio glitches — and while it may just be placebo, the organ also sounds clearer to my ears.

Jeff

Hey Jeff:

Congrats on getting your issues resolved. No placebo here, the MOTU 8a incorporates the latest technology advancements from that company which can also be found in some of their other models as well. These compare favorably to the RME audio interfaces which costs twice as much. So I would attribute this as why you're getting a more clear sound. The MOTU ASIO drivers are solid as well so that contributes to your stability.

Danny B.

Did this completely fix your problem?

Tweedle_Dee wrote:Did this completely fix your problem?

Sorry for only seeing this now! Yes, this did, though in hindsight I think a few things were going on. I think my Cymatic was actually glitching, *and* there was a physical problem with my keyboard that was also interfering. (The power jack on the back of the MIDI keyboard has become slightly loose, so if I don't treat it gently, strange things can happen.)

Since replacing the MIDI interface and audio interface, plus upgrading the whole thing to a 2018 Mac Mini, it's been rock solid stable. It also sounds clearer and the latency is much lower. It's immediately noticeable if I compare it to how it feels running through the Mac's headphone jack instead of the MOTU 8a.