On both the Intel 16" and the M1 Max 16" it seems to happen when a single-core is taxed. This is easy to do with DAW's like Ableton or Logic because each track / channel is restricted to a single-core.
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New 16" Speakers Popping
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That is also controlled by the processors. Stuttering has ben confirmed on Intel/T2 Macs and M-series chips (including M1 Air, even if you didn't have it), however it was absent on any Intel Mac without T2. The new factor was the introduction of the T2 (which is now integrated into M), which moved the audio handling including sample rates and clocks aways from dedicated hardware into software running on T2/M.
In any case, it's not an end user problem and needs to be addressed by Apple. On the other hand, given this problem has been around for so long, they seem to care little if at all. Might be because most people are not annoyed by the occasional stutter and those that have a problem as bad as yours from the video are probably running external audio interfaces for studio work anyway.
Hi everybody, I've been a reader of this forum this a long time, because I have the same kind of problem. I didn't want to participate cause my case is a bit special, but who knows, it may help to find the bug.
My configuration is a "Nucintosh", an Intel NUC8i3BEH2 with Big Sur (11.6.5) installed on it. My sound card is a professional sound card (Metric Halo 2882 3D, connected via RJ45). I own this sound card since about 10 years and it have AWAYS been working perfectly, with hackintosh or reals Apple stuffs (several iMac, MacBooks...). I mainly use this config as an home cinema, using Kodi to watch movies, or navigators (Netflix,...).
Everything was working perfectly, in 5.1, and one day it started to bug like everybody described : sound drops, that may sound like crackles but look like an audio buffer overloaded. After having suspected many things, I found this forum (and this and this ones), I tried all the workarounds suggested, without success.
Except one (I don't remember where I saw it) that is working perfectly : I installed Blackhole, sent everything in it, and then sent Blackhole to my souncard via another application. Result : it's working perfectly, without a single drop or clic or whatever.
If I resume :
Mac OS > my external souncard : sound drops
Mas OS > Blackhole > my external soundcard : perfect sound
So, in the end, may it not be a bug concerning ANYBODY that uses Big Sur or Monterey ?
Internal speaker or not ? MacBook Pro or not ? Doesn't it looks like a pure software bug ?
My configuration is a "Nucintosh", an Intel NUC8i3BEH2 with Big Sur (11.6.5) installed on it. My sound card is a professional sound card (Metric Halo 2882 3D, connected via RJ45). I own this sound card since about 10 years and it have AWAYS been working perfectly, with hackintosh or reals Apple stuffs (several iMac, MacBooks...). I mainly use this config as an home cinema, using Kodi to watch movies, or navigators (Netflix,...).
Everything was working perfectly, in 5.1, and one day it started to bug like everybody described : sound drops, that may sound like crackles but look like an audio buffer overloaded. After having suspected many things, I found this forum (and this and this ones), I tried all the workarounds suggested, without success.
Except one (I don't remember where I saw it) that is working perfectly : I installed Blackhole, sent everything in it, and then sent Blackhole to my souncard via another application. Result : it's working perfectly, without a single drop or clic or whatever.
If I resume :
Mac OS > my external souncard : sound drops
Mas OS > Blackhole > my external soundcard : perfect sound
So, in the end, may it not be a bug concerning ANYBODY that uses Big Sur or Monterey ?
Internal speaker or not ? MacBook Pro or not ? Doesn't it looks like a pure software bug ?
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Maybe this is my fault for using the word stuttering, but the M1 Air had stuttering when pushed hard. What it didn't have was an extreme cracking and popping that sounds like a million guitars being plugged in and out of an amplifier on a rainy day. It sounds like additional interference, similar to an old PC with a poor quality sound card only much louder. I'm not convinced it's solvable through software but that would be nice - if Apple ever got around to it.
So just a little update: I reformatted my 16" M1 Pro 1TB with no Time Machine backip.
No improvement but now on top of popping and crackling, my MacBook has also developed a stutter. Wish I was joking.
Still no real help from support beyond the basics and "we don't know." Considering asking for a refund until I get one at this point.
No improvement but now on top of popping and crackling, my MacBook has also developed a stutter. Wish I was joking.
Still no real help from support beyond the basics and "we don't know." Considering asking for a refund until I get one at this point.
OK, thanks to GrumpyCoder I understand that the bug is know, identified, and due to that T2 stuff.
Ain't it a scandal that Apple doesn't give a f*** about this problem ???
Ain't it a scandal that Apple doesn't give a f*** about this problem ???
That can't just be it. I refuse to think that this is not a widespread issue and that end users will just take it. These drops sound terrible and interrupt my enjoyment of pretty much everything I could listen to on my MacBook.
By the way, I'm running an external audio interface and I have also stutter issues with these ones. I tried two interfaces: Behringer Euphoria UMC404HD (extreme stutters and apparently not compatible with M1 Macs) and now the Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 (3rd gen), which is running decently well, but also has some occasional drops.
You can't imagine how much I hate that this laptop probably won't replace my old, loud MacBook Pro 15" from Mid-2012 - but for audio production, it's just super unreliable.
That's why we need to talk to the editors of Macrumors and any other big Apple news page, so that they report on this. And we need captures of this issue, otherwise support will keep shrugging it off as unproven...
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I want to report that on my 2021 16" MacBook Pro (M1 Pro) I started developing the issue around a month after I received the unit. ONLY on the LEFT speaker. I wouldn't call it "popping", but it was a distortion that seemed like something was loose and rattling around. The sound level did not need to be very high. I even was able to play it for AppleCare support! They even heard it in the "restart sound" when I did a restart!
I changed the speaker balance to move everything over to the right speaker. Then, I made an appointment a few weeks later to bring in the unit to be examined my a Genius at the Apple Store. But the night before, I moved the balance back to centered and the issue had disappeared!
I brought the unit in anyway. They opened it up and couldn't find a problem. But I expect that sooner or later it will return.
I changed the speaker balance to move everything over to the right speaker. Then, I made an appointment a few weeks later to bring in the unit to be examined my a Genius at the Apple Store. But the night before, I moved the balance back to centered and the issue had disappeared!
I brought the unit in anyway. They opened it up and couldn't find a problem. But I expect that sooner or later it will return.
I can report & confirm that two things worked for me now:
1. Killing the CoreAudio Process with Terminal: sudo kill -9 `ps ax|grep 'coreaudio[a-z]' | awk '{print $1}'`
2. Deleting these files in Computer/Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/Audio: com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist & com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist, empty trash can & restart the computer
This is not a new revelation, but it once again confirms that this is a software issue. I expect the problems to come back, but at least there's that. I think I will write a program in Automator, so that I can quickly get rid of these once they come back.
edit: It lasted for about 4 hours, then I heard the first pop again.
1. Killing the CoreAudio Process with Terminal: sudo kill -9 `ps ax|grep 'coreaudio[a-z]' | awk '{print $1}'`
2. Deleting these files in Computer/Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/Audio: com.apple.audio.DeviceSettings.plist & com.apple.audio.SystemSettings.plist, empty trash can & restart the computer
This is not a new revelation, but it once again confirms that this is a software issue. I expect the problems to come back, but at least there's that. I think I will write a program in Automator, so that I can quickly get rid of these once they come back.
edit: It lasted for about 4 hours, then I heard the first pop again.
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Is this bug also present on your hackintosh? If so, this is almost certainly software/firmware related.
Literally registered to say I am having the same thing on my MacBook Pro M1 Max 16 inch, 32GB memory, 1TB HD. Before this MacBook I had the 2019 Intel MacBook Pro 16in with the SAME exact issues. I literally was shocked to see that the problem still existed on this new machine. For the first month or so it all seemed great, no issues. And now its back and seems to have grown progressively worse. I can't believe there is not more uproar about this. Are we just the special ones? Maybe we all have a common denominator of use that can point to why it's happening to our machines? How can we do more to get Apple aware of this?
Well, I have been thinking about buying an M1 MBP but this audio issue is a show stopper for me.
Do I understand this correctly that the crackling sound affects not just the MBP built-in speakers but also headphones and external audio interfaces? If so, definitely a showstopper. If just the built-in speakers, I might be able to put up with that for awhile. At these prices, though, don't want to compromise on basic functions.
Do I understand this correctly that the crackling sound affects not just the MBP built-in speakers but also headphones and external audio interfaces? If so, definitely a showstopper. If just the built-in speakers, I might be able to put up with that for awhile. At these prices, though, don't want to compromise on basic functions.
I only hear it through the built-in speakers and using audio software (Ableton/Logic) with virtual instruments and effects. With normal use it’s fine.
You mean you hear it playing audio through Logic/Ableton routed to external audio interface and monitors? That would make it unsuitable for anyone working with VIs and effects. One would think this issue would also crop up for the M1 minis and studios but I haven't heard of it.
No, I only hear it on the built-in speakers using Logic/Ableton. Very rarely have I heard it through the built-in speakers using other programs.
It's a problem with the speakers, audio via headphone jack or external interface works as expected. This thread has gotten murky with other people bringing up different audio issues.
That narrows it down but still... How about headphone output through the DAW software?
This is weird, I've had mine for a couple of months now and it just started developing what seems like this problem yesterday, installing 12.3 now to see if it fixes it but would assume that it doesn't or people here would have said
Ok, this is a real pain in the ass. Whenever Ableton is not in the forefront it's glitching/crackling. Through both speakers and interface (Apogee Duet 2). This can sometimes happen when the CPU is high but I'm at around 30% CPU
Not sure if it is widespread. I think those that have this issue and reach out are the vocal minority and majority of others just think it's their fault or it doesn't bother them.
Apple support confirmed they still doesn't know what is causing it... if you use headphones you should be fine but if you plan on using the onboard speakers whatsoever, I would prepare yourself to be very frustrated.
