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UX2 crackling continuously on Win 10, tried everything


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Hi all.

 

I am looking for advice on anything else I can try to get a TonePort UX2 working on Windows 10. It crackles continuously during playback no matter what the buffer size, power settings, system load, which feels like a driver problem to me.

 

I think I can rule out hardware problems, because if I boot KX Studio (Linux-based audio distribution) on the exact same laptop, using the same USB port and cable to the same UX2, the audio quality is fine with the ALSA USB audio driver.

 

Computer is Acer Aspire 5536 laptop (Turion X2 processor) running Windows 10 Home 64 bit (10586.212.amd64fre.th2_release_sec.160328-1908). I have tried the following, and none of them have made any difference:

 

Clean install of Windows

Latest BIOS (Acer 1.11)

​Latest Line 6 drivers (4.2.7.6)

Latest Windows updates installed

Power supply connected vs running on battery

Disabled WiFi adapter

Enable "high performance" power profile

Different USB port(s)

Different USB cable

Uninstall USB host controller driver and reinstall

Disabled hibernate/fast boot

Different sized buffers

Different sample rates

Set Windows default audio device to UX2 vs built in audio

ASIO UX2 vs ASIO4ALL

 

Any suggestions for anything else to try would be greatly appreciated!

 

Andy

 

 

 

 

 

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Same problem with you from Agu last year, the first time I updated my system to win 10.
 

After I updated my system, I downloaded the last drive from Line6 Official website, and was told that the drive of UX2 would work well with win 10, but it did not. I tried everything, and found the only way to solve this problem: REINSTALL THE WIN 7.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi. Just found the solution.

 

You need go to:

 

- control panel > hardware and sound > Power options >

- put the balanced plan and on the left go to change plan settings

- go to change advanced power settings

scroll down to the Processor power management and expand it

- expand the Minimum processor state  and set the settings value to 100% (there is 5% by default)

 

Works like a charm. Cheers. 

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I'm new and this post is a month old but... I solved all my cracking and cutout issues by messing with the tone direct buffers. My system was stuttering and stammering like crazy until I dialed in those settings. And this is on a 4-core hyperthreaded i7 w/24gb mem and a SSD.

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  • 1 year later...

Hi all... I too am getting that crackling noise - I've even looked around and someone suggested audio incompatibilities with asio and windows 10 - so i installed the asio4all drivers - and Nope - no change. I tried changing the power balance - Nope. Line 6 sent me a link with troubleshoots and things to try - nope nothing. I actually brought an entirely new computer because it was doing the same thing on my old one, which was then equated to be an issue with my computer not the line 6 product via contacting line 6 directly... which now i can clearly see its not - and that was using a windows 7 based system. I've changed my cables, my mixer, using UX2 direct to computer and not using uX2 direct for recording, I've tried different guitars, Installing old drivers vs installing new ones, reauthorizing the product, different usb ports.... the only thing i haven't tried is a new UX2 unit.  I really think this is truly a driver and windows 10 incompatibility issue and am now being forced to look at alternative companies and products in order to record my music. This is my last attempt to find help in fixing this issue. I really don't know what else to try, i love my UX2 but feel that i will have to look elsewhere for my guitar tones going forward as I can't use a product that isn't working properly on my recordings.  

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

I'm not sure if I get the same crackling as you guys. I bought the Ux2 on 2013 and used it on windows. I got the crackling sound on whatever I was recording and in my case I solved it unplugging and re plugging the interface like 2 or up to 4 times until I got rid of it. Now I use it on a Mac and it's still there... It's annoying but I got it solved that way. I don't know if my crackling differs from yours.

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Hi guys. Try to use the LatencyMon app ( https://www.resplendence.com/latencymon )

 

LatencyMon checks if a system running Windows is suitable for processing real-time audio and other tasks. LatencyMon analyzes the possible causes of buffer underruns by measuring kernel timer latencies and reporting DPC and ISR excecution times as well as hard pagefaults. It will provide a comprehensible report and find the kernel modules and processes responsible for causing audio latencies which result in drop outs. It also provides the functionality of an ISR monitor, DPC monitor and a hard pagefault monitor.

LatencyMon will display the highest latencies of a kernel timer and report the highest execution times of ISR and DPC routines as well as hard pagefaults. In most cases it will also find the drivers and processes responsible for executing them. It will create a comprehensible report which also displays all sampled data in a detailed manner allowing you to perform in-depth analysis.

 

 

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  • 2 years later...
  • 1 year later...

I made a comment on 2019...here I am... again... with a Karen letter comment lol

 

This situation has been going on for me since the UX2 came out probably, I’ve had it since I bought it. I’ve noticed this line 6 guys have terrible customer service and follow up to any of this. I mean hahaha it’s been 11 years for me with this problem and just a bad history of upgrading hoping this would get solved but it won’t.

 

I also bought the Pod Farm Platinum on 2015 and thought of getting helix with the discount… Well! surprise surprise, their crappy site doesn’t register the fact that I bought Pod Farm Platinum and I just get the full priced Helix or regular pod farm discount instead of the pod farm platinum discount. Which isn´t that encouraging for me to actually buy the product.

 

This faulty piece of equipment has been getting in the way of proper recording since I bought it. Keeps ruining a lot of the recording takes. I would also say that this isn’t cool, cause it never got solved and obviously they know they released and sold faulty equipment and it never got solved, so it gets put under the rug.

 

It’s annoying but haha just showed me how bad I like to record and how patient I’ve been haha

 

So the solution to this? Basically just avoiding Pod Farm and products prior to the helix. You’ll keep getting your patience tested on and on.

 

The ONLY solution (Momentary) if you have the UX2 is plugging it in and unplugging it over and over, hoping you don’t have to restart the PC or Mac to do the whole process again.

 

Don’t know about windows users currently, but for Mac that is the only solution, no other solution has ever worked in 11 years, and regarding windows, well, it got “solved momentarily” that way (I stopped using windows 9 years ago so…)

 

If you just bought it on Amazon, you’d be doing yourself a long term favor returning it and using a newer product. If you are gonna buy it, Dont! You´d be better with a Helix product, or waiting for one. Seriously, the Helix interface runs better and keeps getting upgraded constantly. Pod Farm isn´t.


It’s the hardware that’s faulty, not the software. I’ve had it and tested it for 11 years and nothing has completely solved this matter. (Nor operating system, updates or recording software) the fricking crackling is still there, after 11 years.

 

uess they should mention it as a special feature or something, huh? ”Oh and you’ll be annoyed with the awesome random crackling sound we added as a secret special feature! And no! It won’t go away :D”


Just avoid Ux products, really :/ that’s the solution. 

 

A honest advice? This situation seems to happen a lot with this sort of companies and their older products, they don´t get properly upgraded and get old really fast. Last time I wrote this I noticed how quickly the Firehawk came and went like the "greatest product ever made by line 6" Now it´s the helix.

I mean it happens on and on. I am writing this cause I will stop using this UX2 in a not so distant future, I thought of keeping it or selling it but it would just annoy me and keep giving problems to the next user. 

I´ve had so many products of Line 6. From their first Variax guitars (the variax 500 which never worked with the workbench), dl4s (which are also faulty and kept  malfunctioning), The infamous UX2 and the KB37 which also had the same situation, the crackling. Which made me think some of the hardware they used at that period of time kept malfunctioning in that way. The Pod X2 and X3 Live also stopped working in a relatively short amount of time. (This products were registered on my previous account, to any moderator reading this) The ones that actually worked? Pod HD 300, Variax 600, Line 6 Spider III amp.

Options? It´s easier to get one of the POD HD things, they have all the pod farm platinum models.

Also, Pod Farm and Helix aren´t the problem or the DAW, it´s the damn thing haha it keeps sending the crackling sound on and on

I´m gonna get rid of my UX2 and consider trying some other product with Helix. Not hating Line 6. But they do need to keep their products up to date properly and the quality control of both software, hardware and updates.

11 years of struggling with this piece of equipment without any possible solution for the crackling is enough for me haha 

Cheers guys, and patience to anyone who needs it with the UX2

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Update on the UX2 situation:

Today was the last day that piece of crap ruins my recording sessions and messes with my overall mood and experience. I had enough with that device. God honest truth, I couldn't afford a new interface for so long, when the pandemic hit I was Isolated for the longest time without much to do other than recording, this devices really taught me about patience and how much I wanted to record. I kept getting great recording takes, but guess what? the crackling sound kept appearing and I had to re do a lot of stuff over and over. It really started messing with all my recording experience, overall mood and even mental peace & also the joy it used to bring to me. Cause I had to do everything over and over, check for crackling sounds and it really wasn't fun to get annoyed, knowing you are not messing up, it's the malfunctioning UX2. It ruined a lot of takes and tracks from 3 big recording projects I had going on for a period of 3 years (20+ songs)

Today I had it... It was finally enough...
I thought of how much I was disliking the process and getting angry because of this device. I took a breath before taking the next step, I understood there was no way around this or going back after it, I would have to wait a bit for the next interface to arrive and would be able to finish until then, but would get a more calmer and easier experience if I went through with destroying it and getting a new one. I was already planning on getting a new interface (Honestly I don't want anything to do with line 6 and will only be using their lousy service in my favor with free helix accounts and probably the new dl4 but we'll see..)

 

So finally, I stood up, unplugged everything and had the most freeing moment with this piece of crap when I destroyed it. It broke and flew into a lot of tiny pieces. I'm not kidding, most of my recording frustration didn't came from anything else other than that device. It got destroyed and I felt so so so relieved!
Really. I thought I would feel bad or something or that I could have sold it. But nah, it had to go, I'm not selling this crap of a device to anyone. Had to be destroyed and it felt good. I didn't care for that thing anymore, and it was now gone and I did felt all that weight gone and disolved when I broke that. No regrets at all.

Honest customer opinion from 11 years of using it?
Don't get near it. On an overall 11 years I probably could use it without any malfunctions about a solid 3 months. The crackling could be heard in the first demos I made back in 2012 and in the last recording I made on 2023 before it was so joyfully destroyed. 

Seriously, avoid this crap, and obviously Line 6 should remove all their malfunctioning products, it seems just a brand made in series, but never in serious. Shame on you Line 6 and the whole team of developers and marketing, for gasligthing customers and still selling this crap that isn't actually working. You guys should even put it out for good. But hey, who is gonna notice? And who is gonna sue for this kind of sh*t? 

Final solution?

Destroy it, smile, get another one, smile again and don't ever worry about crackling sounds EVER AGAIN.
Wanted to take a picture of it and upload it, but hey, you can picture that yourselves. Cheers & bon voyage

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