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  • Audio interface failing?

    From Tobiah@21:1/5 to All on Sat Sep 10 07:53:54 2022
    My Presonus 18/10 started acting up. I wasn't getting any audio,
    and apps would hang. Youtube videos would not play. I open the
    Windows 10 sound settings, which takes 10 or 15 seconds to load.
    When it finally does, the device-selection pulldowns alternate
    betwen the Presonus, HDMI out, and blank. They are unsesponsive.

    I had just installed some software, so I restored to a known
    working state. Same thing. Ok, so it must be hardware. I plug
    the device into a Macbook air. I do get sound, but the sound settings
    panel refused to load. Unplug the unit, and the settings come up
    snappy.

    There's something wrong with the unit! I consider shopping for
    a newer interface, which in some ways has a certain appeal. Then
    I think, have I tried everything? It can't be the USB port on the
    computer, since I had the same trouble with the Mac. Let's try it
    a different port anyway. No dice. Wait, *the cable*. Long shot, I swap it out.
    Everything works perfectly again! The cable gets little movement
    and no abuse. How dumb I would have felt to plug in a new interface
    to find the same problem.

    One thing that seems significant, is that I had been using a
    SATA drive dock with that USB cable for a couple of days. Again,
    no abuse or any undue forces put on the cable, but it was directly
    after putting that cable back into the interface that I started
    having problems. Odd that I actually got sound out of the Mac, but
    the cable screwed with the sound settings app just like in Windows.
    I would of thought that it would either work or not.


    Though I'd share.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Ty Ford@21:1/5 to All on Sun Sep 11 07:25:21 2022
    Though I'd share.

    I have a maudio 88 keyboard. It uses a USB cable. I had to have the USB socket replaced. It was physically broken.
    When I got it back, it wouldn't work. I had also upgraded the Mac OS in the meantime. I thought the upgrade took away the ability to connect. The keyboard also has DIN, but I had to order a power supply because the USB had been supplying power. OK.
    Working.

    Sometime later I get a little Akai keyboard to fire samples and play short lines. USB. It lights up when I plug it in, but doesn't behave. I was using the same USB cable. FINALLY, I tried another cable. Yay!!!!!!

    Then I thought about the Maudio 88 and tried the new USB with it. Yay!!

    Like you, I am not hard on gear. This stuff never leaves the studio.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From John Williamson@21:1/5 to Ty Ford on Sun Sep 11 17:17:08 2022
    On 11/09/2022 15:25, Ty Ford wrote:
    Though I'd share.

    I have a maudio 88 keyboard. It uses a USB cable. I had to have the USB socket replaced. It was physically broken.
    When I got it back, it wouldn't work. I had also upgraded the Mac OS in the meantime. I thought the upgrade took away the ability to connect. The keyboard also has DIN, but I had to order a power supply because the USB had been supplying power. OK.
    Working.

    Sometime later I get a little Akai keyboard to fire samples and play short lines. USB. It lights up when I plug it in, but doesn't behave. I was using the same USB cable. FINALLY, I tried another cable. Yay!!!!!!

    Then I thought about the Maudio 88 and tried the new USB with it. Yay!!

    Like you, I am not hard on gear. This stuff never leaves the studio.

    My experience is that especially if not used, USB cable connections
    oxidise over time, and as they are made very cheaply, even the slightest movement can damage them once past their "use by" date. I often get the
    problem where a cable will work with one item but not another, and a
    cable that works with the second item won't work with the first, while a
    third cable won't work with either, but works perfectly with everything
    else.

    The keyboard that lights up is merely showing it is receiving power, but
    if the problem connection is one of the data pins, it won't pass any
    data. Hopefully, as USB-C has duplicated pins and cores for all
    connections in mainstream applications, it will be more reliable. Just
    don't get me started on the latest wheeze, where the pins on the two
    sides have different uses so it will only work when the otherwise
    symmetrical plug is the correct way up.

    --
    Tciao for Now!

    John.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From geoff@21:1/5 to John Williamson on Mon Sep 12 20:37:56 2022
    On 12/09/2022 4:17 am, John Williamson wrote:
    On 11/09/2022 15:25, Ty Ford wrote:
    Though I'd share.

    I have a maudio 88 keyboard. It uses a USB cable. I had to have the
    USB socket replaced. It was physically broken.
    When I got it back, it wouldn't work. I had also upgraded the Mac OS
    in the meantime. I thought the upgrade took away the ability to
    connect. The keyboard also has DIN, but I had to order a power supply
    because the USB had been supplying power. OK. Working.

    Sometime later I get a little Akai keyboard to fire samples and play
    short lines. USB. It lights up when I plug it in, but doesn't behave.
    I was using the same USB cable. FINALLY, I tried another cable. Yay!!!!!!

    Then I thought about the Maudio 88 and tried the new USB with it. Yay!!

    Like you, I am not hard on gear. This stuff never leaves the studio.

    My experience is that especially if not used, USB cable connections
    oxidise over time, and as they are made very cheaply, even the slightest movement can damage them once past their "use by" date. I often get the problem where a cable will work with one item but not another, and a
    cable that works with the second item won't work with the first, while a third cable won't work with either, but works perfectly with everything
    else.


    My recent drama has been disconnecting a wireless charger from its USB
    PSU, taking both away for a few days, returning, and now when set up
    exactly the same when my phone is placed on it the status LED shows Blue
    (= charging) for a second or two, then Green (= fully charged) and stops charging. But this is irrespective of the actual state of charge of the
    phone ;- (

    Yes, tried different PSU(s) and different cable(s), but no change. Must
    try the Deoxit thing before taking phone and charging pad back to the
    shop to see if they can isolate to the charging pad, or phone. Yes,
    phone charges 'normally' by direct cable.

    All these things beginning to creep out from the woodwork now that we
    are relying so heavily on USB PSUs and cables ....

    geoff

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)