Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

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Washboy
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Washboy » Sun May 15, 2016 8:26 pm

Untilted wrote:...Out of curiosity, what have been your observations of the built-in speaker/mic processing function?

To answer your question, yes, the pulsing does occur when I created a new empty project and then add a MIDI track. CPU meter then shows usage, moving from 0%-1% as the pulsing occurs.
So it's as if the presence of an Auria MIDI track causes CPU bursts, which result in RF interference when connected to the dock. Weird. What does @Rim say about the CPU bursts?

The reason I asked about the speaker/mic processing status is just that, when OFF, it seems to make the inbuilt mic much more sensitive, especially to ambient/background mush (like removing a high-cut filter). I wondered if that might somehow be affecting the USB inputs and altering your perception of noise. I do wonder if plugging headphones into the iPad when it's connected to the iTrack Dock (instead of to the dock's headphone socket only), is a good idea and might activate the inbuilt mic somehow.

But I'm way out of my comfort/knowledge zone now. Perhaps Focusrite might have something to say about RF issues?

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Mon May 16, 2016 3:41 am

Hey Washboy,
Thanks for your explanation, I'll leave the mic/speaker processing on then.
Washboy wrote: So it's as if the presence of an Auria MIDI track causes CPU bursts, which result in RF interference when connected to the dock.
Yes, it certainly seems this way. In that sense, perhaps I should expect this behaviour in all apps as long as the CPU is being taxed in bursts, and my iPad is fully charged?
Washboy wrote:Perhaps Focusrite might have something to say about RF issues?
I've emailed Focusrite with a link to this thread. Hopefully they'll be able to explain some of this to me, and help me figure out whether or not it's another faulty power supply.

Rim
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Rim » Tue May 17, 2016 7:43 am

Auria is capable of using a lot more CPU than other apps, so it's possible you haven't noticed this with other apps.

Rim

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Tue May 17, 2016 7:49 pm

Rim wrote:Auria is capable of using a lot more CPU than other apps, so it's possible you haven't noticed this with other apps.

Rim
While this probably is the case, I'm not so sure that the 'CPU bursts' from an empty project with 1 midi track, 1-2% max CPU usage is really pushing the limits of my iPad in this instance.

Is there another app (preferably free) that you know of that will tax the iPad Air 2 similar to the way Auria pro does? I'd like to push the limits of my iPad Air 2 when fully charged to rule out Auria Pro.

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Thu May 26, 2016 9:51 pm

Update:
So I've followed this up with Focusrite, and they have been able to replicate this issue on their side, iOS 9.3.2, with Auria Pro, on an iPad Air 2.

At this stage, interference noise is heard when the CPU under processing load, or when the iPad is fully charged (with a MIDI track present in Auria pro). I've asked Focusrite to update me if there were any workarounds.

@RIM In terms of the compatible interface list, I would highly recommend that the itrack dock be taken off the list of compatible devices, at least for users wanting to use an iPad Air 2. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I'd stay away from the itrack dock.

Thanks all for your assistance throughout the process of identifying the issue.

c0wfunk
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by c0wfunk » Sat Jan 07, 2017 9:15 pm

Weird.. I've been using an iPad Air 2 with an I track dock and Auria pro for a year and have had none of these issues and quite like mine.

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:21 pm

c0wfunk wrote:Weird.. I've been using an iPad Air 2 with an I track dock and Auria pro for a year and have had none of these issues and quite like mine.
I'm on 10.2 now, still have these issues unfortunately. I believe it's got to do with the trickle charge as the iPad battery charges towards full capacity.

Auria update has also helped, with midi instruments not 'pulsing' on CPU load as much.

Anyway, there's someone who has posted up a DIY fix to solve the problem:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgkZe01LGNM&t=4s
Last edited by Untilted on Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.

c0wfunk
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by c0wfunk » Sun Jan 08, 2017 7:27 am

I guess I never use midi instruments so this would not have come up? I have always only used midi tracks to drive external hardware. Thanks for the link but I don't think the whole thing made it

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Sun Jan 08, 2017 3:58 pm

c0wfunk wrote:I guess I never use midi instruments so this would not have come up? I have always only used midi tracks to drive external hardware. Thanks for the link but I don't think the whole thing made it
Sorry, here's the link again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgkZe01LGNM&t=4s

dennycolt
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by dennycolt » Wed Jan 18, 2017 5:33 am

I have exactly the same problem that Untilted described (iTrack Dock + Air 2).
To rule out Auria as a part of this problem I connected a fully charged iPad Air 2 to the dock, powered it up and ran the Tonestack 3 app (which also uses a lot of cpu). I got the same interference noise.
This is a real problem, because the noise bleeds everywhere, recorded tracks and monitoring included.
I've got a open ticket with Focusrite concerning this issue, but if this is a design flaw a replaced unit won't solve the problem. Guess I'll try to get a refund and get something else.

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Wed Jan 18, 2017 5:53 am

dennycolt wrote:I have exactly the same problem that Untilted described (iTrack Dock + Air 2).
To rule out Auria as a part of this problem I connected a fully charged iPad Air 2 to the dock, powered it up and ran the Tonestack 3 app (which also uses a lot of cpu). I got the same interference noise.
This is a real problem, because the noise bleeds everywhere, recorded tracks and monitoring included.
I've got a open ticket with Focusrite concerning this issue, but if this is a design flaw a replaced unit won't solve the problem. Guess I'll try to get a refund and get something else.
Good luck with the open ticket, I hope that focusrite offers your something more than they did for me. It is a design flaw, but blame should be shouldered by Apple as well with their 'MFI' certification.
If you're handy with electronic devices, I would highly suggest the mod mentioned above. It's brilliant IMO, and focusrite should implement it as a fix in future itrack docks (I'm dreaming, i know).

dennycolt
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by dennycolt » Wed Jan 18, 2017 8:16 pm

Thanks! I'm not getting my hopes up but might as well give it a shot. I'm not that handy with mods but luckily I have friends with such talent.
The next bit of gear I'll be getting is a proper interface, though.

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Wed Jan 18, 2017 11:23 pm

Yeap, I'm probably heading back to apogee after this....
all the best with your mod!

Strandskov
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Strandskov » Sun May 07, 2017 5:03 pm

I know its an old post but....
This seems to work:

1.Turn up the brightness to 100%
2.Turn off, Update apps in the background.

By the way, the noise was worse in Garageband than in Auria.

Untilted
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Re: Focusrite itrack dock "screeching"

Post by Untilted » Sun May 07, 2017 6:28 pm

Thanks for the tip. I've usually just been using the following for my iPad Air 2:
1) use external charging cable to slow down the charge
2) turn iPad to flight mode
3) turn iPad to 100% brightness

Will try out turning off updating apps in the background to see if it improves things too.

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