Audio clipping on macOS Tone1 at high data rates

axman6 · August 25, 2021, 3:21am

I have a Tone1 which has had an issue when connected to my work MacBook Pro. Audio plays fine when the device is set to 32-bit, 96kHz, but anything higher than that causes audio to clip/glitch (I think it might actually be present at this setting but it is only barely noticeable).

I have just updated the firmware using Windows to 2.00, and still have the same issue. This worked find in the past, I’m not sure what changed to break things.

It sounds related to Glitching audio - Tone2Pro > MacBook Pro 2020 - #2 by Vladimir.v.v

In the macOS console, I see a lot of messages like:

type	time	process	message
default	13:06:14.062577+1000	coreaudiod	index: 1, start: 0x2cda050dc9cc2, duration: 0x568, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1489077, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062591+1000	coreaudiod	index: 2, start: 0x2cda050f14f0d, duration: 0x543, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1489077, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062602+1000	coreaudiod	index: 3, start: 0x2cdb131697ec2, duration: 0xb1a, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1489b21, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062613+1000	coreaudiod	index: 4, start: 0x2cdb3fcb7d2f1, duration: 0x8a3, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1489dc5, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062623+1000	coreaudiod	index: 5, start: 0x2cdc00438002d, duration: 0x933, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x148bce3, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062635+1000	coreaudiod	index: 6, start: 0x2ce0588988ad2, duration: 0x9b0, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x149127e, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062655+1000	coreaudiod	index: 7, start: 0x2ce0593974e9e, duration: 0x1159, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x14912b2, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062750+1000	coreaudiod	index: 8, start: 0x2ce07ccd1fdc2, duration: 0xa09, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1491608, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062839+1000	coreaudiod	index: 9, start: 0x2ce38c53cb974, duration: 0x917, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1496ece, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062907+1000	coreaudiod	index: 10, start: 0x2ce598c973f01, duration: 0x1102, fault address: 0x7000052a1000, fault pc: 0x7fff2039a336, faulting TID: 0x1489db6, fault type: 0x1, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062959+1000	coreaudiod	index: 11, start: 0x2ce598c975d14, duration: 0x1ce7, fault address: 0x7ffc10810000, fault pc: 0x7fff202a0499, faulting TID: 0x1489db6, fault type: 0x9, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.062988+1000	coreaudiod	index: 12, start: 0x2ce598c977d0b, duration: 0xd30, fault address: 0x7ffc10812000, fault pc: 0x7fff202a04b8, faulting TID: 0x1489db6, fault type: 0x9, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063015+1000	coreaudiod	index: 13, start: 0x2ce598c978ce7, duration: 0x7e4, fault address: 0x7ffc10811000, fault pc: 0x7fff202a05d0, faulting TID: 0x1489db6, fault type: 0x9, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063043+1000	coreaudiod	index: 14, start: 0x2ce598c9797e4, duration: 0x870, fault address: 0x7ffc10813000, fault pc: 0x7fff202a05fa, faulting TID: 0x1489db6, fault type: 0x9, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063071+1000	coreaudiod	index: 15, start: 0x2ce64cdfade98, duration: 0xea2, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x149b262, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063097+1000	coreaudiod	index: 16, start: 0x2ce6fe2891440, duration: 0x723, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x149c015, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063122+1000	coreaudiod	index: 17, start: 0x2ce778025f28d, duration: 0xd55, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x149cc1b, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063148+1000	coreaudiod	index: 18, start: 0x2cd9bcf21e04b, duration: 0x9ec, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488c2e, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063174+1000	coreaudiod	index: 19, start: 0x2cd9be23628ed, duration: 0x882, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488c40, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063199+1000	coreaudiod	index: 20, start: 0x2cd9bed044710, duration: 0x802, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488c43, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063226+1000	coreaudiod	index: 21, start: 0x2cd9c86949dd8, duration: 0x940, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488cf8, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063254+1000	coreaudiod	index: 22, start: 0x2cd9c92fe7fe3, duration: 0x6f2, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488cfd, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063278+1000	coreaudiod	index: 23, start: 0x2cd9c9d5bc1ea, duration: 0x620, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488d00, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063307+1000	coreaudiod	index: 24, start: 0x2cd9ef0b0b1a4, duration: 0x976, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488eb2, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606
default	13:06:14.063329+1000	coreaudiod	index: 25, start: 0x2cd9f1f1a33d6, duration: 0x6f5, fault address: 0x0, fault pc: 0x7fff22b53abe, faulting TID: 0x1488ec2, fault type: 0x4, PID: 0x420606

and

default 13:06:14.068253+1000 kernel + IOAudioEngineUserClient[]::performWatchdogOutput(, 315616) - (17d,1580c)
default 13:06:14.068268+1000 kernel - IOAudioEngineUserClient[]::performWatchdogOutput(, 315616) - (17d,1588c)

Gouwa · August 25, 2021, 3:09pm

Hi @axman6
Are you able to do a A/B testing below:

Testing A: Play a song the with clipping noise as usually
Testing B: Play the same song but with your macbook in idle status

Note to ensure the only difference between the A/B testing is: testing-B with macbook in idle status and testing-A with normal using and operations, for example, typing on your keyboard repeatly and fast.

It might take you some time to do the A/B testing but it makes sense to sort out the issue.

Different Operating Systems with different audio structure, but almost all the modern OS supports the multple audio contexts:

MEDIA SOUND
NOTIFICATION SOUND
ALARM SOUND
SYSTEM SOUND
RINGTONE / CALL (for Mobile Phone)

The clipping noise might happen if two types of audio contexts are mixed, for example:

Listening music via a music player: MEDIA SOUND
With other operations simultaneously: NOTIFICATION SOUND

As all the audio contexts will be mixed first then output to the audio sound card, let’s say Tone2 Pro here, and if the OS sytem with clipping noise, will also pass to the sound card.

In this case, we will need to install the 3rd party audio driver and letting the audio card bypass the audio structure of OS(native system driver) for low audio latency or high resolution audio applications.

axman6 · August 26, 2021, 7:47am

So it looks like this issue is something else on the system, I noticed that when I use the built in speakers and set the output to use a higher sample rate I am getting the same sort of clipping; might be one of the security monitoring programs or something, but it doesn’t appear to be Tone Board specific. I have also confirmed my personal MacBook Pro also has no issues.

For reference the clipping happens with both lossless music, and system notifications.

Thanks for your suggestions @Gouwa

Gouwa · August 26, 2021, 3:16pm

Thanks for the update and have fun!