My Echo AudioFire 4 clicks shortly after sounds begin to play. I've spent dozens of hours trying to fix it, but there seems to be no solution. What I'd like to know is if anyone else can reproduce my problem, or if it's just me. Here's the easiest way I can reproduce it:

1. Set AudioFire Console's core rate to 44100 Hz and its buffer to 256 (other settings cause problems too, but let's compare apples to apples).
2. Load the Windows Control Panel "Sound" dialog.
3. Pick a sound effect, set it to "Windows Baloon.wav" and click "Test" over and over.

The click I hear, accompanied by a buffer underrun reported in FireWire Analyzer, usually happens within a 1/2 second after the sound starts playing.

The clicks happen nearly the same way when WinAmp starts playing a song, in games, in a simple audio editor, and in ASIO applications (although a lot less frequently in ASIO applications).

I've tried many things to solve it, including:

• FAQ on Echo's website
• Windows 7 64bit and Vista 32bit
• Two different computers: one brand new, one 4 years old
• Power management settings
• Buffer size settings
• Core sample rate settings
• TI PCI Firewire card and VIA Firewire on motherboard
• Modern and legacy Firewire drivers in Windows
• DPC Latency checker
• Three Echo drivers: old 4.8, new 5.5, and a beta 5.5.6 directly from Echo
• Support from Echo

I'm primarily using Windows 7 64bit on a fast computer with the newest Echo drivers. With that setup, I hear clicks about 80% of the time when a new sound plays. With Vista 32bit on a 4-year-old computer with the newest drivers, I hear them 20-30% of the time. On Vista 32bit with the old 4.8 driver, I hear them perhaps 5% of the time. All other variables listed above had no effect.

I've almost given up. If you have an AudioFire, me know if there's still hope!

I've only used mine with my MacBook pro - no issues.

Sounds like it may be a sample-rate issue. Have you tried recording and playing back using a DAW application? That way you can be sure you are using a valid sample rate.




-tINY

...I recently upgraded my DAW PC and had issues with my Audiofire 4 with Windows 7 64-bit, after having had no problems at all in my older Windows XP machine...like you, I tried all kinds of resolutions, including some very focused assistance from Echo's tech support, latest driver updates, and another TI based firewire card...nothing remedied the problem...I was ready to buy another audio interface, when I decided to try one more route...I downloaded ASIO4ALL and chose it in my DAW device manager as my Asio driver...solved all my problems (and lowered my latency too!)...even the Echo tech told me, if that's working, go with that until Echo update the drivers again...worth a try, good luck!:

ASIO4ALL - Universal ASIO Driver

I have an odd issue with my Audiofire12, but it has such a painless workaround I haven't bothered to try anything else.

When I first turn it on (Windows 7x64 runs 24/7, but the Audiofire gets turned on/off) and open something, at normal latencies it clicks an glitches. Open ASIO control panel, crank buffer to 2048 and save, then open again and crank back down to whatever (64?) and it's all good.

Try it and see if your problem goes away..

Thanks for the ideas, everyone.

I've tried lots of sample rates. They don't seem to make a difference. Haven't tried on a Mac yet, but my gut tells me this is a Windows driver problem.

I tried that. Didn't seem to help, unfortunately.

I installed ASIO4ALL and chose it in my DAW. Same problem.

The problem is a harder to reproduce in my DAW (I use Reaper) than in a program like WinAmp or the Windows "Sound" control panel. Here's how I can do it pretty reliably, though:

1. Open FireWire Analyzer. Keep an eye on the playback buffer count.
2. Open DAW. Watch as playback buffer starts counting up continually.
3. Play a sound in DAW over and over. No clicks.
4. ALT-Tab outside of DAW so it loses focus and releases the ASIO driver. Playback buffer stops counting up.
5. ALT-Tab back to DAW and immediately hit Space to play a sound. Playback buffer resets to 0, counts up, but before it gets very high, the audio clicks, and the Underrun count increments.

When playing other non-ASIO sound in Windows (e.g., playing "Windows Baloon.wav" from the control panel), the playback buffer count in the FireWire Analyzer has the same behavior, but it's worse because it resets each time the "Test" button is clicked, instead of each time ASIO is released and acquired.

That's why when I load my DAW and stay in it without switching to other tasks, I hardly ever hear clicks. But if I'm doing a lot of switching around, the clicks happen if I hit play too soon after switching into it. Or if I'm using a non-ASIO application, the clicks happen each time the application stops a sound and starts a new one (e.g., each time I start a new track in WinAmp).

Essentially, it seems that the buffer underruns happen at the beginning of a new playback buffer being created.

Can any of you see the same behavior when looking at FireWire Analyzer?

I'm experiencing bad clicks as well in win7. I'll try this tonight.

BTW- ASIO4All never worked with the Layla card, and I'm glad the ASIO4All works for the Audiofire.

Cheers.

EDIT: The ASIO4ALL did the trick! All of the clicking seems to be gone.

Email support - there's a newer driver (5.5.6?) that isn't up on their site yet.. the support guy sent it to me and it seems to have fixed my issue.

...glad it worked for you...didn't fix my problem nor the OP's...

An update:

I previously said that the non-legacy and legacy Windows Firewire drivers didn't make a difference for me. But after checking again I found that the legacy Firewire driver does in fact give me fewer clicks.

I was prompted to compare them again after reading about other Firewire audio interfaces in Windows 7 64bit. It seems that many manufacturers are having problems with the non-legacy Windows Firewire drivers.

When using the legacy Firewire driver, I still get clicks, but I get them a lot less often. They're infrequent enough that I can begrudgingly accept it for the short term.

So now I've got my eye on USB 2.0 audio interfaces. I understand that USB's hardware specifications might not be as audio friendly as Firewire's, but I have a feeling that the Windows USB drivers would be more reliable.

If anyone has experience (or links) comparing the two types interfaces when it comes to buffer reliability specifically, I'd love to hear about it.

I just want my modern equipment to be as reliable as my good ol' Sound Blaster Pro card was in 1991. When I click play, I want the audio to come out with no dropouts. Is that so much to ask? :-)

Hi, Phytopep,

>My Echo AudioFire 4 clicks shortly after sounds begin to play.
>I've spent dozens of hours trying to fix it, but there seems to be no solution.

I have the same problem. (Audiofire8, WindowsXP SP3, Q6600)
ASIO .... all OK
But Windows sound (WDM or Directsound ) ..... NG

I discovered only one solution.
It is ... "run iTunes on background."

All you should do is to start iTunes.
You need not play the sound by using iTunes.

I don't know why, but I think worth trying it.

Do you have a wireless network card installed in your computer. If so, try disabling it.

A follow up - I finally got tired of the AudioFire's poor performance in Windows 7 64-bit, so I bought a Focusrite Saffire 8i6 USB 2. It's great! No clicking problems whatsoever, no Firewire hardware or drivers to fuss over, and it has a lot more mixer flexibility for the same price. I'm very happy with it.

Sorry to revive this thread but I just picked up a secondhand Echo AF4 and low and behold, it isn't working properly. It's interesting to me because I am upgrading from an AF2 which I have working flawlessly with same drivers, settings, and hardware etc. Possible that it's a bad unit? The sound clicks and pops, and the AF console crashes, and I can't select it as an output device.

I have both and run simultaneous with W7 64. No issues.

try to update firmware (or reupdate to 5.7.3 the lastest), try external psu and try another cable.

I remember some like this issue, year ago, with a bad fw cable, used curiosly with the a2, try another.

It was the firmware. Now it works great.

Hi there!

"My Echo AudioFire 4 clicks shortly after sounds begin to play. I've spent dozens of hours trying to fix it, but there seems to be no solution. What I'd like to know is if anyone else can reproduce my problem, or if it's just me...."


I had the same problem. To solve the clip things, had to buy a PCMCIA Firewire interface! Works perfectlyyyy. Hav RME soundcards too, ECHOs are maybe the same!
So the onboard firewire driver (IBM X60, small 1394) was wrong!

Cheers!

Gaben