Hey Slutz,

I've been using the id22 since June and it's been a total gem up until recently and I'm not sure if I've got a defective unit or something else is going on.

About 2 weeks ago I started noticing some static/distortion on the 2 id22 input channels. This occurs when I first boot up my DAW and id22 app before I have done anything - no knob/button pushing, no playing music, no plugging in mics - just at rest. It started out just being a minor annoyance which would go away after a few seconds but it has gotten progressively worse to where now the channels distort until they clip. It lasts longer and happens more often - it is almost always within the first 20-30 minutes of firing everything up. Also, over the last few days my main outputs (1,2) have stopped working intermittently. I'm getting signal on the meters but no audio. It seems like it is coinciding with the distortion. It's gotten bad enough where I have to reboot. It does not like to be woken up and used after putting the pc to sleep - which I had no problem with in the past.

Here's where it gets really weird. I am often times mobile with the unit as I do on-site recording. I had two concerts over the weekend, one saturday, one sunday. I didn't have any of the static/distortion issues on site. However, in the middle of recording live concerts I lost my connection several times, it was as if the usb cable was unplugged - to the point where I lost about half a concert - NOT happy about that.

There is virtually no difference between my home and mobile set up. The only differences are two sets of monitors via outputs 1,2 and 3,4 in my home set up obviously I monitor with cans on-site. Other than that, same pc, same adat device, same cables.

Here's more weirdness. I set up everything EXACTLY the same at home not in my studio but as my mobile set up and could not replicate the driver/connection issue nor the distortion issue. I did realize my drivers were very outdated, I was at version 1.7 and I think current is 3. something. So I've updated those.

I've made a warranty claim, Audient as well as my retailer has been fantastic so far so no worries there. Here's what I'm worried about. I cannot CAN NOT have those connection issues. I've never had them before this past weekend, and I'm scared to death about having it happen again - it costs me money. Has anybody else had any of these issues? I'm debating whether I need to get rid of the unit and go with RME or something. I really don't want to though because I've been super happy with this id22 until two weeks ago.

It might be a PC issue? but it does sound weird, have had mine since early 2014, most days using it 8-10 hours a day with absolutely no problems or issues (yet) I have heard others on GS saying the power supply can be improved by changing it, but I haven't felt the need for this, just a thought.

I don't think it's a pc issue. The power supply thing is interesting. Anybody reading this who has swapped out the power supply, can you please comment on your experience??

Hello Folks,

I believe I have spoken to Drumstick earlier this week regarding this issue. I hope the return goes well and you can get back to recording. Again, myself and Audient apologise that your iD22's issue affected your work.

Regarding swapping out the power supply, we have done tests here using our D-Scope measuring gear whilst using various power supplies. While the testing shows that the power supply can affect the output, the changes were absolutely minute. In listening tests, very little difference could be heard on a variety of speakers and headphones.

More importantly however, the main functions of the iD22 are not affected in anyway by changing the power supply. Issues like the one described in this thread couldn't have been avoided by using an uprated power supply. Testing was done during development of the iD22 to confirm this and was repeated recently to double check once the talk of changing the power supply was mentioned on Gearslutz.

The failure that Drumsticks has unfortunately had is a most likely caused by a faulty component. Whilst we do our very best to minimise failures and test every unit during the manufacturing process, the nature of the electronics in these kind of products mean they can very occasionally fail without any indication beforehand.

As always, if anybody has any issues with an Audient product or simply wants to ask a question then please feel very free to contact us at [email protected] and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

Daniel @ Audient UK

Hey Drumstick,

I had quite similar problems with my id22 when I bought it. Sent it back and some components had to be replaced. Now everything is working like it should.

That's very encouraging... Thanks for chiming in.

Hi Daniel, yes, we have communicated about this. Thanks for the info regarding the power supply. It seems like every topic of concern (or potential concern) that pops up, up, you guys have already explored and tested it. Further, on the record, I've contacted you guys several times and you always respond in a timely manner with a friendly and concise reply. That's much appreciated and a big part of my Audient brand loyalty.

I'm honestly not as concerned about the distortion issue as I am sbout the driver issue. It's clear the distortion is due to some defective part that will be fixed. Before last weekend I haven't had one single glitch with the connection/drivers so it was a huge surprise when it started happening in two separate sessions back to back.

I'm going to chalk it up to the very obvious fact that my drivers were very outdated. It just still.seems really odd how the connection problem manifested with isolated failures.

Is my experience consistent with outdated drivers? Or what's the likelihood that there was something else going on?

I've been on iD22 for over 2 years now and it has been rock solid. I've tried at least a dozen interfaces and this is my favorite. I think there are some equals, which some may favor for different reasons, but there is nothing really better within $1000 IMO

If you record or play live, you need a backup interface and cabling. Can be cheap and cheerful... But, you've got to have it if your gigs mean anything to you.

How does one run two usb interfaces with one computer/daw simultaneously? I didn't think this was possible.

On Mac, this is easily doable and called an "Aggregate Device". However, I believe you're on PC..? I would have thought it must be possible, too.

I was actually thinking more of keeping a second interface handy during setup. Typically, any issues present themselves before you've even played or recorded the first note.

Yes, I'm on PC... Running Ableton Live 9, I'm not aware of anyway to run two interfaces simultaneously. But I certainly do have a back up with me at all times. The problem though, was that in this case I was recording live concert performances, so the back up wasn't really of much use.

Hey drumstick... I've had similar issues with mine. It has been sent in to Thermal Relief (around DEC 15 still there)under warranty repair. However, he was unable to replicate the issue. I am on Windows 10 and could replicate the issue at home on 2 different systems. At Thermal he is on a Mac. I chalked it up to NOT a driver issue as my unit would have distortions and issues even when NOT plugged into a pc. I swapped out power supply and tried different usb cables just in case to no avail.

This is the last email to support ""

I just purchased one of these units and I have had some connection problems. I wonder if they are related to your problem?

Too bad, because this is by far the best sounding interface I've ever used.

I called about two weeks ago to check up on my unit and Thermal Relief is still waiting on a replacement PCB board from Audient. The time frame has become ridiculous. I sent my unit in around December 8th. Surely there is something better that could be done to get my unit back or even send me a replacement.

Hello there,

Apologies we haven't replied sooner to this, I have only just seen your post on here. If you could PM us your iD22's serial number and any returns numbers you may have received, I'll look into this for you and hopefully get to the bottom of it. We do take our customer service seriously and if something unfortunately does go wrong then we want to do what we can to make things right again as quickly as possible. I can only apologise that your iD22 has been with Thermal Relief for so long and I'll make sure that this is definitely looked into and get you back to recording and mixing as soon as possible.

- Audient

I have sent you two private messages.

After all this time my unit will be shipping in tomorrow. Let's hope it's fixed.

...

Got it back without the power supply or original USB cable. The unit is in working condition though.

Seems my ID22 is having the same issue as Drumstick. I thoought it would be best to bump this thread, since the issue is clearly called out by Audient (appreciate the Gearslutz support and community engagement!).

I really LOVE this interface, but it's started with the same symptoms. It's really a bummer, and a workflow killer—but I don't want to give up and switch (RME, Apollo). Pops and crackles on both my Macs which are brand new (16gb ram, 3.1ghz i7, with upgraded video card—computer is setup for intensive design, audio, and video work), even when USB is not plugged in. If it's connected to my monitors (not USB to computer), it crackles and pops even when nothing is playing. It also has total dropouts for 2-10 minutes at a time, where no sound comes out at all.

I am sending an email to [email protected], as well as a PM as we speak. Can you guys help me remedy this issue as you did for Drumstick (preferably without it getting lost for a couple weeks in the workshop ).

You guys are amazing for supporting the Gearslutz community, and after reading around to troubleshoot my issues for over a week, I'm sure mine is in the same camp.

Looking forward to hearing from you!
Alex

Just following up for future searchers—

Audient customer service knocked it out of the park. They helped me diagnose the problem from across the Atlantic (didn't even notice the time difference, they were so prompt with every correspondence). Figured it out in less that 10 hours, had a replacement unit from the dealer (located in New York) in less than 24. This thing is a huge step up from my Steinberg UR44 (which is also a great unit, served me very well for over 2 years)—but, it was time for an upgrade now that I'm producing/writing a lot more. Couldn't be happier, and can't see myself needing to upgrade for a very, very, very long time.

Thanks again to Daniel from Audient.

PS This thing is clear, wide, punchy, and gets LOUD. The headphone amp is everything everyone claims it is—drives my Q701s like a beast.

Was it just the unit being defective, or another issue as well? Be good to know in case anyone else has similar problems.

It was specifically an issue with the output drivers (exact symptoms Drumstick had in his OP), according to audient. I don't think it was a major fix, but the unit was fully covered under warranty so the dealer swapped it with a replacement unit no questions asked. Audient said they prefer this method to keep the downtime of using the unit to a minimum. I really appreciated not having to wait at all for the unit to be fixed.

Output drivers? Are they within the unit then? I'm confused why a replacement unit would fix a driver issue.

I literally just bought one of these interfaces so am just brushing up on any info I can find.

Relax—I'm sure your unit will be fine. The output drivers I'm referring to are hardware. NOT the software driver provided by Audient. Their drivers seem great so far.

Did you read the rest of this post, or just zoom to the last page? Not trying to be a jerk, but literally all the information is in this post. I had the exact same symptoms as OP, the only difference is (over a year later) Audient resolved my issues in record timing. They are a super legit company, that really backs their product. To me, the ID22 is very pro quality in every regard.

I'm very picky about the mics I use on my own voice in particular, and these pres are so nice they're making me revisit some of my other mic options with surprisingly positive results. Just make sure you drive the pres hard, they're clean as a whistle.

Thanks for the clarification. I read the thread, I was just confused by the term 'drivers' as I thought it was referring to a software issue. The OP earlier in the thread himself also refers to him having outdated drivers, was just a little confused is all Cheers again though.

No worries—I can see how that is confusing! Glad I could clear it up.

If you want my advice, and you aren't already using an interface similar in quality—don't hesitate to pick up an ID22. The "seat of the pants" impact of the upgrade is significant (from my Steinberg UR44, which I still consider an excellent interface, and will use it in my satellite studio for song writing).

The Audient has some serious punch to it, even at low volumes, with what I perceive in my own words as "faster" transients. I don't know if it's the convertors or what, but it just feels like the overall sound of the Steinberg was "saggier" in the low end and low mids. The ID22 feels immediate, in your face, full, and together in the my phantom image, especially when in mono (I write/mix/AND listen in mono 60-80% of the time). Just helps me really pick good tones overall when writing/referencing, and my final mixes seem to come together a lot quicker when I do the meat/potatoes in mono. YES my room is treated—no the treatment hasn't changed now that I've upgraded to the Audient.

Just my .02 cents.