We get dozens and dozens of PC users with all sorts of anomalous problems writing to inSync. These problems range from basic functionality questions all the way to very deep sync problems. One of the more consistent puzzlers is the tendency for some host-based systems to have intermittent clicks and pops. Previously we've identified these as clocking and sync based problems, but it can also occur on systems where nothing is apparently being synchronized. It's really just a clocking issue, and if your clock gets wacko (important technical term) for any reason you are going to get clicks and pops. This includes your computer's audio processing failing to keep up with the clock (or sample) rate. In host-based systems there are MANY things that can cause this, most of them relate to the load on the CPU, PCI bandwidth issues, or data storage and retrieval (hard drive) issues.

We've done numerous tips on this sort of thing in the past, but today we're going to throw out a few new ones you can look for in your system to try to solve these problems. Today's tips relate specifically to running Logic Audio on the PC, but are no doubt applicable to some other systems as well.

Display properties on a PC have a big hand in this issue. Turn the Bit-rate Depth to High Color 16. Try to keep the Screen Resolution at 800x600. Not always having the latest and greatest video card will help and it is recommended you do not get a RAM intensive video card. 8 to 16 MB is the maximum we recommend for most systems.

Buffer Settings on the audio card itself can cause this as well. If the Buffer is too large for the software to handle then there will be an audio conflict between it and the audio card. For example... A MOTU 2408 should be set to 1024 for its buffer settings.

When Windows starts up it runs programs that retain memory even though those programs are not being used. To free up this RAM one should go to your RUN option in the START menu and type in MSCONFIG and hit OK. There will be a System Configuration Utility menu and you will want to choose the STARTUP tab. There you will deselect EVERYTHING EXCEPT SYSTEM TRAY and restart the computer. This can free up a ton of CPU cycles for your audio system.