I was curious, I just built a new computer, which contains both an HT-Omega eClaro sound card, and a firewire card plugged into an external audio interface.
When I start up Audacity, the computer itself goes “click … click” and then Audacity opens.
I’m sure it has something to do with Audacity checking for existing audio devices, but I’ve never heard this “clicking” with prior computer builds I had.
Does anyone know if some board (like the eClaro) would “click” like this when being enumerated/checked?
Audacity is a simple audio program and it really likes running on simple computers. Computers with two different audio devices is not simple. Does it still do that if you unplug the FireWire interface?
Awww, such a simple little program - can I pet it?
I checked - unplugged the FireWire interface, still clicked. Disabled the HT-Omega sound card in the Device Manager, no click.
So it looks like the HT-Omega makes this clicking at some point, possibly it’s resetting itself or something. I’ll write to the HT-Omega people to ask.
As for simple computers - I built this computer to be my all-in-one power machine; software development, multimedia editing, digital encoding of vinyl and tapes, perhaps the odd game or two, etc. So it’s just a complex as it needs to be.
I could use the built-in sound (which is a decent Realtek chip), but I was getting a bad ground-loop hum on playback. I still get some ground-loop with the HT-Omega, but a lot less. Unfortunately, I live in an old building without grounded outlets, so I gotta do what I gotta do.
I’m a fan of making the computer follow the application. Audacity runs on modern versions of all three hardware platforms, so we’re gun shy about someone having troubles making it work on a “non-vanilla” machine. For one example, we can certainly ask all the other people that have your exact hardware configuration to help solve the problem, right? [ silence ] So we’re in a three-legged sack race right out of the gate.
And by the way, that’s three sound devices on your machine.
If I had to guess at it, I’d say initialization of the soundcard turns on the internal battery and produces a power-on pop. You may find that if you record with that soundcard, you have DC in the waveform. It’s worth checking as those two can go together, and that can make editing a nightmare.
You may also be listening to the soundcard software initializing. There are high-end soundcards that have relays moving the sound services around. It was just the cleanest, most distortion-free way to do it.
an old building without grounded outlets
Can you tell if the wall plate is grounded? In the US you can buy an outlet adapter with a wire that you can wrap around the metal wall plate screw – assuming it goes anywhere.
My last sound shuffle gave me higher than normal background hum and I’ve been working very hard to avoid going down there and fixing it.
I don’t know specifically about that device, but I don’t think it is uncommon for some devices to produce a click when probed by software.
I have one sound card that clicks on start-up, one that makes a brief “whirring” noise and one that remains completely silent. They have always done so, and do the same with some other audio programs. It has never been a problem and I’ve never bothered to find out exactly why they do it - I have just put it down to some sort of initialisation.
True, but given that I see no other weird behavior happening (no distortion that I noticed, no tweaky behavior of Audacity, etc.), I’m thinking it’s just a quirk of this audio card. Very rare have been the times when multiple devices of the same type have caused me issues, especially as tech gets better.
I am having an email conversation with the HT-Omega guys; they’re not sure what it is yet, though I think they may have thought I was saying the clicking was coming from the speakers and not from the card itself. I actually emailed them an MP3 of the thing making the clicking sounds.
If I had to guess at it, I’d say initialization of the soundcard turns on the internal battery and produces a power-on pop. You may find that if you record with that soundcard, you have DC in the waveform. It’s worth checking as those two can go together, and that can make editing a nightmare.
Yeah, everything points to some kind of initialization - it definitely doesn’t seem to be causing any kind of problems using the card itself, but I’m still curious. Hopefully the HT-Omega people will know. I did notice this does NOT happen on my HT-Omega Claro Plus card in another computer (I installed Audacity on it to see), just this computer with the eClaro card (PCI vs PCIE).
I haven’t yet encountered that horrible-looking DC Offset issue you mention - cross my fingers that I don’t.
You may also be listening to the soundcard software initializing. There are high-end soundcards that have relays moving the sound services around. It was just the cleanest, most distortion-free way to do it.
Can you tell if the wall plate is grounded? In the US you can buy an outlet adapter with a wire that you can wrap around the metal wall plate screw – assuming it goes anywhere.
I’m pretty sure nothing is grounded - the wall-plate is just mounted on a stud in the wall, but I have not observed it attached to any metal at all, except for the power lines themselves. I had thought of seeing if I could find a plumbing line and rig a wire to it, but nothing was easily found behind the wall. This building needs a full rewiring, really - we have very low-rated circuit-breakers for all the apartments. Turn on the heater and the coffee pot at the same time and it blows.
Thanks for all your suggestions - just makin’ me more edumacated!
@kozikowski - you were right about the “relays” - here’s HT Omega’s official response, for posterity.
It is “relay” switching sound.
eClaro has “relay” part for switching analog input. It changes from Microphone input and Line input. Claro plus uses chipset type relay. There is no clicking sound on Claro plus but hardware type relay which uses for eClaro provides better input resolution for Line input signal. We also use this part to Claro halo and Claro II.
I think the Audacity checking input devices and that’s why there is this switching sound
You can also hear this sound when you’re switching mixer from Microphone Input Mixer to Line in. Microphone, Wave and Stereo Mix inputs are using
different circuit from Line in.
Please let me know there is same clicking sound when you’re selecting mixer testing result.
