Popping and Crackling - Buffer Settings Issue?

[DJ Garybaldy]

I don't know what else to suggest .... Maybe try a test stream with another free host see if the popping and crackling still exists with the stream on that connection.

[stevec]

Have you tried listening to the stream without audio on it. Does it pop and crackle then? If its silent then its something in your audio side which is wrong.

[pfoole2012]

Actually, I did try listening through another server same problem. And yes, I listened to the stream without audio. No pops.

[stevec]

Are you using the onboard soundcard and have you checked the CPU usage when you are streaming audio. What bitrate and sampling are you using? We had a similar problem years ago and it turned out to be the processor & motherboard would not handle playing audio and streaming at the same time. It would intermittently pop and crackle. We put our own soundcard in and it stopped. We still use XP & Win 7 to stream with. Not tried streaming with Win 10 as most of our software will not work with it. 

[pfoole2012]

Sure am, Steve. Checked CPU usage, too; no problems there. Should the issue continue to crop up, I'll look into something other than the onboard soundcard. Out of desperation, I used MP3val to correct any errors in my audio. Nice utility. I also used Driver Booster 3. The machine I use for my automation (a dedicated machine) is nearly brand new; even so, Driver Booster found a surprising number of drivers that were outdated. Haven't heard any pops since taking those measures, but I ain't counting my chickens before they're hatched.

I suggest you guys check out Driver Booster (if you haven't already). Reputable company (IObit), lightweight application, and best of all, it's free:http://www.iobit.com/en/driver-booster.php

[DJ Garybaldy]

Just installed that driver program and it found 14 up to date drivers for our Win 10 box... Think I'll add it to my list of useful software!

I presume everything is still running as it should? 

[pfoole2012]

It most certainly is! Ya know, I'm not a 'techie'; I'm a former commercial radio jock. I know just enough about computers to get myself in trouble (though this foray into troubleshooting was pretty successful). That popping was a huge annoyance; drove me, my jocks, and my fiance' mad. Today, I'm happy to report, is a good day. 

[FreerunMedia]

It most certainly is! Ya know, I'm not a 'techie'; I'm a former commercial radio jock. I know just enough about computers to get myself in trouble (though this foray into troubleshooting was pretty successful). That popping was a huge annoyance; drove me, my jocks, and my fiance' mad. Today, I'm happy to report, is a good day. 

About the crackling noise, allways make sure you have some headroom. So first set the main audio levels at max 75%. Switch down the ACG and be carefull with the low frequenties of the EQ. When using MP3 gain, don't go over 95%. Set all the tracks at 93% ( worked for me ) and you will allways stay within your headroom.

if it is stream related, be sure you switched the ports open were the stream is on. Be sure you have more than enough bandwidth and i prefer 1GB connections. If it is your main broadcast computer, don't run browsers and other software that could interfere with the main audio output. Best thing is to use a seperate audio device so you have one for windows sounds and the other one for main broadcast audio. Most MP3 files are 44,1k so set your output at 16 bit , 44,1k. Higher sounds nice but it won't come through the stream. The current audio boards can handle 48k but it is a little overkill.

When capturing audio, don't put your audiolevels at 100%. You will hear clipping. When in doubt, check your captured audio in an editor like Adobe Audition and if it is too loud, pull it back at least -3dbfs. ( Reference is -12dbfs. dbfs stands for DeciBell Full Scale digital metering.)

[pfoole2012]

I'm pretty conservative when it comes to settings; AGC is soft, EQ isn't aggressive, and used default settings when I ran my audio through MP3 Gain. I let the Optimax plugin do most of the heavy lifting. Needless to say, when I got into the world of internet radio three years ago, I had gone through a lot of trial and error before really understanding how digital audio behaves when modified. Also, I was using SAM, which was quirky as all get out.

Still have a clean stream. The updating of one or more drivers did the trick, though I did drop it back from 24 bit, 48k to 16 bit, 44.1k as you advised.

[FreerunMedia]

I'm pretty conservative when it comes to settings; AGC is soft, EQ isn't aggressive, and used default settings when I ran my audio through MP3 Gain. I let the Optimax plugin do most of the heavy lifting. Needless to say, when I got into the world of internet radio three years ago, I had gone through a lot of trial and error before really understanding how digital audio behaves when modified. Also, I was using SAM, which was quirky as all get out.

Still have a clean stream. The updating of one or more drivers did the trick, though I did drop it back from 24 bit, 48k to 16 bit, 44.1k as you advised.

Still a would advice to step down from the AGC. Some are good but most are bad. In combination with some audioprocessing it can sound very bad. If all the tracks are at good volume, you don't need AGC. See it like this, amplifying, something that is amplified through an amplifier that amplify some sounds is getting your signal as "dirty" as it can be.

Working sinds 1997 with radio and TV, it gave me some insights of right and wrong processing. ;-)