random sound pops and clicks with VMS4

I was playing a local bar with my VMS4 with no noticable sound issues, the system was 2 Cerwin Vega tops & bottoms, and the sound was clean.
On moving to a bigger venue I started to get pops, clicks and whistles, not that noticeable when playing loud but damn annoying when you got a breakdown in a track.
I went to my local auto store and brought a filter for car audio amps (approx £17) that plugged between the VMS4 and the crossover via the RCA and this has cured the external noises and also provided me with a 1.5db sound boost. Wont work if you are using the XLR out but for RCA connections it seems to have worked a treat.

Not saying this will cure your issues but worked for me

good suggestion but i already use in line xlr ohm resistors to avoid ANY hums, or ground/sound/power issues anywhere i play. i should have posted that originally. also i use xlr to RCA plugs to go into the djm600

There is two different types of hum fixes , one which is called a ground isolator cable which you can buy at radio shack , used for when your hooking up rca connections. For example external sound card to the mixer, or mixer rca cable to the cd player . Price is about $25.00 CDN each . You can also buy a hum X This is a three prong plug , and you can plug your laptop power adapter into this which will take away the hum , this sells for about $100.00 CDN . These devices come in handy when your using Powered speakers.

again its not a hum. i don't get a hum. i get pops and crackles.

Does you computer have an AMD or Intel Processor?

wow do you people even bother reading the posts before you reply. i said its an i5 as in INTEL I 5 processor.

also to avoid any pointless posts i am a working dj who has been digital since final scratch came out going from that to ssl to cue/vdj my machine is a dedicated gig machine and runs fine. i has no issues running other software and or hardware devices (for the most part)

now it did it tonight with my own sound system that it sounded fine on last week.

It's really a shame that they didn't FULLY test this unit before they rushed its release. mine will most likely be going back in a day or two if i can't get this sound issue solved. I am a professional WORKING dj in clubs, radio, shows, private events and equipment with poor sound is the worst thing to have.

pops and crackles are usually latency based in one way or the other. you could check your computer for possible driver issues with latencymon. it will tell you if you have some spikes.

The pops and crackles are latency issues on your laptop, not a problem with the VMS4. Dell laptops are not good for audio latency (it's a well known fact in the DJ world) so you really need to look at where the spikes are occurring and see if you can tweak the laptop. Download the DPC latency checker tool and go from there.

If this was an issue with the build of the VMS4 or supplied drivers then everyone else would be having this problem too.

funny when i run latency checker i'm in the green ALL THE WAY. as for dells having latency issues maybe YOUR DELL does but i'm sorry mine doesn't. once again i have been djing for 16 + years digital since final scratch. machine is tweaked to the core running xp pro.

if it was latency it would have done it ALL the time not every now and then. or only on some tracks/video and if your read these forums and others i'm not the only one with this problem.

so anyone else have any more suggestions that would be the normal thing to check? cause i doubt i checked all the basic things first before waiting 3 days to be approved for a forum to post one thread.

ok so after testing this morning i noticed i can get it to replicate INSTANTLY once i go from no TC to one TC control. its as if the sound card can't handle the info coming in from the cdj at the same time as music going out. i have the newest firmware 3.11 in the VMS4 when it does pop/crackle again i'm ALL GREEN with DPC Latency checker.

i have tried going from 2ms to 27 ms in ASIO config and it doesn't help much. still crackling and popping.

so this leads me to believe its hardware or more likely a driver issue.

I'm just curious, why go from xlr out to rca in the house mixer? Why not just go rca out on the vms4 to rca in on the djm600? I'm no expert but from what I'm told useing xlr/rca adapters can cause some strange things. Is this the same configuration you used when you didn't get any pops/clicks?

I'm not sure if this has anything to do with it but could be somethin to look at.

the rca outputs on the vms4 are waaaaaay to low to use for me.

i got the clicks at the club with xlr to rca and at another club with my own system going xlr to clr and then again at home using xlr to xlr.

the rca output just isn't an option even the info says its something like -10dbl or something close to that. with the vms4 already having low output taking ANY away will kill the sound.

again its ONLY when i use TC for control. weird.

Pops and crackles are usually not the hardware. It sounds like you are trying everything. I have to ask a basic question, what happens with you use the VDJ LE that is supplied (with the driver impeded)? I know the VMS4 community will get this sorted.

i can't use it with cdjs using le it only happens when i select Time Code Control.

Do you have access to a rig with traktor? You could do a test using your cdj as a time code with another DJ program and see if you get the same results. Could be some issue with VDJ as well. If you do get pops with the other program then idk what else it could be. Maybe try using another device as a time code??

Not sayin it isn't the vms4, just gotta eliminate possibile explanations before concluding that.

i do not have access to traktor just cue, vdj and ssl but with ssl you can't use the vms4 as a sound card. like i said its only when using time code

ok so after further test i can get it to crackle/pop on 2 difference laptops both well above system specs for the VMS4 and VDJ Pro almost on cue. i got it to also do it on a netbook i use for backup. it wasn't as bad but there.

running it with VDJ LE i didn't notice the crackles as often or as bad but they are there none the less.

its funny it didn't do this the first 7 or so days of testing now i can't get rid of it. i haven't made any changes on my gig machine so i'm a bit stumped.


also during testing i was monitoring my latency via DPC Latency checker and it was all green unless i was switching settings or something but this is expected since i'm changing settings.

I would like to see if this is only happening when you have your VMS4 plugged in , can you do a test , and use your primary laptop sound card , unhook the VMS4 from your computer . See if your getting the same issue . This can be other issues , like speakers or speaker wire , rca connections , power bar . or many other things. I hope you own another mixer , if not go and rent one for the day . headphone jack output to rca into the mixer , change the settings in your VJ sound card to primary .

lol ok again i'll start by saying it ONLY happens when i use TC Control. if i select TC control in VDJ sound config it won't allow laptops on board sound card.

so i did it with NO TC and using on board sound out phone jack into TTM56 mixer and it sounded GREAT no crackles pops nothing no matter what i did to it.

and to prevent any doubt i even plugged in the VMS4 used it as a MIDI control device used my on board sound card for sound playback with NO TC and it again sounded GREAT via on board sound card. but again there is NO TC control ability then and that's when i notice the sound issues for the most part.

i would like to also point out i know its not cables, cords, power etc it has happened on various systems, various amps, speakers etc. i have used different cables. that was the first thing i switched out when i heard it in a live setting. so it is all pointing to one thing....................

I went to the Virtual DJ Help and this was the anwser they gave me ....

I am getting pops, crackles, and clicks in my sound.
Your performance settings may be set to a value greater than your hardware is able to utilize. Because you are most likely using an ASIO sound card - please set your performance settings under CONFIG -> Performance tab to the following:

Slide the fader all the way to the left, then on position to the right of Fastest.
Change the Latency drop down to AUTO
Uncheck SafeMode and Overclock.
Leave all other settings unchanged.

If the problem still persists, then go to CONFIG -> Sound Setup again and click on the ASIO Config button. This will display your sound card's ASIO control panel. Increase the buffer size and then restart VirtualDJ. Repeat this until you find the optimal value for your computer.

Also, for a USB sound card make sure that you always plug it into the same USB port each time to avoid the "Error in DirectX" message.

this is REALLY getting REDUNDANT.

DUDE i know what latency is and how to adjust latency. i'm not some new kid on the block with djing or digital djing.

don't you think i tried ALL of that. i have done EVERY possible change to latency settings in vdj and via ASIO settings for the vms4. The ONLY settings where i do not get any crackle using TC Control is above 30ms and for me that is just unacceptable for scratching, mixing and just djing in general.

it you have read the post you will see its not my system or 3 other systems. if the problem FOLLOWS the unit its something with the unit or the drivers etc. its not 3 different laptops.

I see your point , only thing I can think of is to bring it back to the store and exchange it for another , and see if its the same problem , looks like to me you have everything setup right . If the same problem happens you may need to go out and buy yourself something else. I myself do not do alot of scratching , just mixing . So this problem is not happening with me .

I-m sure you have friends with MAC computers, test your set-up with one of their computers, see if the problem still happens. Good luck, and I think it's really cool how everyone is helping you!

yeah def love the "support" from AA or ADJ on this forum.

yes i have friends with MAC's but i'm not gonna change my platform to use ANY gear let alone one only for private gigs. SPECIALLY one from AA/ADJ

it's all good though if it doesn't get sorted soon i'll soon return it and stop buying AA products. it's funny i wonder if they will miss the 10k my company spends a year on gear. i'm sure chauvet and other competing companies will enjoy getting it my local shop will get their cut either way.

GREAT SUPPORT took 3 days to get "approved" for the forum and 4 days after posting NOT 1 AA/ADJ person chimed in.

synystr, first of all this is a user forum. it's moderated and there are also ppl from adj directly involved, but still, this is not the customer support. please contact them and let us know the outcome.

next, your intial posting was on jan 4th and i answered on jan 5th. my initial assumption is a latency thing and i'm somehow still convinced to that, especially since you have issues in timecode control and not without and because you're able to kill the crackles with a (ridiculous, i agree) high latency. my knowledge on VDJ however is pretty low, hence the recommendation to contact support.

you're not mentioning your setup details once. if you want to get help, this could be valuable info. also worth mentioning would be if you've done some tweaking on your computer.

p.s.: my dell inspiron has gotten just 4 yrs old and runs perfectly smooth with traktor scratch pro. if there are issues with software or hardware, they're usually existant on BOTH platforms, mac and pc. a mac wont turn the world in rainbow colors.

lol contact support to what wait for a few weeks so i can't return my paper weight? no thanks. i am a WORK professional dj (3-4 nights a week + private bookings)not some bedroom dj looking to get chicks or free drinks. this is what i do for a CAREER and i don't have time to waste on the phone waiting for a call back. i have seen on here alone how many people "contact" "support" and are told screen resolution, turn of wifi etc. come on dude i'm no kid i'm a 33 year old man who has dealt with computers since Commodore 64 and have been digital from vinyl since final scratch.

secondly my VERY first post 3rd paragraph and i quote "i am running an Dell Mobile Precision Work Station with an i5 and 4 gigs of ram, windows xp pro, using VDJ Pro with a CDJ for TC and the VMS4 for sound/midi/mixer" sorry didn't mention that it's fully tweaked with nothing but 3 programs on it for djing and running 18 processes when windows xp pro boots up, no wifi, lan, camera etc. NEVER HITS THE NET. again i assumed me saying i'm experienced would have cleared that up.

i know its a latency issue but the problem is def not my machine its the BS VMS4 ASIO driver or sound card just can't handle it. to say an i5 maxed out and tweaked can't run low latency is bull! i run my korg zero 4 on like 2ms with NO latency problems running 4 decks out of the zero 4.

i notice peeople who aren't having this issue aren't using TC leads me to believe not much testing was done with TC.

Even with ASIO4ALL i have yet to find a working setting that won't eventually start to crackle. i have been sitting in front of my paper weight and working gear testing and testing and every time i think its good here comes the crackle. ever so light but still there. not good.

ps. i find it funny how i didn't get any respond from anyone associated with AA/ADJ until i mention the fact of returning or not buying products. lol kills me cause it happens on ALL the product boards. but i digress............

ok so i went to my local pro shop where i got my VMS4 he gave me 2 more boxed units to take home and try out over the weekend. well sure enough sounded great in 8 in 8 out no TC mode but as soon as i try to run it in a 4 in 4 out with TC i get crackle unless i bump up to + or - 30ms even if i run it without TC control i get crackles as well at lower settings in 4 in 4 out mode.

on a side note i ran it on my Acer Aspire ONE netbook in 4 in 4 out mode and it ran ok with TC i didn't notice any crackles or pops in the 5 minutes i tested it out.

it just doesn't make sense how 2 well above spec laptops one HP on Dell both have issues in 4 in 4 out mode with TC but on my netbook which is 1/3 the power sounds better.

why would it work fine for 8/8 with no TC but not in 4/4 with TC.

again during testing i ran DPC and was all green the whole time (unless changing a setting)

so as of now i have 3 VMS4's sitting here that don't run well with TC in 4/4 mode.

any other ideas?

If you are a career DJ then you should know by now that you get what you pay for in the DJ equipment world. You can't expect a $500 unit to perform like a $2000 one. Why not buy a 4D if this is your career? I used one last night and the sound quality is so superior to anything I've heard before, better than my friends S4 and better than my VMS4, and that is why it costs so much more.

Even a bedroom DJ looking to get chicks and free drinks can understand that if you want the best, you gotta pay for it.

I'm still shocked that people expect a unit 1/4 the price of industry standard would perform on that level...

its not that i expect it to perform like a $2k unit i EXPECT it to do what it states in the manual. which it CLEARLY doesn't

as for buying a s4 no need i only got the VMS4 because i got it as a test unit if i like it its only $350 basically less than i made tonight so $$ isn't the issue. It works great until you use it with TC but i doubt this unit was geared towards a dj's dj more of a press play type dj. nothing wrong with that just different needs out of the equipment.

since i heard the new version is being released in a week or so i'll probably take the 3 i have here back and get the version 2 to try out and see if they solved all the issues with it.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Synystr:
lol contact support to what wait for a few weeks so i can't return my paper weight?

in case you dont get an answer i'm here to escalate things internally - as i'm doing for everyone here.

quote:

secondly my VERY first post 3rd paragraph and i quote "i am running an Dell Mobile Precision Work Station with an i5 and 4 gigs of ram, windows xp pro, using VDJ Pro with a CDJ for TC and the VMS4 for sound/midi/mixer"

ok, overlooked it obviously in all that unessessary rant.

quote:

fully tweaked with nothing but 3 programs on it for djing and running 18 processes when windows xp pro boots up, no wifi, lan, camera etc. NEVER HITS THE NET.

ok, that's good.

quote:

again i assumed me saying i'm experienced would have cleared that up.

ever been to a technical forum before? i read that "experienced" thing everyday.

quote:

i know its a latency issue but the problem is def not my machine

in a later posting you're saying that TC control runs smooth with your NETBOOK, which is lower in specs. so... sorry, but it IS your machine. now that i saw your specs, i'm curious... did your laptop come with xp? or did it come with win7 and you put xp on it? if so, there's probably something driver related...

if or if not - i would go now through all drivers (graphic card first, btw what is it?) and look for updates.

quote:

ps. i find it funny how i didn't get any respond from anyone associated with AA/ADJ until i mention the fact of returning or not buying products.

i repeat myself:
a) this is a user forum
b) i answered right the next day of your initial posting
c) official representatives from adj do sometimes post here, which is nice, but that's not part of their job, since a) and b)

quote:

Originally posted by PandAura:
You can't expect a $500 unit to perform like a $2000 one.

...

I'm still shocked that people expect a unit 1/4 the price of industry standard would perform on that level...

thank you sir.
i'm not getting this too.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Synystr:
It works great until you use it with TC ...

it works also great if you use it with timecode control - but that obviously depends on the soundcard you use.

that the onboard soundcard of a $500 i-do-it-all-unit cant be of the same quality as the audio 8 or the ssl boxes is somehow obvious, isnt it? for sure the latency here must be higher.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Freshfluke:

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Synystr:
It works great until you use it with TC ...

it works also great if you use it with timecode control - but that obviously depends on the soundcard you use.

that the onboard soundcard of a $500 i-do-it-all-unit cant be of the same quality as the audio 8 or the ssl boxes is somehow obvious, isnt it? for sure the latency here must be higher.

the DJ IO is about $100 and works great with TC control.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Freshfluke:

quote:

Originally posted by PandAura:
You can't expect a $500 unit to perform like a $2000 one.

...

I'm still shocked that people expect a unit 1/4 the price of industry standard would perform on that level...

thank you sir.
i'm not getting this too.

I NEVER said i expected it to work like a much more expensive unit. but it should work non the less.

system was shipped with both xp pro and windows 7 pro installed on a dual boot with different profiles for djing and updating via network on each platform.

Video Card: Nvidia Quadro FX 880m

I just updated bios and video drivers to the newest. i will test it out and report back later today.

aight. from the traktor forum i know that nvidia cards are notorious for causing troubles. so this is definitely a good point to start.

i also remember my boyfriend had a asus laptop that shipped with (the os nightmare called) vista. he tried to install xp on it, but that didnt work out well at all, some components were just not really backwards compatible. worked, but didnt perform well. i'd probably try to dig into that too, e.g. just for fun try if the performance is better on win7.

quote:

Originally posted by DJ Freshfluke:
aight. from the traktor forum i know that nvidia cards are notorious for causing troubles. so this is definitely a good point to start.

i also remember my boyfriend had a asus laptop that shipped with (the os nightmare called) vista. he tried to install xp on it, but that didnt work out well at all, some components were just not really backwards compatible. worked, but didnt perform well. i'd probably try to dig into that too, e.g. just for fun try if the performance is better on win7.

It's not the video card. if it was it would do it ALL the time not just with TC and ONLY with the VMS4.

i don't know how many times i have to tell you people the machine works flawlessly with EVERY OTHER DEVICE, PROGRAM ANYTHING i throw at it. its ONLY when i use the on board sound card of the vms4 with TIME CODE. but oh yeah i shouldn't expect a $500 all in one to work right because its lower priced. BS! it states in the manual it can be used with TC not used with TC using an external sound card. that defeats the whole point of the unit.

as for the whole xp/windows 7 my machine is MADE for XP but is windows 7 compatible. what part of that was not understood. i didn't buy it then try to install xp it CAME from the factory when i SPECIAL ordered with both and it even has, now this might shock you SUPPORT from Dell for both xp and windows 7 os's. so please stop trying to insist its my laptop or any of my hardware your beating a dead horse.

This is just becoming a waste of my time. all i get is repeats of the same answer in a different way. I'm not gonna change my system, reinstall my OS, try a mac, try tracktor, go buy another sound card (i have 4 others sitting here) or ANY other rediculous suggestion regarding my gear. the problem was never here before the VSM4 using TC and i'm sure it won't be here after the VMS4 is gone.

so after updating bios and video card to the newest versions NO CHANGE on the pops and crackles. funny i kind of expected that result. well innofder is out of my unit and all 3 VMS4's will be going back today.

its sad how so many companies rush to get their "new" products out for certain shows or to beat the next guy to the market with it. there's gonna be a bunch of pissed of VMS4 version 1 owners in a week after NAMM

i'm just glad my local shop and i have a great relationship and i can test things out before i pay for them. if not i would be one salty dog right now. maybe version 2 will solve the few basic problems everyone seemed to find on the units from release that the "beta" testers didn't? i just don't get that either.

This is what i found on my own:

Low master output volume
low latency for TC Control
Fader bleed
Fader cut in offset by 1/4"
Platters not centered!! REALLY!
rubbing left platter
Mic distortion with use of an industry standard mic (SM58)

good luck to all the current VMS4 owners i'm gonna stick to just lighting with AA and ADJ that's all they seem to be good for ;(