Crackling Sound in Stream After 1–2 Days of Continuous Playback

Hi everyone,

I’m experiencing an issue with crackling or distorted sound in my stream after mAirList has been running for a day or more. Sometimes it happens after just one day, sometimes after a few days of continuous operation.

At first, I thought it was related to Windows updates (since it sometimes happens right before an update), but it also occurs without any apparent reason.

I’ve already disabled all USB power-saving settings, which used to help when I was running Windows 10 — but I’m now on Windows 11, and the issue persists.

Has anyone experienced something similar or found a reliable fix? Any ideas about what might cause this (driver issue, buffer size, or audio device timeout)?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!

— Marco

I’ve had this before and blamed my sound device for it. (Had it sent to the manufacturer just to learn that there was no issue at all.) The only remedy in my case was providing an new computer.

Maybe you have the opportunity to install mAirList on a different machine for comparison.

Check the Power Save settings of Windows. There is a “High Performance” Option for that.

I remember that issue from other DJ Audio Devices with low latenecy jears ago.

Look at this Screenshot

Thanks for your reply. I’ve changed the setting, so now it’s just a matter of waiting and seeing.

Well I guess setting the Power Saveing mode to High Performance is a very old Mythos and usually should not be necessary any more since Windows 7.

Be aware that this runs the CPU always on it’s highest frequency. So it will drain a lot more power and also produce a lot more heat, that will result in higher fan speed and higher Wear out on the fans itself.

This Mythos does come frome the very early versions of Intel Speedstep technology that was on the first Centrino Generations launched in the year 2003 and followings.

Any System developed 2010 or later should be fine, so if that really helps solving your problem some hardware vendor did some very terrible job on a modern system and it should be fixed under warranty.

I would look into the BIOS settings if there is an option to enable or disable spread spectrum on Peripherals/Bus systems. But there is no definitive rule, I saw systems imrpoving stability and reduce EMI when it’s enabled but I also saw systems imroving stability switching it off.

I’m really curious why this mythos of setting high performance still exist but also if it improves your situation.

I had the same issue, it was caused by an usb remote control unit used for fader start , it made a buffer overload and got crackling and ittermittend sound.

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Great finding, can you remember of which type te USB remote had been?

no sorry, it was some kind of game controller, for what i remember.