Audio crackles and dropouts

Crackles and dropouts usually mean the audio buffer is too small for the current processing load. The Mac ran out of time to compute a block of audio before the interface needed it. Raising the buffer size in audio settings fixes most cases; trade back toward a smaller buffer when you need low latency for recording. The entries below run most common first.

Crackling under load, in any project

Cause: the buffer doesn’t leave enough headroom for what the session asks the Mac to compute.

Fix: raise the buffer size in audio settings. Small buffers mean low latency but less headroom; large buffers mean more headroom but more latency between playing and hearing. Pick by what you’re doing:

• Tracking (recording live input): smaller buffer, fewer plugins running.
• Mixing (no live input): larger buffer, because latency doesn’t matter when you’re not performing.

Crackling in one project only

Cause: one expensive plugin. Some plugins cost far more than others, and a single heavy one can spike past the deadline even when average load looks fine.

Fix: bypass plugins one at a time until the crackling stops. Once you’ve found the heavy one, bounce that track, or save its plugin for mixdown.

Crackling while other apps are busy

Cause: other demanding software is taking processing time the audio needs.

Fix: close other demanding apps: browsers with many tabs, video calls, anything rendering.

Crackling with separate input and output devices

Cause: combining a separate input device and a separate output device is less reliable than one device doing both.

Fix: use one audio interface for both input and output where possible.

Crackling right after sleep or plugging in

Cause: the machine was asleep, or the audio device was just plugged in.

Fix: a quick stop/start of playback re-syncs cleanly.