So for the first time since I got my new Macbook Pro (Late 2008 model) I went to hook up Serato and all the sound comes out distorted.

Everything is hooked up the same, nothing has changed. Normally I would plug in the USB and be good to go. Now the only sound that's coming out is really distorted.

I have Auto gain on. I even tested to see if something was wrong with my speakers but it still sounds distorted on other speakers. I even switched USB ports.

I've tried everything but nothing seems to work. It boggles the mind.

Is there some type of known incompatibility with the new Macbook Pros? I need help fast because I have a gig this weekend.

The line is even set to PHONO in Serato like it normally is. It should sound fine but it doesn't! Please help

I updated the software and that seemed to do the trick.

Very strange.

updated which software ? serato or osx ? that's curious

Interesting, what OS / Scratch LIVE version are you currently running now?

Hi guys, I am currently having the same problem with only one of my turntables. I have even tried several different needles that are in good working order. The sound comes out but sounds very garbled. What do you recommend? I am using tiger operating system and have the most current version of scratch live.

Hi Steven,

Can you open your own thread please? - that way we can help you bettter by tracking your discussion. Your issue sounds slightly different.(click here to open a new thread: scratchlive.net )
Cheers

Nick

I've posted same problem, NO updates have fixed this problem for me. Its a major glitch I hope the Serato team and/or Apple is working on as I cannot perform using the new Macbook Pro until its fixed. I have the identical setup with my old Macbook Pro and no problems. I'm sure it has to do with new USB chipset Apple is using...

here is the detailed thread:

scratchlive.net

lets help the Serato team solve this problem!

illuminaty - what software did you update? I am having same problem but I have all updated software (latest OSX and Serato), everything...

I updated my Serato to 1.8.2, it was previously at 1.8.1

It seemed to stopping distorting after I updated. However I haven't had much time to continue using it.

Some people reported it gets better or worse as time goes on. Hopefully I'll have time today to see if this is true.

I have not updated my OSX software because it's brand new, so I had no reason to. The only thing I updated was the Serato software and it seemed to work fine right after I did this. I'll let you know later today if the problem has been fixed.

Either way something must be done. I have a gig this weekend and would hate to experience this then.

I wonder if this is just a "pro" issue, i have the new macbook, $1600 model, and have used it 6-7 times already with no issues, kinda sux in a way because i would love to try and troubleshoot this with u guys

Everybody.. MAYBE my notebook is going to sleep, and then coming back on and this is part of the cause?

I wish I could test... maybe I'll load serato, put to sleep and see if when it wakes it is more distorted..

a good test!

Ok, i tested that. not the problem, I can go in/out of sleep and it sounds ok at first.

The best way to reproduce the problem is to leave the Macbook Pro playing serato for like 8 hours. or play for 5 hours, leave it all connected, then come back and play it later.

It seems to happen most after heavy use or when Serato has been on > 4 hours (even with wifi and no other programs loaded).

never had problem with previous Macbook Pro

I usually leave this computer plugged into the mixer lately and only for Serato, so this is why I encounter the problem so often especially when playing for 4-8 hour sessions.

It's definitely not the sleep problem. When I experienced this Serato was not running nor did my computer go to sleep.

I had been using my computer for a few hours but Serato was not running.

I still haven't had a chance to try it out again so I'm not completely sure if the problem is gone or not. It seemed to disappear immediately after the new version of Serato was installed.

Try updating your software while inside of Serato where it says "check for updates". This is what I did and it seemed to work like magic.

Or if you seem to encounter the problem try restarting Serato. My serato restarted automatically after the update so this may of been why it stopped.

Hopefully I'll have a chance to test it out some more today.

Any updates if trying it out again Illuminatty? i'm going to record the problem tonight and post the audio i hear here

I have noticed that dirty needles (If using TTs) really messes with your sound quality. A little dust makes some odd noises.

I tested it yesterday for over an hour and no distortion whatsoever. Like I said, after updating Serato it seemed to disappear. Let's just hope it doesn't come back.

RRollergod: Dirty needles and dust couldn't even come close to making these distorted noises. It sounded like I was running Serato through a guitar amp with distortion and gain turned all the way up.

We have one of the new ones here now. I left it running all day yesterday and there were no problems with it. We'll keep on trying...

That's probably because you have the latest version of Serato already installed. I had the previous version

I have same problem with my new macbook pro ... i have disabled airport and bluetooth but no effect ... i have setup with different configuration but no effect ... another solutions ?

I'm using CDjs, i recorded what its like.

WOW, this is not good, for the first time ever it started distorting right away AFTER a reboot! usually it takes hours... i recorded it..

very scary, I'm going on tour soon in South America and it looks like I have to xfer everything to old Macbook :(

hardbreaker, can you easily reproduce this? if so, what are the steps you did so the serato team can try the same steps

Val, can u post the recording?

Yes i reproduce the problem systematically ... basicaly i connect serato to macbook on, and start SL, select track on palylist, on strat playing with LP control .. But the sound is cracking and very distorted ...

Do not hesitate to contact me to identify bug and test to resolve.

Here is what my problem sounds like!

www.v-moda.com

not so pretty...

Exactly the same ...

Have you tried both USB ports?

Do you have any other USB devices connected to your Mac?

Do you have any other applications running besides SSL?

1) yes tried both USB ports, has problem in both
2) no
3) no

THE ONLY thing I can think of is that I migrated my old macbook pro settings to the new one, but I cannot possibly see how this bug would be caused by that. I really think its a USB audio problem, or perhaps there are different versions of the Serato box? Or maybe everybody with new Macbook Pros would have same problem if it plays for a long time. Remember the problem usually doesnt show up for 3-6 hours of the computer having Serato loaded.

-val

NickM, do you guys have a macbook, or macbook pro in house to test, It seems that most people with this issue have a pro, Again, I have a Macbook and cannot reproduce this, I have left it running over night and still sounds good, I have used the macbook on about 7 5 hour jobs already and it was flawless, on both ports.

Im running this with a ttm57, what are you guys that are having the issue with using?

here may be some good questions we should all be answering

Having issue using:
1. Sl1, ttm57 or happens with both
2. Late 2008 Macbook or macbook pro
3. Don't know if this matters but Phono or line (tt's or cd players)
4. any other audio programs opened like Itunes, audacity, etc...
5. what version of ssl
6. did you upgrade to that version or you only had 1 version on the mac
7. usb buffer setting, maybe the lowest settings are affecting this vs higher settings

1) SL1, i actually have a TTM57 but havent tried as Im using Pioneer at gigs now
2) absolute newest Macbook Pro that just came out top of the line every option, I have the previous top of the line Macbook Pro configured IDENTICALLY and had 0 problems with Serato
3) Line (cd), but doesnt matter because when using INTernal mode it does same
4) nope
5) latest, 1.8.2
6) upgrade, 1.8
7) 11 is USB latency setting (SHOULD I TRY HIGHER OR LOWER?) dont think it'll matter

THE ONLY thing I can think of, is sometimes i plugin my iPhone and take it out to charge it to the other USB but I dont think it matters. I'll be sure to make sure not to do this and see if it effects it. I don't think this is it, however as it happened yesterday RIGHT after a fresh reboot, it usually takes a few hours to show up...

-val

Here is my settings :

macbook pro 2008
2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB 1066Mz DDR3 SDRM-2x2GB
320GB Serial ATA @ 7200
SuperDrive 8X DL
Serato 1.8.2
Mac OS X v10.5.4 Leopard

Serato used with LP and mix without MIDI. Result is the same as Val

I have test with two USB port without positive result
I have test with modifing latency in SERATO
I have test with airport desactivate
I have test with bluetooth desactivate
I have test with battery and with power supply plugged

No result.

Please to help diagnose the problem can you post your tests and Setting ?

Thats weird, I thought all new macbooks had 10.5.5 on them, did u try upgrading to .5 yet, not that that will fix it most likely being that other users with .5 have this issue too

My settings are as follows, again, i can't duplicate this issue,
1. Sl1, ttm57 or happens with both - BOTH TESTED
2. Late 2008 Macbook or macbook pro - MACBOOK $1599 MODEL
3. Don't know if this matters but Phono or line (tt's or cd players) - BOTH TESTED
4. any other audio programs opened like Itunes, audacity, etc... - TESTED ONCE WITH AUDACITY OPEN AND ONCE WITH JUST SSL
5. what version of ssl - 1.8.2
6. did you upgrade to that version or you only had 1 version on the mac - NO UPGRADE, 1.8.2 IS THE ONLY VER EVER ON THIS MAC
7. usb buffer setting, maybe the lowest settings are affecting this vs higher settings - BUFFER AT 5

I wonder what can be differeent between the macbook and macbook pro that would cause this issue?

All of my music is internal, are you guys using externals? firewire or usb?

internal... well Im sure the Macbook Pro uses a few different chips, the Nvidia for one I think for graphix...

:(

im having the same issues with my new macbook pro

another "Pro" added to the list, I really think we need to check the difference between a macbook and the pro that may cause this issue, the only thing I can see that is different really is the video,

is anyone with a Pro not having this problem?

hello
no news about this defect?
I will receive my Serato tomorrow
I give you my views with my Macbook Pro @2.4ghz

I'm very worried

We haven't been able to reproduce this so far on a new Macbook Pro. Stay tuned we are still trying!

I have the same probleme, i just bought new macbook pro and have this distorted sound. It's really annoying, i have upcoming shows and i'm getting worried...

thank you for helping!

I have the same problem, i just bought new macbook pro and have this distorted sound. It's really annoying, i have upcoming shows and i'm getting worried...

thank you for helping!

The only thing I can come up with is that the new late 2008 MacBooks and MacBook Pros have a different USB controller. They both use a NVIDIA 9400M as a base graphics chip and the Northbridge of the chipset. The page below at iFixIt states they found a Cypress CY7C638 USB controller during their MacBook teardown. The same chip isn't mentioned in their Pro teardown.

www.ifixit.com

They both use the same Cypress Programmable System-on-Chip part though.

It would be helpful is someone had both machines and could rip them apart to do a chip by chip comparison -OR- if someone had a utility that could report the exact components used on the machines (rather than System Profiler's descriptions of "Apple USB" which is useless) -OR- if someone had another type of USB soundcard other than an SL1 or TTM57 that they're having the same issue with like an M-Audio Fast Track Pro or an Edirol UA-101.

Two other things for those of you with new Pros:

1. Does this happen when using the integrated graphics (9400M), discrete graphics (9600GT) or both?
2. Has anyone tried running SL on Windows XP or Vista in Boot Camp (not Parallels or Fusion) to see if the problem disappears?

I am having the same problem... I will make another thread.

My spec are thus:

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.8 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
______________________________________________
Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9400M
Type: Display
Bus: PCI
VRAM (Total): 256 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0863
Revision ID: 0x00b1
ROM Revision: 3327
gMux Version: 1.7.3
Displays:
Color LCD:
Resolution: 1440 x 900
Depth: 32-bit Color
Core Image: Hardware Accelerated
Main Display: Yes
Mirror: Off
Online: Yes
Quartz Extreme: Supported
Built-In: Yes
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected
____________________________________________
NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT:

Chipset Model: NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
Type: Display
Bus: PCIe
PCIe Lane Width: x16
VRAM (Total): 512 MB
Vendor: NVIDIA (0x10de)
Device ID: 0x0647
Revision ID: 0x00a1
ROM Revision: 3327
gMux Version: 1.7.3
Displays:
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected
Display Connector:
Status: No display connected

All of my music is internal, i copied my setting over from my last computer & my problem sounds the same as the clip by Val Kolton ^^

did you try switching to the other vid chip

you guys should all try to change to the 9600m chip to see if it makes a difference for some strange reason

does the off line player distort?

in this thread the user mentions that the offline player sounds fine so it has to be in the usb driver

scratchlive.net

Switching vid cards does nothing.

you cant switch video cards on a notebook? but i have tried with/without 3d and doesnt matter.

this is so frustrating, I cant use a Macbook Pro notebook now for gigs :(

I pray everyday they can solve this...

well,,, chips in the pro, they have the following 2 chips.

NVIDIA GeForce 9400M and
9600M GT

so if you are on the 9400 now with distortion, switch to the 9600 and vice versa although infiniteloop said it does nothing so you don't have to try now

Yes, you can switch the cards... I have found out how to do it and it has been tried :)

it has to be the USB chipset in the new Macbook Pros.

Any luck Nick, Serato staff on recreating the problem? Do you think we should report the problem to Apple too???

Also of note, maybe different SL1's behave different based on build date. Mine says 10-07 near the serial #. I'm assuming thats the month-year of it being built.

my serial # is 21 00564767

Hi ! I have create a same thread in the french board ... we have test in different configuration and i would like to share with you !! Ok now the problem is identify only on the new macbook @ 2.8ghz (2.4 ghz don't have the distorded issue).
I'll post later if we move on the problem

I just wanted to ad in to the discussion that Im having the same issue on a 2,0Ghz MacBook with 4Gb of RAM. Its also the new unibody mac.

is it aftermarket ram? some people are complaining to that they upgrade the ram from 2 to 4 gb and the performance is horrible, something with faulty slots or some crap, google it, lol

No luck so far really. We are trying to get a hold of another new mac in the next couple of days - it looks like not all are having this problem so we are going to have to do a bit of trial and error here. Thanks for your patience everyone!

Nah, its the RAM available directly from apple. I bought it with 4Gb of ram.
Just to let you know its not only the Pro models that are effected.

thats good and bad that it is not only the pro models, maybe it will be easy to nail down soon. I can't even imagine what it could be, I have the macbook, used it A LOT with ssl and vsl and have no issues

...And I thought Macs were untouchable?!? :) J/k I don't know much about macs but anyone look into upgrading the firmware of the chipset if possible? ...If indeed it is the chipset

there kinda untouchable, lol. It sucks because apple updates the machines and changes stuff like the chipset to make them better and then stuff like this happens with 3rd party software and hardware


theres no updates for the new MB and MBP that would affect the chipset yet

Okay I was having the same problem. I just bought a Macbook Pro 2008 and DJ'd this past Sunday and could not figure out why I was getting distorted audio. I thought it was the cables I was using. I used to Time Machine to back up all my music. I restored it all on to the new MBP and after reading this forum I decided to update the Serato Software again. I had already updated on previous MBP and used time machine to restore on my new MBP. So I updated the Software again to the latest version and it has seemed to do the trick. I have been playing music through Serato and have had no problems after the second update to the same version. Give it a try and see if this helps any of you. Thanks.

DJ Skiy - this COULD be it. when I bought my new macbook pro, I had my old macbook pro backed up on time machine and i restored it to the new macbook pro.

I recently had an issue with the VPN client software, that i had to reinstall to get it to work.

Maybe the trick is to reinstall serato application from scratch!

trying now, cross fingers!

EVERYBODY ELSE WITH DISTORTION - was your computer restored using time machine?


-val

That makes sense too being that my install was a brand new one on a new macbook. No upgrades on mine and I have no issues

I installed SSL from scratch on my brand new MacBook, did not restore anything with timemachine or alike.
Still have the problem after a couple of hours of uptime on the MacBook.

It works at home i guess since I only have to reboot the computer to get it to a normal sound again. But i cant really use this for gigs atm.

Ziqo, did you try running any updates to fix it or to update your sound drivers?

not sure how you would updte sound drivers on a mac though.

most likely any changes done to audio would be all built into the release like 10.5.4, .5, .6 etc.....

ahh damn See I don't know anything about Macs, so that sucks. I guess Macs and Wondows both have their faults. I did hear that you can run XP/Vista on a mac. I forget what program it was, but I read about it on techrepublic.com.

yes you can,

Hey guys thats another idea, did anyone try running serato on xp via boot camp to see if the problem happens, that would narrow it down to a driver or chip issue

brichi - I wish i had the time, but unfortunately i dont right now... I did reinstall serato, so let me check it out if that fixed my issue but I am somehow doubtful.

Im thinking of buying XP only for this reason, but it seems like alot of cash to possibly throw away on nothing.

You can get alot of tracks for those bucks :)

I think im going to do the bootcamp regardless now just in case, I have licenses at my office. but should I do vista or XP??? does audio still have probs with latest vista updates?

I would go XP if you can. Sorry for the lack of updates on out part. We are still very much looking at this closely.

Very interested to see if bootcamp / xp fixes this though...

So I reinstalled Serato, and same problem.

Major gigs and travelling coming up in 2 weeks, any way we may see a solution by then? It's going to be a pain to transfer songs and library etc

Val Koltron, try doing a fresh OSX install.

akiem - why do you think this will help, since mine was restored from time machine? I believe others in here are having same problem. I would try anything at this point, but as you know its time consuming!

Fresh install is often prescribed for xyz problems. But it seams that re-installing software has helped some people. Just reading through the thread Im wondering if the people without problems started fresh, not using time machine.

If you do a completely fresh install of the OS, then SSL, add a several mp3s then test, you eliminate several possibilities.

What Im asking, is are people having this problem out of the box, installing nothing but SSL?

Yes, I have this problem without restoring anything with time machine.
Fresh install of OSX and then serato on that, but still the same problem.

Have anyone had the time to test this in BootCamp yet? I dont want to buy a licence for XP if it doesnt help...

I had the same problem last night. I did not have it during testing at home, then right from the get-go at a gig. Rebooted, then no problem. SSL ran about 5 hours with no issues.

New MacBook Pro
2.53 GHz
4 GB RAM
SSL 1.8.2

neuron132- did you use time machine to restore, or fresh install when it was new?

has anyone tried using an expresscard usb add-on card?

First time Mac user, so I ran OS X 10.5.5 out of the box.

maybe this is the solution? Would some guys from Serato try this and tell us if it works and if we can buy it as well??

I bought the new Macbook Pro, everything was brand new, no installs. I installed the newest most up to date serato (a few weeks ago) and i've been having problems since, with distorted output.
Serato outputs fine in solo mode w/o physical serato, but once it goes live and it's hooked up to the vinyl it falters with mega distortion. I've tried it on multiple systems and it does not work.
Here are specs:

System Software Overview:

System Version: Mac OS X 10.5.5 (9F2114)
Kernel Version: Darwin 9.5.1
Boot Volume: Macintosh HD
Boot Mode: Normal
Computer Name: oprstu’s MacBook Pro
User Name: oprstu (oprstu)
Time since boot: 9 days 19:46

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MBP51.0073.B02

Intel High Definition Audio:

Device ID: 0x10DECB79
Audio ID: 64
Available Devices:
Headphone:
Connection: Combo
Line In:
Connection: Combo
Speaker:
Connection: Internal
Microphone:
Connection: Internal
Microphone:
Connection: 1/8 inch Jack
S/P-DIF Out:
Connection: Combo
S/P-DIF In:
Connection: Combo

USB Bus:

Host Controller Location: Built In USB
Host Controller Driver: AppleUSBOHCI
PCI Device ID: 0x0aa7
PCI Revision ID: 0x00b1
PCI Vendor ID: 0x10de
Bus Number: 0x06

BCM2045B2:

Product ID: 0x4500
Vendor ID: 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.)
Version: 1.00
Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: Broadcom
Location ID: 0x06100000
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 0

Bluetooth USB Host Controller:

Product ID: 0x8213
Vendor ID: 0x05ac (Apple Inc.)
Version: 0.07
Serial Number: 00236C9C94AD
Speed: Up to 12 Mb/sec
Manufacturer: Apple, Inc.
Location ID: 0x06110000
Current Available (mA): 500
Current Required (mA): 0

From my experience a Fresh installs doesn't work.
How do i do a complete uninstall?

Perhaps it's relevant that I was using MIDI rather than vinyl for playback control. Has anyone been able to reproduce the problem in both internal and external modes?

I have the same issue on my new Macbook (not the pro). Fresh OS X install on a new HD. Tried both USB ports and restarting ScratchLIVE. The updated version of ITCH works okay though. As mentioned before, the offline player plays fine, but the output from the SL1 is distorted.

2.4 GHz Macbook
4 GB of RAM
Music all on internal drive
OS X 10.5.5 with all needed updates as of 12/1/08

Just out of curiosity, I hooked up my M Audio Fast Track Pro to the USB port and played audio through the USB output and it sounds fine. If anyone else can think of something to test using this device, let me know and I'll give it a shot.

Audio is fine after a reboot... this is interesting. I seldom reboot my machine. Usually I just close the lid instead of shutting it down. I *did* have SSL open for a while earlier today and later this evening I connected the SL1 and got the glitch. I'll give it a go for a while to see how it acts after it's running for a while.

Internal and external modes both effected with or without MIDI controllers. But NOT offline mode internal macbook audio works fine always. only distorted audio through the USB-SL1

I really hope Serato can AT LEAST recreate the problem we are plagued with. Macbooks are probably a big part of the users.

This may be a long shot, but I think the best way to re-create the error is to run ScratchLIVE connected with the SL1, disconnect the SL1 and leave ScratchLIVE open, leave it disconnected for a while and run some apps to utilize any resources (especially anything that can eat up free memory), then re-connect the SL1 (preferrably with little free memory available -- the green chunk of the pie chart in Activity Monitor), load a song and play it.

A reboot definitely clears things up, but there was one point where I noticed it slightly when I was starting up a virtual machine in VMware Fusion while playing a song in SSL. I had just rebooted the machine, SSL was playing just fine; I opened Fusion, started up my VM and I could hear a similar glitch to the constant one while it was loading. This VM has 1 GB of RAM allocated to it and my machine has a total of 4 GB. I tried to suck up more of the available resources while spinning (and I did), but I didn't get any dropouts or distortion (pretty impressive, actually).

So, my current guess is that in order to properly replicate the issue, time and resources may be a factor? Possibly power management could play a role in this?? I dunno...

Does this distortion happen when the SL1 is powered with external power (not USB)? Leading on from that, is anyone getting distortion with a 57, because that doesn't get powered from USB.

Val Kolton has a 57. I he has not said if he had problems with it yet, only the SL1.

Yes, it does. My SL1 has been plugged in for a few days (even during testing).

Today when I got home (after my machine being on for a while - same as yesterday), I got distortion. However, I forgot the XP Virtual Machine was running in the background (it is allocated 1 GB of my 4 GB of RAM and *can* be a resource hog at times). I shut down my laptop later on and came back to the SL1 and it worked fine (SL1 plugged in... and after the reboot).

Deeznotes - I agree thats best way to replicate the problem. UNplugging it, having serato running, plugging back in.

HOWEVER I have had it distort right away a couple times right off the bat, but not often.

I havent been using or tried my 57, only the SL1 since Im using Pioneer DJM-800 mixer on tour

Update: I haven't rebooted since yesterday and the machine has been in and out of sleep mode (lid closed). I ran my VM earlier this morning for a short period of time and then shut it down. Later today, I opened SSL to see how it would do and it worked fine. Nothing else was running at the time (or even before I put it to sleep earlier today).

It still leads me to believe the available resources play a role in this, but I'm no software engineer... so... yeah.

Hi Everyone,

We have this issue logged with Apple, and they've come back to us with a couple of questions about it but we don't have a machine that can reproduce the problem, so this is a call out to anyone who has this specific problem with one of the new Aluminium Macbook or Macbook Pro machines:

- Can you please upload your system details (follow the steps below) here: scratchlive.net

To get the right kind of format for your system details, select "About This Mac" from the Apple menu. Click "More Info...", then go to the File menu in System Profiler and select "Save As...". Make sure the file format is set to "System Profiler 4.0 (XML)", then Save the file and upload it.

- Can anybody reproduce this issue with any other type of external (USB) soundcard? Connect the soundcard, and using any playback application other than Scratch LIVE, play sound through it either by selecting it as the output device from your application, or by selecting it as the output device for the whole system (from the System Preferences >> Sound panel). A good test would be to wait until you see the problem with Scratch LIVE, then quit out of Scratch LIVE (without restarting your machine) and swap your SL 1 or TTM 57SL for the other soundcard. Please let us know if you experience the same problem with the alternate USB soundcard

- One last question for people experiencing this annoying problem who haven't already posted this info - how much RAM is installed in your machine? 2Gb? 4Gb? It looks like most of you have 4Gb, so we're extra keen to hear from anyone who has this problem with only 2Gb of RAM.

Thanks for your patience as we work through this issue, we understand how frustrating it can be dealing with a brand new product that doesn't work 100%, and we'll do our absolute best to get a workaround, or a fix from Apple out to you all as soon as possible.

One important thing about the System Profiler output - Apple have requested that you run the Profiler and save the output at a time when the problem is actually happening, so they can check through the system logs and see if there are any errors there...

THIS IS VERY INTERESTING...

today for the first time it happened ONLY on the right deck! its happening right now.

so so so strange...

I'm uploading profile now like this, any other things i should try as its happening like this?!

this is very very interesting now! it proves its software not USB hardware

More breaking and VERY INTERESTING news on the ONE DECK distortion that happened today -

1) ok, the SL1 Serato box was ONLY distorting in right deck. The left deck with same song played fine (tried instant doubles, many songs, etc) it was always the right deck distorted. Same distortion sound as normal.

2) unplugged the SL1, and plugged in the 57 Mixer (that I rarely use). Low and behold, the RIGHT DECK is not distorted! left deck is fine still. but wait, there is a SLIGHT distortion it seems in the right deck. but not near as bad as before. I play a bunch of songs, I hear only a slight distortion, but its not very noticable and isnt there all the time (im using internal mode now).

3) I plug BACK in the SL1. what do I hear, same thing as #2! the right deck ISNT AS DISTORTED as it was in scenerio #1. its still slightly distorted, but not too bad. This is puzzling, as every other time the distortion has been in both decks, as well as when I plug/unplug the SL1 it sounds the same and requires a reboot.

4) I saved the XML file of the system as it is

I'm pretty tired now, so I'll leave the computer on as is, maybe this will help the Apple/Serato team it definitely seems to be software related to the USB/Audio driver.

I have the brand new macbook pro with 4gb ram and have been having the same issue. It is not very often, but it does randomly pop-up. Every time this has happened it is when I first boot serato. It has never randomly got distortion in the middle of a set. If I do boot up and get distortion I just restart my laptop and then it works normally again. The problem is super scary and I hope you guys are coming close to a resolution. Next time it happens I will be sure to record everything and send it in to you.

hey guys, I noticed a new firmware update for the usb ports tonight in my system updates, you guys should try it out, maybe it will help

Updated this morning (and that other update to fix the battery charge light this afternoon)... problem still exists.

weirdd...i dont have this problem...
I have a macbook pro 2.4ghz, 250GB HDD, 2GB RAM, music on internal drive & OSX 10.5.5
then again, i only practised for 30mins...i'll try n practice longer and see if anything happens.

If you're trying to reproduce this problem, straight DJing will not make it happen. Once you reboot or start up the machine from a shut down state, SSL will work.

In my experiences, I rarely reboot my machine. I usually just close the lid and let it sleep. During the day, I'm editing tags and doing a bunch of other tasks in various programs starting early in the AM. Over the course of the day, this continues (so my guess is that you have to actually USE the laptop instead of letting it just sit). Build some overviews or something to make the CPU do some real "work" instead of sitting idle. By the time I get home in the evening and connect my SL1 or 57, its distorted. Since I can open/close SSL with the same problem I don't think it matters if SSL is running during the day when I'm doing misc. tasks, but if you're trying to reproduce it, leave the app open just in case. And like I said, make the computer "work" don't let it just sit idle.

Hi Guys,

Within the Video-SL area, one of our users (jjacinto) posted a way to "switch" between which video cards/drivers OSX is using (see below).

After switching to the 9600M GT, users are reporting better performance with Video-SL and SSL.



Perhaps switching the video cards/driver will help resolve the distortion issues. What do you think?

Could the audio distortion problem be related to the Energy Saver Performance settings?

i had suggested that too, i think in 1 of the other threads, a user tried it and still had distortion

Dang, thought I was on to something :(

lol,,, me too

plus it happens on some macbooks (not the pros) that dont even have the 2 video cards

I have this same problem with a regular Macbook. Someone suggested in another thread that I can't find right now that it has something to do with the RAM. And I have noticed that everyone in this thread who is having issues has 4GB RAM, as do I. My DJ partner and I bought the same computer (IDed below), we both run SSL, mine goes berserk and has screwed up a couple of my gigs, his has been fine. The only difference? He has 2GB RAM.

The problem has been totally sporadic. My tracks will sound fine for an extended period of time, mixing, scratching, whatever. And as a rule, whenever the program starts out sounding fine, it continues to sound fine the whole time that I'm playing. If it opened running normal it's only when I step away and come back (always leaving the program on) that issues will occur. But today (AWFUL AWFUL TIMING--biggest gig of the year) it opened distorted. I plugged in and unplugged my box a bunch of times, each time something would change--distortion would decrease, change sides, go to both, but it never went away entirely.

Nothing new here, just saying it's happening in regular Macbooks too.

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook
Model Identifier: MacBook5,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 4 GB
Bus Speed: 1.07 GHz
Boot ROM Version: MB51.0073.B06
SMC Version: 1.32f6
Serial Number: W8843BQK1AX
Sudden Motion Sensor:
State: Enabled

Perhaps someone can try removing ram and see if it has any affect?

I can try removing a stick, but this would be one 2 GB stick instead of (2) 1 GB sticks. I did read that there is an issue with the new macs and 4 GB of RAM, however what I read seemed to be related to bigger issues such as the OS freezing and/or crashing.

There is a debate as to the brand/origin of the RAM being used, but some people have confirmed that booting to Windows seems to run fine where OS X has specific issues which are only cleared up by downgrading to 2 GB of RAM. Personally, my mac was upgraded with the RAM used by the Apple store. They did it in-store and ran the memory test before issuing it to me. It has also been noted that memory tests show no signs of "issues" with the installed RAM... thus pointing back to the OS... again.

Are there any users with 2 GB of RAM that have the distortion issue? If not, that could possibly narrow things down a bit.

Here is a thread about the 4 GB issue: www.jkontherun.com

I had a new experience on this issue tonight. I had only had the distortion issue once, and rebooting solved it. Tonight, my client brought an unopened CD they wanted me to play a song from. Itunes opened automatically (I'd like to know how to turn that feature off). I started to rip the track so I could keep a copy. Distortion. Rebooting solved the issue.

Now I wonder how many people having this issue have the SSL library set to read the Itunes library (I don't). Is this issue related to Itunes?

I do have 4 GB RAM on a new MacBook Pro, 2.53 GHz, using outboard GPU.

So are you saying you had SSL running and while it was running you ripped a CD using iTunes which cased the distortion to start and rebooting fixed it?

Exactamundo.

Open up system prefs, click on cd/dvd and change the prefs around to "ignore"

honestly....im starting to think that its a problem with the RAM...cause i got a new macbook pro, but with only 2GB of ram, and one of my other friends also has the same exact one that i do...and we don'