Symptom
I experience audio distortion, crackling, or drop-outs when using the Komplete Audio 1 / 2 / 6 MK2 on a Windows computer.
Cause
This behavior can be caused by different factors. The troubleshooting steps below list the most common solutions for audio issues with the Komplete Audio 1 / 2 / 6 MK2 on Windows computers.
Solutions
Optimizing Audio Settings
Issues with audio playback may be caused by an inefficient configuration. See this article for more information on how to optimize your Komplete Audio interface settings.
Install the ASIO Driver
For the best audio performance, be sure that you are using the ASIO Driver for your Komplete Audio interface. See this article for full instructions to download and install the ASIO driver for your Komplete Audio 1 / 2 / 6 Mk2.
If you have already installed it, try reinstalling it as per the instructions in the article linked above.
LatencyMon
The LatencyMon application can be used to identify which device, driver, or service is causing audio issues on your system. this article explains how to use LatencyMon to identify and resolve the most common problems.
Verify the USB Devices
Since Komplete Audio interfaces are bus-powered, there are some cases where the audio interface may not be receiving enough power from the USB port. Likewise, if several devices are connected to the same internal USB root hub (e.g. via self-powered USB Hub), then the total demand of these devices may be greater than the amount of shared power that is available.
Try connecting your Komplete Audio interface directly to your computer. Be sure to check using all USB ports available on the computer, as those mounted directly on the motherboard are better suited for your Komplete Audio interface.
Power Settings
Standard consumer-grade computers are generally engineered for the purpose of saving as much energy as possible. However, this is often at the cost of the computer’s overall performance, making it more likely to experience audio dropouts. The following should be tried to rule out unexpected problems that may arise from energy-saving settings.
Click to expand the following sections, to learn more about Power Settings.
1. Power Plan Settings
- Click the Windows start button and type 'Power plan'. Click on the search result 'Edit power plan'.
- Set both Turn off the display and Put the computer to sleep to Never.
- Then click Change advanced power settings. In the Power Options window make sure to adjust the following settings:
Note: Depending on your system, it may not be possible to configure all of the following.
- Hard disk > Turn off hard disk after > Setting (Minutes) = Never
- Sleep > Sleep after > Setting (Minutes) = Never
- USB settings > USB selective suspend setting > Setting = Disabled
- Display > Turn off display after > Setting (Minutes) = Never
- Processor power management > Minimum processor state > Setting = 100%
- Processor power management > Maximum processor state > Setting = 100%
Click Apply and OK to save the settings.
Important Note: Many laptop manufacturers install a proprietary application that takes over the control of the energy settings of the CPU and other computer components. As a result, the energy settings made in the Windows energy options do not become effective. Deactivate any such application and test if the settings described in this section then solve the performance issues you experience.
2. Disable Fast Startup
- Click the Windows start button and type 'Choose a power plan'. Click on the search result to open the 'Power options'.
- Click Choose what the power buttons do.
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Click Change settings that are currently unavailable.
- Click Turn on fast startup (recommended) so that there is no checkmark in the box.
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Click Save changes.
If you are still experiencing audio performance issues with your Komplete Audio interface, please check our Windows Tuning Tips for further troubleshooting steps.