Well, I guess I'm now in the unfortunate few here... Well, maybe a dac would be also suitable? Since all I need is a reliable audio device to play virtual pianos with lower latency and better performance than whatever the computer offers, while at the same time boost my listening experience when listening to music.
PC: MOTU M2 dropping audio
- Thread starter David Lai
- Start date
Well, I guess I'm now in the unfortunate few here... Well, maybe a dac would be also suitable? Since all I need is a reliable audio device to play virtual pianos with lower latency and better performance than whatever the computer offers, while at the same time boost my listening experience when listening to music.
RonOrchComp
Senior Member
In order to get the best USB performance, you have to ensure that the port you plug your MOTU into does not share bandwidth with anything else.
Check your manual for which ports share bandwidth, and which do not.
Well, it is a separate USB C port. That most certainly doesn't share bandwidth, as it only has one such port on my laptop.
Audio Birdi
Active Member
I'd return it / sell it, if they've not updated drivers in months and yourself as well as other people have had similar / the same issues with the drivers, then there's going to be a long wait for them to fix it unfortunately. It's an amazing interface and nothing beats it for the price, so it's a shame that the drivers themselves for Windows are not up to standard of the interface itself :/. I know MOTU have been Mac only in the past I think and Windows driver writing probably isn't their strongest suite unless it's their AVB range, but even that had bad drivers when they finally made them Windows compatible.
OK, I'll talk with my Sweetwater sales engineer to return it -- but I must land on a product that would do similar audio things at low prices, less than $200!
RonOrchComp
Senior Member
And what does that mean? That means it may share bandwidth with something else. Or, maybe not. You can not assume these things; you have to read the manual.
The manual? It is not with me in America and I don't think I can access one. Do they have something online? That I don't know, unfortunately...... Are you saying that if this shares bandwidth with something else, that the first thing to do is to buy a new computer?
VladK
Active Member
USB Power Delivery specification for USB 3.1 (supported by USB-C connectors) does not provide strict requirements on the source output power. There are 4 predefined voltages, but power supplies may support any maximum output power from 0.5 W to 100 W. And I would not expect a laptop to provide high power output.
RonOrchComp
Senior Member
Yes, the manual.
Did you not get one when you bought the unit? If you bought it used, check MOTU's site. They are a reputable company; I find it hard to believe they dont have manuals for their products on their site.
Maybe. You have to find another port that does not share bandwidth, or find another computer. This is why desktops are preferred here.
RonOrchComp
Senior Member
Interesting - so you are saying that maybe the port is lacking power? Possible, I guess.
I have the same question. Also, due to space limitations, I can't use a desktop at this time, plus laptops are easier to travel with. So I hope to keep my current setup.
dcoscina
Senior Member
I’ve experienced the same issues with the M2 on my MacBook Air i7. It did it on Mojave and also Catalina. When I’d be running a modest track in Studio One, it would cut out and I’d have to reset the thing. Also noticed this when using the M2 as the default sound for the system. While I love the design, it’s been a really PITA since it got it last year. So I picked up a UR12 (this is just for my portable rig- I have an Apollo Twin Duo for my larger rig).
have to say the sound is much cleaner and the output is louder too on the UR compared to the M2. But then again Steinberg has always had its own drivers and the UR has been solid (I used to have the first gen UR22).
shame about the MOtU. Again, I love the design and build but it’s just too unstable and craps out at least once per session if not more per day even on general audio demands outside my daw. :(
have to say the sound is much cleaner and the output is louder too on the UR compared to the M2. But then again Steinberg has always had its own drivers and the UR has been solid (I used to have the first gen UR22).
shame about the MOtU. Again, I love the design and build but it’s just too unstable and craps out at least once per session if not more per day even on general audio demands outside my daw. :(
Since a different interface requirement came up, I thought I'd mention that I am super happy with my Behringer U-Phoria UMC202HD.
It's nothing fancy, but it does the job and I get pretty decent latency, down to 64 in some cases.
The control panel works well with screen readers as well. I assume you use Reaper, no issues there either.
It's nothing fancy, but it does the job and I get pretty decent latency, down to 64 in some cases.
The control panel works well with screen readers as well. I assume you use Reaper, no issues there either.
Hello everyone!
First of all, excuse my english, I hope you will understand my point.
So, today I connected M2 to desktop and seems I have the problems as OP had.
I tried to disable USB power management (didn't work), tried to change several USB ports (front and back -- didn't work too), tried their cable and another one (same result).
And seems I've found the solution of this problem (not 100% sure but after approximately 1,5-2 hours of using there was none drops at all).
With their late WIN drivers (dated 17-03-2020) there are drop-outs of audio every 5 minutes. I tried their older driver (dated 21-11-2019) and It did work.
But there is one minus of using this driver -- when watching video in Youtube the sound appears ~0.5 sec after starting video (maybe one of another drivers could fix that problem and still be stable).
Hopefully it helps.
Their drivers changelog:
motu.com
First of all, excuse my english, I hope you will understand my point.
So, today I connected M2 to desktop and seems I have the problems as OP had.
I tried to disable USB power management (didn't work), tried to change several USB ports (front and back -- didn't work too), tried their cable and another one (same result).
And seems I've found the solution of this problem (not 100% sure but after approximately 1,5-2 hours of using there was none drops at all).
With their late WIN drivers (dated 17-03-2020) there are drop-outs of audio every 5 minutes. I tried their older driver (dated 21-11-2019) and It did work.
But there is one minus of using this driver -- when watching video in Youtube the sound appears ~0.5 sec after starting video (maybe one of another drivers could fix that problem and still be stable).
Hopefully it helps.
Their drivers changelog:
Download | MOTU.com
motu.com
I tried different cables and different USB ports. My most powerful is A USB type C port, but all with the same result. I've since moved on to a FocusRite 4I4 3rd gen and it does all I want beautifully.
Focusrite 4i4 is good , I love Focusrite too ( but mine is Focusrite 2i2 , have no loopback function :( , but if you want to evaluate bit depth 32bit on Motu compared with focusrite 24 bit, it is better to solve the problem ....... or you can give it to me , ha haI tried different cables and different USB ports. My most powerful is A USB type C port, but all with the same result. I've since moved on to a FocusRite 4I4 3rd gen and it does all I want beautifully.
Well, I only deal with 24-bit audio files (some hi-res 24-bit flac files), so the FocusRite does the job. A bit more than what I wanted to pay, but hey -- it gets it all done and has loopback, so I'm a happy camper now.Focusrite 4i4 is good , I love Focusrite too ( but mine is Focusrite 2i2 , have no loopback function :( , but if you want to evaluate bit depth 32bit on Motu compared with focusrite 24 bit, it is better to solve the problem ....... or you can give it to me , ha ha
Whiteboyrolly
New Member
Just install oldest driver , i solved this.
