Popping!!!

Almost every damn time I have one sample cut off another, even if it's the same sample in 16 levels mode, there is a small pop at the beginning of each sound. I've tried messing with all settings of attack and decay. There seems to be no consistency of when it occurs either. 4 bar loop on repeat, sometimes it happens in bar 3, sometimes in bar 2 only, etc. This is completely unacceptable. I've been trying to give the Ren chance after chance, but crap like this keeps coming up. I'm familiar with a little bit of annoying digital popping happening on the 2500, and more in the 5000, but this it happens so much on the Ren that I think I might have to stop using this thing. Anyone have any suggestions? Again, I am very familiar with attack/decay, mute groups, poly/mono, and all those things. I've experimented with different settings over and over...Seems hopeless at this point...

thats happened to me last night .. but it was the whole beat .. i think it was the porn lol . i restarted my comp .. its better now

Asio settings??
All on the highest settings???

Running a macbook pro so i don't see any asio settings in my prefs.

are you using the mpc ren as your main audio for both input and output? i feel like i remember people reporting problems like this when they were using two different things for input and output

i feel you brother. same boat.

i sold my 500 and im pissed about it sorta because the samping was immaculate.

the flowers ren has issues up the ahss sampling vinyl for me at least. cracking digital noise comes and goes when listening to the vinyl through the mpc, and when i do chop samples i get the popping youre talking about at the beginning and end sometimes of the samples. have to mess with the attack and decay and its just retarded to be straight.

its funny, you can hear it in other peoples beat too but they just leave it in. started from the bottom for example. listen to the beginning chops of that song right when it starts lol. same shiit.

thanks alot akai.

clearly they arent going to do anything about that issue.

I found this on the Akai community forum. Looks like we're not alone in our annoyances with this. Check out this novel on the topic…



What's up good people. I have been using Akai MPCs since the 3000. Since then I've owned a couple 2000XL's, a 2500, 4000, and 5000. I am now working quite a bit on the Ren.

I am an engineer, producer, and beatmaker who has worked on countless hip-hop records- many of which are well known and considered to be classics- from the "Golden Era" all the way up through today. I don't do as much studio work as I used to, so in recent years I have also become a branch manager at Guitar Center.

I only mention my background info to stress to you that I am very well-connected from my experiences in the music and music gear industry in the past 25 years. So you can trust me when I say the problem I am about to speak on is a widely discussed issue with almost all folks I've spoken with about the Ren...

These small, slight, digital pops at the beginnings and ends of samples are getting to be a pain to the point where I am seriously considering giving up on the Ren entirely! Any time I have pads cutting each other off, even if it is the exact same pad in 16 levels mode, I get these little tiny pops where one sample meets another. I will mess with the attack/decay, plus the starting and end points of the samples for literally hours on end, and I am unable to eliminate all of these little pops. They will even happen at inconsistent times. Say I have a 4 bar loop going. The pop may happen at the end of bar 2, then the next time at the beginning of bar 4. Then next time at the beginning of bar 1. And so on. It is absolutely ridiculous!

I've know plenty of others who have returned their Rens and instead gotten NI Maschines for this very reason. For this problem to exist is a complete joke, and I can assure you I am not alone in this complaint.

Going back several years, these pops would happen a little bit on the 2000XL, but mainly only when the polyphony within the sequence was being taxed with too many sounds going at once. The 2500 was worse. Little pops started existing at the end of almost every sample, and you would really have to mess with the decay to eliminate them. The 5000 was worse still, with pops happening more randomly at the beginnings and ends of samples, and "59" being the magic decay number glitch to eliminate a lot of them.

But my oh my has the Ren taken this problem to another level! You can barely do anything without getting these little pops, and most of them are simply un-fixable!!!

So as a veteran of the hip-hop production community who is now firmly ingrained in the equipment sales game, I suggest that you guys figure something out to fix this issue. Because I know speak for many when I say "Streets is Talking"...and if this problem continues, the future is not looking bright for you guys. Take it from me. This issue is unacceptable.

Mac guys should invest in a micro form PC or laptop for back up if you plan on using the REN for awhile. At least you will have a backup until INBRANDNUKAI catches up with the MAC changes when they occur. You shouldn't have too much problems running Windows 7 as a back up for MPC software. Windows 8 is a toss up since its new and always changing.

Louie lou wrote:Windows 8 is a toss up since its new and always changing.

... which lacks most CoreAudio features used in my current setup like IAC, aggregate devices and not to mention Soundflower. I wouldn't want to work without these features, although the low prices of Windows systems are a definately on the plus side. Unfortunately, ASIO and Direct Audio are no alternatives so far, but that's just my personal opinion.

EDIT: I couldn't co-operate with users of different systems like a PC properly right now, without having to refrain from using my most beloved synths at the same time, a fact that rules out Windows systems as a whole for the time being, just by using network MIDI. Pity, though. I'll stick to OSX 10.7 for now on my iMac using the Ren's interface, on my 10.9 Macbook Pro I'll have to stick to software synths, but that's cool, too.

to be honest, for hte longest time i thought i was the only one experiencing this issue..

the issue is pretty ridiculous

i bet nothing in further updates will fix the issue too lol. just over looked and some stupid pointless features added instead.

thanks akai

LarryB wrote:the flowers ren has issues up the ahss sampling vinyl for me at least. cracking digital noise comes and goes when listening to the vinyl through the mpc, and when i do chop samples i get the popping youre talking about at the beginning and end sometimes of the samples.

Is your Renaissance set to be both the input and output device?

If you are plugging your turntable directly into the Renaissance phono inputs, do you have a DJ mixer or phono preamp, that you could use instead, to feed the Renaissance Mic/Line inputs? Just in case it works better through the Mic/Line inputs instead of the phono inputs?

Do you have any other audio interface on your computer, to test it with a different audio interface than the Renaissance?

I have same problems! I get new mpc renaissance to warranty, but same popping/crackling. The problem is first mavericks osx is cracklin noise problems some mac-models! I go back to Mountain Lion 10.8.5 and studio version 1.6 no problems. My mac is macbook pro late 2012 !

Did they ever fix the USB 3.0 issue with the REN/Studio?

kipperi wrote:I have same problems! I get new mpc renaissance to warranty, but same popping/crackling. The problem is first mavericks osx is cracklin noise problems some mac-models! I go back to Mountain Lion 10.8.5 and studio version 1.6 no problems. My mac is macbook pro late 2012 !

Is that with the beta Renaissance driver for Mavericks?

How much other apps are open when you are running the mpc software? ie not in focus? I've never had pops and clicks unless it was intentional.(not chopping/snapping to zero point) Imake sure all other apps are closed and there arn't any things like dropbox or time machine trying to run in the back ground..