Akai Force + Behringer XR18 Routing Issue (Pops & Crackles)

I’m encountering a frustrating issue with my setup, and I hope someone here can help me out.

Setup:
Akai Force (latest firmware)
Behringer XR18 (connected via USB as an audio interface)

Problem:
I’m hearing random pops and crackles in my audio signal. I’ve tried troubleshooting on both the Force and the XR18, but nothing seems to solve the issue.

Routing Configuration:
I’m routing all channels and submixes to Outputs 3/4 on the XR18. Then, I have an audio track on the Force that takes Input 3/4 and routes it to Outputs 1/2. This way, I can use more master bus effects than the standard configuration allows (Outputs 3/4 → Audio Track → Outputs 1/2).

However, when I route all channels and submixes directly to Outputs 1/2 (without the intermediate step using an audio track), everything works fine and there are no pops or crackles.

Question:
Could it be an issue with how I’m routing the audio, or might it be a problem within the XR18? Is there any way to fix this so I can keep my preferred routing setup?

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Have you checked that samplerates and bitdepth are same on both devices?

And who is master and who is slave as far as the clock goes?

The sample rate on the XR18 is set to 44.1KHz, as this is required by the Force in order to use an external audio interface.

Regarding the master/slave clock setup: since all MIDI is handled within the Force itself, there’s no separate master or slave clock configuration between the devices. However, could this still potentially cause issues with the audio routing?

Let me know if there’s anything else I should check or adjust. Appreciate the help!

With clock, I meant wordclock of some sort. This is used to synchronizetwo digital audio devices.

Even my Focusrite Scarlett 18i20 3rd gen is master in my case with the pc connected.

I also know that the audio interface connected must be class compliant in order to work with the Force. This means no drver is needed in any way, as the Force can’t load any drivers of any kind. On many audio devices this is switchable or done in the setup of the device. I know the Tascam mixers like the Model 12 work well with the Force.

Never done so myself. My old MIDI interface from ESI does it too on the Force, without any problem.

XR 18 does have a class compliant mode, means without drivers. You only have basic functionality then. Without any control it is a In/Out only then..

After a power cycle it starts with the last setting.

And finally: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=211654&start=15

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I never knew that wordclock could be a factor here. Every day you learn something new, I guess! I’ll definitely look into whether this might be an issue with my current setup.

I suspect that my routing is a bit unconventional, as I’m trying to get more FX slots by using separate outs and ins and route them into each other. This could very well be causing the pops and crackles I’m hearing. Looks like I might have to rethink my setup...

You are welcome!