USB Audio in Windows VM popping

[Marc_G2]

So I have a USB DAC I want to use in my VM.  Initially I tried passing just the device to the VM.  But when playing audio I would periodically (like every 8 seconds) get these pop/crack sounds.  I'm not sure if that's a good way describe it.  If the audio playing is busy enough, the pop is subtle enough to be missed.

After that, I tried using the USB PCIe card passed through to the VM.  The result there was much better.  But I'm stilling getting pops every 30 to 90 seconds.  Updating the drivers didn't help.  Changing USB cables didn't help.   Ideally I'd use the optical output on my motherboard.  But I was unable to pass though the audio even when using ACS override.   I also tried doing the MSI audio fix.  But that doesn't seem to do anything for my USB audio.

 

Edits:

CPU core and it's hyper thread are also left out of the VM like is suggested on other threads.

I disabled the MSI fix for my USB devices, and I think I saw an improvement.  But I'm not 100% sure

I also tried messing around with the different bit depth and sampling rate settings.  That may have had some influence.  But nothing fixed the issue.

 

Does anyone have an idea of a fix? 

Edited April 17, 2021 by Marc_G2

[Marc_G2]

Diagnostics attached

nas-ng-diagnostics-20210416-2054.zip

[joecool169]

I experienced issues when I passed my dac through. (focusrite scarlett solo) The audio cut out and did strange things. I also had a web cam and a single usb controller seemed to run out of bandwidth when I used the webcam and the dac together. For me the solution was to pass through two usb controllers and keep those devices on separate controllers.

[rootd00d]

Curious about your setup here — what were using the audio interface for?

 

Were you using ASIO drivers for recording and monitoring?  If so, what sample rate and buffer size did you use?  Did you have any problem with intermittent pops and clicks?

 

What USB controller did you use?

 

I’ve just tried 2 separate USB cards and they both have the same result which is intermittent pops and clicks. Seemed almost perfect at 512 samples, but only after a reset of the whole system.

[Marc_G2]

On 2/20/2023 at 10:14 PM, rootd00d said:

Curious about your setup here — what were using the audio interface for?

 

Were you using ASIO drivers for recording and monitoring?  If so, what sample rate and buffer size did you use?  Did you have any problem with intermittent pops and clicks?

 

What USB controller did you use?

 

I’ve just tried 2 separate USB cards and they both have the same result which is intermittent pops and clicks. Seemed almost perfect at 512 samples, but only after a reset of the whole system.

 

The DAC was purely for outputting audio.  So I didn't try ASIO drivers.  I stopped running Windows VM's before I was ever able to find a solution. 

The only thing I can suggest is  running your devices in exclusive mode to see if it helps any.

[rootd00d]

Well, you can also use ASIO for just audio play back in Windows using donation ware tools like Voicemeeter - https://vb-audio.com/Voicemeeter/index.htm

 

This is a really awesome Swiss Army knife for audio routing on Windows.  I’ve actually got everything *almost* perfect.  And by that I mean no detectable issues (for at least hours at a time) even at 64 sample buffer sizes for 1.3ms of latency.

 

I switched to this USB controller and the clicks and pops are *basically* gone - 

Sedna - PCI Express USB 3.1 Gen I (5Gbps) 4 Port Adapter with Low Profile Bracket - Supports Windows, Linux and Mac Pro (2008 to 2012 Late Version), no Need Power Connector https://a.co/d/1J07Owp

 

Stupidly I assumed it was a configuration issue I must have resolved, and switched back to this - 

Vantec Quad Chip 4-Port Dedicated 5Gbps USB 3.0 PCIe Host Card (UGT-PCE430-4C) https://a.co/d/eLRm7La

 

I must be of the mistaken impression that having a dedicated chip per port would make latency with the DAC more consistent somehow, but that does not prove to be the case.  Perhaps it would relieve the bandwidth pressure you cited, but at the cost of clicks and pops in the audio.  It has 4 Renesas controllers, and the Sedna has one Fresco FL1100 controller which has actually been cited as resolving this specific kind of issue in a customer review - 

Review on Amazon: Easy to assign to VMs in Unraid (Linux) https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/review/B06XKDTYMM/R10HYDI8YK4IRQ?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dprv_9Z9SMS2B5CFG29R04Y6G

 

I’m going to switch back to the Sedna card, and if it’s still actually bulletproof I’d be interested in finding another card that had more ports or even multiple Fresco controllers if that’s really what matters.

 

I’m really curious to find out how it ends up working if connected to a Thunderbolt dock.

Edited February 24, 2023 by rootd00d

[rootd00d]

Just a quick follow-up -- I can report the same issue with this card (YEELIYA 7-port USB 3.0 PCIe card):  https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08PF8XR73?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

Next one on the way is this (Inateck 8-port USB 3.2 Gen 2 PCIe card): https://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Power-Supply-Bandwidth-KU8212/dp/B0BCFN6HV2/ref=sr_1_9?crid=2BENALT0VVN4R&keywords=inateck+usb+3.2+gen+2+pcie&qid=1678171053&sprefix=inateck+usb+3.2+gen+2+pci%2Caps%2C124&sr=8-9

 

Not really expecting it will even resolve anything at this point...