Issues with track loading, playback, and crackling sound (Mixon 8, 2019 macBook Pro)

Bug Reports
1

Issues with track loading, playback, and crackling sound in Algoriddim DJay (Reloop Mixon Pro 8 + iMac)

Hello,

Recently, I’ve been experiencing several serious issues with Algoriddim DJay in combination with my Reloop Mixon Pro 8. These problems seem to be getting worse and are now becoming a serious obstacle during live performances. I’m not sure what the cause is (could be Reloop or even laptop as well), but it’s very unprofessional and audible during shows. Here are the issues I’m encountering:

  1. Track loading: Sometimes, loading the next track completely freezes. The loading circle keeps spinning, but the track does not load.
  2. Track fails to start: Occasionally, a loaded track refuses to start. The only solution is to reselect and reload the same track in the same deck (or sometimes in a different deck).
  3. Playback stuttering: This past weekend, I experienced a few instances where a track played for a while but then started stuttering or even stopped altogether. It seems like something is overburdened, or there is too much I/O to process.
  4. Crackling sound in headphones: My headphones (both Pre-Cueing and Mains) emit a crackling sound every few seconds during playback or cueing. This issue disappears spontaneously, and I don’t believe it’s a problem with the headphones themselves. It seems more like a data or software issue.

Background information:

  • All my music is stored locally on my iMac.
  • No backup processes or heavy tasks are running when these issues occur.
  • These problems have been happening for a few weeks now and seem to be increasing in frequency.
  • Could be even since 5.2.6?
  • In the Activity Monitor, I see significant memory usage (up to 2 GB) and CPU usage reaching up to 50% from DJay, which is leading to delays and performance issues.

Question:

What steps can I take to trace and resolve this issue quickly? Would sharing snapshots, diagnostic system tests, log files, or system dumps help? I would appreciate guidance on what actions I can take to fix this problem so I can return to seamless performance.

Thank you in advance for your assistance!

3

When creating new topics, please do not forget to answer the questions in our template with specific details about your setup not just “iPad” or “Latest Version”. This helps all of our community moderators to provide the most effective support to users with the utmost efficiency. Thanks!

Device Model (ex. 2020 iPad Air 4th Gen): as many details as possible please
Version of operating system (ex. iOS 17.3.1):
Version of djay (ex. 5.1.3):
Hardware/controllers used (ex. Reloop Ready):
Hardware Firmware Version (ex. 2.7):

  1. Do you have iCloud enabled for djay?
  2. Do you have WiFi and/or Bluetooth enabled?
  3. Are you running any other applications?
  4. In the djay Settings>Advanced>NEURAL MIX>Quality what is the %?
  5. Does the issue only happen when the Mixon 8 is connected?
  6. Are you running the latest Mixon 8 firmware from Reloop?
1 Like
4

Thanks! Of course I’ll add the details:

====
Device: MacBook Pro (16", 2019)
Operating system: Apple OS / Sanoma 14.6.1.
Djay version: Djay Pro 5.2.6
Hardware/controllers used: Reloop Mixon 8 Pro

  1. Do you have iCloud enabled for djay? >>No
  2. Do you have WiFi and/or Bluetooth enabled? >>Yes
  3. Are you running any other applications? >>No
  4. In the djay Settings>Advanced>NEURAL MIX Quality what is the %? >>High: 80%
  5. Does the issue only happen when the Mixon 8 is connected? >>Don’t know. No extensive use without Reloop.
  6. Are you running the latest Mixon 8 firmware from Reloop? >>Yes!
5

Thanks for the additional info. Please follow the process below to reset the iCloud state:

  1. Quit djay.
  2. Make sure you have a backup of your djay Media Library.djayMediaLibrary file on an external drive or in the cloud. On macOS it can be found in ~/Music>djay.
  3. If you have previously disabled iCloud for djay Pro in System settings, please make sure it is re-enabled for djay Pro.
  4. Open the app Terminal.app
  5. Run this command: defaults write com.algoriddim.djay-iphone-free CMCResetCloudKitState -bool true
  6. Launch djay and retest.

This will reset the cloudkit state and should clear up the performance issue you are describing. I hope that helps!

1 Like
6

Thank you, Slak_Jaw, for the detailed explanation! I will definitely try these steps, but I have a few additional questions to better understand the situation:

  1. Is this a known issue? Does this happen frequently to other users, or is it a more unique situation?
  2. What led you to believe this was the problem? What indicates that resetting the CloudKitState could be the solution? Are you reasonably confident that this will resolve the issues, or is it more of a guess?
  3. Will I need to run the “ResetCloudKitState” command again in the future? Is this a one-time fix, or something that might need to be done regularly?
  4. Does this mean I need to enable iCloud for djay? If that’s the case, could you explain why this is necessary, even if I’m not currently using iCloud in djay?
  5. What do you think of the CPU and memory load? Like said: I noticed memory usage reaching up to 2 GB and CPU usage going as high as 50%, making djay one of the most resource-intensive processes on my iMac. Could this contribute to the issues?

Thank you for your help!

7

Hi @DJ_Big_Blender, looks like you found the topic I was going to direct you to for more info. This is a one-time repair process. If you have further questions, we can continue in the DM that you sent me. Thanks!

9

Still not ok :slightly_frowning_face:

Even though I followed the recommended steps, including the ones outlined in the 'How to optimise… ), and conducted some testing last Monday, I want to report that most issues I previously mentioned again did occur during my last gig.

Issues Encountered

I am still experiencing the following problems with loading and playback of tracks:

  • Track refusal to start: Some tracks in my library simply refused to start, even though they were visible and loaded.
  • Slow track loading: On several occasions, it took much longer than usual to load a track into a deck.
  • Playback stuttering: During transitions—such as triggering a cue point or starting another track for a mix—there were moments of stuttering or even brief silence. This makes smooth mixing impossible.
  • Unexpected playback stop: One time, a longer mix that had been playing suddenly stopped after about 10 minutes.

The one thing different during a gig is that you are not connect to your own WiFi

Impact on Performances

These issues make it impossible to perform confidently, as I’m constantly worried about the next failure during my sets. It’s extremely frustrating to feel like my equipment is not reliable.

Steps Already Taken

I want to emphasize that I have already followed all the advice provided:

  • iCloud syncing is turned off.
  • Ran the “ResetCloudKitState” command
  • My iMac Pro is always restarted before a gig.
  • I also did everything like as the recommendations in this Digital DJ tips guide.

I did not check CPU usage during this particular gig.

Request for Further Assistance

I kindly ask for further guidance or a more structural solution to address these issues. At this point, I feel stuck, and I need these problems resolved to regain confidence in my setup for professional use.

10

Update: Crackling noise in Pre-Cueing headphones

Despite the other issues remain, I did managed to narrow down the cause of the crackling noise in the headphones during pre-cueing. I hope this helps guide the team towards identifying and resolving the root cause.

Here’s what I found:

  • The crackling only seems to occur when no track is loaded in a Deck.
  • Additionally, the issue arises only when the main output is assigned to the laptop’s built-in speakers.

To illustrate this, I’ve recorded a video demonstrating the issue: Video Link.

(on ± 4m17 and 5m21 in the video you can hear the effect of loading it for the first time)

This discovery suggests the problem might be linked to how the software handles audio routing or buffering when one deck is empty and the output is assigned to the laptop.

Please let me know if there’s any additional information I can provide to help investigate further.

12

Thanks for the additional details @DJ_Big_Blender. This really seems like a performance related issue. Next time you are experiencing this, can you please capture a Sample Process using Activity Monitor on your Mac?

  1. In the Activity Monitor app on your Mac, click the System diagnostics options pop-up menu, then choose Sample Process to create a report on a selected process over a period of 3 seconds.
  2. Then upload the report to your Google Drive/Dropbox, enable sharing permissions, then share a link to the file here.
  3. Then I can send this file to our engineering team for a deeper investigation. Thanks!

Thanks!

13

Thanks for the additional info and video regarding the crackling issue. I’ll pass this onto engineering as well.

EDIT: does this crackling noise in the headphone only occur when you are using the Library Preview function or also when you are doing a regular channel cue in the headphones using the Headphone Cue buttons on your Mixon 8 or the onscreen buttons as shown below?

image
image1918×497 89.7 KB

EDIT #2: Can you please try turning Bluetooth OFF and retesting. If that doesn’t work, please trying turning both Bluetooth and WiFi OFF and retesting.

14

Thanks for the quick response and the additional suggestions! I’ve tested the scenarios you mentioned, and here are my findings:

  1. The crackling noise persists both when using the Library Preview function and when doing a regular channel cue in the headphones (tested with the Cue buttons on the Mixon 8 as well as the onscreen buttons).
  2. I also tested with Bluetooth OFF and both Bluetooth and WiFi OFF, but unfortunately, the issue remains in all cases.
  3. When testing with the Cue Buttons the issue occurred on both Deck 1 and Deck 2, and the same crackling noise arises shortly after cueing. (When testing with the library function it looked like it mostly was the case when deck 2 was empty)

Key Observation:

The main common factor seems to be that the Main Output is set to the MacBook speakers, and one of the decks is empty (i.e., no track loaded).

I hope this information helps to reproduce the issue on your end.

15

You’re welcome. Okay, thanks for checking and for the additional info. Can you please explain why you are routing the Main Audio to your MBP speakers instead of the Mixon 8 Pro ch 1-2?

EDIT: please also try to capture the Sample Process as outline above when you get a chance. This will really help the engineering team.

1 Like
16

To answer your question:

I route the Main Audio to my MacBook Pro speakers because I sometimes use the setup in my living room without external speakers connected to the Mixon 8 Pro. It’s a convenient way to practice or test things without setting up additional equipment. I believe this should possible and a valid use case, don’t you think?

Regarding the Sample Process: I’ve already completed the process as you suggested, and the result is available here:
Sample Process Result - Dropbox Link

I hope this helps!

17

I was mainly just curious why you were splitting the audio routing. Makes sense in your described use case though.

For the Sample Process, did you record it while you were experiencing the Track loading, Track fails to start, Playback stuttering and Cracking sound in headphones issues were occurring? It’s important to capture the sample process during the issue.

18

No, I didn’t, as these issues weren’t occurring at the time.

However, I’m curious if there’s anything noticeable in the sample process that might already indicate a problem.

Additionally, I’m wondering if you’ve been able to reproduce the issue with the crackling sound?

19

Okay, yeah we need the sample process while the issue is happening. So please try to capture one the next time this happens. No, I have not been able to replicate the crackling headphone sound. I believe this is related to some performance issue with your specific setup. So far the only other issue I’ve encounter that might be related is that another macOS user with the FLX4.

20

Thanks again for your response. I think the most noticeable difference in my setup is the Zomo Mono Stick I use.

I’ve discovered that this device merges both the left and right channels into this one mono loudspeaker. . Might this be the reason for the crackling issue I’m experiencing?

Have you, by any chance, tested with a Mono Stick or a similar device?

21

Hi @DJ_Big_Blender, I spoke with engineering. Please note that using your Mac speakers for main audio and your Mixon 8 for pre-cueing will create an “aggregate audio device”, which can cause issues in some cases. Can you please confirm if the crackling issue also occurs when using the Mixon 8 for main audio and pre-cueing? Thanks!

22

Thanks for the follow-up!

I already tested routing both the main output and pre-cueing through the Mixon 8, and in that configuration, there is no crackling noise. This confirms that the issue is specific to the aggregate audio setup.

I also tested with a regular stereo headphone instead of my Zomo Mono stick, but it didn’t make any difference in terms of the crackling when using the MacBook speakers for the main output.

While I understand that aggregate audio devices can introduce issues, I believe that when the option for mixed sources is offered in the software, users should reasonably expect it to work reliably. :headphones: Using the MacBook speakers for the main output is quite practical for casual use without external speakers, so I hope there’s a way to improve compatibility with this setup.

Let me know if I can provide any additional information! :+1:

23

Hi,
For the first time i’ve already been able to track one of the troubles that I experience and run Sample process also while still having this issue.

Ther problem in this example is that a track won’t re-start at all (not with controller, not with the mouse).

Hope this helps to quickly find the root cause.