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[RFB]

I'm having a problem where occasionally the playback of music files is too fast.

I'm using a Schiit Modi DAC hooked up to a USB 3.0 port (it won't work in my one 2.0 port).

Rebooting the laptop or unplugging and plugging the DAC back in makes playback normal again.

Any suggestions for this? I'm hoping it's something simple. Thanks.

[csimon]

LOL, I've had the same thing several times with onboard sound!  It starts increasing in speed gradually. Accelerating! It was very strange, I assumed I had faulty hardware.  I don't know what the actual problem is though, it must be a setting somewhere since it happens with both onboard sound and external DAC. Perhaps it's a timing problem, or WASAPI event style, or something like that.

[RFB]

I've noticed that this problem always occurs if I pause the music, leave MC running and put the computer to sleep. When I resume from sleep and hit play again, that's when the too fast playback happens.

I should mention that the Modi DAC is asynchronous, if that could have anything to do with it.

[Arindelle]

The magni is curious it actually uses a USB 1.0 spec not USB 2.0. so its only using 120 mAmps -- should work on your usb 2 port

I think as it is async it is pulling all what in memory and although its good for the price the clocks in the dac chips are nothing like their other dacs (which cost more of course);  probably can't handle the input after sleep.

I'd first try to hit the stop button before the play button. This will clear the bookmark of the song. If you have your device set to play from memory, try play from disk.  And if that still doesn't work try to play with the Play silence at startup in audio settings. 

I don't think its a problem really, just something to deal with occasionally. As long as it is only happening coming out of sleep mode, that is 

[Frobozz]

I've got a Modi.  I've never had it play music at the wrong speed.  But I've also never left MC in pause when the laptop goes into sleep mode.

I don't know if this will help alleviate the problem for you.  I've been using a powered USB 3.0 hub (this one available on Amazon).  It works great with the Modi along with having USB 3.0 desktop hard drives, USB 2.0 desktop hard drives, and thumb drives all connected to the hub at the same time.  No glitches or problems with the Modi when used with the hub.  With the Modi plugged in a powered hub the Modi never powers down when the laptop goes into sleep mode.  That might possibly keep the Modi in the right state to play at the right speed when the laptop wakes out of sleep mode.

[RFB]

Thanks for the tips. 

[RFB]

I set MC to play from disk instead of memory and that seems to have solved the problem. Thanks again.

Though I think I'll just avoid leaving a song paused when I put the laptop to sleep in the future.

[Frobozz]

Cool.  I wonder if that might indicate a bug or issue with memory playback?
I don't use memory playback.  Could explain why I've never experienced the problem.

I was happy that my hub works well with the Modi.  When I bought the hub I was unsure if it would work well with the DAC, hard drives, and other things connected.  It works and doesn't seem to have a negative effect on the sound from the DAC or the operation of the DAC.  I was out of ports on the laptop and needed a hub.

[Arindelle]

@RFB - glad to see it helped

@Frobozz
Don't see why it would be a bug. There would still be some music data retained,  memory read or disk-read. You are never really reading from the HD in real time anyways, just a lot more resources are dedicated to "buffered" playback.

When reading from memory, I forget how much >1gb I think, and you go to sleep mode, that song will still be retained after the bookmark. Although, how should I say this and be politically correct, .... lets just say that a lot of people think that their is some reason why memory playback  will increase SQ. Normal playback is not accessing hard drives in real time anyways, so its extremely debatable (euh subjective?) that no disc access means better juju for the digital signal. The devs included this because a lot of people wanted this option, not because of a "better" bit perfect stream.

Regardless hard drive "noise" or interference, which ever opinion you have, is not really an issue in a portable that is going to spin up its drives anyways coming out of sleep mode. And most of the time you don't have dedicated laptops for music, you are working on them when you listen. So the arguments for memory playback don't really exist and you are reducing the RAM available for other things on the laptop. Maybe it would help if accessing slow networks or videos not stored locally, maybe 

The DAC working asynchronously also does not mean necessarily better, it does mean that the clocks in the DAC chips aren't required to have the same "sophistication" (ok very simplified ) to deal with jitter and noise as it is pulling the information it needs not having everything pushed to the DAC.  High end dacs do use this more and more as with good discrete dacs resulting in extremely low jitter coupled with good separation/isolation between the analogue and digital streams.

I really like the guys at Schiit. They have a real sense of humour, and are always trying to make the best things for the price. This might help them to know about this.

[gappie]

could it be that after wakingup the computer the sample rate setting of wasapi or the soundcard are set to an other value, and because the music is paused or played from memory, it gets played back at the wrong samplerate?

 
gab

[Arindelle]

could it be that after wakingup the computer the sample rate setting of wasapi or the soundcard are set to an other value, and because the music is paused or played from memory, it gets played back at the wrong samplerate?

 
gab

sounds logical, Gab ... goes beyond my expertise thats for sure   but wouldn't it be on the DAC side with an async connection? and why then does it sort itself out?

[gappie]

sounds logical, Gab ... goes beyond my expertise thats for sure   but wouldn't it be on the DAC side with an async connection? and why then does it sort itself out?

I don't know either Arindelle.. just know how music sounds at the wrong sample rate . In the past I could force my dac to do that using 2 programs, but mc, even in pause, askes to resume playback, even when in pause, when the sample rate is wrong (44,1 vs 48). its with asio though..

 
gab 

[Frobozz]

could it be that after wakingup the computer the sample rate setting of wasapi or the soundcard are set to an other value, and because the music is paused or played from memory, it gets played back at the wrong samplerate?

 
gab

That's what I was thinking might be an explanation.
I just wanted to note it as something that might be a bug or issue with memory playback.  The devs would know if it is or isn't.

The good news is that since it is being played from memory playback it is being played back at the wrong speed in the best possible quality.   

[csimon]

Just want to add something here to comiplicate matters!

My experience is that very occasionally, the sound output will start accelerating while in the middle of a session. No sleep or anything, and this is via onboard audio (Intel HD audio) not a USB DAC. I also get "clicks" occasionally on that output. I've had none of these symptoms on external USB devices. It's obviously either a hardware problem, a driver problem, or a settings problem in MC but I don't know what it is. I'm not too concerned about it because I don't need that particular output but I just wanted to popint out that I've had the same syptoms as the OP but with completely different hardware.

[RFB]

I've got a Modi.  I've never had it play music at the wrong speed.  But I've also never left MC in pause when the laptop goes into sleep mode.

I don't know if this will help alleviate the problem for you.  I've been using a powered USB 3.0 hub (this one available on Amazon).  It works great with the Modi along with having USB 3.0 desktop hard drives, USB 2.0 desktop hard drives, and thumb drives all connected to the hub at the same time.  No glitches or problems with the Modi when used with the hub.  With the Modi plugged in a powered hub the Modi never powers down when the laptop goes into sleep mode.  That might possibly keep the Modi in the right state to play at the right speed when the laptop wakes out of sleep mode.

Thanks. Tech support at Schiit suggested a powered hub to alleviate problems. Will look into getting that.