Applies to all audio interfaces.
There are many types and potential causes of glitchy audio on Windows. If you are experiencing clicks, crackles, pops, humming, loss of audio, disconnections, or any other glitchy audio, the steps in this article will help you to troubleshoot the issue.
Optimise Windows for Audio
If you haven't already done so, run through the steps in our Optimising Windows for Audio article before proceeding with the steps below: Optimising Windows for Audio.
Buffer size
If you have not already done so, adjusting buffer size is one of the first things to try when experiencing audio issues.
Here is how to increase the buffer size if you are experiencing glitchy audio:
- Right-click on
Focusrite Notifier on the taskbar and select your device's settings.
If you can’t see the Focusrite notifier on your taskbar, follow the steps in this article: The Focusrite Notifier icon isn't on the Windows taskbar – Focusrite
- Increase the Buffer Size to 1024.
- If the performance improves, you can try a lower setting.
If you are unsure what buffer size is and how it affects performance, please refer to this article: Sample Rate, Bit Depth & Buffer Size Explained
USB connection
You can check all the following to ensure your USB connection is not causing the issue:
- Connect your interface directly to your computer; do not use a USB hub.
- Do not use a USB adapter unless it was supplied in the box with your interface.
- Test every USB port on your computer because performance can vary from port to port.
- Use the cable that was supplied with your interface or one that meets the spec for your interface in this article: Can I use any USB cable with my Focusrite USB interface?
- If connecting to a USB type C port, ensure you use a USB-C to C cable that meets the specification for your interface in this article: Can I use any USB cable with my Focusrite USB interface?
- Test the connection with another USB cable of the same specification — this will indicate if you may have a faulty or unsuitable cable.
- Test with as few other USB devices connected to your computer as possible, including your mouse and keyboard if possible. If the glitching is resolved, try reconnecting devices one at a time to identify which causes the glitches. Moving devices to different ports, hubs, or adapters may resolve the issue.
- Check if the issue occurs when your interface is connected to another computer — this will indicate if the problem is specific to one system.
Reinstall drivers and control software
In case there is an issue with the current installation, reinstall your drivers or control software if you haven't already done so. You can find the latest version for your interface here: Focusrite Downloads.
Full uninstall and reinstall
If the issue persists, it is worth completely removing and reinstalling your Focusrite drivers and all Focusrite devices from your computer by following these steps:
- Disconnect your interface.
- Click
Start, type 'Add or remove programs' and select Add or Remove Programs.
- Uninstall any of the following apps if listed:
- Focusrite Audio Drivers
- Focusrite Control
- Focusrite Control 2
- Focusrite Thunderbolt, Focusrite USB
- Scarlett Mix Control
- Vocaster Hub
- Click
- Type the following command into Command Prompt:
SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES=1
- Press ↵ Enter.
- Right-click
- Select View > Show hidden devices on the menu bar at the top of the Device Manager window.
- Click the > arrows next to the following categories to expand them:
- Audio inputs and outputs
- Focusrite Audio
- Sound, video and game controllers
- Right-click all Focusrite devices and devices related to your interface, and select Uninstall device.
- After uninstalling the devices, reboot your computer.
- Reconnect your interface.
- Download and install the latest driver or control software for your operating system. This can be found by selecting your interface here: Focusrite Downloads.
Third-party antivirus and anti-malware
Third-party antivirus and anti-malware software (i.e., NOT Windows Security or Defender) can interfere with audio interface driver installation and operation. These programs may mistakenly flag parts of the driver as dangerous during installation or cause glitches afterwards by altering the timing of system processes.
If you believe your network situation is suitable, try temporarily disabling or ideally uninstalling your third-party antivirus software and switching to Windows Security: Stay protected with Windows Security - Microsoft Support.
Once the third-party software is disabled or removed, download and reinstall your Focusrite software or drivers. You can find the relevant Focusrite software or drivers by selecting your interface here: Focusrite Downloads.
Anti-cheat software
If you have any games installed that may include anti-cheat software, this could also be distrupting the audio stream, leading to glitching. Try removing or disabling this software to see if this reduces or stops the glitching. If it does, contact the game publisher or anti-cheat software developer for assistance.
Disable network cards
Sometimes, network card drivers can cause conflicts with audio drivers. If you are experiencing glitchy audio, then a good troubleshooting step is to try disabling your network adapters in Device Manager.
- Right-click
- Expand Network adapters.
- Right-click each device and select Disable device.
- If a box appears asking you to confirm that you want to disable it, click Yes.
You can then play back an audio file or some audio from your DAW to see if the glitches continue. If the glitches have stopped, re-enable one device at a time — right-click the device and select Enable device — and test the audio again. This way, you can determine if a particular network adapter is to blame.
All the adapters can be re-enabled at any time by right-clicking each device and selecting Enable device.
Troubleshooting with a 'clean boot'
Before you try a clean boot, make sure you have removed any bloatware and unwated apps as described here: Remove bloatware and unwanted apps.
A 'clean boot' will enable you to start your computer with a minimal set of apps, drivers, and services running. This can help you to determine if any app, driver, or service is contributing to any issues you are experiencing. You should follow the steps at the link below:
DPC Latency
What is DPC latency?
Deferred Procedure Calls (DPCs) are how Windows prioritises processes that run simultaneously. If non-audio processes demand too much processing time, this disrupts the timing of audio driver data, leading to glitchy audio, or even device disconnections.
A common cause of DPC latency is out-of-date device drivers and poorly optimised processes. Streaming audio involves many processes and drivers, while many others can interrupt this audio stream.
Analysing DPC latency
To analyse whether DPC latency could be causing glitchy audio on your system, you can run the following software tool: LatencyMon.
In LatencyMon, click the ▶ Play button and then play audio from any application through your audio interface for at least fifteen minutes, with the glitches occurring at least once. If there are no DPC problems, you will see the following:
Conclusion: Your system appears to be suitable for handling real-time audio and other tweaks without dropouts.
If there are problems, you will instead see a message similar to the following:
Conclusion: Your system appears to be having trouble handling real-time audio and other tasks…
You can find the process or driver causing the highest DPC latency here:
Highest reported DPC routine execution time (µs) :
To see all the drivers and processes that are causing high DPC latency, navigate to the Drivers tab in LatencyMon, and click Highest execution (ms) twice to sort the drivers so those causing the highest DPC latency are at the top — any drivers exceeding 0.500000ms could be causing issues with audio.
Troubleshooting DPC latency
If you aren't confident making changes to your PC's components, contact the manufacturer or a PC technician for assistance.
General Troubleshooting
Before looking into any specific drivers or processors that may be causing the DPC latency, you should first complete some general troubleshooting if you have not already done so. The LatencyMon website includes some initial troubleshooting advice that is worth running through in addition to the steps below: Using LatencyMon.
1. Windows Updates
Many updates for system processes and drivers are delivered via Windows Update, so you should first make sure Windows is up-to-date: Install Windows Updates - Microsoft Support.
2. Intel and AMD Updates
If you are using an Intel system, you can use the Driver Update Support Assistant to find driver updates for your system. It can be downloaded here: Intel® Driver & Support Assistant.
If you are using an AMD system, you can use the AMD Auto-detect and Install tool to find driver updates for your system. It can be downloaded here: Drivers and Support for Processors and Graphics.
3. Other Updates
To ensure all your other drivers and your BIOS are up-to-date, follow the steps here to if you have not already done so: Update drivers and BIOS.
4. Disable audio devices and disconnect peripherals
Disable unused audio devices, like your PC's built in soundcard, will ensure that unused audio drivers are not conflicting with your Focusrite drivers. To disable them, do the following:
- Right-click
- Click the > arrow to expand Sound, video and game controllers.
- Right-click on any non-Focusrite devices and select Disable device.
Additionally, to determine if any other hardware devices or their drivers are causing the DPC latency on your system, simply disconnect any and all devices that you can. Should you find that this resolves the glitchy audio, reconnect the devices one at a time to see if you can identify the culprit. If you do, update its drivers, check with the manufacturer for troubelshooting steps, or try an alternative device if possible.
Targetted Troubleshooting
If you aren't confident making changes to your PC's components, contact the manufacturer or a PC technician for assistance.
There are a number of common processes that may appear in the LatencyMon results. There are additional troubleshooting steps for some of these below.
ACPI.sys
This is a power management driver. Ensure you have created the custom power plan described here: Custom power plan. If you are using a laptop, try connecting the power supply rather than running on battery.
You should also ensure that your drivers and BIOS are up-to-date if you have not already done so: Update drivers and BIOS.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, contact your computer or motherboard manufacturer, or a PC technician.
dxgkrnl.sys
If you aren't confident making changes to your PC's components, contact the manufacturer or a PC technician for assistance.
This is a graphics driver. Ensure your GPU drivers are up-to-date, try an optimised version of the driver if one is available, and test using integrated graphics instead if your PC has this feature. You should also check with your GPU and motherboard manufacturer to confirm which PCIe slot the GPU should be installed in, and to confirm any other installation and setup requirements.
AMD GPU
You can update your AMD GPU drivers using AMD Software: Adrenaline Edition.
If the Adrenaline Edition driver is already up-to-date or updating does not resolve the issue, try installing AMD Software: PRO Edition instead. This is optimised for stability in professional applications, like audio and video production.
NVIDIA GPU
This is an NVIDIA GPU driver. You can update it using NVIDIA Geforce Experience or download the latest Nvidia drivers from their website: Download The Official NVIDIA Drivers | NVIDIA.
If the Game Ready driver is already up-to-date or updating does not resolve the issue, try installing the Studio driver from Nvidia's website instead. This is optimised for stability in professional applications, like audio and video production.
Test integrated graphics
To confirm if your GPU is the only cause of the glitching, you can test with integrated graphics if your PC has them.
Switch to integrated graphics
- Check that there is a display connector on your PC that is not part of your GPU.
- Connect your display screen to this port to see if it is functioning while your GPU is still enabled — if not, reconnect it to your GPU.
- Right-click
- Click the > arrow to expand Display adapters — you should see at least two display adapters if integrated graphics are functioning.
- Right-click each device and select Enable device to ensure your integrated graphics are enabled.
- Right-click your GPU in Display adapters and select Disable device.
- Connect your display screen to the integrated graphics display connector on your PC if you haven't already done so.
You can then complete any necessary tests to see if disabling your GPU has had any effect.
If you find that none of the above steps resolve the issue, you can try moving the GPU to a different PCIe slot if possible. Beyond that, you can reach out to the GPU manufacturer for further assistance.
ndis.sys
This is a network driver. Any applications that may be connecting to the internet could cause high network driver DPC latency, so you should first close all applications that may be connecting to the internet to see if this alleviates the glitching. Also, it is worth following the steps earlier in the article regarding antivirus software if you haven't already done so: Third-party antivirus and anti-malware.
If you are using Wi-Fi, disable Wi-Fi in Advance network settings and try a wired connection, and if you are using a wired connection, disable the ethernet network card and try switching to Wi-Fi. Also, go to your Bluetooth settings and disable Bluetooth.
Next, try disabling all network adapters as per the instructions earlier in this article if you have not already done so: Disable network cards.
Should you find that the steps above do resolve the issue, you may need to permanently switch to whichever network adapter or bluetooth configuration that worked. You can also try moving the network, Wi-Fi or bluetooth card to a different PCIe slot on your motherboard.
If you aren't confident making changes to your PC's components, contact the manufacturer or a PC technician for assistance.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, or you are not confident moving components in your PC, contact your computer or motherboard manufacturer, or a PC technician.
nvlddmkm.sys
This is an NVIDIA GPU driver. You can update it using NVIDIA Geforce Experience or download the latest Nvidia drivers from their website: Download The Official NVIDIA Drivers | NVIDIA. You should also check with your GPU and motherboard manufacturer to confirm which PCIe slot the GPU should be installed in, and to confirm any other installation and setup requirements.
If the Game Ready driver is already up-to-date or updating does not resolve the issue, try installing the Studio driver from Nvidia's website instead. This is optimised for stability in professional applications, like audio and video production.
Test Integrated Graphics
To confirm if your GPU is the only cause of the glitching, you can test with integrated graphics if your PC has them.
Switch to integrated graphics
- Check that there is a display connector on your PC that is not part of your GPU.
- Connect your display screen to this port to see if it is functioning while your GPU is still enabled — if not, reconnect it to your GPU.
- Right-click
- Click the > arrow to expand Display adapters — you should see at least two display adapters if integrated graphics are functioning.
- Right-click each device and select Enable device to ensure your integrated graphics are enabled.
- Right-click your GPU in Display adapters and select Disable device.
- Connect your display screen to the integrated graphics display connector on your PC if you haven't already done so.
You can then complete any necessary tests to see if disabling your GPU has had any effect.
storport.sys
This is a Microsoft storage port driver related to your PC's storage drives. It can also cause high DPC latency if the standard controller for these drives is not being used. Reverting to the standard controller can fix the high DPC latency.
Switch to Standard SATA AHCI Controller
- Right-click
- Click the > arrow to expand IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers — you should see the Standard SATA AHCI Controller and at least one other device.
- Right-click the other device and go to Properties > Driver > Update Driver…
- In the window that opens, select Browse my computer for driver software, then Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer.
- Choose Standard SATA AHCI Controller and click Next.
Once the installation completes, your PC should be using the Standard SATA AHCI Controller. You can test to see if this has resolved the issue or not.
DPC latency caused by storport.sys can sometimes also be resolved by the System File Checker, Deployment Image Servicing and Management, and Check Disk.
Run System File Checker
To scan and repair any issues with the Windows system image, you can run System File Checker:
- Click
- Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command into Command Prompt:
sfc /scannow
- Press ↵ Enter — do not close the Command Prompt window until the verification is 100% complete.
Check the scan results and, if any files have been repaired, test to see if the issue has been resolved.
Run Deployment Image Servicing and Management
Deployment Image Servicing and Management will modify and repair system images if there are any corruptions:
- Click
- Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command into Command Prompt:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Press ↵ Enter — do not close the Command Prompt window until the process is 100% complete. If the command appears stuck, this is normal behaviour. After a few minutes, the process will complete successfully.
After this completes, test for glitchy audio and DPC latency issues again.
Run Check Disk
This will repair any disk errors.
- Click
- Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command into Command Prompt:
chkdsk C: /R
- Press ↵ Enter.
- When prompted, confirm that you want to carry out the disk repair the next time the system restarts by entering Y.
- Restart your PC
After the restart, check to see if the DPC latency or glitches have been resolved at all.
System restore processes and other applications that are creating backups may contribute to high DPC latency in this case. Disable any software that may be contributing to this, and try a clean boot if you haven't already done so:
tcpip.sys
This is a network driver. Any applications that may be connecting to the internet could cause high network driver DPC latency, so you should first close all applications that may be connecting to the internet to see if this alleviates the glitching. Also, it is worth following the steps earlier in the article regarding antivirus software if you haven't already done so: Third-party antivirus and anti-malware.
If you are using Wi-Fi, disable the Wi-Fi in Advance network settings and try a wired connection, and if you are using a wired connection, disable the ethernet network card and try switching to Wi-Fi. Also, go to your Bluetooth settings and disable Bluetooth.
Next, try disabling all network adapters as per the instructions earlier in this article: Disable network cards.
Should you find that the steps above do resolve the issue, you may need to permanently switch to whichever network adapter or bluetooth configuration worked. You can also try moving the network, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth card to a different PCIe slot on your motherboard.
If you aren't confident making changes to your PC's components, contact the manufacturer or a PC technician for assistance.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, or you are not confident moving components in your PC, contact your computer or motherboard manufacturer, or a PC technician.
USBPORT.sys
This is a USB chipset driver. Firstly, you should ensure that your drivers and BIOS are up-to-date if you have not already done so: Update drivers and BIOS.
Additionally, double-check you have completed the following USB optimisations as well:
Wdf01000.sys
This is a system file that is part of the Windows Driver Framework. High DPC latency from Wdf01000.sys can be related to corrupt system files, or issues with other drivers.
Corruptions may be resolved by running the System File Checker, Deployment Image Servicing and Management, and Check Disk.
Run System File Checker
To scan and repair any issues with the Windows system image, you can run System File Checker:
- Click
- Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command into Command Prompt:
sfc /scannow
- Press ↵ Enter — do not close the Command Prompt window until the verification is 100% complete.
Check the scan results and, if any files have been repaired, test to see if the issue has been resolved.
Run Deployment Image Servicing and Management
Deployment Image Servicing and Management will modify and repair system images if there are any corruptions:
- Click
- Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command into Command Prompt:
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
- Press ↵ Enter — do not close the Command Prompt window until the process is 100% complete. If the command appears stuck, this is normal behaviour. After a few minutes, the process will complete successfully.
After this completes, test for glitchy audio and DPC latency issues again.
Run Check Disk
This will repair any disk errors.
- Click
- Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command into Command Prompt:
chkdsk C: /R
- Press ↵ Enter.
- When prompted, confirm that you want to carry out the disk repair the next time the system restarts by entering Y.
- Restart your PC
After the restart, check to see if the DPC latency or glitches have been resolved at all.
If this does not resolve the issue, run through the steps for all the other processes listed above, because other drivers and processes can lead to high DPC latency from Wdf01000.sys. Repairing or reinstalling Windows may also be beneficial.
If these steps do not resolve the issue, or you are not confident moving components in your PC, contact your computer or motherboard manufacturer, or a PC technician.
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