[SOLVED] Problem with VoiceMeeter skipping (Snowball audio problems)

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iJosh

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Jul 20, 2019
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I've been using VoiceMeeter with my Snowball USB Microphone for a while now and I've never had any issues. However I just finished switching everything from my old case to an NZXT H510i. Everything else works fine, except now VoiceMeeter is broken. It will randomly start cutting out bits of audio at a set interval, making it sound like a slow fan. Here's a clip of what I mean:
View: https://youtu.be/IEiYghpi-zE


I know it's a problem with VoiceMeeter because when I playback my Microphone it's perfectly fine, but when I playback the VM audio output it starts screwing up. The problem fixes itself when I restart audio engine, but it always returns within anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Also tried uninstalling voicemeeter and re-installing, and it didn't fix anything.

Any help is appreciated.
 
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Solution
This:

"There's a hole in the back of the case where the back of the motherboard goes through, and my USB mic is plugged directly into it."

Do you mean a USB port or literally a hole? Are you able to take and post a couple of photographs?

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2173703/post-images-tomshardware-guide.html

The case does matter.

Not at all uncommon to have a problem with the I/O shield and some re-occuring short as a result.

Double check the I/O shield's installation.

Here is a short video to help:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAWNzd-gc3Q

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Immediate suggestions:

Double check all hardware connections/cables and software configuration settings.

Also what audio drivers are installed? Have you tried reinstalling those drivers?

========

This:

"The problem fixes itself when I restart audio engine."

Is that a hardware or software reset? ( I am not, full disclosure, familiar with "audio engine".)

What is the bigger picture with respect to your audio environment? What other audio/video apps (if any) are running?

How is everything physically set up and connected?
 

iJosh

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Jul 20, 2019
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Immediate suggestions:

Double check all hardware connections/cables and software configuration settings.

Also what audio drivers are installed? Have you tried reinstalling those drivers?
My PC is fairly old, so it has Realtek HD Audio Manager (MB: Intel DQ67SW). Though the microphone is a USB microphone, so it isn't affected by that since Realtek only works for the speaker/headphone/microphone jacks apparently.

"The problem fixes itself when I restart audio engine."

Is that a hardware or software reset? ( I am not, full disclosure, familiar with "audio engine".)

What is the bigger picture with respect to your audio environment? What other audio/video apps (if any) are running?

How is everything physically set up and connected?
Not sure exactly what it does. It's an option in the settings in VoiceMeeter. View: https://imgur.com/a/2tgdHko


My audio setup is just a USB Snowball plugged into the USB directly on the motherboard, aside from that it only goes through VoiceMeeter.
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Try adding a USB extension cable between Snowball mic's USB plug and the host USB port(s) on your computer.

The objective being to establish a different fit between the plugs and ports.

As stated before I am not familiar with VoiceMeeter.

I am going to move this thread over to Home Audio with the intent of getting additional thoughts and suggestions from the audio folks.
 

iJosh

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Jul 20, 2019
30
1
4,545
Try adding a USB extension cable between Snowball mic's USB plug and the host USB port(s) on your computer.

The objective being to establish a different fit between the plugs and ports.

As stated before I am not familiar with VoiceMeeter.

I am going to move this thread over to Home Audio with the intent of getting additional thoughts and suggestions from the audio folks.
I doubt just making the connection longer with an extension would help... It's plugged directly into the motherboard's USB slots, and I've tried multiple slots with no improvements. I've already said that the mic itself works fine. When I go to Control Panel > Sound and enable Playback for the microphone while the issue is occurring, it sounds completely normal. But when I playback the VoiceMeeter Audio Output, that's when it starts stuttering. So I think it's safe to assume it's an issue with VoiceMeeter, or something else screwing with the audio between the microphone input and VoiceMeeter.
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
The objective is not a longer cable per se.

The objective is to "insert" different plugs and ports to determine if the general fit and feel makes the USB connections tighter and/or more aligned on each end.

May or may not make a difference.

If the extension does make a difference then the USB connectivity is suspect. And since you tried multiple USB ports on your computer then the male plug on the Snowball can be called into question. However that can easily be dismissed if the Snowball mic works on other computers without issue.

If the extension does not make a difference then VoiceMeeter is indeed suspect.

=========

Another thought.

You mentioned (Post #1) that there are no problems if you playback your Microphone. And that the stuttering starts when you playback the VM audio output.

Try the following:

Open Resource Monitor - observe what the system is doing.

Then playback your Microphone.

Then playback VM audio output.

See what resource changes occur.

I overlooked asking about your system hardware specs - please post.
 

iJosh

Reputable
Jul 20, 2019
30
1
4,545
The objective is not a longer cable per se.

The objective is to "insert" different plugs and ports to determine if the general fit and feel makes the USB connections tighter and/or more aligned on each end.

May or may not make a difference.

If the extension does make a difference then the USB connectivity is suspect. And since you tried multiple USB ports on your computer then the male plug on the Snowball can be called into question. However that can easily be dismissed if the Snowball mic works on other computers without issue.

If the extension does not make a difference then VoiceMeeter is indeed suspect.

=========

Another thought.

You mentioned (Post #1) that there are no problems if you playback your Microphone. And that the stuttering starts when you playback the VM audio output.

Try the following:

Open Resource Monitor - observe what the system is doing.

Then playback your Microphone.

Then playback VM audio output.

See what resource changes occur.

I overlooked asking about your system hardware specs - please post.
The issue isn't with the port, the microphone works fine.

Also the stuttering doesn't start the moment I playback the input, I'll just randomly get a friend in-game asking me why I keep cutting out so much. Then I go to sound settings and turn on playback and I can hear it stuttering like in the video. It will randomly break and start stuttering anywhere from once a day to the instant I restart the audio drivers through VoiceMeeter. Guess I should have been more specific on that.

MB: Intel DQ67SW
CPU: Intel i3-2100
GPU: AMD Radeon R7 250X
It's an old computer, but the microphone was working fine before I switched to the new case. But the case being the issue wouldn't make any sense, since the mic is plugged directly into the Motherboard. The case has absolutely no part in the connection.
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Intermittent short somewhere - makes and breaks "randomly" with vibrations, temperatures, etc..

Maybe between USB port and the new case....

The problem started with the new case. Coincidental perhaps - agree. Such things do happen.

But you must eliminate the possibility.

Take a closer look at the port(s) and wires being used. Inside and outside of the case.
 

iJosh

Reputable
Jul 20, 2019
30
1
4,545
Intermittent short somewhere - makes and breaks "randomly" with vibrations, temperatures, etc..

Maybe between USB port and the new case....

The problem started with the new case. Coincidental perhaps - agree. Such things do happen.

But you must eliminate the possibility.

Take a closer look at the port(s) and wires being used. Inside and outside of the case.
The case literally has no part in the connection though... There's a hole in the back of the case where the back of the motherboard goes through, and my USB mic is plugged directly into it. There is no connection medium by the case. I can't even think of where I'd begin with checking connections because there's literally nothing from the case connected to the motherboard for audio besides the front headphone jack output.
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
This:

"There's a hole in the back of the case where the back of the motherboard goes through, and my USB mic is plugged directly into it."

Do you mean a USB port or literally a hole? Are you able to take and post a couple of photographs?

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2173703/post-images-tomshardware-guide.html

The case does matter.

Not at all uncommon to have a problem with the I/O shield and some re-occuring short as a result.

Double check the I/O shield's installation.

Here is a short video to help:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAWNzd-gc3Q
 
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