Audio crackling while streaming

[mandersen]

I'm running into a crackling audio issue when I'm streaming audio from my Focusrite 4i4. When I'm recording or monitoring the audio while not streaming in OBS, everything sounds clean and fine but as soon as I go live and start streaming it introduces a crackling noise. Stopping the stream returns the audio back to normal and the crackling disappears. I've double checked the sample rate settings to make sure everything matches, both at 44.1K and 48K. It sounds like there's a setting mismatch somewhere else I'm missing since the audio sounds fine through the interface when I'm not streaming. Video and log are below. Any guidance or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Audio Issue Example (stream/audio crackling starts around 15 second mark)
Log https://obsproject.com/logs/t1ZVOml59IxHrFvA

 

[AaronD]

Nothing jumps out at me from the log, and I *think* I heard the problem in the recording.

A modular synth playing music though, is probably not a good "problem demonstrator", because *anything* that happens could be construed as an intentional part of the music. Can you make it happen with, say, a boring pure sinewave?

 

[mandersen]

Hey, thanks for the reply. Here's the same issue occurring on a pure sinewave, audio issue appears around the 17 second mark
sine wave test

I think I narrowed down the issue to the interface. After my original post I tried using my computer's Line-In input and I could not recreate the audio issue with that routing.

 

[mgarr]

I wanted to follow up on this.... I am having the exact same issue running a soundboard into a Zoom U-22 DAC, as well as another DAC. The clicking/crackling only starts when I hit "start streaming", but never occurs if I am recording or not streaming.
If I take the same DAC's and connect them via 3.5mm cable to a cheap-o USB audio adapter, no issues.
If I take the same DAC's and connect them to a laptop instead of the desktop, there is seemingly no issue.
I have a Morley Hum Eliminator on the desktop as well, so the mixer providing the input to the DAC/Computer do not cause a ground loop.
Have played around with 44.1khz and 48khz and no resolution.

Would love to know if you ever got this resolved.