Digital noise between PC, UR44, and studio monitors

Steinberg Lounge
1

I acquired a UR44 which has been working fine with my Macbook & studio monitors (Yamaha HS8 / HS10w), but I’m getting crackly/whiny digital noise whenever I introduce my PC into the mix.

This happens whether I’m connecting the UR44 to my PC via USB, or sending my PC audio to the UR44 as line input when it’s connected via USB to the Macbook. The PC audio output itself doesn’t have any distortion using headphones via 3.5mm or playing audio through a computer monitor via HDMI.

I suspect it’s an electrical issue but haven’t had success troubleshooting… here are some other relevant details.
TIA for any help with this!

• PC, UR44 power adapter, and speakers are all plugged into the same brand new surge protector (previously it was a mix of outlets & an older surge protector, but nothing has improved since I consolidated power to the new surge protector)
• I tested an MP3 player through the same line in jacks on the UR44, using the same RCA cable - sounded fine
• I’ve tried the UR44 on multiple USB ports on the motherboard and PC tower case - results are the same regardless
• The sound starts as soon as the PC is on - it’s crackly digital noise, not a steady hum
• I’ve tried all the usual recommended Windows 10 audio troubleshooting steps and ensured I have the latest drivers (again, the PC audio itself seems OK and distortion only happens when the UR44 & studio monitors are introduced)
• My PC does have some clear windows on the side (acrylic, I think) - I recently read of someone else having noise issues caused by this

2

You can get a usb galvanic isolator so your not creating a loop between your pc and audio interface. I don’t get the problem on my pc and zoom interface but I have heard it in the past on a friends pc. I can’t guarantee it will work but worth looking into

3

I’ll check it out, thanks for the tip mkok!

4

This is odd as I’m also getting what sounds like a digital noise on my set up too. Brand new i9 PC viaUAD apollo twin USB. The noise only appears when selecting an instrument channel and will dissapear when selecting a midi channel or a higher buffer setting! Not related to the volume of the speakers. When I play back through Spotify no problems. Checked all my cables. Does sound high pitched like electrical interference and not very loud but enough to notice when its not there. No issues when opening a blank project.

5

• I’ve tried the UR44 on multiple USB ports on the motherboard and PC tower case - results are the same regardless

USB 2 or USB 3?
Wich are the specs of the PC? CPU? Mainboard?