SoundGrid dropouts: SQ clocking and the computer's network port

Separate clocking, networking and disconnection symptoms

Identify the console, card and SuperRack versions and the network adapters. Use procedures for the documented model and check the complete signal path during rehearsal.

SQ7 and M-SQ-WAVES3: check which device supplies the clock

The M-SQ-WAVES3 note, AP11564 Issue 1, p.2 specifies Internal on the console and Digital on the card when the card receives its clock from SQ. When SQ follows another system, it describes I/O Port on the console and Ethernet on the card. Choose the complete clock path for the setup; do not set both sides to Internal simply because the same label appears.

In SQ Reference Guide V1.6.0 Issue 1, §12.11, p.98, Setup > Audio > Digital I/O displays Audio Clock Source and its status. A green check indicates synchronization; a red cross indicates that a suitable clock is missing and SQ falls back to its internal clock. The console still processes internally at 96 kHz even when synchronized to a 48 kHz clock.

For rehearsal, draw the clock source and the devices that follow it, record the initial settings and save the session. Check the intended network sample rate and whether the server and driver support it. During an agreed pause, apply the combination for the actual card and firmware. Repeat the passage for at least the interval in which the fault usually appears. Keep screenshots from before and during the symptom; an initial Sync OK does not document that entire period.

Audio ports, links and counters: trace the failing connection

The SQ V1.6.0 guide, §12.12, pp.100–101 reserves Control Network Bridge for control messages. SoundGrid audio connections must use the card's ports. Check both ends: controlling SQ through its Network port does not verify the audio path.

The 156-page SuperRack SoundGrid manual, pp.40 and 60–61 distinguishes LAN port, Link, Speed and Routing View. Each Routing View row represents a connection in one direction. Record its source, destination, error count and time; save the screenshot before using Reset.

Waves, Audio Drops, networking section recommends comparing cables based on the connections showing errors. For one affected I/O, check its link to the switch; if the server's connections are affected, check the server link. Use the counters to choose the next test; they do not establish a cause by themselves.

Repeat the same passage without changing anything first, then change only one cable or connection during an agreed pause. Record the ports and test duration. If comparing a direct connection supported by the card, keep the original connection diagram too. Changing both the cable and topology does not, by itself, identify a faulty switch. If the card disappears again, save the complete state for support.

Control computer or audio node: select the correct port

Waves, Audio Drops, driver section distinguishes a computer used only to control the host from one using a DAW to carry audio. For the latter, the adapter, driver and recording/playback buffers also matter. Record each computer's role before applying settings from another system.

The SoundGrid port identification guide, December 13, 2020 uses the MAC address to match the physical adapter to the port selected in the application. Its system interface reflects that publication date; find the equivalent information in your installed version. The SuperRack manual, p.40 recommends dedicating the SoundGrid network to that purpose and using another port for other network tasks.

List each adapter's name, MAC address, cable and destination. Verify which one actually connects to SoundGrid and which handles Internet or control. Two listed adapters do not prove that both carry audio or that Wi-Fi causes the crackling.

For Mac, check the official Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter list before proposing a replacement. A USB-C connector alone does not identify the interface or establish compatibility. Record the exact model, macOS version and driver build to check the combination you plan to use.

Windows testing: preserve settings and distinguish networking from DSP load

The PC optimization guide, November 5, 2025, Network settings optimization specifies Waves SoundGrid and IPv6 enabled on the dedicated adapter and limits other protocols on that port. Follow the instructions for Windows 10 or 11 and the adapter's driver. Save its properties before changing settings; do not apply this configuration to an adapter needed for other tasks.

Identify the port first. If comparing Wi-Fi on and off, do so during an agreed pause while keeping the cabling, passage and buffers unchanged. First confirm which controls or access depend on that network. Record each run's result and restore the agreed working state.

To compare processing load, Waves, Audio Drops, Server CPU usage overload explains that Bypass does not reduce DSP use. In a test copy, compare a documented plugin chain using Disable where appropriate. The SuperRack guide, pp.37/49/57 distinguishes Server Network Buffer from Driver Network Buffer. Record which one changed and the resulting latency. Keep the other buffer unchanged during that run; increasing a buffer can add latency, so check the listening and monitoring paths before accepting the setting.

If the problem coincides with opening a browser, record that trigger without yet diagnosing a Wi-Fi, Thunderbolt bus or server fault. The recording or return, error counters and load can point to different parts of the system. Keep those observations with the version details so support can reproduce the condition.

Worksheet for rehearsal and operator handover

Leave listening results, errors and duration blank until the test is performed. Use the SoundGrid clocking and network worksheet to record the manufacturer's specified setting and the result of each run.

Common mistakes include assuming stability from an initial screenshot, using SQ's control port for audio, calling two different settings the buffer, and changing clocking and cabling together. If the dropout disappears under one condition, repeat the comparison and record its scope before using that configuration at the event.

Related: InTrigger processing load in SoundGrid (Spanish guide), WING–SuperRack signal paths (Spanish guide) and voice latency and effects returns. Arrange a rehearsal pause and an alternative audio path with the operator of the event sound system.