Logic Pro clicks, pops and distortion: separate overload from damaged audio

Match your symptom

Use a repeatable passage and preserve the source

Loop or replay the same short passage and note whether the problem occurs at an identical position. Also note whether it is present in a test export. A repeatable click in the source, a playback dropout and nonlinear processing are different failure types.

Work on a copy before any file-destructive repair. Avoid repeatedly playing unexpected loud noise at normal listening level. Start with a conservative monitor level while locating the fault.

Compare the buffer and processing load

For irregular playback clicks, try one larger I/O buffer setting in Logic’s Audio Devices settings and replay the same passage. Apple documents the trade-off: a very small buffer can produce clicks and crackles when the processor cannot keep up.

Record the before-and-after result. If the symptom improves, inspect the live track, demanding plug-ins and disk activity using the overload diagnosis. A larger buffer adds monitoring delay; choose a suitable recording setup afterward using the latency guide.

If a buffer change makes no difference, put it back before comparing another cause. Do not treat more RAM or a reinstall as a proven solution based on the sound alone.

Find the stage where distortion appears

Compare the source, track processing, auxiliary processing and output in sequence. A clean recording can be distorted by a later insert or gain stage. A quieter output does not remove distortion already printed into a recording or created earlier in the path.

Bypass one suspected processor in a test copy, listen at a comparable level and replay. Also inspect the interface input level if the fault was recorded. Leave creative saturation choices intact unless the comparison identifies them as the unintended sound.

Inspect clicks that repeat at one edit

Listen around the region boundary and inspect the waveform. A discontinuity or an abrupt cut may need a suitable fade or edit adjustment, rather than a new audio-device setting. Compare the original media to determine whether the click is already in the file.

Make a separate audio copy before destructive file editing. Do not draw over the only original recording merely because the click is visible. After a local edit, verify that it did not remove the intended attack or change timing.

Separate a device path from a project fault

Compare a simple project through the Mac’s built-in device and the normal interface. If the issue follows one device, inspect its supported driver, connection, sample rate and clock setup. If it is accompanied by a synchronization alert, follow audio/MIDI sync troubleshooting.

A working built-in comparison points toward that signal path; it does not prove which cable, driver or hardware component failed. Keep the test conditions and report the exact result to the device manufacturer.

Verify the fix

1. Replay the same passage several times under the intended load.
2. Check a short bounce outside Logic if the fault previously appeared in exported audio.
3. Restore an appropriate recording buffer and confirm the solution still works.

If the result changes, note which check changed it. If it does not, undo the test where appropriate and follow the next relevant branch. A failed test narrows the problem; it does not identify a component with certainty.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• 
  Fix

  Logic Pro system overload: how to fix the error (-10011)

  Fix the Logic Pro System Overload alert with Apple's steps: I/O Buffer Size, Process Buffer Range, Multithreading, Performance Meter, freeze tracks and sends.

• 
  Fix

  Logic Pro latency: buffer size table and how to get the delay down

  Reduce Logic Pro latency: buffer-size table in ms at 44.1 and 48 kHz, Low Latency Mode, Software Monitoring vs direct monitoring, plug-in delay compensation.

• 
  Sound & recording

  Audio / MIDI sync error

  Troubleshoot “Error while trying to synchronize Audio and MIDI” in Logic Pro by separating sample rate, clock, aggregate-device and processing issues.

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Sources and version notes

Based on Apple documentation; reviewed 8 November 2026. This is a documentation review, not a claim of hands-on testing on every Logic, macOS or interface version. Archived guides are labelled; confirm menu names in the help for your installed release.

• Audio device buffer settings (archived guide)
• Manage input monitoring latency
• If Logic Pro for Mac is not working