# Distortion/crackling when turning up decay sustain release **URL:** \ **Category:** UDO Audio Gear\ **Created:** [19 September 2021 01:09 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665 "2021-09-19T01:09:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ddiamond84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@ddiamond84](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/ddiamond84)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 01:09 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/1 "2021-09-19T01:09:36Z")
This hasn’t happened till today. I restarted the synth to see if that would help but it didn’t. It never leaves my desk and has a decksaver on it. Any ideas? I might send it back if there’s something wrong with it:( > **[Distortion crackling, bug? Broken?](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/IlaH8iN66SQ?feature=share)** ---
**Author:** ![Maggz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9a28c/32.png) [@Maggz](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/Maggz)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 08:03 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/2 "2021-09-19T08:03:08Z")
I’m having the same issue… Just experienced this today… ---
**Author:** ![HermetechMastering](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.udo-audio.com/hermetechmastering/32/43_2.png) [@HermetechMastering](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/HermetechMastering)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 08:19 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/3 "2021-09-19T08:19:05Z")
You need to pull down the VCA level. I kinda wish they’d never bumped up the internal gain levels, as this never used to happen until a couple of firmware updates ago. ---
**Author:** ![softroom](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.udo-audio.com/softroom/32/205_2.png) [@softroom](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/softroom)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 08:59 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/4 "2021-09-19T08:59:35Z")
My Jupiter 6 used to do the same thing. As others have said, the VCA level is your friend. ---
**Author:** ![trond.olsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@trond.olsen](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/trond.olsen)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 11:34 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/5 "2021-09-19T11:34:41Z")
Damned if you do, damned if you don’t 🙂 Super mode adds quite a bit of volume gain on osc1. Combined with long relase time on env2 you get into clipping quickly. I’d personally preferred the gain dialed back a bit. ---
**Author:** ![HermetechMastering](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.udo-audio.com/hermetechmastering/32/43_2.png) [@HermetechMastering](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/HermetechMastering)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 11:46 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/6 "2021-09-19T11:46:56Z")
Me too. I have 75dB of gain from the pre/DI I feed the S6 to, so I would much rather greater dynamic range, with less clipping, and a lower volume, within the S6 itself. ---
**Author:** ![thesacredgrove](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.udo-audio.com/thesacredgrove/32/77_2.png) [@thesacredgrove](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/thesacredgrove)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 15:59 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/8 "2021-09-19T15:59:23Z")
I for one am very glad they upped the gain levels because it really was rather quiet when first released. Clearly, the designers thought so too 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![White\_Noise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c89c15/32.png) [@White\_Noise](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/White_Noise)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 16:51 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/10 "2021-09-19T16:51:41Z")
Matrixbrute. That one has many gain stages and you have to be disciplined with all of them or it will distort into a mess. You have a mixer with levels that need to be watched at each of the oscillators. Then there’s the normal mixer for the oscillators plus noise and external audio. Then there’s pre and post drive for each filter, plus filter level to consider, and then there’s analog FX mix/feedback. It can very easily be a noisy mess and I find that one more difficult to record well than Super6. ---
**Author:** ![ZaneAlexander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@ZaneAlexander](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/ZaneAlexander)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 17:36 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/11 "2021-09-19T17:36:38Z")
I like the new output gain. Would much rather have it there and decrease it myself. I’ve created some really aggressive and cinematic sounds using the gain from the S6 in this way. All without having to touch an interface. If the gain is too much for a patch, then I’ll adjust the VCA, but I definitely do not want to go back to a quiet firmware, personally. ---
**Author:** ![ddiamond84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@ddiamond84](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/ddiamond84)\ **Post date:** [19 September 2021 18:35 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/12 "2021-09-19T18:35:47Z")
I’m just super happy to know my synth isn’t broken! Thank you for the responses, very appreciated!! ---
**Author:** ![Mannerow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Mannerow](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/Mannerow)\ **Post date:** [20 September 2021 14:28 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/13 "2021-09-20T14:28:23Z")
I second this, no issues with the gain the way it currently is. ---
**Author:** ![HermetechMastering](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex017/user_avatar/forum.udo-audio.com/hermetechmastering/32/43_2.png) [@HermetechMastering](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/HermetechMastering)\ **Post date:** [20 September 2021 16:55 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/14 "2021-09-20T16:55:22Z")
My point is, now some patches that didn’t crackle and distort, crackle and distort, which is a behaviour I don’t find aurally pleasing. 😉 I’m not necessarily saying I want less gain, just that these crackles appeared after the 2 x 6dB gain increases in older firmware updates. I’m hoping they find a way to have the increased gain without the current distortion/lack of headroom problem. ---
**Author:** ![Otison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f1d935/32.png) [@Otison](https://forum.udo-audio.com/u/Otison)\ **Post date:** [20 September 2021 20:58 UTC](https://forum.udo-audio.com/t/distortion-crackling-when-turning-up-decay-sustain-release/665/15 "2021-09-20T20:58:33Z")
My Waldorf microwave has this issue at osc mixer level, it’s even mentioned in the manual to not make the sum of osc levels be more than 7. Turn it to 8 and it starts doing ugly clipping. Juno 60 & Jupiter 6, from what I recall, all required careful gain staging precautions to not make any clipping occur.