Once you've updated your instrument, please try again to seek out the cause for your clicks and pops. You may want to seek out help with setting up your computer so that it is optimized for music production. Turning off unnecessary settings and items that can conflict with it handling audio streaming.
If your Windows computer is not "paying attention", that is, it is searching for updates, scanning, running a resource intensive program in the background, etc., all of these things can impact your system's ability to stream audio without glitches.

Let us know.

Finally got back to this. One thing I did do, was change the power supply on the Moxf6. I was using one I already had in place, and while it seemed to work, had a lower power rating. No reason to not eliminate that as a possible issue. I am not using one that came with synth.

Right now, the audio drop outs, as heard during any PC audio ( youtube, games, etc.) are better than they were. It went from annoying to tolerable. I have tried a number of different buffer size settings.

I would say a drop out every few minutes when the Moxf6 is acting only as an audio interface. That is, I am watching youtube, playing a game, etc. You might ask why I am using pricey synth as audio interface - it's so I can plug it into PC and use one set of speakers for synth work and PC work.

I know you talking about optimized for music production, but on my old PC I used it as a daily audio interface with zero issues. It could be some configuration, but I am scratching my head on that because there's little to configure besides buffer size. Proper Steinberg driver version is installed

Perhaps there's some issue with Windows 8.1? Old PC had Windows 7

Finally got back to this. One thing I did do, was change the power supply on the Moxf6. I was using one I already had in place, and while it seemed to work, had a lower power rating. No reason to not eliminate that as a possible issue. I am not using one that came with synth.

please use the one that came with the MOXF6. As a human you need water to survive, oil is also a liquid, but you cannot run on oil. Using just any power supply you already had in place, may cause the lights to come on but under powering your MOXF can cause damage.

Is there a (good) reason why you are not using the one that came with the synth ... Or did you mean "now using" instead off "not using"? (Which is what you wrote)... I know living in today's world of "auto correction" sometimes what you want to type does not make it to the message. Please use a Yamaha PA150

You might ask why I am using pricey synth as audio interface - it's so I can plug it into PC and use one set of speakers for synth work and PC work.

No, I completely understand. I use this as my full time audio interface (I personally think the speaker systems that come with most computers are a joke, and wouldn't use them. So I connect all audio through my music system. This I would imagine is the case in the majority of setups. So no I would not ask why, if you switched back and forth (and that is another option available) - you simply set your preferences that way.

Perhaps there's some issue with Windows 8.1? Old PC had Windows 7

No. No known issues with Windows 8.1

I am using the correct one. I mistyped 'not' when I meant 'now' in the above post.

Fully agree with you I should not have used wrong one (it was for another Yamaha synth, and seemed to work and was already in place, and seemed to work, but as you say, no good reason to use wrong power supply when it's rating was a bit lower than proper one)

I was never able to fix this. I can live with the issue when doing video games, videos and such. But not for recording. I tried to record using Cubase and it's unworkable.

It's not only audio dropouts. While trying to record, MIDI notes are not always being recorded. Seems like overall, there's some issue which never happened on my Windows 7 machine. I suppose there could be some hardware issue with the PC, but everything else seems to work fine, so not sure what to test.

Anyone have an issue with Moxf6 sound when hooked to windows through USB on Windows 8 and managed to fix it?

I am thinking I should just sell the synthesizer and move on, if there's no solution as the main reason I bought it was for the windows/cubase connectivity. I already have the ( flawless) Motif XF6 and use it with a mixer/recorder.

It's not only audio dropouts. While trying to record, MIDI notes are not always being recorded. Seems like overall, there's some issue which never happened on my Windows 7 machine. I suppose there could be some hardware issue with the PC, but everything else seems to work fine, so not sure what to test.

The fact that this never happened on your Windows 7 computer - I believe there is an issue with your hardware (computer). I try to stay on top of any major issues with computer platforms. I have not heard of any currently reported issue running the MOXF6 and it's connection to either Windows 7 or 8

We can only do checklist type support here on a forum. The fact that you are reporting your computer spitting up on MIDI data as well, that is a sure indicator to me that it might be your hardware (computer) with the issue. MIDI has been rock solid for eons, if you were having just issues with the Audio, I might continue to think it might be an incompatibility with the USB AUDIO configuration. But the USB-MIDI portion of the driver has been ridiculously reliable and rock solid for as long as I can remember.

The Buffer Size only cures issues down with CPU processing load. Giving it a large enough bucket size - it's like a bucket brigade, the way packets of information are moved by the computer. If fills the bucket and then moves a new bucket to get the next packet of information... like the fire bucket lines... if your Buffer Size is too small you will hear clicks and pops as the buckets spill data all of the place. You want to optimize the bucket size so that your computer can smoothly move the data from one place to the next. Not TOO big (that is just wasteful) and never TOO small because that is clicks and pops-ville.

When you cannot cure the problem no matter how big you make the Buffer Size, you can bet your problem lies else where... most likely the computer can handle the Buffer Size fine, it is some other conflict or issue.

Either way, you should contact Customer Support and see if they can shed some light on your issue.

What version of Cubase are you attempting to run? you've never mentioned it.
If Cubase Pro 8 then: Aero mode needs to be activated in Windows 7

I tried updating BIOS, which also cleared some overclocking settings, but that did not help

I moved it to a USB 2.0 port and it seems much better. I can seemingly now listen to music glitch free ( not sure 100%, but much better) and record and playback

As to why it's not working on USB 3.0, I can't say

I think you have found your problem... While they may talk about backward compatibility to previous USB, apparently this is not the case for audio and MIDI data in this case. We can only be as helpful as the information you choose to provide. You must meet the requirements as listed in you instruments manual. The only mention of USB 3.0 would lead you to believe it should be avoided.

From your Owner's Manual.... Page 53

Precautions when using the USB [TO HOST] terminal
When connecting the computer to the USB [TO HOST] terminal, make sure to observe the following points. Failing to do so risks freezing the computer and corrupting or losing the data. If the computer or the instrument freezes, restart the application software or the computer OS, or turn the power to the instrument off then on again.

NOTICE
• Use an AB type USB cable. USB 3.0 cables cannot be used.
• Before connecting the computer to the USB [TO HOST] terminal, exit from any power-saving mode of the computer (such as suspend, sleep, standby).
• Before turning on the power to the instrument, connect the computer to the USB [TO HOST] terminal.
• Execute the following before turning the power to the instrument on/off or plugging/unplugging the USB cable to/ from the USB [TO HOST] terminal.
• Quit any open application software on the computer.
• Make sure that data is not being transmitted from the
instrument. (Data is transmitted only by playing notes on
the keyboard or playing back a song.)
• While the computer is connected to the instrument, you should wait for six seconds or more between these operations: (1) when turning the power of the instrument off then on again, or (2) when alternately connecting/ disconnecting the USB cable.

--------------------------------------------

You cannot use USB 3.0
Enjoy recording now that you've properly connected to your computer.

I could argue that the statement that a USB 3.0 cable can't be used is different than that a USB 3.0 port can't be used. A USB 3.0 B terminator is definitely not pluggable into 2.0/1.0 port as it has a different shape. It makes 100% sense for that reason that cables are not fully backwards compatible, but ports are expected to be ( but as demonstrated, are not always.)

I did update my chipset drivers which improved results when using a 2.0 port, but there are still some issues, so I will stick with 2.0.

I did some googling, and there have been issues with audio devices plugged into 3.0 ports. I should have thought of this earlier, as I don't think my Audiobox worked in 3.0 ports either.

Yes, you could make that argument, but they cannot write into a manual compatibility or incompatibility on systems yet to be (fully) tested. When the MOXF came to market USB3 certainly was squeaky new. For certain the plugs will not fit - that much was known. .. But mentioning it in you initial post could/would have saved much effort here, because it would be the reddest of flags raised in your initial issue. I would have known that it was not yet tested and that therefore it would have been moved to near the top of the list of suspects, no?

Even when something is listed as being 'backward compatible', I've found they are not necessarily referring to those of us using computers to do professional recording... Things still need to be fully tested... Thunderbolt to FW adapters were "supposed" to be backward compatible... Turns out they were, indeed, completely 100% backward compatible for audio/MIDI communication... But not until it was 'fully tested' did one dare to say it, recommend it, or rely on it. Until "fully tested", the backward compatibility of USB3.0 is bound to be suspect until (as they say) "...further notice."

You didn't think to mention it was USB3 🙂 or you didn't know... But either way, glad you got it sorted out.

I admit I did not even consider the possibility that USB 3.0 was an issue. It's a reasonable thing to consider, and I wish I had.

I was perhaps not even sure there was a 2.0 port. I had to download the motherboard manual to figure out were it was, it was so poorly labeled