User guide
CHAPTER
107
12 Performance Tips & Troubleshooting
Things seems like they are working fine, but the 
UltraLite-mk3 then just drops off line, and the 
computer can’t see it anymore on the FireWire bus.
This is a common symptom when the problem is 
that the UltraLite-mk3 is not getting enough 
power. Check the power source for the 
UltraLite-mk3. Make sure that the power 
connection meets the requirements outlined in 
“Bus power requirements” on page 23.
Why does the start sound not play through the 
UltraLite-mk3? 
The UltraLite-mk3 will only playback audio at a 
sampling rate of 44.1, 48, 88.2. 96. 176.4 or 
192 kHz.
The computer freezes when it starts up
If the computer is unable to boot up, it may be a 
conflict with the WDM Driver. As soon as the 
computer boots up, Windows will try and initialize 
the WDM Driver. If this fails, your computer will 
hang. To determine if the WDM Driver is the 
problem, boot up in Safe Mode or remove the 
MOTU Audio software with the Add/Remove 
Programs Control Panel then restart. Reinstall the 
UltraLite-mk3 software and choose only to install 
the MOTU ASIO driver, not the WDM Driver. 
Restart again.
‘New hardware detected’ window
If you connect your UltraLite-mk3 before running 
the UltraLite-mk3 Software Installer CD, Windows 
will prompt you that new hardware has been 
detected. Cancel this, and run the UltraLite-mk3 
Software Installer, rather than allowing Windows 
to locate the drivers.
UltraLite-mk3 inputs and outputs are not 
available in SONAR
Make sure that the inputs and/or outputs that you 
want to use are enabled in SONAR.
Sound Forge and ‘Smooth Scroll’
If the Smooth Scroll option under the Options 
menu is turned on, you may experience clicks and 
pops or other anomalies in the audio playback. 
This gets worse as you zoom in more to the 
waveform while playing. For the best quality 
playback, turn this option off.
Clicks and pops due to hard drive problems
If you have checked your clock settings sync cable 
connections and you are still getting clicks and 
pops in your audio, you may have a drive related 
problem. Set the UltraLite-mk3 Clock Source to 
Internal and try recording just using the analog 
inputs and outputs of the UltraLite-mk3. If you 
encounter the same artifacts you may want try 
using another drive in your computer. Clicks and 
pops can also occur when the drive is severely 
fragmented or the disk drivers are outdated.
If you are using a FireWire drive on the same bus as 
the UltraLite-mk3, it could be that the FireWire 
bus is overloaded (too many devices on the same 
bus). Try removing all devices except the 
UltraLite-mk3.
Connecting or powering gear during operation
It is not recommended that you connect/
disconnect, or power on/off devices connected to 
the UltraLite-mk3 while recording or playing back 
audio. Doing so may cause a brief glitch in the 
audio.
Monitoring - how do I monitor inputs?
Please refer to the documentation for the audio 
application that you are using. If your application 
does not support input monitoring, you will need 
to use the UltraLite-mk3’s hardware-based 










