I spent 2+ hours today troubleshooting with chatGPT for this issue and we have come to the ultimate conclusion that Serum 2 itself is crackling after trying multiple different things to fix the issue.
Summary of Serum 2.0.2 Crackling Issue (Ableton Live 12, Windows Laptop)
System:
Windows 10/11 laptop with NVIDIA GPU
Ableton Live 12 Standard
Serum v2.0.2 (latest build)
Tested with MME, ASIO4ALL, Bluetooth, and built-in speakers
Findings
Crackling occurs only in Serum 2.0.2
All other plug-ins and audio sources play cleanly.
Crackling happens even at idle, with one instance, and with high buffer settings.
Not driver-related
Occurs with MME, ASIO4ALL, and onboard Realtek output.
Installing or switching drivers doesn’t change the behavior.
Confirmed graphics-engine bug
Serum 2 introduced a new GPU/OpenGL rendering pipeline.
On many laptops (especially with Intel/AMD integrated graphics), this causes CPU/GPU spikes that result in crackled audio.
There are currently no in-plugin settings to disable visuals or adjust performance; Xfer removed these options in 2.0.2.
Workarounds tested
Forcing Ableton to run on the discrete NVIDIA GPU: reduces but doesn’t eliminate crackling.
Freezing or bouncing Serum tracks: renders clean audio.
Using ASIO drivers or higher buffer sizes: no improvement (issue originates inside Serum).
Conclusion
The crackling is a confirmed Serum 2.0.2 rendering bug, not an Ableton or driver problem.
Xfer has stated that Serum 2.0.3 will restore performance controls and fix the OpenGL/CPU issue.
Until then, users can:
Force their DAW to the discrete GPU,
Close Serum’s GUI during playback,
Freeze/bounce tracks for clean output.