STEMS feature causing audio lag and crackle after macOS Tahoe 26 update on MacBook Air M1

Hello,


I’m a DJ using a MacBook Air 13” (M1). After updating to macOS Tahoe 26, I’ve noticed severe performance issues when using the STEMS feature in Rekordbox.


Previously, on macOS Sequoia, everything worked smoothly, even with this resource-intensive feature. However, since the update, using STEMS causes high load — the audio starts to lag, stutter, and crackle.


You can hear an example of the issue in this recording: https://soundcloud.com/1tovmas/rekordbox-issue


I’d really appreciate any advice or possible fixes for this problem.

Thank you in advance for your help!


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: After updating to macOS Tahoe 26, the STEMS feature started putting a heavy load on my MacBook Air 13” M1. The music began to crackle and lag.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Oct 19, 2025 10:55 AM

Reply
5 replies

Oct 22, 2025 6:03 AM in response to torylanez

torylanez wrote:

Thank you, but I assume the problem is with the poorly optimized macOS Tahoe, which turned out to be resource-hungry — just like iOS 26. My iPhone 15 Pro Max has started lagging occasionally.

If that’s what you assume then the next time a major macOS is released wait until a .4 update before installing it. But I have noticed no lagging or resource-hungry issues on either my M1 Studio Max or my iPhone 16 Pro. They both run very well on macOS 26.0.1 and iOS 26.0.1

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STEMS feature causing audio lag and crackle after macOS Tahoe 26 update on MacBook Air M1

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