wcreed51 wrote:I'm finding a big problem with VSL with this update. There's a click in every note transition. Sounds like it's in the release sample. It's not happening with other libraries, or with VSL in other applications.
SUCCINCT VERSIONTry increasing the Audio Buffer Size in NOTION 4 Preferences, noting that this should be as relevant if you are using Windows as it is if you are using Mac OS X. And if there are adjustable parameters for other audio software and external digital audio interfaces, revisit them, as well . . .
DETAILS AND THOUGHTSI had a similar problem with MachFive 3 (MOTU) when I first got it, continuing until recently (about a month or two ago), which was more pronounced in the 32-bit version of NOTION 4 but also happened with the 64-bit version of NOTION 4, and it was particularly annoying because it was most prevalent on the MachFive 3 Jazz Bass, where each note clicked, popped, and made noises . . .
[
NOTE: Some of the MachFive 3 instruments, including the Jazz Bass, are highly sampled chromatically (each note and articulation is sampled), which maps to a thousands of samples, hence for practical purposes each note is loaded in real-time on the fly, more or less, and this is where increasing the Audio Buffer Size becomes important, because it does "lookahead" and preloads the notes before they are needed, so that with a smaller Audio Buffer Size, MachFive 3 has to wait or whatever for notes to be loaded, and this maps to pops, clicks, and other types of noise when the Audio Buffer Size is too small . . . ]
After doing every experiment that came to mind, I had the idea to change the Audio Buffer Size, which had bee set to the default value of "256 Samples", which was the value that worked best on the 2.8-GHz 8-core Mac Pro (early-2008) here in the sound isolation studio with NOTION 3 when everything was 32-bits, including Digital Performer 7, the 32-bit only DAW application I was using at the time . . .
So, I increased it in increments of 256 and did tests, where the current value is "1024 Samples", and this eliminated the popping, clicking, and other noises that happened with MachFive 3 VSTi virtual instruments (64-bit mode), as well as some of the native NOTION 4 bundled instruments (also running in 64-bit mode) . . .
The Mac Pro here in the sound isolation studio is fast enough to get everything done with the larger NOTION 4 buffer size, and the latency aspect is not a problem, because I record the NOTION 4 generated audio in Digital Performer 8 (32-bit and 64-bit, but only one at a time), so it just needs to be synchronized to itself . . .
When I switch to recording real instruments and singing in Digital Performer 8, I turn-off any effects plug-ins on the tracks being recorded and do a few other things to ensure low latency, all of which works nicely, although it would be nice to be able to hear myself singing through echo units in real-time, which I can do since I have real, external echo units, but I cannot do this with AU and VST effects plug-ins due to the latency times . . .
[
NOTE: When singing, there is a way to "work" the various effects units, as well as the condenser microphone, and this is vastly easier when you can hear it in real-time, but since it is a bit of a hassle to configure the external compressors, reverb units, and echo units, I try to do it "dry" by "pretending" there are effects units, which I can do if I practice it frequently, but it is not the same as hearing the effects. I can do the "pretend effects" thing when singing, since I use only a few effects plug-ins and know intimately how each one works, but it does not work at all when I am playing lead guitar. I really need to hear the effects pedals for lead guitar, since (a) there are more of them and (b) some of them, like the DigiTech Whammy Pedals, change the tone, texture, and pitch so dramatically that it is virtually impossible for me to control it precisely in real-time without actually hearing what happens . . . ]
Increasing the Audio Buffer Size solved the problem here in the sound isolation studio, and MachFive 3 is very quiet now, as is everything, noting that the performance and optimization rules are a bit different when everything is 64-bits and the computer and operating system are less constrained than when everything other than the computer and operating system is restricted to the 32-bit universe . . .
In retrospect, this should have been obvious, but based on what I now know, I think it is important to revisit everything when one moves into the 64-bit universe, which includes buffer settings; hard drive and processor parameters, like hard drive "sleeping" options, processing priorities, and so forth, all of which is fabulous . . .
Fabulous! 
Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2013 3:33 pm