Audio Export Problems

[idiotSavant]

I've run into this a couple of times and wondering if anyone else is having this issue:

When I export audio in some files at the end of the export it cuts the sound short (before the actual end of the sound) and then spaces out small chunks of sampled sound at periodic intervals. It doesn't happen in every file, and there's nothing I can see that is common to all files this is happening with.

I use Notion 4 on a iMac OS 10.9 with VSL libraries.

Very frustrating!

[thorrild]

Hi Michael,

I have never had this problem, but a vague guess is that it has to do with the VSL libraries. I too use Notion 4 on an iMac running OS 10.9; I just don't use the VSL samples.

Best wishes,
Thorrild

[wcreed51]

I don't have this issue when using VSL...

[Surfwhammy]

I've run into this a couple of times and wondering if anyone else is having this issue:

When I export audio in some files at the end of the export it cuts the sound short (before the actual end of the sound) and then spaces out small chunks of sampled sound at periodic intervals. It doesn't happen in every file, and there's nothing I can see that is common to all files this is happening with.

I use Notion 4 on a iMac OS 10.9 with VSL libraries.

Very frustrating!

Try inserting a few empty measures at the end of the score . . .

Another possibility is that the problem is caused by the reverb plug-in, since some of the audio generation for reverb and echo plug-ins continues after the actual notes have ended, where the audio that continues is a combination of reverberation and echoes, as you can hear in this version of one of the NOTION 4 demo songs that I am using for a few experiments, where the general goal is to reveal as much of the true textures of the various instruments as possible, since the textures are present in the raw sound samples, noting that this is done exclusively with the NOTION 4 native instruments, which are starting to sound good even though this genre is not a genre on which I have focused until recently, hence is a bit of a learning experience, which is fabulous . . .

[NOTE: The reverberation is done with Timeless 2 (FabFilter Software Instruments) using one of its ambient reverberation presets. It is smoother than the NOTION 4 native reverb and is a bit more subtle. This score has two empty measures at the end, but it actually can use a few more empty measures, since the cymbal or Chinese gong needs to ring for a while longer. It is important to put something in the empty measures, which typically will be a rest, because if there is nothing in the "empty" measures, the audio export will stop at the point where there is "nothing" in the remaining empty measures, hence add some rests to the otherwise "empty" measures . . . ]



Timeless 2 (FabFilter Software Instruments)

"Awakening Notions" (Notion Music) ~ Surfwhammy Remix Orchestra Panning ~ MOTU CueMix FX Analyzer ~ YouTube music video

Fabulous!

P. S. You might experiment with increasing the audio buffer size, as well. At present I am using "1024 Samples" for the NOTON 4 "Audio Buffer Size", and it is working nicely on the Mac Pro (Early 2008) running Mac OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) here in the sound isolation studio . . .

[Admin]

Do you have the Notion Reverb running during the Audio Export. I am asking because for some reason during the Export, the score export ends at the double bar rather than the audio fade out time. You may need to add some empty bars at the end of the score to get the trail off of all audio that is being exported.

-Admin

[idiotSavant]

All, thanks for the replies.

I do not have Notion reverb running. I use VSL MIRPro for reverb.

I have tried adding additional measures. It doesn't help, I still get the choppy bits.

The only fix I've found is to add a couple of extra measures and a note in the last measure. I can then edit the audio file to remove the last note, which is still giving the choppy bits.

It's a pain. I've posted here long ago about the audio export function. I'm hoping there are some improvements to that with the Presonus acquisition.

[Surfwhammy]

All, thanks for the replies.

I do not have Notion reverb running. I use VSL MIRPro for reverb.

I have tried adding additional measures. It doesn't help, I still get the choppy bits.

The only fix I've found is to add a couple of extra measures and a note in the last measure. I can then edit the audio file to remove the last note, which is still giving the choppy bits.

It's a pain. I've posted here long ago about the audio export function. I'm hoping there are some improvements to that with the Presonus acquisition.

Other than either (a) having too much stuff in a single NOTION 4 score or (b) having the NOTION 4 Audio Buffer Size set too low (or some other buffer or parameter in the DAW application), I have not encountered this problem . . .

I use Addictive Drums and Addictive Keys (XLN Audio), Cyclop (Sugar Bytes), Kontakt 5 (Native Instruments), MachFive 3 (MOTU), and some of the NOTION 4 native virtual instruments, as well as VST effects plug-ins made by FabFilter Software Instruments, IK Multimedia, and Wave Arts, and I do everything on the Mac . . .

THOUGHTS

It might be a problem with the Vienna Symphonic Library (VSL) software, and you could do some experiments to determine this . . .

(1) Disable the VSL reverb and do an export . . .

If there are no problems with this one, then the culprit is the VSL reverb, but if there are problems, then the next experiment can provide clues . . .

(2) Create a new NOTION 4 score but use non-VSL instruments and no reverb (NOTION 4, VSL, or otherwise) . . .

If there are no problems with this second experiment, then the culprit probably is the VSL engine or player . . .

However, it depends on whether you are using only Mac OS X CoreAudio or an external digital audio and MIDI interface like the MOTU 828mk3 Hybrid, which is what I use most of the time . . .

There are a few parameters that can be set via Mac OS X Audio MIDI Setup, but primarily just the sample rate and bit resolution, which for playback should be 44,100-Hz at 16-bits . . .

This might be part of the problem, depending on the way you have the NOTION 4 "Bit-depth" set when you do the "Audio Export" . . .

I set the "Bit-depth" to "16-bits" based on the my understanding that NOTION 4 generates audio at standard CD quality, which is 44,100-Hz at 16-bits, and this is the value I use for the DAW application, as well, which usually is Digital Performer 8.05 (MOTU) . . .

I have not verified the part about NOTION 4 generating audio at standard CD quality, so perhaps higher bit-resolutions are new, except that NOTION 3 also had the option for "Audio Export" to have 16-bit, 24-bit, or 32-bit for WAVE audio files, which is the audio format that is used . . .

In this context, if the actual audio generated is standard CD quality but it is padded or extended arbitrarily to 24-bit or 32-bit resolution, then instead of improving the quality of the audio, it does the opposite, since when there only are 16-bits of data, expanding it to 24-bits or 32-bit of data only inserts meaningless information, which maps to increased noise, hiss, and so forth . . .

Hence another experiment might provide clues if you are exporting audio at 24-bits or 32-bits rather than at 16-bits . . .

(3) Export the audio at 16-bits and see what happens . . .

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS

Some folks will suggest that they can determine the difference in 24-bit or 32-bit audio as contrasted to 16-bit audio, but they probably do not have calibrated full-range studio monitor systems and are just repeating something they read somewhere which was written by yet another person who had no actual idea . . .

In some respects, it appears logical that 32-bits is better than 24-bits which is better than 16-bits, but if you are listening to the music played through a commercial-off-the-shelf studio monitor system, then even if there were a difference, it would be frivolous . . .

This is an excellent video done by Ethan Winer which contains part of a presentation he made at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in 2009, and it explains the information about bit resolution and a lot of other stuff in a way that might be easier to understand than the way I explain it, which is fabulous . . .

Audio Myths Workshop (Ethan Winer et al.) -- AES Show 2009 - YouTube video

Fabulous!

[Migot]

IdioSavant,

«The only fix I've found is to add a couple of extra measures and a note in the last measure. I can then edit the audio file to remove the last note, which is still giving the choppy bits.»

Tip :
To avoid editing, just set the last extra note's velocity to «0» !
Voilà

Hope to help