Hi there,

Let's say that I'm playing around Retrologue VSTi

When playing some presets, I get constant audio crackling/distortion.

Here is the detailed information : http://audiosex.pro/threads/audio-crackling-distortion-at-some-presets.78806/#post-824415

Here is the updates http://audiosex.pro/threads/audio-crackling-distortion-at-some-presets.78806/#post-824598



As seen up below the audio performance monitor doesn't even hit that high.

Buffer size : 512

Is it a driver/DAW related issues or the preset?

Thanks in advance.

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2025 at 5:26 PM

Audio driver maybe asio/buffer or shit install .Try another

 

You need to provide more information. What audio interface, what driver are you using, other synth plugins which do the same thing, are you tracking anything in live? What is the maximum buffer size you can set in your DAW with the audio interface you are using? Any changes when higher # samples buffer?

You should include what DAW version and release you are using, cpu/ram, and anything else that might be needed.

 

Before answering all of your questions, I would like to tell the issue a bit more in detail. Thanks in advance. I really appreciate your time.

First of all it happens with any synth, but the issue depends on a preset in a VSTi.

When pressing one or three keys, I barely hear this cracking sound, but it stil kills my motivation. However, the more I press keys, the more this cracking sound becomes audible.

if I press 6-10 keys simultaneously, it gets worse and worse. it only happens with MIDI because I have tried two different headphones.

You can compare the same midi on two different presets from a same synth.

https://vocaroo.com/16mFv0pcKSfF

When playing the X preset, the cracking sound can be more audible, than when playing Y preset.

I just recently reinstalled Windows.

When I change the buffer size, ,I still hear this annoying cracking sound. 2048 is the max one.

32GB Ram,
Intel Core™ i9 14900HX.
Steinberg.Cubase.Pro.14.v14.0.10-R2R,
Audient id14, the latest driver.

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2025 at 4:17 AM

Are you sure your gain staging is correct?

 

Do you have any standalone synths you can test so it is not even in your DAW? I do not think it is your DAW, necessarily. You could have any number of settings wrong though, especially when it is per preset. See if lowering the polyphony of the synth helps at all. Try various settings of unison/detune, poly, mono, whatever options you have. They are probably specific for each patch (preset or user). You can disable effects being used in the preset. Make sure you aren't clipping the levels.

 

Well, this could be due to that synth plugin's output simply being set too loud, which could in certain circumstances introduce unwanted digital artifacts, such as those evident in the first example of your audio clip.

If it's not that, then I recommend you read (and methodically follow) all the recommendations that Steinberg suggest in their well-written, concise guide to troubleshooting & optimizing cubase & audio under windows:

https://helpcenter.steinberg.de/hc/en-us/articles/360008589880-Windows-How-to-set-up-and-optimize-a-Digital-Audio-Workstation

 

If you have no other DAW, I would suggest FIRST (and even if one has no problems this is a GREAT tool) to get a small VST host.
I use SaviHost ( https://www.hermannseib.com/english/savihost.htm ).
There are VST hosts for VST2 & VST3 there.
I suggest getting both with keyboard.
You need to go to the menu to set audio device (& midi device if you want to use a controller)

Spoiler: VST2 version

You can make a folder in your VST2 directory for the "Savihost.exe" .
Perhaps name the folder something like [ SaviHost-Vst2-x64 ] to keep it at the top of the file list.
Then it is handy to copy and paste the "savihost.exe" next to any VST2.dll.
Then rename that copy from "Savihost.exe" it to "VST name.exe".
Then you have a stand-alone .exe for the plugin.
You can make a shortcut to it as with any .exe if you want.

Spoiler: Vst3 version

Vst3 version even better because you don't have to copy, paste & rename (although you CAN).
You can "associate" VST3 files with savihost by double-clicking and choosing Savihost to open it.
(Make a folder someplace safe to keep it. I made a folder for it in my Vst3 directory named "[ SaviHost.3.x64 ]".
Now, every VST3 shows the Savihost icon and I can just double-click to open for quick checking etc.

They are great to have on a DAW machine.
Not every plugin will work with these and some do not scale properly, but I find them very handy.

Another way, and maybe better (in that it is very compatible / stable) is to use a portable Reaper.
Fast download and easy setup for something like this to test, at the very least.

 

Looks like a gain issue based on your PC and interface, I have a 5600X and an ID24 and I never had similar issues. Are you setting up the ID Mixer correctly? You might be monitoring too high, the interface of the mixer is kinda shit and backwards in a lot of ways.

Check this:
- channel faders and/or master fader too high (channel meter does NOT reflect fader level, moving the fader will show the level change ONLY in the master mix meters - yes, it's dumb!)

I keep my faders at unity (zero), and the master volume knob at the penultimate tick. If your individual channels are clipping, but the master mix meter is not, it's better to turn the volume down from inside the DAW. If both are clipping, you can do the former AND lower the channel fader a bit. If that turns out to be your issue, doing proper gain staging will make this a lot less annoying. I never have to change my mixer settings after having learned how to use it.

Edit: just to be clear, the channel meters in the ID Mixer show INCOMING level instead of the level of the fader. If you are clipping the channel, pulling the fader down usually does nothing, because it's clipping BEFORE it reaches the faders. The master meters show the INCOMING level of the faders, so they show lower if you turn the faders down. The master volume will show clipping on the physical surface of the interface (the LED meters) instead of the interface.

The routing is: channel (meter) > channel (fader) > master (meter) > master (volume knob digital and physical) > physical LED (meter) > headphone knob (if used!)

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2025 at 6:06 AM

BlueCat's Patchwork is also a good option for this. It is both a wrapper plugin, and a standalone application that can load plugins. It is great for testing like this, but you can also register plugins iin the standalone version if your DAW is already running.

 

Here is other things I just discovered.

Important Update #1 :

I have a midi that has only 3 notes and it doesn't clip. But when I duplicate the midi channel four times, I already hear the cracking sound.

Important Update #2 : I disabled Audient id14 and Audient ASIO, then when I activate ASIO 4 all and the onboard soundcard (Realtek), it still cracks and I hear the same cracking sound. It means that the problem is not related to Audient ID14.

Important Update #3 : I already tried in Ableton with the same preset and midi. Exactly I hear the same cracking sound.

P.S:

The ID master mix shows red clips when the midi cracks.

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2025 at 5:46 PM

Sounds a lot like clipping. See if you can lower the volume from the source, that being the synth or something inside the synth like an oscillator. I've had it happen before that some presets in some synths (like some roland plugins) are super loud for some reason, to the point that you press a few notes simultaniously and it's already clipping.

If the problem goes away then you just have to find where exactly it's clipping, it may not show in all the meters if it's very early in the chain.

 

I just did another test.

I have a midi that has only 3 notes and it doesn't clip. But when I duplicate the midi channel four times, it already clips.

I disabled Audient id14 and Audient ASIO, then when I activate ASIO 4 all and the onboard soundcard (Realtek), it still cracks

I have been producing music for a long time and I've never come across such a thing, and plus I have a workhorse new laptop. I'm upset af.

 

I already tried in Ableton with the same preset and the midi. Exactly I hear the same cracking sound.

 

You are right. I already tried in Ableton with the same preset and the midi. Exactly I hear the same cracking sound.

Here are the updates : http://audiosex.pro/threads/audio-crackling-distortion-at-some-presets.78806/#post-824598

 

It's definitely just clipping and nothing to do with drivers, ASIO, OS... all you have to do is turn down the output from the synth until you don't hear any distortion/clipping anymore. Or similarly, and it's usually easier to do, turn down the track volume in Cubase mixer until it sounds good.
That's gonna do it, too. Cheers!

I just find it a little weird you can't see the track is clipping. It should also be apparent on the master volume.

P.S. 17y and 6 months ago (lol) I regularly encountered soft synths being too loud and clipping, so I just made all tracks default to -6dB in Reaper, because every time I added a synth, I would have to turn down the track volume. Preset designers love to make their presets as loud as unhumanly possible... ;)

 

Last edited: Jan 23, 2025 at 6:24 PM

Put a limiter plugin on the same channel as the synth plugin. Set it at -1dB to start, and see if you have crackling. Then move it down a dB or 2 until you notice the problem stop being audible. This way you will have the peak of the audio hitting the limiter before it is clipping.

Depending on your DAW, just check to make sure you have flipped between pre-fader and post fader. You probably do not, but you can have the audio from the synth clipping before it even hits the channel strip. Make sure you are doing this testing inside a blank DAW project, but you could also see if your DAW has any basic Template projects you could also test in.

Try with some other similar presets in the synth plugin. Sometimes presets are not useful, but some can even contain mistakes.

 

What synth is it, and how many voices do each preset allow? if you duplicate the midi four times it could be that the synth is just allowing the same notes to be triggered at the same time and just playing the sounds on top of each other, hence the clipping and why it only happens on some presets.

 

It has nothing to do with turning down the volume. When turning down the track volume, I still hear the crackling sound.

 

Already tried and still hear the annoying cracking sound.

I already tried in Ableton with the same preset and the midi. Exactly I hear the same cracking sound.

I came across some presets that caused the same cracking sound.