When you have 10 or 20+ voices of polyphony being used and triggered by a Midi file, all of that CPU resources hit at precisely the exact same time. Since it can be a very big transient event, in some cases you will not even really see it reflected in the visual feedback you get from a cpu meter or loudness meter. It's possibly only a milliseconds long spike. A limiter plugin with a very low, near-zero attack, low enough threshold, and "brickwall" enough settings would catch it and prevent clipping.

This is not a good way to "test"anything. " Every time I trigger 20 voices from one synth instance it causes this error. Something's wrong, because I should be able to play 20 keys at once without this problem. "

The answer is to stop doing whatever that action is. People do this frequently.

 

The video you sent your VSTi Retrologue was clipping.
What Preset in Retrologue was causing the issue and I'll try it playing it normally?
Edit: I see Preset called: Beast (will check it out)
Don't have that Preset but tested other Presets and they will crackle if into the red.
Also as @clone says it is not a great way to test. Stop triggering 20 notes and play it normally and keep an eye on volume levels

Also Main Volume is at the top right in Retrologue

 

Last edited: Jan 24, 2025 at 10:09 PM

From the screenshot "Beast"

 

Thanks I don't have that Preset but judging by the name... Anyway on testing a Preset it will only crackle if overloaded and into the red so he just needs to turn his volume down and check his meters.
Also this is what Polyphonic Key Mode means in Retrologue (Settings) if you use that:

Spoiler: “Polyphonic key mode” in settings

https://forums.steinberg.net/t/polyphonic-key-mode-in-settings/129833

 

Last edited: Jan 24, 2025 at 10:30 PM

I created a sound bank for the Retroloque myself, maybe you'd like to try out these presets to hear how the Retroloque actually sounds, as a sound designer you can never guarantee that if the user adjusts something, it will sound bad or crackle. A few synthesizers are equipped with a limiter button Synapse Dune, Minimal Audio Currrent 2, because as soon as it gets louder it goes over OdB and that crackles.

The Energy Soundbank by HO for the Steinberg - Retroloque VSTi
https://mega.nz/file/zuh0mAAA#qL-8TLCWON2DOWzOgbZvt9ldAmaYruxq0uR8sWAn-qI

Spoiler: The Energy Spectrum Soundbank By Sonic Sirius For The Steinberg - Retrologue 2

The Energy Spectrum Soundbank By Sonic Sirius For The Steinberg - Retrologue 2

• Inside the Download : 1 Soundset ' Energy Spectrum ' with 262 Presets
• Genre's: Dance - Trance - New Wave - Electro - Modern Synth Music
• Style's: Arpeggios - Basses - Leads - Pads - Sci-Fi's - Sequences
• Format & File Size : *. VSTPRESET / 1 MB
• For: Retrologue 2 v2.2.10.134 or newer
• Presets Sound Design by: Sonic Sirius
• Release Date: 11-2019
• Price: Free - Gift

Sonic Sirius - Synthesizer Soundsets
Freeware Soundsets for Software and Hardware Synthesizer
http://ohlenbostelhelge.magix.net/public/index.htm

 

Last edited: Jan 25, 2025 at 8:55 AM

you are just to hot, as i can see in the video you posted, just low the volume in the plugin and test again.

 

Last edited: Jan 25, 2025 at 12:03 AM

Yes, the more voices playing, the louder the output from the synth.
Yes, the higher the velocity (IF the synth is velocity sensitive) the louder the output.

YES, MANY presets have output volumes poorly set, and many 3rd party presets even clip the meters within the instrument.

For arranging I always have the limiter on my master ON and set to catch anything too loud.
If the meter on a channel goes over -6 dB I will bring it down, unless it is the only thing in the song.
Leave headroom for the other instruments.
You should not even need to look at your interface levels.
Keep that master from clipping!

 

The preset called Women Chorale. It is a factory preset.

Would you possibly test it playing many voices simultaneously?

Thank you in advance.

 

The preset called Women Chorale. It is a factory preset.

 

Is it at all possible this could be a result of incorrect setting of Cubase' ASIO Guard?

 

Hello @Free Agent, for me the preset "Woman Choral" only sounds normal when you play low keys, as soon as you play higher keys the preset Woman Choral is unusable, poorly made, too thin, you can change the "octave" from 4 to 16 places to make it sound better.

As @DoubleTake already said, use a limiter (bx_limiter) and turn the "Make Up" on the compressor (SSL Native Bus Compressor) to 2.6 dB or more to make the preset louder.

 

Last edited: Jan 25, 2025 at 9:58 AM

The same crackling sound coming from the preset also appears in Ableton.

Besides, mentioned in the following link I already tried the same preset, midi and Cubase version in another PC, the result is the same, I mean I hear that cracking sound : https://audiosex.pro/threads/audio-crackling-distortion-at-some-presets.78806/page-2#post-824835

In another PC Cubase has a clear installation.

 

Radio I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know it.

I took note of your valuable tech advices.

 

Unfortunately, many virtual software synthesizers do not have a built-in limiter. Synapes Audio - Dune, for example, has a built-in limiter button.

The problem when creating a preset is often that you have found the right sound, but it is 1dB over the 0dB limit. You either give up on the pleasant volume you have chosen, which is then too quiet, or you turn down the bass, usually the lowpass filter etc.

This limiter button limits everything that goes over 0 dB. A really great invention, but one that is rarely implemented.

Almost all software synthesizers have problems reproducing deep bass, for example Omnisphere, Falcon, Vital. Sylenth 1 has a very good engine, so they can also create deeper, higher quality presets.

If you now turn the volume control in the synth up, you are immediately above zero 0dB.
More bass or more low-pass filters also lead to overloading and thus to crackling or dirty sounds, or the preset becomes unusable.

 

There are presets that don't tolerate an increase in volume. You wrote that when you reduced the volume again, the crackling or artifacts disappeared immediately. As a rule of thumb, you can remember that crackling always occurs when the sound goes above 0dB.

There are of course many presets in software synthesizers that you can intervene in directly, such as the pitch, less or more reverb, etc.!
If you listen to different music and your sampling rate produces good results with 512 samples, everything is OK. If you hear crackling with several synthesizers, wavs, etc., you should go down to 256 samples until it disappears.

If you only hear crackling etc. with one preset, either the preset is poorly made or you have intervened yourself and edited the preset to the detriment of the sound.

 

Thanks @Radio for sharing these amazing sounds you created very much appreciated

I tested the Women Chorale Preset and it does Crackle when Overloading and may also when the Frequencies are overlapping (distorting). I made a quick video to show you that all I do is bring the Main Volume down in Retrologue by approx. -8db. I think if the sound was in a mix it would probably be -15db to -20db in reality.

Spoiler: RETROLOGUE CRACKLES

 

I've attached a picture of the "Resonator section of the effects page".
You might want to turn the Cutoff Resonance and/ir Gain controls down a bit based on how you hear them!