Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

For discussion of the Voltage Modular synthesis ecosystem.
jojimbo370
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:05 pm

Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by jojimbo370 »

I am having a not intended sound popping in on every sound I make, It is at the start of the sound and throughout its lenght.
Running the VST in FL Studio and troubleshooted it by using fixed size buffer (for buggy plugins), the pop and crackle immediately stopped, but it brings the latency up, so it is not a fix.
I had this problem with a couple of other VST plugins in the past which fixed themselves only by an update from the developer.

I hope you guys at Cherry Audio look at this problem as the plugin is useless to me unless this problem is fixed.
The Voltage Modular is awesome and I would love to use it. I tried to download the 1.3.3 without success.
Cherry Garcia
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by Cherry Garcia »

Hi,

Did you try going into the Voltage Modular "Settings" and clicking on "CPU". Try toggling the "Multi-thread mixing option".

Oh, wait, you say you don't have 1.3.3. Make sure to get that version by clicking https://store.cherryaudio.com/my/library and downloading it. (You'll have to login first) Why couldn't you download it? Maybe there was a temporary glitch.

Once you get that version, let us know how it goes...because 1.3.3 is very much improved in the crackle front. (It will require a computer with multiple cores, though)

Also, do you get crackles in stand-alone for comparison?
jojimbo370
Posts: 7
Joined: Wed Mar 13, 2019 3:05 pm

Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by jojimbo370 »

Cherry Garcia wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2019 1:15 am Hi,

Did you try going into the Voltage Modular "Settings" and clicking on "CPU". Try toggling the "Multi-thread mixing option".

Oh, wait, you say you don't have 1.3.3. Make sure to get that version by clicking https://store.cherryaudio.com/my/library and downloading it. (You'll have to login first) Why couldn't you download it? Maybe there was a temporary glitch.

Once you get that version, let us know how it goes...because 1.3.3 is very much improved in the crackle front. (It will require a computer with multiple cores, though)

Also, do you get crackles in stand-alone for comparison?
I have the 1.3.3 version installed, also enabled Multi-threading in CPU options which is a nice addition to the plugin I might say :)
I am running on Coffe Lake I-7 Processor, No issues whatsoever with any other plugins which seem more heavy on my system than Voltage Modular. CPU load is not an issue I believe.

edit: I tried the standalone, and the problem does not exist there. I also tried to switch between minimum to maximum thread in CPU option, the problem remains.
Cherry Garcia
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by Cherry Garcia »

We test it with FL Studio without any problems or issues with every build, so its not a general compatibility problem.
Did you try toggling the OpenGL performance setting? Perhaps, there is a conflict with FL Studio in that sense.
It seems that your CPU is pretty new and powerful.

Does your CPU have an integrated GPU?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_Lake

Does it happen with every preset?
Will it happen with just a single oscillator?
Did you try the VST3 and the VST2? Perhaps, one will work better?
Does it matter what audio device you use?
Does it matter what type of audio driver you use? (WaveRT / ASIO, etc?)

Of course, we'd like to get it working properly for you.
jojimbo370
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by jojimbo370 »

Cherry Garcia wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2019 2:40 am We test it with FL Studio without any problems or issues with every build, so its not a general compatibility problem.
Did you try toggling the OpenGL performance setting? Perhaps, there is a conflict with FL Studio in that sense.
It seems that your CPU is pretty new and powerful.

Does your CPU have an integrated GPU?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_Lake

Does it happen with every preset?
Will it happen with just a single oscillator?
Did you try the VST3 and the VST2? Perhaps, one will work better?
Does it matter what audio device you use?
Does it matter what type of audio driver you use? (WaveRT / ASIO, etc?)

Of course, we'd like to get it working properly for you.
Hello, much appreciated, here are my response to your questions.

1* I tried toggling OpenGL on and off and there is no change.

2* My CPU is a 8700K I-7 It is a very reliable CPU, very happy with it.. (And yes, it has Integrated GPU) However, i do use my Geforce Gigabyte 1080TI.

3* It happens with every preset.

4* One oscillator or several does not matter, the problem does not worsen or get better.

5* I tried VST2 and VST3, no change. In FL studio it combines both VST2 and 3 together into one in my plugin list.

6* I use Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 on my Windows 10 and in FL studio. So the standalone program which runs just fine on the same device does not work in FL studio.
However as I said previously, when i change a setting in FL studio by selecting the plugin (in this case Voltage Modular) and clicking on the cogwheel option on top, you get a menu under "processing" tab which says: "Use fixed size buffers" (for buggy plugins). If i tick that one, the problem goes away. Howewer this option also says it is only for troubleshooting buggy plugins as it creates more latency. And If I choose to record any work with this option on, the project will create noises when the project exports the file no matter the format.

7* I tried changing to all available input/output devices in FL Studio, The primary sound driver will of course just make crackling noise, I have set it to my "Focusrite USB ASIO which works with everything else in my DAW.

I have a lot of plugins, all of them running just fine, only issue is Voltage Modular. To name a few, i got Sunrizer, Serum, Kontakt, Garritan Orchestra, Aparillo, Polygon, UVI Workstation with 7 different libraries, Carbon Electra, Flow Motion, Loom, Palindrome... the list goes on. All of these working just fine.

Again, thank you for looking into this issue as I am out of ideas.
jojimbo370
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by jojimbo370 »

I have been checking out some other options in FL Studio that also removes the noise I am experiencing.
In Audio settings where I select what audio device to use, buffer length and so on there is an option under "CPU",

If I set "Align tick lenghts" to on, the noise is gone, however this is also an option that is meant for troubleshooting VST's.

Once again, not a fix. But it may help you understand the problem I am having.
Keep in mind, I have no issues with any other VST's I have installed, every other sound coming from other VST are working as intended.
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DarkStar
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by DarkStar »

I had to look that up:
Align tick lengths - This is a troubleshooting option. May help solve problems with VST/AU plugins that include: Clicks and unexplained noises. Rendered-audio timing errors, where the plugin is out of sync with the beat. Unexpectedly high CPU load. A tick is the smallest internal unit of time used for sequencing automation & note events (PPQ counts the number of ticks (pulses) per quarter-note for example).
https://www.image-line.com/support/flst ... _audio.htm

I wonder how FL Studio sets about aligning them. Or perhaps it sends tick value to the plug-in? Or asks the plug-in?

In Reaper, I get crackles with the "Distant Chimes" preset (among others). But it is fine in Bitwig.
DarkStar ... interesting, if true. // Inspired by ...
jojimbo370
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by jojimbo370 »

DarkStar wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2019 2:59 pm I had to look that up:
Align tick lengths - This is a troubleshooting option. May help solve problems with VST/AU plugins that include: Clicks and unexplained noises. Rendered-audio timing errors, where the plugin is out of sync with the beat. Unexpectedly high CPU load. A tick is the smallest internal unit of time used for sequencing automation & note events (PPQ counts the number of ticks (pulses) per quarter-note for example).
https://www.image-line.com/support/flst ... _audio.htm

I wonder how FL Studio sets about aligning them. Or perhaps it sends tick value to the plug-in? Or asks the plug-in?

In Reaper, I get crackles with the "Distant Chimes" preset (among others). But it is fine in Bitwig.
I am quoting a post in FL studio forum that answers what Align Tick length does in another way:

"It delays buffers to process at least a multiple of 4 (or 8, can't remember) samples at once, useful for plugins that use SSE, so that they don't have to process 'remainders'.

We haven't seen any noticable CPU improvement with it on (the remainder being statistically neglectable), but if a plugin works better with it on, it may mean that it's a poorly written one where they assumed bufferswitches would always be a multiple of 4, and didn't consider implementing the processing of remainders."

No idea if this has anything to do with VM, but I hope it may help so we can find out why this happens.
HowlingMod
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by HowlingMod »

the crackling issue seems a problem that many users experience. correct me if i am wrong.
i have cubase 9.5.5 pro, it crashes cubase, after closing cubase... with cubase 10 it seems to work, i do not intend to upgrade yet, because of the instability of 10.
i have ableton live 10 suite; crackles.
in cubase 9.5.5 pro. crackles.
maschine 2.8.1; crackles.

but strangely not with reaper.

tested on 2 systems, both windows, both capable (one more than capable) of running VM, one windows 7 pro, one windows 10 home. other procs (still i7, but different gen's), other motherboards, difference in memory, speed & size.

standalone works on both systems without a glitch.

i bought reaper especially to work with VM as a plugin. it is the only DAW that runs VM stable. tried all settings within cubase, for example, and VM plugin (vst2/vst3).

i have reason 10.2 too, but that is a known issue.

i have placed some posts about it in this forum, and especially for cubase, the only advice i get is, update to 10.

but the problem exists in other DAW's too.

strange, i have the forum not open in another window, that someone mentioned reaper, i tried that preset, no problems, none what soever.

i do not own bitwig. i do not have every DAW....

using VM 1.3.5 didn't change anything.

i like VM, i use it, i am building sounds, they will be used, but with a workaround. but the issue of crackles.

in my case it is also the only plugin with that behavior.

it seems graphic related, to me. i am not a programmer (but i learned C, programmed with an assembler, pascal, etc. even java and forth.., but that is ages ago), but my intuition is most of the times correct. most of the times. i do not know how VM is programmed, i.e. the code...
yes a C++ shell, and modules in java...
Ryzen 9 5900X, 32 gb, gtx 1060 6gb, win 10 pro. voltage modular core; psp ultimate, andrew macaulay ultimate, ben davis complete, MRB, Vult, Weevil, one & two year bundle etc. (910+ modules)

https://soundcloud.com/sada-exposada
jojimbo370
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Re: Clicking/Crackle sound when playing every note in DAW

Post by jojimbo370 »

Would be great if there would be an update on what was being done about my problem, thanks.
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