# Noise in Spitfire Chamber Strings



## muratkayi

Hi, 

I have been contacting Staffpad about this repeatedly a while ago. I realize the team is small and workload is high, so I figured I might be able to find out more with your help. 

I noticed clicks and noises in my Spitfire Chamber strings library. As if someone was hitting the note stand with the bow. They show up at exactly the same point in playback reliably. It's as if the noise was baked in to the sample. 

I noticed it in Celli and Basses. It also stays audible after audio export. It can get irritatingly loud in volume (depending on velocity, not the actual db in the mixer) 

I am pretty confident these are not cpu/ram based audio dropouts. Dropouts occur randomly if they happen, but these noises come like Old Faithful in Yellowstone.

Has anyone else noticed something like this?


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## Guffy

Do you have some examples?


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## muratkayi

Yes, I am at the wrong desktop rn, but will post audio!


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## skt

Used a translator.
I'm using a lot of libraries (cinepiano perc strings brass wind, Berlin strings)
The library sound problems you are experiencing are the same problems in all libraries I am using.
I think there are far more problems than that.
I have repeatedly contacted the staffpad team about it, and they have shown me that they will improve, but months later they are still not improving.
There is a fatal library defect for users who are using Staffpad for commercial use.... Please fix it.
It's a complaint. :(


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## muratkayi

Can you guys access these?

https://1drv.ms/u/s!AveIN2r7QRMLh5URzj4boKu_I3rGug?e=3z3jn2 (Celli noise)

Basses noise


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## muratkayi

My workaround for a clean playback was: 
Exported audio stems of everything
Imported everything into DAW.
I exported midi for the problematic sections and replaced the parts where these noises occured with fitting Kontakt instruments (in this case, ironically enough, Spitfire Studio Strings). A bit of tweaking ensued. Done.

It's good that that is possible, with the midi export.

What bothers me is that this problem has not really been acknowledged at all, so far. Also, I am all for scrutinizing my setup, but I can run quite extensive orchestral libraries without dropouts, so I don't think it's got to do with my computer/Setup, esp. since the noises are fixed in place.

Also, an additional hassle is copypasting the expression CC data to another channel, because most libraries actually rather use modwheel CC for velocity. I had much rather have an option where I can configure to what channel the expression CC should be mapped during export.


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## skt

Really? I comfort you.
I don't think it's right that Staffpad can't finish the work completely.
The staff pad team needs to update the app quickly.
There are many problems, but I'm very disappointed with selling premium apps and libraries. :(
Updates and content that are too late.

P.S
I could hear the noise.


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## brandowalk

I get noise clicks in some libraries, not just Spitfire. One thing to check are the dynamic curve graphs, to make sure no sudden jumps during a note. I will often put a point do a ramp up/down right before any big changes and that sometimes helps entrances.


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## gh0stwrit3r

I use iZotope RX Elements to clean up the STEMS out of StaffPad. No clicks or pops anymore


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## bdr

I noticed those noises when I first bought Chamber Stgs for Kontakt. I emailed Spitfire, they said it would be fixed, and nothing happened. Except they did put out a crapload of new product.


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## brandowalk

gh0stwrit3r said:


> I use iZotope RX Elements to clean up the STEMS out of StaffPad. No clicks or pops anymore


Good idea, although I don’t have iZotope. I end up removing the pops using the pencil tool in Protools. Not as efficient as iZotope, I’m sure, but I’m pretty quick at it from my dialogue editing days of removing noises. 😀

I hope the issue gets resolved one day in SP.


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## gh0stwrit3r

brandowalk said:


> Good idea, although I don’t have iZotope. I end up removing the pops using the pencil tool in Protools. Not as efficient as iZotope, I’m sure, but I’m pretty quick at it from my dialogue editing days of removing noises. 😀
> 
> I hope the issue gets resolved one day in SP.


iZotope has an early BF sale momentarily. RX Elements is 29 dollars. Could be a good investment to go from manually repairing to automated repairing ...


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## brandowalk

gh0stwrit3r said:


> iZotope has an early BF sale momentarily. RX Elements is 29 dollars. Could be a good investment to go from manually preparing to automated repairing ...


done! thanks for the heads up.


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## gh0stwrit3r

I've done a short video about this issue and how I used RX Elements to fix it in my upcoming work "The boy who wanted to fly". Cause I noticed some unwanted clicks in the Spitfire Audio Symphonic Woodwinds Library. No more clicks after it, sounds super clean!


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## muratkayi

Hey guys/gals, 

Good news! The clicks and pops in the basses have been fixed! In my files I soloed them and they are clean, now. 

In an E-mail response to my support inquiry, DWH also said that fixing the sound in the SF celli will take longer, but he's on it.


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## Kamasutro

Hi @muratkayi , any news on this??. 
I will contact spitfire myself because of issues with this library as well. I downloaded it today and was shocked to find out that this library is practically useless in a professional environment. As you say, the samples are ridiculously noisy, and not just "clicks" or "pops"; many (if not all) articulations from vln1 all the way to basses have significant noise from the players, shoes, music stands, floor vibration, and in some I even heard the music sheets folding!! I find this to be quite unacceptable at the pricepoint of the damn thing... I cant believe there´s nothing on youtube about this... I will probably make a video tomorrow to warn about this SERIOUS quality issue that I bet is on the other string libraries as well. @bdr do you have other sf libraries?
Def not buying anything else from them ever.


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## muratkayi

No news on the celli, no. But I am not sure i would receive an explicit mail about this again seeing as my initial mail to Staffpad support is so long ago by now.


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## robgb

Make a copy of the instrument in question—the nki file—then open that file in Kontakt, hit the wrench/spanner and click expert mode on the browser tab. 

Play the note or notes that click and check to see where they're mapped in Kontakt. You can then highlight that specific note and make changes to the wav file in the Kontakt wav editor. 

If the click comes at the beginning of the note, you might be able to nudge your starting point past it. If the click comes at the end, you might be able to fade the note before it hits the click. If it's in the middle of a loop, you might be able to play with the loop points to avoid the click. If you absolutely have to, you can completely eliminate the note and expand another note to replace it. 

I have done all of these things to correct glitches in libraries.

If you wait for the developer to correct such glitches, you could be waiting forever. This is why it behooves everyone to a) get the full version of Kontakt; and b) become a power user. A lot of the aggravation you feel over a developer's slow response to such problems can be eliminated.

If you do decide to go that route, ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP of the nki in question, just in case you screw something up. If you do, you will always have a copy that works.


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## muratkayi

robgb said:


> Make a copy of the instrument in question—the nki file—then open that file in Kontakt, hit the wrench/spanner and click expert mode on the browser tab.
> 
> Play the note or notes that click and check to see where they're mapped in Kontakt. You can then highlight that specific note and make changes to the wav file in the Kontakt wav editor.
> 
> If the click comes at the beginning of the note, you might be able to nudge your starting point past it. If the click comes at the end, you might be able to fade the note before it hits the click. If it's in the middle of a loop, you might be able to play with the loop points to avoid the click. If you absolutely have to, you can completely eliminate the note and expand another note to replace it.
> 
> I have done all of these things to correct glitches in libraries.
> 
> If you wait for the developer to correct such glitches, you could be waiting forever. This is why it behooves everyone to a) get the full version of Kontakt; and b) become a power user. A lot of the aggravation you feel over a developer's slow response to such problems can be eliminated.
> 
> If you do decide to go that route, ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP of the nki in question, just in case you screw something up. If you do, you will always have a copy that works.


@robgb we're talkin staffpad libraries. These are specially configured add-ons based on a subset of well known libraries which run in Kontakt or their own plugins. So, there is nothing we can do about it in Staffpad. 

Also, if you look at Spitfire Products, they tend to come in Spitfire's own plugin these days and that, too, leaves you behind on the curb of the street hoping for the best


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## robgb

muratkayi said:


> @robgb we're talkin staffpad libraries. These are specially configured add-ons based on a subset of well known libraries which run in Kontakt or their own plugins. So, there is nothing we can do about it in Staffpad.
> 
> Also, if you look at Spitfire Products, they tend to come in Spitfire's own plugin these days and that, too, leaves you behind on the curb of the street hoping for the best


Yes, I understand that. But one of the comments talked about finding glitches in the Kontakt instrument itself. I'm merely passing along a solution that will work for most Kontakt instruments.


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## Kamasutro

@robgb thanks for the advice! I´m not using that Staffpad thing, so probably will do that sample editing by hand as you suggest when I have some spare time.
Still, I feel pretty much scammed by Spitfire... the amount if noise is ridiculous.


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