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Mystery CCs Causing me issues in Playback

DerGeist

Active Member
Ok, bit of a rant. Heat of the moment. Will probably retract later.

...but

Been working on a string quartet using spritfire solo strings. I have been a defender of this library because I really do think it sounds great but there is something deeply wrong with this library. The biggest issue is that randomly whole sections will stop sounding. If I drop any other instrument on the midi track it plays fine. When I put SSS back in it plays fine...for a few minutes...and then stops making any sound. Other sections on the same track continue to work. This happens in random sections so you never know what part of your track is going to disappear. The behavior of recorded tracks also changes randomly with no input from me. All of a sudden it will be quieter, louder, dissaper, notes will be cut off, etc. I have never experienced such a nightmare of programming. I am no longer making music I am triaging, putting out fires, etc. If I had another solo strings library I would just move on.

Ok, I feel better.

One more try.
 
Oh, and notes also sound late. I will play a longer note, say three seconds, and the note will start to sound a second in.
 
This might have nothing to do with it, or it might help to isolate the issue:
Which DAW are you using?
Are you using Komplete Kontrol or the Kontakt plug-in?
Is the Spitfire data on an external drive?
Also, is your Kontakt voice count adequate
 
I don't think this has anything to do with the library itself, because I've been using it for a couple weeks now and haven't experienced any of these problems. The scripting is actually pretty superb, and the playability great.
 
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Using Ableton, no Komplete Kontrol, Kontakt 5. Ièm really baffled. I have never had troubles like this before. My composing to messing with software ration is probably around 1:50
 
I don't think this has anything to do with the library itself, because I've been using it for a couple weeks now and haven't experienced any of these problems. The scripting is actually pretty superb, and the playability great.
I am tempted to agree. I also really do not want to bash a library that (I think) I like. The track just works with any other VST or plugin library I throw at it.
 
Using Ableton, no Komplete Kontrol, Kontakt 5. Ièm really baffled. I have never had troubles like this before. My composing to messing with software ration is probably around 1:50
Have you tried rebuilding in a new session to see if there is some kind of weird corruption in the original file? I've been using these libraries since they came out and have never encountered anything like these issues.

Also have you double checked that you don't inadvertently have expression at zero? I've had this happen to me on occasion.

ETA: that obviously wouldn't account for the timing issues though.
 
I would create a new track, load Solo Strings, and copy the midi over. Ideas: make sure you set CC1, CC11, and CC7 to reasonable values. Also try a single articulation (e.g. longs) to make sure there is no articulation switching going on. Finally, make sure your sustain pedal data has been deleted (CC64).
 
I do have issues with Spitfire libs in general too. Sometimes sample files starts to be corrupted in the memory for no reason, so I have to purge again the instrument to properly reload the notes.
 
"Other sections on the same track continue to work." Sounds very much like it is MIDI coming from Ableton. Are you working in session or arrangement? Need to scour the MIDI for CC automation data.
 
I experienced slightly different Problems in two Sessions in which i've used spitfire solo strings. At some point just everything would Mute. On pro tools using kontakt 5. After a random amount of time Sound would come back. This happened completely random, not reproducable. I did not know whether this was caused by solo strings, cinesamples piano or waves Plugins. I thought it might have been a bug in waves since bypassing those usually brought back the sound.

Never got those Problems again since. But I also did not use solo strings since.
 
There was a problem in another Spitfire library (can't remember which one) where the sound disappeared when CC2 data came in (randomly by an accidentally moved fader). CC2 wasn't assigned to anything in the library at all but a bug switched everything to silence until reload. Maybe it's kind of the same problem?
 
I used to have similar problems with EWHS in Ableton 9.5. After I tried rebuilding the same in Cubase 10, it didn't reappear. Haven't tried it in Ableton 10 yet because I use Ableton less these days.
 
Have you tried doing a Batch re-save of this library in Kontakt? That's fixed problems for me in the past.
 
I experienced slightly different Problems in two Sessions in which i've used spitfire solo strings. At some point just everything would Mute. On pro tools using kontakt 5. After a random amount of time Sound would come back. This happened completely random, not reproducable. I did not know whether this was caused by solo strings, cinesamples piano or waves Plugins. I thought it might have been a bug in waves since bypassing those usually brought back the sound.

Never got those Problems again since. But I also did not use solo strings since.
This feel like it exactly! Instruments will just stop sounding. Im also have other issues with late notes but the core issue seems to be notes not playing. If I replace a problematic track (they all exhibit this issue in one way or another) with another library -- even a big spitfire one I have no issues.

I thought of ram issues as well but I have 32 gig and am only running four tracks in this case. There does not seem to be any unexpected midi going on, levels look good, and the instrument appears to be set to play appropriately. I will try to rebuild tomorrow. I will also contact Spitfire, I just want to make sure Im asking the right questions. Running Windows 10, focusrite saffire interface, internal SSD, Ableton in arrangement view.

...sorry for the slow response to everyone's helpful suggestions. Taking the day off from composing to do some yard work.
 
Ok, back to yard work in a minute, one more test :)

I created an entirely new clean Ableton project. I added a very short midi track from my main project to the new empty Ableton project (midi file attached if anyone is interested). I added the SSS cello to the track. When I hit play, SSS starts to play the 1st note about three quarters of the way through its duration just like in my main project.

Replace SSS with Hollywood Cello and everything works great. Replace with various patches from Spitfire BH Toolkit, and I have the same problem that I did with SSS. Interesting, I thought it might be a Kontakt issue but I loaded up NI Symphony strings and it works fine. Spitfire alternative solo strings cello also works fine. I am stumped.

I am open to the idea that I have done something stupid but I have no idea what it could be.
 

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