Buzzerman

I was trying the kX soundfont synth on my Audigy2 (from v3545b, default kX DSP) to see how my older MIDI pieces and sounfonts sound (compared to the dumbo Creative drivers on which I initially composed them), when I hit a rather show-stopping issue for me: sending multiple panning controller events (CC10) seems to cause the sound of repeated notes to stutter strangely (as if the repeated notes are prematurely terminated or interupted as panning CCs are received). Essentially I had a passage where synth bass notes were just being repeated, like regular beats, while they were also panned from left to right (CC density wasn't that high so that's not the issue). Well, the repeated notes were somehow getting cut off, hence the stuttering sound.. I can provide a midi file example if that helps. Playing in realtime with the pan slider while I was hitting the same key on the keyboard repeatedly provided the same stuttering effect (as if the release trails were cut off abruptly). As soon as I stopped moving the CC10 slider the repeated notes sounded OK. This seems to be a strange defect of the panning CC implementation in the kX drivers, especially considering that moving the slider while *holding* a single note down the whole time gave me a perfectly smooth panning of the sound -- no stuttering or clicks at all, which I found quite remarkable! So it's only when repeated notes are triggered while multiple CC10s are also delivered that the stuttering appears. (Obviously, the same MIDI passage sounds as expected with the Creative drivers, no stuttering as the repeated notes go from left to right stereo field).

Is this a known issue, and is there any solution to it?

P.S. CC8 seems to suffer from the same issue.

Maddogg6

I think I reported this along time ago, or started a thread asking for confirmation or something... Anyway it seems kX Synths are not a huge priority,

I would recommend using the VSTi SFZ (free)
Project5.com - SFZ Player

Other work arounds....
1) Render to audio with track panned center, then apply realtime balance automation to the audio track.

2) Change kX Router for 1 midi channel to use a unique FXBUS - use a PAN plugin connected to that FXBus - then assign kX Automation to that pan plugin (using kX Control Midi OUT Port, CC#10, CH1) - cut / paste CC#10 from original track into new track set for kX Control OUT port, CH1. Then, Use kXi VSTi to save the DSP config with your project - but unfortunately, kXi doesnt seem to save kX Router config. So you would have to either keep that changed, and/or make note of this for future recollection of this 'odd' config.

Edit: I'll post another Bug report. for kX V 3545a about this. /edit

Buzzerman

Thanks a lot Maddog6 for your suggestions, I'll give that second workaround a try, sounds as an acceptable compromise if it works. Besides these little quirks I found the kX drivers absolutely amazing!

As for using a software Soundfont player (VSTi/DXi) instead, I really need one that has very similar implementations of, say, the LP filtering parameters (cutoff/resonance) with the AWE32/Audigy hardware synth.. I actually tried to import some of my soundfont instruments in Kontakt2 and use the LP filters in there for my filter sweeps etc., etc. but strangely enough, no matter what I tried, the sound was much duller and it just lacked the "oomph" compared to how the same passage sounds in the Audigy hardware synth! I can't explain why, and I tried to find more details about how the LP filter is implemented in the E-mu hardware synth (is it a 1,2,4-pole ? etc.) with no success. There is probably also some subtle EQ (bass boost?) going on in there too, I don't know. That's why I'm eager to experiment with the kX MIDI synth, hopefully it will sound as good as I am expecting it to.

Maddogg6

you could use a kX DSP plugin for the filter too with the SFZ.

Lots of options really....