audigy 2ZS - volume 0 produces CLICKing

slapper · Sep 4, 2010, 02:42 PM

I have a home-grown app that takes the input from my USB based midi keyboard and passes it through to KX Synth and KX Synth2. I can split my bank and instrument select messages so that I can set each synth up differently and get a layered sound. I use the PAN knob on my keyboard (CC10) to set the volume on either synth by trapping it and sending individual volume msgs to each synth.

Now ... when I pan hard left or hard right, a volume=0 msg gets sent to one or the other synths, at which point it starts generating a CLICK for every note msg I send it.
I've hooked the volume slider on the keyboard and the same thing happens when a volume=0 msg gets sent to both.

So - when volume=0, the synth generates clicks. Apart from that, everything's fine!

Any ideas?

cheers

slapper · Sep 9, 2010, 02:06 PM

ahhhh ... I think I've narrowed it down to specific soundfonts ...
GeneralUser GS 1.4
which came from S. Christian Collins--composer, pianist and technology addict

now it looks like he has an updated version there ... so I'll give it a try.

cheers

slapper · Sep 9, 2010, 02:29 PM

bummer ... still does it

Voice 4 seems to be worse than before with the click quite audible even with the volume up from zero.

I have just this soundfont loaded in bank 0.
DSP consists of FXBusX with 12 and 13 routed to K2lt pins 1 and 2 which are set to Analog Front Out.

I've also tried using MIDI-OX to rule out doing something odd in my app ... still does it.

rats

Buzzerman · Dec 14, 2010, 03:54 PM

I can confirm this little bug, I can even reproduce it in the default DSP setup (I have an Audigy2 Platinum) by simply setting the MIDI Synth volume to 0 (or very close to 0) in the kXMixer while a MIDI song is playing through the kXSynth: then I can hear only clicks (and I don't use the same soundfont as you, slapper, but a custom one; and also I don't need to have the voices hard panned left or right).

Interestingly, it seems that only some instruments produce those clicks, not all of them -- and I also noticed a possibly related issue with the X-Fi drivers, where some soundfont instruments would produce this clicking sound -- even at normal volume, in places where Audigy drivers would play everything fine. One idea that springs to mind is that the "Attack" of the sample in those instruments is probably 0, and the sample value at the beginning of the sample is probably quite high and that could produce clicks when the sample is triggered -- in the X-Fi drivers at any volume, but for some reason in the kX drivers it happens only when the volume is lowered.. I am thinking at the Attack value because I seem to recall reading in some old AWE32/Soundfont documentation that even if you set the Attack value to 0 in your soundfont, the older EMU synth drivers will actually send a very small non-zero value instead -- and this might no longer be the case with the X-Fi drivers or the kX drivers.. Just an idea, I'm going to experiment with it later.

Sep 4, 2010, 02:42 PM	#1
slapper HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	audigy 2ZS - volume 0 produces CLICKing I have a home-grown app that takes the input from my USB based midi keyboard and passes it through to KX Synth and KX Synth2. I can split my bank and instrument select messages so that I can set each synth up differently and get a layered sound. I use the PAN knob on my keyboard (CC10) to set the volume on either synth by trapping it and sending individual volume msgs to each synth. Now ... when I pan hard left or hard right, a volume=0 msg gets sent to one or the other synths, at which point it starts generating a CLICK for every note msg I send it. I've hooked the volume slider on the keyboard and the same thing happens when a volume=0 msg gets sent to both. So - when volume=0, the synth generates clicks. Apart from that, everything's fine! Any ideas? cheers

Sep 9, 2010, 02:06 PM	Thread Starter #2
slapper HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Re: audigy 2ZS - volume 0 produces CLICKing ahhhh ... I think I've narrowed it down to specific soundfonts ... GeneralUser GS 1.4 which came from S. Christian Collins--composer, pianist and technology addict now it looks like he has an updated version there ... so I'll give it a try. cheers

Sep 9, 2010, 02:29 PM	Thread Starter #3
slapper HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 3 Rep Power: 0	Re: audigy 2ZS - volume 0 produces CLICKing bummer ... still does it Voice 4 seems to be worse than before with the click quite audible even with the volume up from zero. I have just this soundfont loaded in bank 0. DSP consists of FXBusX with 12 and 13 routed to K2lt pins 1 and 2 which are set to Analog Front Out. I've also tried using MIDI-OX to rule out doing something odd in my app ... still does it. rats

Dec 14, 2010, 03:54 PM	#4
Buzzerman HardwareHeaven Newbie Join Date: Jun 2003 Posts: 12 Rep Power: 0	AW: audigy 2ZS - volume 0 produces CLICKing I can confirm this little bug, I can even reproduce it in the default DSP setup (I have an Audigy2 Platinum) by simply setting the MIDI Synth volume to 0 (or very close to 0) in the kXMixer while a MIDI song is playing through the kXSynth: then I can hear only clicks (and I don't use the same soundfont as you, slapper, but a custom one; and also I don't need to have the voices hard panned left or right). Interestingly, it seems that only some instruments produce those clicks, not all of them -- and I also noticed a possibly related issue with the X-Fi drivers, where some soundfont instruments would produce this clicking sound -- even at normal volume, in places where Audigy drivers would play everything fine. One idea that springs to mind is that the "Attack" of the sample in those instruments is probably 0, and the sample value at the beginning of the sample is probably quite high and that could produce clicks when the sample is triggered -- in the X-Fi drivers at any volume, but for some reason in the kX drivers it happens only when the volume is lowered.. I am thinking at the Attack value because I seem to recall reading in some old AWE32/Soundfont documentation that even if you set the Attack value to 0 in your soundfont, the older EMU synth drivers will actually send a very small non-zero value instead -- and this might no longer be the case with the X-Fi drivers or the kX drivers.. Just an idea, I'm going to experiment with it later.