Weird artifacts in playback

[psmiller]

I have the Garritan Pocket Orchestra that came with the Cakewalk Dimension Pro virtual instrument, and I really liked the samples there. So I decided to give GPO4 a try, and the jury is still out as to if I like it or not.

While simply using the stand alone Aria player, I hear some strange sounds when trying just a few instruments. Other instruments could have issues too. For notes below, I am using C4 as middle C.

1. Bass Clarinet Plr1: Notes B4, C5, and C#5 have what can only be described as hitting a piece of metal, almost like steel drums. The sound is not the same pitch but does follow each note.
2. Oboe 1 Modern Plr1: Bb5, C6, C#6, and D6 have what sounds like a pan flute like sound (that breathy sound) that follow the pitch of the oboe sound.
3. Violins1 KS: C5, C#5, D5, and D#5 have a buzzing like noise, almost like some part of the violin is experiencing sympathetic vibrations. The buzzing has tone and follows the notes.

The three example I provide are very noticeable enough to degrade the quality of the sound. What is weird is that the sounds are only on the notes listed and not any other, or they are quiet enough not to be noticeable.

I have also noted that the overall sound of an instrument will change over its range. An example may be best here, and this may just me not being used to an instrument having so many samples available.

Anyways lets take Alto Flute Plr1. From G3 to C5, the flute sounds very breathy. There is a stark difference in the sound starting at C#5 to F6. It is much less breathy. Then breathy reappears at F#6 to C7. Is there suppose to be such a stark difference or should the changes be gradual?

Details of my setup:

• Intel Core 2 Quad Q9400 (2.66 GHz)
• 3GB RAM
• ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2
• TC Konnekt 24D
• Adam A7 monitors
• Windows XP Home Edition with Svc Pack 3

[FLWrd]

1. Bass Clarinet Plr1: Notes B4, C5, and C#5 have what can only be described as hitting a piece of metal, almost like steel drums. The sound is not the same pitch but does follow each note.
2. Oboe 1 Modern Plr1: Bb5, C6, C#6, and D6 have what sounds like a pan flute like sound (that breathy sound) that follow the pitch of the oboe sound.
3. Violins1 KS: C5, C#5, D5, and D#5 have a buzzing like noise, almost like some part of the violin is experiencing sympathetic vibrations. The buzzing has tone and follows the notes.

I'm using a mac, but I hear them as well. Nr. 1 sounds to me as if the player was blowing too hard. It can also be heard in Bass Clarinet Solo at C5. The pan flute like attack in the Oboe is a bit annoying. In the higher violins it seems to be a case of anti-aliasing. Violins have a lot of overtones, and they clash with the signal processing. You might check what happens if you run your DAW at 96kHz.

[psmiller]

Thanks for the reply, Theo. At least this confirms the sounds are actually in the samples and not a result of my setup. I really like the extra control the Aria player provides especially with various articulations, bowings , and attach for strings. So now I guess I have to decide if I can simply live with it or try one of the more expensive software packages out there.

[FLWrd]

You'll find artefacts like these in most sample libraries, except perhaps for the most expensive ones. I personally don't find it a problem that a bass clarinet has some strange noise in the upper register, especially since there are 2 other bass clarinet players, and you're rarely going to play them exposed. In an orchestral mix, it might even add some livelihood, since no-one will be able to hear the source. And a little reverb works wonders...