Two Issue

[Aiki1]

Hi - I just installed Personal Orch. and I have a few issues I need help with - one, I'm getting a strange intermittent CPU spike when playing ensembles that causes a sharp click sound when it happens, not sure if it's happening with single instruments but I think so. If I can't elimiate the spike, the software will be useless to me....

Second, with many of the instruments, all the strings for instance, the keyboard velocity has no effect. It does on, say, the piano, but not much else. So the attack on the string sections, for instance, are fairly "striking" and I often need to fade them in a little, can't see how to do that. Similarly, I need to extend what would normally be called their "release" value, and I can't seem to do much about that either except turn the "length" control all the way up, and even then sometimes it's not enough. Am I missing something here?

I'm usign a Mac Mini, core 2 duo, 2.26GHz, 2 gigs of RAM....

I'd appreciate any help. Without being able to manipulate the sounds and eliminate the spike/click, I can't use this.

[Steve Johnson]

Hi - I just installed Personal Orch. and I have a few issues I need help with - one, I'm getting a strange intermittent CPU spike when playing ensembles that causes a sharp click sound when it happens, not sure if it's happening with single instruments but I think so. If I can't elimiate the spike, the software will be useless to me....

Second, with many of the instruments, all the strings for instance, the keyboard velocity has no effect. It does on, say, the piano, but not much else. So the attack on the string sections, for instance, are fairly "striking" and I often need to fade them in a little, can't see how to do that. Similarly, I need to extend what would normally be called their "release" value, and I can't seem to do much about that either except turn the "length" control all the way up, and even then sometimes it's not enough. Am I missing something here?

I'm usign a Mac Mini, core 2 duo, 2.26GHz, 2 gigs of RAM....

I'd appreciate any help. Without being able to manipulate the sounds and eliminate the spike/click, I can't use this.

Hello, Aiki1, and welcome to the forum!

I use GPO4 on a PC, so I don't know what would be causing the CPU spikes, but we have quite a few Mac users on the forum, so perhaps one of our Mac people can give you some insights there. Regarding your other question, I can give you some help.

GPO's programming is different from other sample libraries, so you're making a mistake that's common for new GPO users. Here's how it works:

1. The sustain instrument patches use the mod wheel (CC1) to control volume. Key velocity controls attack speed only. Different velocity values produce different note attacks. What makes GPO unique is that the CC1 programming changes not only volume, but also instrument timbres. So for example, you would hear the flute sounding brighter as it plays louder.

2. The non-sustain patches (short bow and pizzicato strings, percussion, and the GPO Steinway piano) use key velocity to control volume. Like CC1 for the sustain instruments, key velocities change the timbres according to how soft or loud the non-sustain instruments are playing.

I highly recommend that you study the manual that came with your GPO software. It will tell you how to use the many features in GPO. (I know that people have experiences with software manuals that either don't have much information or are very confusing, so I can understand why new GPO users may sometimes ignore GPO's manual and just plunge right in. However, it is very instructive, so I think you'll find answers to many of your questions there.)

Best of luck, and I hope you can solve your CPU spiking problem. GPO is a wonderful library, so it would be a shame if you couldn't use it because of technical issues with your computer.

Steve

[Aiki1]

Hi - thanks for responding - a main issue is, the instruments are not responding to key velocity and I can't figure out why. All my other software instruments are responding, and Logic Express is registering the velocity input, but it doesn't have any real effect on the attack of the notes. I don't know what's happening.

I know the mod wheel controls volume and brightness, a little tricky to get used to but I understand that.

Thanks for any help.

Larry N.

[DPDAN]

Hi Larry,
welcome to the forum!
I use a Mac Pro not a Mac mini, but your Mini should have no problem with what you are expecting from GPO.

I suspect that your buffer setting is too low.
Raising it to at least 512 will increase the latency felt when you play, but it will give sufficient time for the processor to produce clean sound without clicks.

The velocities not making any difference in the sound,... there has to be something wrong there. I use Digital Performer not Logic so I can not advise anything in that regard. Maybe you can send me a small midi file of a test from Logic and I can try it here in DP so we can compare the sound.

We'll get it figured out

Dan

[Aiki1]

Hi Dan - thanks - I did increase the buffer to 512 and, while the CPU still spikes ramdomly, not clicks, and no stops with error messages.... so far.... :-)

I'll see about sending a file.... like a general midi file? It doesn't make sense that I can't control the attack with the key velocity.

Thanks,
Larry N.

[DPDAN]

Hi Larry,
what instrument for example.... is not responding to your velocity?

Dan

[Aiki1]

Under Standard String Sections - Violins 1 KS - when I hit it really hard I do get a slight change in attack dynamics, very slight, but when I touch it as lightly as possible, it's still a realy sharp attack that it way too much for what I generally need. I can't seem to effect this at all....

Larry N.

[DPDAN]

any instruments labeled "KS" at the end indicates that the instrument has keyswitches.

If you have selected a keyswitch for alternating short bows, like the "D" KS, then you will hear a more significant effect with velocity, with sustained strings (for example, the C keyswitch) the velocities will be smoother sounding.

Dan

[Aiki1]

Ah - I see that now, but how do I get the note to then sustain beyond the attack? Maybe I'm just confused about how this really works, but I don't think so.... :-)

[Haydn]

It sounds like you are trying to emulate a string sound that many hardware synths offer. Slow fading in string sounds with long releases are not usually done as a sample with most sample libraries. This is something you will have to emulate by using CC1 (modulation). Listen to recordings of real strings and you will rarely ever hear this type of sound.

Jim