Topic by spiralof5

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Topic: Sustain in Reaper with Pianoteq 9.2.5 introduces crackling

I use Reaper. I have a decently powerful computer. The perf section shows that I'm nowhere close to overload. My buffer size is 64 or 128 on heavy compositions. My performance in windows 11 settings is High Performance.

I noticed crackling when I introduced the sustain pedal. I need to hit certain levels so that my pure piano pieces aren't super soft on an album I plan to put on Spotify. It isn't noticable when the piano only songs are quiet. But when I am mastering it is very annoying and only happens when the sustain pedal is depressed.

Does anyone have a fix for this?

Reply by Coises

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Re: Sustain in Reaper with Pianoteq 9.2.5 introduces crackling

spiralof5 wrote:

I use Reaper. I have a decently powerful computer. The perf section shows that I'm nowhere close to overload. My buffer size is 64 or 128 on heavy compositions. My performance in windows 11 settings is High Performance.

I noticed crackling when I introduced the sustain pedal. I need to hit certain levels so that my pure piano pieces aren't super soft on an album I plan to put on Spotify. It isn't noticable when the piano only songs are quiet. But when I am mastering it is very annoying and only happens when the sustain pedal is depressed.

Does anyone have a fix for this?

Does this happen when you render the final result and play it back, or only when you are monitoring your mix in Reaper?

If it happens in the rendered result, then it has nothing to do with CPU overload or buffer sizes, it’s your levels: presumably you’re passing 0dBFS at some point into software or hardware that can’t handle it. Is your final mix showing peaks over 0dB?

If it only happens when you are monitoring in Reaper, but not in the rendered result, try right-clicking the Pianoteq track, then choosing Render/freeze tracks | Render tracks to stereo stem tracks (and mute originals).

If you do that and the problem goes away, then it has to do with buffering or CPU overload. (Don’t forget that the buffer size you set in Pianoteq stand-alone doesn’t apply when using it as a VSTi. Reaper controls the buffer size.)

Reply by spiralof5

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Re: Sustain in Reaper with Pianoteq 9.2.5 introduces crackling

Coises wrote:
spiralof5 wrote:

I use Reaper. I have a decently powerful computer. The perf section shows that I'm nowhere close to overload. My buffer size is 64 or 128 on heavy compositions. My performance in windows 11 settings is High Performance.

I noticed crackling when I introduced the sustain pedal. I need to hit certain levels so that my pure piano pieces aren't super soft on an album I plan to put on Spotify. It isn't noticable when the piano only songs are quiet. But when I am mastering it is very annoying and only happens when the sustain pedal is depressed.

Does anyone have a fix for this?

Does this happen when you render the final result and play it back, or only when you are monitoring your mix in Reaper?

If it happens in the rendered result, then it has nothing to do with CPU overload or buffer sizes, it’s your levels: presumably you’re passing 0dBFS at some point into software or hardware that can’t handle it. Is your final mix showing peaks over 0dB?

If it only happens when you are monitoring in Reaper, but not in the rendered result, try right-clicking the Pianoteq track, then choosing Render/freeze tracks | Render tracks to stereo stem tracks (and mute originals).

If you do that and the problem goes away, then it has to do with buffering or CPU overload. (Don’t forget that the buffer size you set in Pianoteq stand-alone doesn’t apply when using it as a VSTi. Reaper controls the buffer size.)

It has to do with the Sustain Pedal specifically. I have an Ozone Dynamics/compressor second to last in the chain and an Ozone Maximizer/limiter last in the chain. Nothing is getting through those.

If I take the sustain off the crackling disappears.And yes it renders as well.

Last edited by spiralof5 (04-10-2026 22:17)

Reply by Coises

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Re: Sustain in Reaper with Pianoteq 9.2.5 introduces crackling

spiralof5 wrote:
Coises wrote:
spiralof5 wrote:

I use Reaper. I have a decently powerful computer. The perf section shows that I'm nowhere close to overload. My buffer size is 64 or 128 on heavy compositions. My performance in windows 11 settings is High Performance.

I noticed crackling when I introduced the sustain pedal. I need to hit certain levels so that my pure piano pieces aren't super soft on an album I plan to put on Spotify. It isn't noticable when the piano only songs are quiet. But when I am mastering it is very annoying and only happens when the sustain pedal is depressed.

Does anyone have a fix for this?

Does this happen when you render the final result and play it back, or only when you are monitoring your mix in Reaper?

If it happens in the rendered result, then it has nothing to do with CPU overload or buffer sizes, it’s your levels: presumably you’re passing 0dBFS at some point into software or hardware that can’t handle it. Is your final mix showing peaks over 0dB?

If it only happens when you are monitoring in Reaper, but not in the rendered result, try right-clicking the Pianoteq track, then choosing Render/freeze tracks | Render tracks to stereo stem tracks (and mute originals).

If you do that and the problem goes away, then it has to do with buffering or CPU overload. (Don’t forget that the buffer size you set in Pianoteq stand-alone doesn’t apply when using it as a VSTi. Reaper controls the buffer size.)

It has to do with the Sustain Pedal specifically. I have an Ozone Dynamics/compressor second to last in the chain and an Ozone Maximizer/limiter last in the chain. Nothing is getting through those.

If I take the sustain off the crackling disappears.And yes it renders as well.

Does it happen if you temporarily disable the two Ozone VSTs and just adjust the Volume and Dynamics sliders in Pianoteq to get approximately the level and dynamic range you want? Maybe try with and without Pianoteq’s limiter engaged.

(I’m not trying to say there isn’t or can’t be a Pianoteq problem, just hopefully helping to make sure the problem is there, and not somewhere else.)

Reply by spiralof5

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Re: Sustain in Reaper with Pianoteq 9.2.5 introduces crackling

Coises wrote:
spiralof5 wrote:
Coises wrote:

Does this happen when you render the final result and play it back, or only when you are monitoring your mix in Reaper?

If it happens in the rendered result, then it has nothing to do with CPU overload or buffer sizes, it’s your levels: presumably you’re passing 0dBFS at some point into software or hardware that can’t handle it. Is your final mix showing peaks over 0dB?

If it only happens when you are monitoring in Reaper, but not in the rendered result, try right-clicking the Pianoteq track, then choosing Render/freeze tracks | Render tracks to stereo stem tracks (and mute originals).

If you do that and the problem goes away, then it has to do with buffering or CPU overload. (Don’t forget that the buffer size you set in Pianoteq stand-alone doesn’t apply when using it as a VSTi. Reaper controls the buffer size.)

It has to do with the Sustain Pedal specifically. I have an Ozone Dynamics/compressor second to last in the chain and an Ozone Maximizer/limiter last in the chain. Nothing is getting through those.

If I take the sustain off the crackling disappears.And yes it renders as well.

Does it happen if you temporarily disable the two Ozone VSTs and just adjust the Volume and Dynamics sliders in Pianoteq to get approximately the level and dynamic range you want? Maybe try with and without Pianoteq’s limiter engaged.

(I’m not trying to say there isn’t or can’t be a Pianoteq problem, just hopefully helping to make sure the problem is there, and not somewhere else.)

Yes but I have to jack the levels up on both the midi track and the master.

Inversely, it can be heard if the levels are somewhat high but you turn the dynamics almost all the way to the right and sustain is on.

Furthermore I could apply the same logic that if my limiter and and compressor are on that if I can hear it with sustain, I can turn the sustain off and not hear it. If the limiter or compressor had anything to do with it it would still happen when the sustain is turned off since sustain does not substantially add gain to a signal.