When playing I get crackling noises with Pianoteq 4. Pianoteq 3 runs absolutely smooth, though.
My machine has a Core i7 2600K processor that should be powerfull enough. I am running Windows 7 Pro 64bit with 16 GB of RAM.
I'l preface by saying (though I can't put it in Intel's 'i-lingo') the only machine I've tried Version 4 on is two-core - I do own a 4-core laptop but haven't tried it yet. Useful to know that trying that won't work.
And though I've tried various approaches (upping the sample buffer for one), the one infallible 'cure' I seem to be able to use is to drop the volume, via the Pianoteq slider.
In my case, since I'm driving the speakers at Top Volume for the amp that feeds them, I'd have to record such a low-volume performance as a WAV, adjust Volume in some audio editor and THEN listen to the file. Not very satisfactory.
Or feed my volume-dropped output thru a more powerful amp, before it hits the speakers. A more capable fix, but less-than-an Instant Fix also.
Still it's early days with this new 'engine', we are in discovery mode still. Noticeably it offers more Bass (much more than I like in fact).. And somewhere (the Manual?) I read that Bass notes take more computation than others, on account of the greater overtone-load. Crackling seems to happen in passages of fast and / or forceful Bass.
So, indicated as one of my future tries for a fix is losing some Bass, by this means or that.If you beat me to trying this out and it works, please say so.
ADDED: I just noticed this thread
http://www.forum-pianoteq.com/viewtopic.php?id=2206
have a look, and see if any suggestion there might work for you.
Thank you for the link to the other thread.
It's strange since all other audio applications like Cubase, Ivory, Galaxy Pianos etc.. as standalone or VSTi's and Pianoteq 3 as well run absolutely flawless and like a dream on my system.
By the way, I like the bass and I like the fantastic playability of Pianoteq 4 (and 3).
The overall sound has improved as well, it's getting closer to the real thing.
I get the same as stuenn. Crackling noises with Pianoteq 4, no problem with Pianoteq 3. I use a Core 2 Duo processor at 1.8Ghz.
Can you take a screenshot of the "options" / "perf" panel when those cracklings occur ? (and also, is it CoreAudio / ASIO / Directsound output, and which audio buffer size is selected)
I'll provide screenshots when I am home this evening.
I took a look at that Option page, for the life of me could see nothing wrong, and looked outside of Pianoteq for the problem - turn down the amplifier volume. That fixed the crackle. Just like my own previous efforts had pointed toward only too plainly. [embarrassed Smiley]
I'll plead in my defence that the previous incarnation of PTQ had NEEDED me to drive the amp full belt, different beast altogether. In sum, I now can position Pianoteq's volume slider sensibly, so that a punch into yellow's a warning and into red's to be avoided, then turn the amp's volume knob to suit (to avoid crackle, that is).
Which leaves me with overquiet performance from my amp still - but that's not a problem, it's some shopping.
Sorry, I don't know how to upload a screenshot here. But both, PT3 andn PT3 show the same entries on the performance page:
CPU Intel cor i7-2600K
CPU frequency of 1598MHz
Multicore rendering and CPU Overload detection enabled
Sample rate
Internal 44100 Hz
Host sample rate 44100 Hz
Buffer size 192 samples
Polyphony
Max 48
Current 0
It uses ASIO for the Terratec Phase 22/28 (same as my other Audio software uses)
The ASIO Control Panel of the Terratec Audio device shows the same 192 sample buffers.
Just to clarify, the crackling noise does not appear always, it's just every once in a while. There are passages that are absolutely smooth over minutes and then some short crackling appears. May be I just have to fiddle a bit with the posted settings.
Something that you may try is to check if those random cracklings happen also when you play the legacy instruments (C3 or M3). Also, keep the 'options/perf' panel opened when you play, and when you hear a crackling check if there is a suspicious spike or red line in the audio load graph.
I have one comment for Stuenn:
I am using a dual core that is seven years old. Occasionally I would get some crackling, and the in the audio load graph (Options/Perf), I had some red lines.
A few months ago, I completely cleaned the HDD, re-formatted, and re-installed Win XP Home. What a difference - my Performance Index went from about 23 or so to 40.
This solution is too often over-looked because of the work involved. Truth is, I didn't do it myself - I took it to a computer shop, and paid them to do it. I'm still using Win XP Home, but it's become a screaming machine again that never stumbles on anything. Internet access speed is increased too.
Glenn
If you don't want to re-install Windows, (I'm reluctant to do this, it takes so much time to re-install everything afterwards...) you can try some very good freewares, here are some that I've used to resurrect an old laptop: Decrapifier, CClean, Glary Utilities, Ultradefrag. The performance index was much better too.
using windows i have had crackling issues with some audio programs including pianoteq 3 and 4 demos. however i have solved all by shutting down all un-necessary background operations either manually, or more conveniently with this free software using its turbo boost feature: http://www.iobit.com/advancedsystemcareper.html this makes it easy to switch everything of and then back to a normal state with one click. i haven't had to shut down my wifi to get perfect audio performance but you would free up even more cpu cycles if you did so. i am using a core duo 1.73ghz laptop with no noticeable latency and with 32 voice polyphony and no audio problems. hard drive and ram size specifications are irrelevant to running pianoteq. its purely real-time computation.
I run pianoteq on a 5 year old 2.2GHz AMD dual core and to avoid cpu-driven crackling I recommend using internal sample rate 22050 for 44.1KHz output. There is hardly any output above 11kHz so you won't miss much (maybe some long reverb tail).
I had no problem with ptq 3 on this machine, but convolution and a much more detailed model take their toll on cpu usage, even after extremely efficient optimizations by Julien. My Tascam US122's buffer doesn't go below 256 samples (5.8 ms), so I would suggest using that value also. I have another card, and at 192 samples I get crackles. Latency is inaudible for me at that value.
4+ years old Core2Duo @ 2 GHz, 4 GB RAM, Windows XP SP2.
CPU usage 30-60% depending on used effects, length of IR sample, and polyphony.
I remamber when I was a member of Beta tester team, that Niclas posted a very CPU hungry piano midi file, from a famous piano piece. He asked everyone to test it, and if pianoteq could hold it with no cracks, and uisng a a latency least as short as 10ms, pianoteq could hold everything, cause the piano piece was the most intense of all classic pieces in terms of polyphony.
I don't remamber if it was a Rachmaninov intense piece or a Liszt piece. But it probably was a Liszt.
I supose would be nice to get everyone again and test their systems using this ultra CPU hungry midi.
I uplouded the Liszt midi, since I believe it's the must CPU hungry:
I remamber when I was a member of Beta tester team, that Niclas posted a very CPU hungry piano midi file, from a famous piano piece. He asked everyone to test it, and if pianoteq could hold it with no cracks, and uisng a a latency least as short as 10ms, pianoteq could hold everything, cause the piano piece was the most intense of all classic pieces in terms of polyphony.
I vaguely remember the Grieg piano concerto mentioned in an old Pianoteq FAQ as an example of high polyphony.
Yes, it was Grieg as I recall it, too.
Something I was trying re crackle-killing may be a help to others, it helped me in at least one case. That being I found to my delight that Minnesota e-piano competition had put back the MIDI files I couldn't see at the time Modartt released its Disklavier XP Dialect. Curses, I thought then. Wonderluck I think now. So from the 2009 competition I download the Eric Zuber Disklavier files, and listen to "Zuber04XP.MID" (Beethoven Sonata 31).
In course of that I could hear some 10+ crackles, each one with a spike on the Options / Perf page, Audio Load panel. BAD.
So I went to Options / Devices and changed the Sample Buffer from 512 samples (11.6 ms) to 576 samples (13.1 ms) and changed the ASIO Buffer to match.
A reboot of Pianoteq to make the rematch "take", then a replay of "Zuber04XP.MID" got ZERO crackles (and spikes) from beginning to end. GOOD.
To me this indicates a direction, at least when listening to Disklavier XP files. After all these files are several times larger than the equivalent MIDIs, yet played in the same time. The CPU Load simply must rise. For other cases, like when playing, my previous Sample Buffer size (established I forget when) was 384 samples (8.7 ms). That's less than 1 / 100 of a second, a delay I doubt I can hear or react to. And I would never in a fit play so aggressively as these e-piano competition types, even if I could, so where's my expectable huge CPU Load?
Thus I've got good hopes of managing crackle in future, for all situations likely to bug me.
Major problem to run PTQ4 in Pro Tools. The RTAS CPU usage is far to high. The sequenser stops constantly with a crackle when using my M-box. It runs slightly better using the 002 rack but the proplems are massiv. Impossible to use.
iMac 2GHz Intel core 2 duo OSX 10.5.8
Macbook 2GHz Intel core 2 duo OSX 10.5.8
Pro Tools LE 8
I don't know why, but the crackling completely has disappeared.
Anyway, I am very happy with Pianoteq 4. I am playing it with my Kawai MP10 keyboard and it's a dream, it's very close to the real thing!