Freesound Forums

AlienXXX wrote:
Hello everyone

Not sure exactly what you mean by "latency problems". I have had latency issues before, but that was using live audio as input into Ableton Live.
Are you saying tou are having bit latency issues using midi keyboards and VST synths?
If you are not already using an ASIO driver, you should try. ASIO4all is free and worked for everyone I know of who has tried it in windows.

I gave the same advice to my partner Cajo, It didnt solve his problems though.....

@Kyster
Sorry. I forgot you are on Linux - Please understand that it is very difficult for me to keep track of who uses what operating system or what DAW.
I know nothing about linux, so I really can't offer any advice here.
Linux is closer to the hardware than windows. Could be that there is no way of working properly with the built in soundcard on your laptop and that an external card is the only workable option.
Important to note is that this is not the same machine you used to make your music on.
So, if I understood, these ussies relate to the computer you are trying to use. Not to the subject of the dare or the fact it is a collab.

@Cajo
What is differnt between the way you are working on this dare and the way you r worked on previous ones? - I don't mean the fact that it is a collab I mean in terms of software and hardware. What could be the cause of the latency problems? - New plugin, new DAW, new hardware?

Load an old project and play it to see if you have the same issues.

AlienXXX wrote:
@Kyster
Sorry. I forgot you are on Linux - Please understand that it is very difficult for me to keep track of who uses what operating system or what DAW.
I know nothing about linux, so I really can't offer any advice here.
Linux is closer to the hardware than windows. Could be that there is no way of working properly with the built in soundcard on your laptop and that an external card is the only workable option.
Important to note is that this is not the same machine you used to make your music on.
So, if I understood, these ussies relate to the computer you are trying to use. Not to the subject of the dare or the fact it is a collab.

@Cajo
What is differnt between the way you are working on this dare and the way you r worked on previous ones? - I don't mean the fact that it is a collab I mean in terms of software and hardware. What could be the cause of the latency problems? - New plugin, new DAW, new hardware?

Load an old project and play it to see if you have the same issues.

Don't be sorry, there's a lot of people here, so i understand you. Can't hold track of everything

Yes you're right, it's the computer that's the issue, not the dare.

If I read cajo's post correctly, I think he meant synthesizing sounds was too technical for him, not the process of going back and forth for samples between his partner and himself (ie the dare itself wasn't a problem).
In that, I do understand what he means because I have been trying to synthesize a sound (and I know I could have just as easily downloaded a freesound), and I have tried to start 5 times. Each time, I thought the stuff is like wizardry for me, and I need to attend Hogwarts before I can try something of this sort. I mean I messed around and all, but I still have a few questions about a few transfigurations, a few buttons here and there, a few properties of sounds and how this modifier modifies the sound, etc.
It put me down, every time, under 10 minutes of working. I finally started my real entry yesterday. And guess what I started synthesizing. Drums. In Reason's Kong. Because percussion is my thing, I think it would only make sense for me to begin at a place I know.
For all those having a problem, I'd suggest the same thing as AlienXXX. Download synth freesounds, just as you have downloaded other freesounds in the past, and arrange something by using them.
You could also switch roles in that one can simply synthesize and other can simply arrange/mix the sounds.

Kyster: You could try installing windows. Download a demo or release candidate. It should still be valid and you will have a 60 day trial, I believe. That's plenty for this dare.

ASIO4all ftw, btw. If you don't have it already, and if you are on windows, please, please, please get it.

Good luck, y'all! (And Head-Phaze, I'll be sending you some stuff really soon.)

afleetingspeck wrote:

Kyster: You could try installing windows. Download a demo or release candidate. It should still be valid and you will have a 60 day trial, I believe. That's plenty for this dare.

Good luck, y'all! (And Head-Phaze, I'll be sending you some stuff really soon.)

Don't want to infect my hardware

Kyster wrote:

afleetingspeck wrote:

Kyster: You could try installing windows. Download a demo or release candidate. It should still be valid and you will have a 60 day trial, I believe. That's plenty for this dare.

Good luck, y'all! (And Head-Phaze, I'll be sending you some stuff really soon.)

Don't want to infect my hardware

afleetingspeck wrote:

Kyster wrote:

afleetingspeck wrote:

Kyster: You could try installing windows. Download a demo or release candidate. It should still be valid and you will have a 60 day trial, I believe. That's plenty for this dare.

Good luck, y'all! (And Head-Phaze, I'll be sending you some stuff really soon.)

Don't want to infect my hardware

Not even for the sake of freesound?!
Just kidding.

I know you are

No i'm not religious about it, it's just what i prefer. I've done my fair share of windows, but found the flavour that suits me, for about 8 - 9 years ago. I'm not the guy that want to force people to "see the light", just minding my own pc

Kyster wrote:

afleetingspeck wrote:

Kyster wrote:

afleetingspeck wrote:

Kyster: You could try installing windows. Download a demo or release candidate. It should still be valid and you will have a 60 day trial, I believe. That's plenty for this dare.

Good luck, y'all! (And Head-Phaze, I'll be sending you some stuff really soon.)

Don't want to infect my hardware

Not even for the sake of freesound?!
Just kidding.

I know you are

No i'm not religious about it, it's just what i prefer. I've done my fair share of windows, but found the flavour that suits me, for about 8 - 9 years ago. I'm not the guy that want to force people to "see the light", just minding my own pc

@All

Guys, please note there is no shame or defeat in using Freesound's synth samples.
That is and always was allowed for this dare. So, please, if you are struggling with it please take the easy route - the challange of working in a collab should be enough.

Also, appreciate your feedback in relation to knowing if I should ever try this again "synthesized sounds". I am begining to think that many people would prefer that I don't.

Here are some of the sounds that I created for the collab-1 dare.
http://www.freesound.org/people/AlienXXX/packs/10575/

Please feel free to take them and integrate into your compositions if you find them useful - that is why they are here at Freesound.
I have plenty more FM percussion sounds. Will be uploading thenm over the next few days.
Sorry there are not a lot of them, only got back home bu lunchtime today and still had some prep to do for some important work meetings tomorrow.

ehi, thanks for all your useful suggestions

AlienXXX wrote:
@Cajo
What is differnt between the way you are working on this dare and the way you r worked on previous ones? - I don't mean the fact that it is a collab I mean in terms of software and hardware. What could be the cause of the latency problems? - New plugin, new DAW, new hardware?

afleetingspeck wrote:
If I read cajo's post correctly, I think he meant synthesizing sounds was too technical for him, not the process of going back and forth for samples between his partner and himself (ie the dare itself wasn't a problem).
In that, I do understand what he means because I have been trying to synthesize a sound...
...
For all those having a problem, I'd suggest the same thing as AlienXXX. Download synth freesounds, just as you have downloaded other freesounds in the past, and arrange something by using them.
You could also switch roles in that one can simply synthesize and other can simply arrange/mix the sounds.

I have no sampler. in Live (without the sampler module) I can build many channels each with a pitched sample, but latency is heavier. I did it for a theatre soundscape where fine sync was not an issue - and I did on a XP Vaio with a very low latency. I seldom use Cubase, anyway no sampler.
any free opensource, on widows? for the next dare, of course...

Cajo,
Can you layer sounds? I mean you can do so in even audacity. Just pick synthesized choirs/pads etc, and layer them on top of escortmarius's composition, perhaps? I do understand, though, that computer problems can be a big deterrent to motivation.
I am not entirely sure about freebie windows samplers, but you could try osalt.org (open source alternatives).

Cajo,
being it a new pc and a quite recent OS (W8 right?) there's a chance the soundcard drivers aren't optimized yet. First of all you might check if there are more recent drivers than those you're currently using.

Aside from that, you might try some optimizations, take a look at these threads about W7, maybe some of these tips apply to W8 as well:

http://www.focusrite.com/answerbase/en/article.php?id=1071
http://avid.force.com/pkb/articles/en_US/troubleshooting/en349411?popup=true&NewLang;=en&DocType;=1078

Also, check and eventually increase your buffer size setting as mentioned in this thread:

http://warbeats.com/Community/Forums/aft/3603

It looks like a lot of sound related problems have arisen since W7...

Hardware-wise you surely have enough power, so either the OS is not allowing the audio tasks all the power they need (kinda like in Linux land where we instruct the system to give real time priority to audio) or the drivers aren't using that power well (because of settings or outdated drivers), or something else interferes too much like an antivirus might do if it's set to check everything in real time.

The Task Manager might help checking if you have CPU spikes and what process is causing them.

Hello Cajo

Now you are at risk of being overwhelmed by help from all your friends at Freesound!

Just a few quick points:

1) happens to me sometimes that when I switch to the ASIO4all driver or when I leave my laptop for a longtime and it goes onto sleep mode that the sound is 'broken up' like when streaming audio with a really bad connection.
Switching back to the Windows (or DirectX0 driver and back again to ASIO usually solves that problem.

2) I am assuming you have already tried to play with the buffer size parameters in ASIO4all.
You can start with the largest buffer size and decreae it while playing your project in loop mode. At some point the sound should start to 'break up', increase buffer size a bit and leave it there.

3) What MIDI input device are you using? Your PC keyboard or an external USB 'midi' keyboard?
If using an external device, please note that a problem with this driver (rather than the sound drivers) could be causing a latency in the notes you press being sent to your DAW. Try updating the drivers for your external MID keyboard.

4) No sampler in Ableton Live?
I thought all versions of Live came with 'Simpler' which is a basic sampler. Has all the features I need and is the one I use for standard sample pleying with my keyboard.
I am at work now, so can't look for a VST one. You can search at www.kvraudio.com
Their VST database is searcheable and you can select to see only free VSTs.

5) OK. What it you really can't solve the latency problem? Here are two options
- Most people will still need to edit their midi clips even if they have no timming/latency issues.
Can you edit your clips to put the notes where they need to be? The quantize function may also help.
- Can you go one setp further and 'program' your mellodies in instead of playing them? Just like a composer would write his symphony rather than playing it, you can actually draw the notes in by hand (oddly enough, this is what I am doing on Buzz also...)

I hope some of these ideas help.
And I am happy to hear that these are all technical issues rather than collab issues.

actually this looks like a full immersion tech workshop!

afleetingspeck, yes I can layer sounds and I will if midi remain out of reach.

copyc4t, I wrote wrong: workin on widows7, not 8.
thanks for all links and suggestion, I will check these step by step / after this dare
my pc is powerful in graphic, for my job - now I see that a special soundcard would fit well for playing midi. but I'm only an hobbist and hate to spend money in high-tech stuff which I don't really deserve neither understand...

AlienXXX, I tried many setup in ASIO4all without emprovement. You hit the point: the external keyboard is a little Evolution with weird drivers widows doesn't accept then I have to force it - then widows recognize the keyboard as "external speakers" and it works. absurd.

4) I bought Live many yrs ago, upgraded to 6 but always without the Sampler module, for the cost is lower and my will to go high-techy even lower.
In Live midi events are triggered by ext-kbrd or controller / audio events (samples) are triggered only by pc-kbrd. I suppose Sampler let the ext-kbrd trig audio events too.

5) In the past I used Finale to write arragements, then export as midi to rehearse with BandInaBox and to print for friends. but I can not write down on paper fast patterns, and quantization kill the swing

forgive me if I won't answer quick to your next comments - have a dare to work at
grazie a tutti = thanks to you all!

Cajo

Don't want to distract you from your dare
In any case, the PC keyboard can be used to send midi information into Ableton Live (i used the demo like that for years).

So, you can ditch the midi keyboard and play midi notes using the PC keyboard (all note velocities will be set to 100, but you can edit the clips and adjust that as needed).
Woud be interesting to try this to see if you can get rid of the latency. - Don't even plug in the midi keyboard when you try this, just to make sure it is not screwing up all the midi channels, etc.

Keys Z and X move up and down the octaves. The mid key row "ASDF..." is the white keys and you will find the black keys where you would expect them "WE", "TYU" "OP" ... I think.
Give it a try.

So how is it going everyone?

Bliss wrote:
So how is it going everyone?

Guys you need to hurry up!
Time is running out and a new normal dare has already been posted:
http://www.freesound.org/forum/dare-the-community/33184/

Guys, We have finished our joint entry. I went to soundcloud to upload it, but I can' access the site anymore. Surely because it is now the 'new soundcloud'. Tried 2 different laptops with same result: can't even open the home page.
Anyone with same problem?

Tried another laptop with Win 8 and I can see the homepage, which looks like a clone of Facebook/My(waste of)Space.
I turned away in discust!

I will wait 24h see if i can get access to Soundcloud again.
After that I will be uploading my entry somewhere else than Soundcloud.