Analog Lab 3 "clicking"

[macb3th]

hi Arturia, really enjoying Analog Lab 3 however I'm having some sound issues.

I'm experiencing clicking sounds when playing - CPU at 4% & only 1 instrument / track in Cubase.

Any ideas? thanks in advance

[LBH]

More info is needed to get any ideas.
What kind of clicking? Can you attach a sound example please?
Do you have the clicking on all sounds?
Do you have the issue both in standalone mode and when used as a plug-in?
Don't you have any clicking using instruments from other vendors?

[macb3th]

hi, thanks for the quick reply, appreciated.

clicking is not on all sounds but happens worse when more keys are played.
happens in standalone & plugin modes.
my other vsts are OK - my RAM is 16gb and clicking at even 4% CPU.

strange, the clicking seems to disappear on audio mixdown?


thanks

[LBH]

Hi,

If the clicking is'nt on all sounds, can you then name a preset where you have the issue?

You say the clicking is gone when you mixdown.
Is it while you mixdown you hear the clicking is gone?
Do you change any settings when you mixdown?
What soundcard settings do you use when you play Analog Lab and when you mixdown? If you can set your soundcards USB buffer size, then what is that setting?

Where do you see your CPU usage is 4%, and are you playing when you read this value? Can you tell how much usage each of your CPU cores have, when you exsperience the clicking?
If you use Windows then you can see the load for each CPU core in Windows ressouce monitor thru the task manager.

Which CPU are you using?

I ask this questions because you should have no issues with the few data you have provided. It make no sense at the moment. At the moment it sound like a latency issue of some kind if you don't hear clicks in a mixdown file.
Playing more notes use more CPU power. So if it's a latency issue, then it make sense if you have a worse issue when playing more notes. And if you have other soundcard settings when you mixdown, or you mean there is no clicking when you listen to a mixdown file, then a latency issue also make sense. Then only the CPU usage at 4% seems strange, but that may be the way you read the usage. So more precise info is needed to be able to troubleshoot.

[avviano]

I have the same issue of clicking sounds in Analog Lab 3 and reported it to Arturia Support. Its present in some presets but not all. Its very audible.  No gain or level issue. Clicks also audible on low volume. Seems to concern mainly the new synths of the Collection 6. I have included a list of some of the Buchla presets below that have the issue. Also, on some presets I get an infinite sustain that can only be stopped with the panic button (no external midi, pedal etc active).

When I make changes to the buffer settings of my audio device (UR-824) and return to Analog Lab, the app freezes and needs to be restarted. When I click the "heart / favorite" icon, there is a 1 sec delay. Not a big deal, but don't really understand why there is such a lag?

I would have posted a sound file, but your standalone app Analog Lab 3 doesn't even have a basic recorder function.

Dont really see the point of creating a standalone app, if you cant record yourself playing. What's the point of a standalone app then? To hear yourself play? Its amazing that I have to fire up the my DAW just to record a file. Minimalism taken too far!

Here is the list of presets (only a few of the many affected):

Angles
Catty
Polished Tube
Poly Baby
Melancholia
Lullabeast
Little Rise
Level 02
Organ me Up
Risilience
Reverpad
Side Square
Staniz

Here is some troubleshooting I already did without any change / improvement:

1.) reinstalled Analog Lab 3
2.) reinstalled my audio device USB driver
3.) Tested it at various gain settings.
4.) Tried all buffer sizes up to max of 2056.
5.) contacted a colleague, who has the same issue with Analog Lab 3, albeit not as apparent.

None of the above steps remedied the issue. I am using Windows 10, Intel i7, 16 GB RAM, SSD Drives (half empty). Steinberg UR824 interface. Arturia Collection 6, most recent Analog Lab 3.

If you have any clue what else I can try, please let me know.

Cheers

[LBH]

I have'nt had time to check all those presets.
But some questions.
It look like you have Buchla in VC6 collection. Are you saying that't you don't have the clicking in Buchla it self, but only in AL3?

Have you checked if there is something in the way the modulation is going on, that might give clicks?

I can tell, that i have heard clicks and pops in the sounds Angles and especially Melancholia. In Melancholia i think the mod settings can be responsible of at least some of the clicks and pops.
Do you have the clicks and pops all the time?
You say you have a friend, that don't have as severe clicks and pops. Have you tried his apps yourself?

RIght now i can't tell if there is something wrong, but i can't rule it out either. I sometimes do have some clickings that i think is strange for example on the preset Melancholia.

About the recording, then i have answered you here: https://forum.arturia.com/index.php?topic=92836.msg149504#new

[avviano]

Hi LBH, thanks for your feedback and response, I appreciate you taking the time to check out the issue on your machine. Yes, I am having these click and crackles noises in Analog Lab 3 AND in the standalone Buchla version. I have also tried to tone done some modifiers within the synth, but I was never able to get rid of them.

I am meeting up with my colleague in his studio later this morning and I will check it out myself and test the presets on his PC. He also has a Steinberg UR-824 interface, using the same USB ASIO driver, so if its a communication fault between driver and Arturia, then I can't really see it. But if these noises also occur in other Audio Interfaces, that would be the definitive proof that its a problem within Arturia's new synths.

Cheers

[avviano]

My test using a similar machine, UR-824 and same Analog Lab 3 version did not have the crackles and noises in the above mentioned presets. Unfortunately, this seems to be something specific to my setup. Meanwhile, I also tested the other new synths in AL3. The crackle & noises are most dominant in Buchla and in some very few DX7 presets (eg. DX7 preset "Classic E Piano" and in the CMI synth "Cartoon UFO"); audible in both the standalone and Analog Lab versions. It also appears to be most dominant in CPU hungry presets. Increasing the buffer sizes did not remedy the situation though. This unwanted noise does not seem to be audible in any of the older synth / presets. I am kind of running out of ideas right now. I even updated all my other system drivers.

[LBH]

I don't know if i can be of use. I can't confirm or deny certain sound issues.  ANd what you report also sounds like it's kind of a random issue.

I can suggest to check if a single CPU core is overloaded or very busy, when you have issues.

Also you can try to remove your sounddevice in WIndows Device manager, uninstall the driver and then reinstall, and see if it help some.

If i find something useful, then i will post.

[avviano]

I checked my CPU usage during playback and its only around 7%. I reinstalled AL3 multiple times, also downgraded to more recent versions. I reinstalled my sound device UR-824 multiple times (USB driver). I switched to multiple USB ports. Updated all my USB drivers (network card aso). Most recently also deleted the TEMP folders (Buchla, DX7, AL3). 

The very audible noise & crackles always appear within the same presets and only in the standalone version of AL3 or Buchla, so it does not seem to be random. Changing master volume or buffer size has absolutely no effect!

I do not have this issue in the VST3 plugin version within my DAW. But in the standalone version, any windows background noise (chimes aso) also gets distorted when AL3 is running. Not when AL3 is not running. So there seems to be an issue in AL3 or an issue of AL3 working together with Steinbergs USB audio driver or the driver itself.

I believe I can rule out any hardware issues in my audio device, as all other apps produce normal sound without any artifacts, including Buchla as VST3 inside my DAW, all that's fine.

Its a little puzzling.
 

[avviano]

After long and elaborate tests, I was able to fully rule out my UR-824 audio Interface and hardware as the culprit. A colleague of mine came over to my studio and hocked up his UR-824 and the issue of noise and crackling was still present. I have tried all Arturia's support suggestions, including reinstalling Analog Lab 3 and wiping out the temp folders.

Since I am now also noticing this behavior in other apps running under Windows (except in Cubase), I suspect that the issue is with the Steinberg USB Driver or an issue with another USB driver on my port causing problems. Reading on the Steinberg forums, I can see that others are have noise related issues under certain circumstances and Steinberg has also acknowledges the issue recently, publishing a new driver version. Unfortunately this has not solved my issue.

[avviano]

I am happy to report, that my noise and cracking issue in AL3 has now been resolved. I wrote to Steinberg Support and they suggested I not only re-install their newest USB Driver (which addresses the issue) and firmware (both of which I did) but also to conduct a hardware reset of the audio interface (something I initially did not do). But that solved the problem!

Hardware reset on the UR-824 is done by powering the device off, then holding down the two phantom power buttons on channels 1/2 and 3/4 while powering the device back on. Lights will blink and voila, all working again. In case someone is experiencing similar issues (Win10, AL3, UR-824) that's something you may want to give a try.

[LBH]

Great you got it to work.

Thanks for reporting back.