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  4. [SOLVED] Pro Tools 2018 does not seem to digest the Steinway D (Synchron).

  • [SOLVED] Pro Tools 2018 does not seem to digest the Steinway D (Synchron).

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    Pro Tools 2018 does not seem to digest the Steinway D (Synchron). It works, but at each stop there are noises and trembling, with a knock on the piano's body. We guess a CPU difficulty, but the Yamaha CFX does not do that. In Cubase, too, everything is good for both pianos. In order to see if the AAX is not at fault, I also tested the VST via Komplete Kontrol and it's the same, same problem at a standstill.

    I tried all the configurations.

    My system: Win 10 updated on HP Z420 and 40 G of RAM, all on SSD.

    I ask the same question on the AVID forum.
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    Paul

    Do you have any information on this type of problem with the Steinway D?

    It's only in Pro Tools.

    PLAY function: everything is beautiful. Stop function: crcrcrcrcr ... boom, stu stu .... Then it's ok, it does not freeze.

    I tried all the configurations and even the VST version via Komplete Kontrol. All the same.
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    Problem corrected in 24 hours by the technical service. Impressive.

    See the new version of December 12, 2018.

    Thanks VSL.

    Wonderful.
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP

    Hi CMB, 

    Sorry, forgot to post about that... Glad to see this works now!

    Best, 
    Paul

    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
  • C
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    Yes, good job.
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    I am still getting this exact problem with iMac Pro running Pro Tools even though I re-installed the Steinway today. The Yamaha is perfect, but I would love to use the Steinway. It's just too off-putting to work with.
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    The only way for me to work with these two pianos is to put the files on an SSD. I went back to PC, but with a 27-inch iMac whit hybrid disk, it did not work. You need a separate SSD.
  • C
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    I am using a fast external SSD, so that's not the problem. Thanks anyway.
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP

    Hi Chris, 

    When you open the Synchron Player => Preferences => Database, which Preload settings do you get from the automatic disk streaming tests, for the SSD drive that contains your Steinberg content?

    Also, how is the SSD connected?

    Thanks, 
    Paul

    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
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    Hi Paul

     

    Thanks for your help.

    The preload size is 4096 for the Synchron Steinway on my SSD.

    I have the SSD connected via a OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock. Could this be the problem?

    I have actually just ordered another SSD that will be connected to the iMac Pro directly.

     

    Regards

    Chris
  • PaulP
    VSL Team
    PaulP

    Hi Chris, 

    I'd try to set the Preload size higher (8192 or 16864) and see if that makes a difference. Of course higher buffer settings in your soundcard will also help (but you probably don't want that). 

    Best,
    Paul

    Paul Kopf Product Manager VSL
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    Hi Paul

    Thank you for your reply, but unfortunately nothing seems to work. Please see attached short video clip.

     

    Regards

    Chris
  • C
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    Hi Paul

     

    Thanks for your reply.

    Unfortunately nothing seems to work.

    I tried to upload a short video, but for some reason it gave an error when I tried, so here is a link -

    https://www.dropbox.com/s/cqucbq7quhs258d/Chris%20King%20re%20Steinway.MOV?dl=0

     

    Regards

    Chris
  • marnixM
    VSL Team
    marnixM

    Hi Chris,

    Please enable Dynamic Plug-In Processing in PT - does that make a difference?

    Also, please make sure that your SSD is indeed Mac-formatted - EXFat for instance, the format most Samsung SSD´s are shipped with by default, is in fact pretty terrible when dealing with our large files on Macs!

    Best, Marnix
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    Hi Marnix

     

    Thanks for your reply.

    My SSD is formatted Mac OS Extended (Journaled). Is that OK?

    I tried enabling  Dynamic Plug-In Processing in PT. It did not help.

     

    Regards

    Chris
  • M
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    last edited
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    That format is fine. The Steinway and the CFX are wonderful sounding cpu hogs. To get around this I'd either:

    1. Run VEP Server on a slave machine that also has a lot of RAM and CPU power.*

    2. Run VEP Server on your Pro Tools rig with a lot of midi channels (16 per group, right?) and run as few instances of the VEP plugin as possible. It works really well as long as you have 32GB RAM if you intend to run the Synchron piano locally.

    * I ended up building a machine to do this, where I can either run one powerful PC that will run Pro Tools 2018.x and VEP7 and no FX or master bus in Pro Tools during tracking (everything on my end goes through the Apollo 8 Virtual Channels) while keeping a buffer of 128 in a 24/44.1 session. When I'm ready to mix, I print stereo "virtual returns" from the Apollo: One stem for woodwinds and brass, one stem for strings, one stem for percussion, one stem for piano. When I mix it down in Pro Tools, I switch to 32 bit float, jack up the buffer, and send the stems through a good convolution reverb and the EMT 140. It's a complicated bus setup, but it works and sounds correct. I can then deliver a final stereo mix (and stems if needed) in whatever format is required.

    Before I got the CFX, I used to be able to run everything (SE 1 and 3, the Epic, a piano or two, and some other winds) between two Mac Mini 6,2's with at least 2 SSDs on each machine: One Mini for running Pro Tools, the other running VEP headless via ethernet that ran ~16 channels on one instance and about 8 to 10 on a second instance. I also run Slate Drums via VEP with no lag. The piano I used before was the UVI Fazioli, which has unisons out of tune in the C6-C8 area. The CFX pretty much maxed-out the slave Mini. To make it work as before, I would have had to find another Mini 6,2 just to run the CFX. That's what drove me to build a dedicated slave machine. Sorry this was so long-winded, but these are complex setups.

    I'm attaching a couple screen shots and a template of my 2018.xx orchestral setup since Pro Tools is oddly absent from the templates section. Maybe VSL will add mine. Still waiting for a version of Pro Tools with 32 MIDI channels, and not just multiples of 16 MIDI channels.

    Orchestra.ptx.zip-1696491488550-w3khk.zip VEP64U0020andU0020VESPU0020setup.zip-1696491488550-gj4pt.zip
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    Hi James

    Thank you for all that! I have just upgraded my VEP to version 7 and was actually thinking of trying to run it all on my one Mac. I got as far as finding that the Steinway works perfectly.

    I have an iMac Pro with 32gig of RAM. I am hoping that I can run a piano and several orchestral instruments all on that one iMac.

    What do you reckon?

     

    Thanks again!

    Chris
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    While I'm not exactly sure of your setup, I think that with some care you'll be fine. –Assuming that you're using SSD's throughout your setup. l'm using a 500GB PCIe SSD for my VSL samples. I'm only using one remote VEP7 instance on a Mini 6,2 for the Slate Drums (SSD5 64 bit AU).

    You may have to jack up your Pro Tools buffer a click if you're using Pro Tools HD/Ultimate. Oddly, the CPU is taxed a little bit less when I run a 32-bit float session.

    Image
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    Thank you. I am enormously grateful!

    Chris