Yes, I understand that I have to work my way around it...

I was hoping this was built in... but I also understand that it's not easy to "really" do the portamento as a non-string player. I would have to determine what string they're playing on in order for there to be portamento at all.

Anyway, workaround it will be.

Thanks for the ideas so far, perhaps there are more ideas on how to workaround this?

Cheers
Hans

Hi Hans - when I first played the Appassionata Violins perf legatos I was surprised by the fact that they automatically play portamento. For a while I thought this was the only option possible, but I then realised you can switch to their non-portamento legatos by using the A/B keyswitch. You're probably more observant than me and have already spotted this, but I'm posting this in case it escaped your attention!

Hi Conquer,

I admit there is much to learn about this well thought-out instrument.

However, I was hoping to minimize the manual programming even more... but well, here's hoping.

Cheers
Hans

I guess there's always manual stuff you have to do. But don't you think it's great being able to switch between legatos and real played portamentos just by hitting a key?

Note that you can program a shorter slide as follows:

1) Play some notes using legato
2) Keyswitch to portamento and play the next note - let's say one octave up.
3) Keyswitch back to legato and continue playing.

4) Now open your sequencer and add a "ghost note" just a moment before the "octave up" note. I like changing the slide to a major 2nd.
5) Slide the portamento keyswitch note so it starts after the ghost note, but before the octave-up note.

Voila! A transition up an octave with a major 2nd slide - for instance, as would be done from one string to the next.

-JF

This isn't about the portamento anymore, but I just played a bar in F minor and listen to that high F how there are really ugly high frequencies in the sample:

http://www.hanshafner.de/quickupload/appassionata_pheep.m4a

Cheers
Hans

If you listen to samples in isolation, you can be totally wrong about the sound. For example, when I first listened to the Appassionata violins just straight from the box, without them playing in a piece of music, I wondered - is that too much vibrato? But no - when they are in context it is perfect. In fact, it makes them have the best sound of strings that you can get in any sample library. Others sound dead, thin and whiny in comparison. Of course they have inconsistencies, sounds that are irregular, etc. But that is why they are so good.

I don't think you're hearing what I hear. The F4 sounds considerably different sonically, not from the violin. There is some recordng artifact on there that sticks out like a sore thumb and personally it really distracts me, because if I play something like that little motive it loses its impact because all of a sudden I only hear the sample stick out on that one note instead of my musical motive.

I just think that for a € 1000,- Library I should not have to deal with this sort of thing.

But can you at least confirm that you're hearing that whistling sound on that note?

Cheers
Hans

Hi Hans, I can hear a faint, high-frequency metallic noise on the high F note which appears to be on the left channel only. I guess it's possible that this is a corrupted sample rather than a recording artefact, but the pad playing behind makes it difficult to to be sure. In the interests of clarity, it would be helpful if you re-posted the F note played solo and said exactly what patch it comes from and what velocity the sample was played at.

You can't hear the noise unless it's in the phrase. The reason for this is, that this one sample sounds different than the others and that's why it will stick out.

If I just play the F4 it sounds fine, but in the line it doesn't it draws way too much attention.

This post about the f4 is in error. There is no such artifact at any velocity in VI_20 sus, sus strong vib, legato 2 or 4 velocity.

>You can't hear the noise unless it's in the phrase.

I agree, I only noticed it when I listened on headphones. In this context it doesn't sound like a major problem, but I'd still like to know which patch you're using so I can hear the sample in isolation and work out what's causing the high-frequency noise.

By the way, congratulations to Jon Fairhurst for his fantastic portamento tip above! I'll remember that one. Was this helpful for your original complaint, Hans?

The patch is:

App-Strings - Combi

Keyswitch 2 so the 02 App-Strings_sus are playing

Velocity level 65

William, please listen to the example I posted. It's clear as day and very disruptive to my ear.

But as I said, you can hear it better coming from other notes because it really just jumps at you.

Cheers
Hans

OK, I hear what's happening. As you say Hans, there is a faint tinselly, high-frequency wheezy noise coming mainly from the left channel on the front of the mf (vel 76) F4 sample in the Appassionata Strings_sus patch (In this register I think we're hearing only the VI-20_sus_Vib violins, no violas or cellos.)

The patch is programmed in such a way that the noise only sounds when you move to F4 from another note - if you play a series of F4's the noise isn't there, which explains why you can't hear the noise unless it's in the phrase!

Personally I don't find it too disruptive - add a little reverb and I doubt anyone would notice it within a piece of music. However, it doesn't sound very musical and I imagine it could easily be eradicated by VSL by a bit of sample substitution. Just my opinion!

Do VSL tech staff agree there's a problem with this sample?

this is total bullshit. There is no artifact at all. You are hearing the sample itself, which is extremely intense and has noise in it, FROM THE VIOLINS. By the way, I did not earlier listen to the combination strings patches because 1) that weird link you provided instead of just saying the name of the instrument and 2) I never use the combined string patches.

Anyway, there is nothing whatsoever wrong with the f4 in the string sus, so I will just bow out of here and let you continue aurally hallucinating.



BTW - are you guys shills from DVZ? [6]

William,

ok then.

I've had this with a couple of stacc patches as well from older libraries where there's just this _one_ sample that pretty much can ruin a melodic line.

But I'm sorry you feel so strongly about this issue.

Serious question: What is DVZ? You can find out about me by just clicking on the www link at the bottom.

Cheers
Hans

PS: as someone with very little posts it's so easy to be dismissed as a troll/shill/noob but let's face it: we've all been there and problems are the first thing that everyone writes about. Isn't it?

Thank you and goodnight William.

>just this _one_ sample that pretty much can ruin a melodic line.

There's usually a way round these things - in this particular case you can 'trick' the VI into playing the other, clean F4 sample by inserting a silent (vel 0) F4 just before the note.

>it's so easy to be dismissed as a troll/shill/noob but let's face it: we've all been there and problems are the first thing that everyone writes about. Isn't it?

Yes. I would hesitate to dismiss anyone as a noob, especially since I have no idea what the word means. Everyone working with this technology has problems of one kind or another, you have to be resourceful and look for the solutions!

>What is DVZ?

It's an allegedly huge, yet to be released orchestral (+ other instruments) library from the US. Word is you need several computers to run it, and though they're currently running press ads I wouldn't be surprised if it's not released for quite some time. There's already a thread about it in this forum, if anyone wants to speculate about it would be best to post there!

Anyone from VSL want to comment on the noise Hans and I hear in the F4 sample?

All right, I was irritating with my posts there - sorry. I always get carried away at a keyboard. But I seriously listened to all the violins and the strings combined and couldn't find anything wrong with any F's. Maybe it is an installation-specific problem, since there is no problem of that kind on my own set of samples.

If you have the time, try loading the Appassionata Strings VI-20_sus_Vib violins and program a four-note phrase using the notes Eb4, F4, G4 and F4, all at vel 76 - loop the four notes and you'll hear the high-pitched noise on the left channel. As I said, due to the way the patch is programmed (some kind of round robin thing) you won't hear the noise if you just play F4 on its own. It is subtle (I could only hear it distinctly on headphones) but as two of us are experiencing it I don't think it's an installation problem.

I didn't play it on its own, I played it in every combination with other notes, at all velocities, and it sounds perfect.