New MU Labs User question

[drummer_56]

Hello forum,

I am a newbie with Mu Labs.
I downloaded the free version to test out and I really like this DAW.
I am very impressed with the step sequencer especially the MU Drums.
They sound really good and I was able to program a pretty nice (Rosanna shuffle) drum track without any troubles at all. Not that easy to do with a typical drum machine.

I want to buy the complete version but I keep having some crackling issues with the audio.
I'm new to computer recording but I know my way around a traditional studio so maybe someone can help me figure out what I am doing wrong.
If I can solve this noise issue I'm ready to purchase the program.
So here is my problem.
Sometimes when I open MULabs everything runs nice an clean, no noise.
Other times when I open the program I get a crackling noise which is obviously a clocking issue. (not the free version soft noise) It sounds like digital overload but nothing is peaking in my level displays.
Here is my setup:
Dell XPS PC with i7 processor
Yamaha DM1000 digital console with 2 x 16 channel ADAT expansion cards
RME HDSPe RayDat card with 32 ADAT in/out
Various analog pre-amps
I have set the project to 96K, the DM1000 to 96K and the RayDat to 96K.
There is no crackling coming from the DM1000 or the RayDat because I can monitor these devices independent from MULabs and there is no noise.

Also I get the noise even when I just play a demo song in MuLabs. Sometimes when I open the program it plays back clean and sometimes when I open the program I get the noise.
Note this is not the "soft noise" embedded in the free program. That's a different noise.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks
Drummer_56

[AndreasD]

As soon as you have a valid license and enter this license in Mulab, the noise is gone.
The free version has limitations (http://www.mutools.com/info/docs/mulab/ ... sions.html).
If you exceed the limitations you get noise.

So you can try Mulab for free but not to it's full capabilities without hearing the noise.

[bibz1st]

Sounds like something different Andreas, looks like he is aware of the "soft noise"

[mutools]

Hey Drummer_56 please record a video that shows all screen activity and plays the audio including that strange noise you hear. That way it will hopefully be easier to diagnose the issue.

[drummer_56]

Thanks for the tips.
I will try the video and upload it.
This is not the "soft noise" this crackling noise happens even playing the demo songs.

Another question: which sample rate do most MULabs users record their tracks at?
I am using 96K at the moment.

Also is there a swing adjustment on the MU Drums? I see that feature on the step sequencer but not in the drum machine.

Thanks
Drummer_56

[mutools]

Hey, now better realizing you're at 96 kHz, and maybe also at a low buffersize, i assume you're hearing the crackles cause the cpu is overloaded. You can check that in the cpu meter which is near the tempo field at the top. I assume the cpu meter is at rather high level. Clicking the cpu meter can give even more detailed info especially if any overloads are detected. See https://www.mutools.com/info/docs/mulab/transport.html

[mutools]

About the MuDrum: The MuDrum is a sound module not a drum sequencer, but you can sequence it from the composer or via a step sequencer, and there you'll find the swing control.

[drummer_56]

OK, CPU was overloaded.
That was the problem.
I was only playing 4 to 5 tracks.
So i guess I cannot have 32 tracks running at 96K.
I really like the sound quality at 96K but i guess if I am using mostly the internal sounds it really wouldn't matter that much if I went to 44.1. It only matters when recording from a microphone. Correct?
Or should I increase the buffer size?

What does everyone else do to solve this issue?
Obviously we all want to start with the highest resolution audio we can get because once it's compressed to am MP3 we want to retain any remaining dynamics and clarity.

Any tips?

Thanks for your help!
Drummer_56

[mutools]

You have to balance these settings with your system, see what your system can do. Increasing the buffersize will definitely help too, and that doesn't cost audio quality.

Wrt audio recording: Of course it depends what you are recording, but as the human ear has limited frequency range, using 48 kHz should be sufficient in almost all cases. So i suggest to use 48 kHz and a buffersize of at least 128 samples. A disadvantage of 48 kHz could be that when going to 44.1 kHz CD / MP3 there will be an additional samplerate conversion, which always applies a good but non-perfect lowpass filter to the audio, possibly lowering some of the near-nyquist frequencies.

[drummer_56]

Ok, I must have had some corrupt files because I deleted all the projects I was working on and started fresh. Now no noise, clean and clear as glass and I am still running at 96K and the CPU load is approx 20%.
Thanks for your help.

BTW whoever designed this DAW is a genius! The sound quality is stunning. I love it. It's also very easy to use, the sound design choices are endless.
I'm buying it now.

I'm only scratching the surface right now and I need to spend some more time discovering all the features but a quick question.
Is there a punch in/out feature when recording audio? Also an auto punch in/out feature? I use that allot for vocal recording because no one can nail it with one pass.

Thanks for your help!

Drummer_56

[mutools]

There is no explicit audio punch in/out function.
Just record the new audio part and mute/delete any redundant previous audio part.
So instead of setting up a punch-in-out before recording you can apply it after recording.