Need Help Troubleshooting Diva Sound Problems

[wagtunes]

This one has me a little puzzled.

I know Diva is processor intensive but I don't think the problem I'm having is a processor one.

1) My CPU usage with one instance of Diva is only about 20%. I have synths such as Omnisphere and some Reaktor ensembles that are much higher.

2) Problem only occurs when playing and/or recording sound. On playback, sound is crystal clear. No clicks or pops.

3) Problem happens even in draft mode.

4) Problem doesn't happen all the time with the same patch.

5) Severity of problem varies depending on what DAW I use. For example, while Cubase is pretty stable, MuLab is so bad it's unusable.

I'm trying to figure out what the problem is but I'm stumped. No, I don't have the most powerful PC in existence (Windows 7, 64 bit, core 3, 16 gig RAM) but I shouldn't be having the problems I'm having regardless of what mode (Draft through Great) and only on play and record but not playback.

Anybody have any clues?

Oh, in case the problem isn't clear, it's clicks and pops when playing a patch.

[rod_zero]

Try disabling multicore mode.

[wagtunes]

Try disabling multicore mode.

Disabling it? Why? What's the difference?

[bmrzycki]

This sounds like you are indeed hitting the limits of your CPU, especially since you say in 2) that playing back rendered audio is perfect.

The manual has a few recommendations about CPU usage:

CPU overload?
Diva is very demanding, especially in ‘divine’ mode. You will need quite a powerful computer. Even
if your system only delivers one or two voices before the CPU starts complaining, there are still a
few things you can do without upgrading your hardware:
* Lower the Accuracy setting (in the Main panel)
* Lower the polyphony and/or switch the Mode (Main panel) to Poly2, then resave the preset.
* If you have e.g. a quad-core computer, also try activating the multicore option (Main panel).
Multicore is not an adequate replacement for freezing tracks etc., its main purpose is to let
users play one instance of Diva with as many voices as possible. If a project consists of many
instances of Diva, please check that as few as possible have multicore enabled. In certain
combinations of hosts, drivers etc., multicore can even cause drop outs and stalls.
* Use Diva as a purely monophonic synth. Many classics were “only” monophonic...

I'll add another recommendation: shorten the release of your amp envelope. Those lingering voices on things like pad sounds can really bring your CPU to its knees.

Finally regarding different daws: Urs has mentioned in the past that he's struggled to get multicore working with all DAWs due to there being no official standard about who (the DAW or the plugin) controls where the task gets scheduled to run. Sometimes turning off multi-core actually runs faster in a DAW simply because Diva no longer tries to negotiate with the DAW where to run.

And yes, a Core i3 can be destroyed by Diva, even 1-2 voices.

[OutCider]

This one has me a little puzzled.

I know Diva is processor intensive but I don't think the problem I'm having is a processor one.

Did the demo version pop and click?

[2ZrgE]

Try disabling multicore mode.

Disabling it? Why? What's the difference?

U-he's multicore option (Diva, Bazille) does not work on i3-CPUs (at least not on mine), it's for real multicore (i5/i7).

i3 is only a 'virtual' multicore. If I activate multicore, both Diva and Bazille are not usable for me.

[wagtunes]

Just wanted to report back what I've done and the results so far. Of course I will continue to keep an eye on things.

1) Went all the way down to draft mode from startup.

2) Disabled Multicore.

Ran Diva all day creating presets with no problems, not even with pads with long release times. However, I have had good days before. As for the demo, never had a problem which is why I ultimately ended up buying it.

I don't think I've seen the last of this problem and here is why.

Usually, the problem will appear after running my DAW with Diva for some time. In other words, I'll create a patch or several patches with no problem and then suddenly, after maybe an hour or two, the clicks will start and then patches that were playing fine will also start to click.

I suspect a memory leak somewhere either in Cubase or more likely in the PC itself. Windows, IMO, is a miserable OS and I've always had intermittent problems with it as far back as I can remember.

Now, as to whether the memory leak is being caused by Diva or not, I have no idea. I do know that I can run 50 instances of Zebra 2 without a hiccup. If Diva runs fine under these new settings for a week straight, then I can safely say it is because of my processor not being able to handle it. Still, monitoring my usage and having it never go above 20% leaves me skeptical. Why would a 20% spike cause clicks when greater usage with other synths causes no problems?

I'm just not totally convinced yet.