BR?: Z2.2 b1 AU sound stops with Transmission preset

[bmrzycki]

machine:
Macbook 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 2GB RAM, OS X 10.4.10

Zebra2:
2.2 beta 1 AU (latest AU beta)

Host:
Apple AU Lab 1.0.3

Preset:
Transmission/Ambiences, FX and Soundscapes/Enter The Tardis.h2p


When I load the patch and play the sound starts and then abruptly stops. After this the sound no longer plays on the preset. I have to load a relatively simple preset to get audio back, I was using "Transmission/Basses/Handbags At Dawn Bass.h2p" to get Z2 to reset.

I can get the audio to stop every time I play the standard preset. If I remove the modulation source of MMix1 from VCF2's cutoff or switch it to something simple like ATouch or Modwheel there's no problem. It seems to be related to MMix1 and/or the modulation sources.

I've loaded the same preset in Z2 2.1 VST using the REAPER beta on my mac and there's no problems with the preset.

Anyone else seeing this with the AU under a different host using the latest betas?

[beej]

Weird that these bugs appear to only ever be on the PC side - works fine on the Mac versions of Zebra as you mention...

[bmrzycki]

beej,

The bug appears on my mac using the AU and AU Lab. I haven't tested on my laptop with B5 yet.

[beej]

Oh, you're on a MacIntel - will check again to see if I can reproduce on Mac PPC...

[bmrzycki]

Here's a few mp3 encodings of the preset:
1. Z2 v2.1 (VST Mac OS X) on Reaper 0.40 Beta
2. Z2 v2.2b1 (AU Mac OS X) on AU Lab 1.0.3
3. Z2 v2.2b5 (VST Win XP) on Reaper 2.0 Beta

#2 is not a bad mp3, that's how it sounds before sound cuts off. If it don't use a limiter on the master bus it's way over 0DB. #1 and #3 sound pretty much the same to me.

[bmrzycki]

I just tested this again and I still see the exact same problem.

I loaded the Transmission preset Enter the Tardis.h2p straight from the Transmission.zip.

I used Z2.2b7 AU, OS X 10.5.0, Intel MacBook.

I tested with both AU Lab 2.0.0 and Plogue Bidule 0.96. Both exhibit the same sound in the mp3s above and then "lock" the audio engine until I switch to a simple preset. I see no messages logged in the Console during the bug. I tried to load the standard and NoFX versions of the preset, and both break.

I tried to build a simpler preset to try to isolate down the problem. I'm almost certain this has something to do with the MMix. If I remove it the problem stops. If I made modifications to the inputs, the problem sometimes comes and goes. If I add to the Const knob, the problem becomes intermittent.

No matter what, the preset I'm tinkering with sounds nothing like the mp3 recording above of the 2.1 VST version.

If I assign Env2 instead of MMix1 to VCF1's cutoff, the preset sounds mostly correct and I no longer get the break of the audio engine.

MMix1 is of type "sum modulations" and the const value is set to 0, if that jogs any prior bugs.

[Urs]

Ok... I've pretty much got fixes for everything else so I'll check this out a bit deeper tomorrow...

If you have the time, what if you switch to another filter type, i.e. an innocent LP 6dB? What if you switch off filter & effects after it stops playing?

[bmrzycki]

Ok... I've pretty much got fixes for everything else so I'll check this out a bit deeper tomorrow...

If you have the time, what if you switch to another filter type, i.e. an innocent LP 6dB? What if you switch off filter & effects after it stops playing?

Filter Type
The filter is currently set to LP Xcite. FYI, keyfollow is 0, but drive and resonance do have values. Changing the filter does seem to have an affect on the audio lock. Here's each type and what happens, I'm not adjusting any knobs. Also note I'm keeping FX on as that seems to aggravate the problem (see below).
LP AllAround: No Locks. Z2.1 VST mp3.
LP MidDrive: Locks audio just like Xcite.
LP OldDrive: Same as MidDrive.
LP Formant: No Locks.
LP Vintage: No Locks.
LP 12dB: No Locks.
LP 6dB: No Locks.
LP RezBand: No Locks.
LP QBand: No Locks.
HP 24dB: No Locks.
HP 12dB: No Locks.
BR Notch: No Locks.
EQ Peaking: Locks like Xcite.
EQ LowShelf: No Locks.
EQ HighShelf: No Locks.
AP Phaser 4: No Locks.
AP Phaser 8: No Locks.
LP Vintage2: No Locks.

On all the non-locking ones above, keep in mind none of them sounded anywhere as smooth as the original patch loaded in the Z2 2.1 VST. The audio sounds "rough" on all of them, like there's signal distortion. I did an audio capture of the preset with the only change being VCF2 from LP eXcite to LP AllAround.
Enter the Tardis AllAround


FX
There are two modules in the FX path, a ModFX1 set to chorus, and a Delay1 set to Stereo 2. If I depress a note with either module enabled the audio locks and no other notes are heard. If I disable both modules (don't have to remove them) then I still hear the audio clip and stop but subsequent notes can play and clip the same way as the previous one. If the audio is locked I can get it back by disabling both FX modules.

[Urs]

Highly strange... I could reproduce the strange behaviour with the SSE version of Xcite and a recompiled non-SSE version. And then I put back the SSE version and it stopped...

It might be a problem with the SSE optimization of the compiler...

I'll check some more...

Urs

[ea]

Highly strange... I could reproduce the strange behaviour with the SSE version of Xcite and a recompiled non-SSE version. And then I put back the SSE version and it stopped...

It might be a problem with the SSE optimization of the compiler...

I'll check some more...

Urs

Hi Urs! How is the progress with this preset issue?

I tested it in the latest "Zebra 2.3 ReleaseCandidate2 - Nov 1st" and it still bursts my speakercones into my face! LOL Scares the shit out of me everytime I accidentally brings that preset up, now it goes to the bin for now!

Cheers,
ea