clipping or audio dropouts?

clipping or audio dropouts?
« on: February 23, 2021, 01:17:36 PM »
Got an ob6 as my first hw synth yesterday and hoping y'all could help me sanity check something.
I've been noticing what sounds like clipping or audio dropouts when playing chords fast.

To reproduce: Load factory patch 220 and play chords fast.
Example: https://soundcloud.com/sad4evr/ob6-test/s-SnJLQz0hdIe

Is this expected/programmed into the patch? what causes this parameter wise?
Noticed this on a few other patches where I'd play a chords and there'd be a dropout when switching between chords and then it'd happen less frequently.

Bought the unit new and it shipped with os 1.6.4 (I plan on updating tonight)
I also calibrated it as specified in the quickstart guide.

Does this make sense? Can I provide any extra info? Thanks!!
I luv C++

timboréale

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Re: clipping or audio dropouts?
« Reply #1 on: February 23, 2021, 01:31:34 PM »
I couldn't hear any definitive chords of any kind in that audio - it sounded really muffled and bassy with no discernable distinct pitches to it. Try recording something closer to middle C with distinct notes in the chord. How many keys in each chord are you playing?

But, without hearing that, my guess is that you're just hearing the normal limitations of only having 6 voices - and new voices are cutting the tails of the old ones since you're playing fast enough to overrun the release of the old voices. This is normal behaviour. Either cut your release shorter, or play slower, or never have more than 6 voices sounding at any given time, including the release tails.
Prophet 6 keyboard, Rev2-16, Prophet 12 Keyboard, Nords, etc...

Re: clipping or audio dropouts?
« Reply #2 on: February 23, 2021, 01:47:25 PM »
I couldn't hear any definitive chords of any kind in that audio - it sounded really muffled and bassy with no discernable distinct pitches to it. Try recording something closer to middle C with distinct notes in the chord. How many keys in each chord are you playing?

But, without hearing that, my guess is that you're just hearing the normal limitations of only having 6 voices - and new voices are cutting the tails of the old ones since you're playing fast enough to overrun the release of the old voices. This is normal behaviour. Either cut your release shorter, or play slower, or never have more than 6 voices sounding at any given time, including the release tails.

Yeah I want wondering if this is just a limitation of 6 voices.
I'm playing 3 notes at a time. Are you hearing the clicks though?

Here's another example: https://soundcloud.com/sad4evr/ob6-test2/s-YkDwwK5D6hW
C minor - using middle C then down to F

Quote
new voices are cutting the tails of the old ones since you're playing fast enough to overrun the release of the old voices
- Thank you for sharing this as well
I luv C++

timboréale

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  • 204
  • MIDI nerd
Re: clipping or audio dropouts?
« Reply #3 on: February 23, 2021, 02:19:13 PM »
In the second one the clicks were more audible, and yes, that's exactly what voice stealing when playing in that style sounds like. The envelopes reset from a non-zero value, which causes an audible and varyingly subtle transient, or click.

In short, the OB-6 is a synth, not a piano, and you can't expect piano-style playing to work well with it. You can mitigate some of that with shorter release (for playing like that with many notes following each other polyphonically, you might need a very short release indeed) and playing, as I mentioned before, with fewer notes if you want some of the previously played notes to ring out.

This is a classic issue with low-voice count polys and people used to near-infinite voice counts. You'll adjust your playing style if you pay attention to it and learn how to use the synth engine to tune a sound for what you want to play on it.
Prophet 6 keyboard, Rev2-16, Prophet 12 Keyboard, Nords, etc...