Clicking/crackling noise in Garritan CFX Lite

VST-Player

Alright, I have got Garritan CFX Lite now and like it a lot. But I repeatedly get some unexpected annoying clicking and crackling noise in my headphones when I am playing passages with pedal. I tried enhancing latency in ASIO, reducing/enhancing engine RAM allocation, enhancing/reducing polyphony, limiter on and off, reducing the main volume, turning re-pedalling and half pedalling off - nothing helps. Where does that come from? How can I get rid of that? I have never experienced such a thing with Vintage D.

Joannchr

VST-Player I had the same problem at the beginning when I used Garritan CFX grand on a Mac.

The only setup that worked and completely eliminated any crackle was

Max engine RAM : 1.5 GB ( allocating more RAM generated cracks)

Pre caching : 32 kB

BSize : 64

BSize Max 64

Half Pedalling on

Re-Pedalling on

Reverb off ( it is a crime to add additional reverb to Garritan, as it’s natural recorded reverb is what makes the product unique, as it’s abbey road studio 1)

Also, make sure you to use a fast SSD , minimum transfer rate being 500 MB/ s

Switch off anti viruses and turn wIfi off , as this can generate system interrupts that will cause crackles because of context switching in processing .

With these settings, no crackle even with long sequence of chords with sustain and excellent playability only second to pianoteq .

Good luck

QuasiUnaFantasia

Maybe it's about RAM. Go to the "Advanced" page, and give it the most RAM you can afford it in the "Max Engine RAM Allocation". If that doesn't work, try to alter the pre-cache (same place).

VST-Player

Joannchr Thank you so much, the problem is solved. No more crackling. Max engine RAM 1.5 GB, pre caching 32 kB, buffer size 128, a little bit of reverb (traditional concert hall), my SSD seems fast enough, I left Windows Defender on.

CFX Lite is fantastic. No need for the full version. Love it! I must say it is better than Vintage D, and at the moment I do not want to play the latter any more. CFX Lite is even more playable and so evenly sampled with those 20 or so velocity layers and comes with an even better sound when I use the "01-Full - 000 Default" setting. And all that for only $59,95. They have got a new fan.

CyberGene

VST-Player yeah, they won me with CFX Lite a few years ago too. But I’m glad I upgraded to Full later. The actual ambiance that comes from the distant mics is just fantastic. Better than an algorithmic reverb. But by no means Lite is bad, I can use them both.

HZPiano

Hello Garritan fans,

For a dryer, "at the piano" sound, would Lite or Full serve me better? To illustrate: my most enjoyable VSTi setup so far is Modern U without any reverb or effects or room mics whatsoever.

What are the really significant real-world differences between the two (Lite and Full)?

I'm curious, thanks!

CyberGene

HZPiano I’m not one good with memory, so I’ll leave it to more knowledgeable people to confirm actual details and data but I believe CFX Lite contains only one of the three perspectives that come with Full, I think it is called Classic. The other two in the Full version are Modern and (Binaural) Player but I’ve never used them since I don’t like them. I actually deleted their samples to free space. Within each perspective there are a few pairs/sets of microphones if I’m not mistaken. The Classic one is made of close and distant mics. In the Lite they include only the close. Someone may correct me if I’m wrong. Personally I love the full version with the distant mics because it sounds like those classical piano recordings in a concert hall. However it’s not very intimate, so you might be better off with them reduced or even removed as in the Lite version. That being said, it’s very different than Modern U as a character. After all it’s a top of the line concert grand, the CFX. Some people seem to not like it, or they just don’t like Garritan’s sampling of it. Somehow I have this suspicion you may be one of them 🙂 But you can check whether they offer a trial period. And who knows, maybe you will love it as much as I do, and the other Garritan CFX fans.

Joannchr

HZPiano like other forum members said , if you need dry only sound , then the lite version will do the job and is a very good VST . But to my ears , the real fantastic feature of this VST is the recorded reverb as abbey road acoustic properties are unique . You can tweak the ambient mic and reduce it to a minimum even zero it should you want to and can end up with a 100% dry sound for the purpose of mixing with other instruments but at the end , you will need to add some reverb to make it sound real as in any environment there is some form of reverb. At the end of the day , I guess it is all a matter of personal taste and both versions are good . Cheers

HZPiano

Hello,

CyberGene and QuasiUnaFantasia ,

Thank you both for lovely input. I'll ponder a bit, but it seems as if I'd be best off with the light which would at the same time be cheapest and most (ssd-) resource friendly. What's more to like!

I don't think they do trial periods nor allow license transfers, which I once said was a requirement for investing in any VSTi. But at $60 who knows it may be worth the risk.

I'll ponder. I'm regularly telling myself Modern U is all I need. Which is probably true. But you know: curiosity, and killing, and cats, and such.

Speaking of pondering, I'm also currently on the fence between a VPC1 and one of the very last CA79s. But that's another matter altogether.

Cheers and happy pianosimming,

VST-Player

CyberGene Ah, now I understand. With the full version I could make more impressive recordings. I always wondered how Rach3master got this sound https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQOFOjvH8Po I cannot get this sound with the Lite version. Interestingly, Rach3master has an acoustic Steinway B now and is no longer playing his NV10S with Garritan CFX Full.

QuasiUnaFantasia

The "Lite" version is quite dry without the use of the convolution reverb. I have that version, and I wouldn't even dream of upgrading to the full version. I like the dry sound (with a bit of convolution reverb)., and I would never want to create a mix of different microphone perspectives, which might sound more "recording like", but it would not sound more "piano in the room with you, like".

MacMacMac

HZPiano I'd be best off with the light which would at the same time be cheapest and most (ssd-) resource friendly.

That was my thought. CyberGene recommended the CFX years ago (back in our Piano World days), so I got the light version ... partly because I couldn't host the full version for lack of storage resources. It works well.

QuasiUnaFantasia

HZPiano But at $60 who knows it may be worth the risk.

I bought the "Lite" version at Sweetwater, and they sell that, and the upgrade to the full version, and the full version. The "Lite" version plus the upgrade appears to be cheaper than the full version ...

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search?s=garritan%20cfx

VST-Player

HZPiano You ponder and should maybe not be too quick in your decision. You already have an excellent Yamaha VST with Noire, and CFX Lite might only be slightly better, the difference might be subtle. I am in a different situation, I played a Steinway VST and got myself a Yamaha VST as a complement.

danno858

QuasiUnaFantasia I noticed that too. So I guess it makes sense to buy in two steps if you want the full version. It shows that way on Garritan’s site also.

vagfilm

I deleted Garritan from my ssd (make space for VSL) so I may be mistaken, but as far as I remember, every preset/perspective is made of two mics, one being more close than the second mic. In the full version you can mix the level for each mic, but in the lite version the mix is fixed and cannot be adjusted. So, the full version allows more sound adjustment and theoretically more dry sound (and maybe more mic types and sample layers).

QuasiUnaFantasia

You only get the ambient microphone samples in the full version. This page lists the similarities and differences between "Lite" and "Full":

https://www.garritan.com/products/cfx-concert-grand-virtual-piano-lite/cfx-lite-features-benefits/

vagfilm

QuasiUnaFantasia You only get the ambient microphone samples in the full version.

You are probably correct. At least in some screenshots the Lite version uses only a master of 2 mics combined (m49/km184), while the Full uses the same 2 mics as CLOSE and another set of 2 mics as AMBIENT. I remember that some presets brought up other sets of mics, but maybe in all cases the Lite only used the CLOSE combination. In that case the Lite makes sense for dryest sound. I stand corrected.

HZPiano

Hello,

Thank you VST-Player , vagfilm , and QuasiUnaFantasia ,

I'll ponder carefully 🙂 and thanks for clarifications and advice. Not in any hurry whatsoever. I've listened to some Lite demoes on YouTube and wasn't completely sold on the sound (for my purposes). As for recordings that some of us do with Garritan (full, I assume), those sound gorgeous. I do love some good Yamaha grands that I've played in real life.

My sole VSTi thus far is Modern U, and it is sooo good for realism, playability and musicality. Those were my main criteria when I sought and bought it.

I don't have Noire anymore by the way, it found a new home with @David B . I did like it but for my purpose it wasn't the ideal match.

Cheers and happy piano simming,

QuasiUnaFantasia

HZPiano As for recordings that some of us do with Garritan (full, I assume)

Some years ago I did my recordings for the Adult Beginners Forum Quarterly Recitals, over at PW, with Garritan CFX Lite. If you can stand my decidedly imperfect renditions, then you can hear the "Lite" version in action here:

https://recitals.pianoworld.com/reportPerformance.php?id=4277
https://recitals.pianoworld.com/reportPerformance.php?id=4086
https://recitals.pianoworld.com/reportPerformance.php?id=3987

VST-Player

After one more day of noodling around and switching between Vintage D and CFX Lite I must say that both have their charm. At the moment, I can bring out a melody better with Vintage D and the sound is a bit more rich in my headphones, maybe I still have to work on the settings in CFX Lite. I like them both, two pianos with a different character. Well, @MacMacMac repeatedly stated Vintage D is the best VST and at the moment I am not yet convinced that he is wrong, although I am working hard to prove it, haha…

HZPiano

VST-Player ,

As an aside, what keys (controller) are you playing your VSTis with?

Cheers and happy playing,

MacMacMac

VST-Player MacMacMac repeatedly stated Vintage D is the best VST

I don't know that the Vintage D is the best.
Rather, I believe it's is the best of those that I own.
Also better than any of the many freebies that I've tried.

It's possible that I'd be pleasantly surprised by any of the VSL pianos.
But I'm not planning to buy more instruments, so ...

VST-Player

HZPiano Casio GP-310.