Spire VST Filter Cutoff Crackles? Please Help! Solved! I think!!!

[mitchiemasha]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcsLvParNLg

Any idea why this is happening?

Thank you

[egbert101]

Literally clipping on the master in very big unmistakable red +5db.

[Gam456]

Indeed digital doesn't like clipping over 0 db

[mitchiemasha]

Literally clipping on the master in very big unmistakable red +5db.

That's a din scale -18dbfs meter. I'm not actually clipping. +5 is digital 0 on that meter. Anyways I've tried it turned right down and the issue is still there.

The variations in the clipping is likely related to how the waveforms are on random phase so it's not always hitting the filter the same.

[mitchiemasha]

Indeed digital doesn't like clipping over 0 db

See comment above! Thank you

[Gam456]

Cloud you send us your preset and a small portion of the midi track ?
We can have a look

[mitchiemasha]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZmKyfemDS4
Here's a follow up!

On my channel meters I have red as hot, preclip. White is over 0, for a clip, it stands out a lot better!

edit: I realise now, those tiny meters in the video, it wont show the white red thing too well.

[mitchiemasha]

Cloud you send us your preset and a small portion of the midi track ?
We can have a look

Yes I will export the preset and midi now. Thank you

Edit: here is the link

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/hxtrgokn ... oieaq&dl=0

[Gam456]

I try to reproduce your modulation.
The level was pretty hot. Adjusting the level and adding a limiter/maximiser on the master
I can't ear any pop, crack

My 2 cents
Each track level should not exceed -12, sometime even less and then maximise on the master.
This will make your mix more easier

https://soundcloud.com/user-311040946/c ... al_sharing

[chk071]

Hm, I remember this issue, but, can't for the life of me remember now what caused it.

Are you using the latest version of Spire (version 1.5.16)?

[mitchiemasha]

Hm, I remember this issue, but, can't for the life of me remember now what caused it.

Are you using the latest version of Spire (version 1.5.16)?

Yes, I just checked update, newest version!

[mitchiemasha]

My 2 cents
Each track level should not exceed -12, sometime even less and then maximise on the master.
This will make your mix more easier

That's exactly what I'm doing. In my reply video, I mention that Spire is at -12, that's what it peaks at on the channel meter. I always pregain all my channels down. Nothing is hot until after my premaster group, then the master is boosted at the last stage, plenty of headroom throughout the project.

I tried the midi and patch in a new project and it was very hard to notice, until you smack it with compression.

There's about 6db of compression added to the channel, then 20% OTT. I narrowed it down to OTT bringing it up more, making it very apparent. When the filter is mostly closed, the top end off OTT doesn't have anything to bring up, this means any slight clip in spire will get the full upwards gain % in the top band. We can physically see the top band of OTT jump up with the click.

[Gam456]

My 2 cents
Each track level should not exceed -12, sometime even less and then maximise on the master.
This will make your mix more easier

That's exactly what I'm doing. In my reply video, I mention that Spire is at -12, that's what it peaks at on the channel meter. I always pregain all my channels down. Nothing is hot until after my premaster group, then the master is boosted at the last stage, plenty of headroom throughout the project.

The patch you send me. It had a peak over +2.7 with the cutof

6db that's a lot
Why do you add a compressor on a sound already compress and without dynamics ?
You patch already have a compressor and a boost
I'm not sure to undesrtand your choice.

clipping.jpg

[mitchiemasha]

The patch you send me. It had a peak over +2.7 with the cutoff

Yes, this might be clipping the filter but I did try turning the OSC volumes down... same issue.

The compressor on the actual channel is because I liked the sound better. How the sound smacks into it.

The main problem I had with this sound was the OSC on random phase, and panned for massive width. We get crazy random cancelation on some notes and not others. Some of this is good but sometimes it's too much. Some play throughs are fine... others, things fell in time not so lucky. I reached for a compressor as a quick fix, after trying no random phase (but this ruined the sound completely), the compressor helped and I liked what it did so it was kept. The low end was having crazy panning too due to the width and phasing, this is brought in a bit with izotope. OTT was added before that stage as a multiband attempt at controlling the erratic volumes of the phasing.

You're right I do not understand my choices, but the sound is as I want it to be, apart from the clipping on the filter... which isn't coming from clipping inside the project gain staging. It's either an OTT artefact or within spire, combination of both. The only place it's hot is inside spire and the final master.

The song previously only filtered out that big sound, it wasn't until the final stages did I make that section filter in and it was a pure "yes" moment, I like that. Previously it dropped in filter fully open. It wasn't until after a few mix downs did I notice the occasional popping. It's really too far on for any major changes or to swap out the synth. It needed to be submitted last night... but I've got until next week for the slower version with the soft donk style off beat. Luckily, in most cases the other sounds mask the artefacts or the random phasing that causes it to click can fall in good positions to have it be very minimal, sometimes non at all.

[mitchiemasha]

clipping.jpg

Just to add, as mentioned previously, I pregain down all my channels in Cubase. They're all reduced considerably using the pre section. In other DAWS, you need to add an insert for this.

I guess what's happening is, inside Spire... when the random phasing causes the +2.7db boost, this will clip the filter. Normally the clip would be prefilter so we wouldn't actually here the top end of the click, it would be filtered out. In Spire it isn't, so we can now hear the clip. We wouldn't normally hear the clip of the 2.7 if the filter was open as other sounds will mask it. Then because OTT is boosting the top band, currently with no other sound actually in OTT top band (due to Spire filter removing them), this leaves only the click of the clip to be boosted (via OTT), now it stands out considerably more.

I did try to put a filter after everything and have that filter too removing the top end as to mask the clip... but this removed the air created, that was very much needed for what I like.

I will try again with the OSC's turned right down.

edit: Sorry, it's hard to get a lot of needed words in and still have things make sense.