Strange Random Frequency or Phase Issue (AD)

[razor7music]

Hello All--

This one is kind of bugging me. I'm on my 2nd project using Addictive Drums. I usually use kontakt, but I needed a retro 80s sounding synth drum. 

Sometimes when I start playing a track, the snare sounds fine--the way I want. Sometimes it sounds muffled, like the frequency is off, or maybe a snare is out of phase. It is random, and happens about 50% of the time.

I've determined it's the delay--as I bypass it and all is well.. The delay is new to me. It's iZotope Dynamic Delay. I have the time set to 58.8 ms and is synced to the host (which I would think would make the delay the exact same each time I play the track). When I turn the sync off--there is no improvement.

Here's my setup. Drums are still in MIDI/Audio format on two tracks. The audio track out goes to a  clean stereo bus, which goes to the master (hardware) out. Also, on the audio track I have a send going to another bus that has a bus compressor and a delay inserted into it. (compressor --> delay) That bus then goes to the master (hardware) out.

I've got other delays I can use if this one doesn't cooperate. I just didn't want to throw in  the towel on it until I see that it isn't fixable.

 

Thanks all!

 

 

Edited May 16, 2019 by razor7music

[chuckebaby]

Strange indeed Razor.

Could be such a fast delay time its over lapping and throwing the signal out of phase ?

It would be impossible to alleviate this unless you found out the true offenders (since its only happening 50% of the time).

Stereo Delay correct  ? Make sure the Signal is dry before running it through the Delay (if AD has a preset reverb/delay)

[razor7music]

18 minutes ago, Chuck E Baby said:

Strange indeed Razor.

Could be such a fast delay time its over lapping and throwing the signal out of phase ?

It would be impossible to alleviate this unless you found out the true offenders (since its only happening 50% of the time).

Stereo Delay correct  ? Make sure the Signal is dry before running it through the Delay (if AD has a preset reverb/delay)

Yeah, I thought about that and I have AD set at dry. Just strange...it's as if the delay "cycle" keeps going when the track isn't playing.

[sjoens]

Have you tried freezing the tracks to see if it clears up? Frozen tracks sometimes perform better/differently than nonfrozen tracks.

[razor7music]

7 minutes ago, sjoens said:

Have you tried freezing the tracks to see if it clears up? Frozen tracks sometimes perform better/differently than nonfrozen tracks.

Yeah, I'm going to try that to check it, but I'm still early in the editing stage so I'll still need to tweak stuff--but better see if it's going to work now, right?

[Tez]

I've use iZotope Dynamic Delay, when hooked to the hosts tempo, and using changes to the tempo map, you can get some weird artifacts. You could try what I do, that is

put the delay on a separate bus/aux track  and set the dry to 0% the wet to 100%, and on the track where you want the delay use a send to the DDLs  track... It's a thought...

[razor7music]

3 minutes ago, Tez said:

I've use iZotope Dynamic Delay, when hooked to the hosts tempo, and using changes to the tempo map, you can get some weird artifacts. You could try what I do, that is

put the delay on a separate bus/aux track  and set the dry to 0% the wet to 100%, and on the track where you want the delay use a send to the DDLs  track... It's a thought...

Hello

The DDL is in a separate bus and my drum track is using a send. I'll try the 0/100 dry/wet and see if that helps.

Anytime I hear the word artifacts, I run the other way! So, I'm thinking of getting my plan B dialed up.

[scook]

maybe this is the issue http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3195458

[razor7music]

22 minutes ago, scook said:

maybe this is the issue http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/3195458

That's interesting. Thanks.

[bitman]

Midi notes upon notes? That will make a weak flangy sound to a midi snare hit.

[razor7music]

I have an update. I tried using Replika as a delay instead and I had the same issue. As I was listening to the track without any delay--it happened again--which means it wasn't the delay to begin with. I just hadn't tested it enough times without the delay to have it randomly occur again. Something is going on with AD and sending to a bus with compression and then combining the two bus' outputs.

I froze the drum track for now and it doesn't seem to happen--even though the frozen track is still routing a send to the same bus that has a bus compressor on it. It's puzzling for sure. More tests to single out the cause, because ultimately it will be unusable if I can't get the crisp EQ I need 100% of the time--certainly during the final mixing.